AllFreeNovel
Share Us
AARON
February 15th — 12:41 a.m.
“You live here?” I asked, like a moron, as Alex keyed us in the backdoor of Briar Lane.
“Yeah. Upstairs.”
“I can’t believe you did it. I mean, I remember your mom talking about restoring it up there, but…”
He grinned at me, leading the way up the back stairs. “I think you’ll like it.”
The upstairs loft was a continuation of the magical Secret Garden vibe downstairs. Plants and flowers hung everywhere, pops of pinks and reds and whites against the sage greens and beiges of the decor. It was warm and cozy and begged you to curl up on the couch and relax in front of the old brick fireplace. The large windows were frosted over, but the dim glow of Middleton illuminated them softly.
“Better than my condo,” I said, wandering into the living room. There was no sign of another guy. Guess he wasn’t lying about the douche breaking things off earlier.
“Thanks,” he murmured. “Can I get you anything?”
“A drink would be great.”
Alex stepped into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of vodka from the freezer. He poured two glasses and handed me one with a small smile.
“Thank you.” I took it but didn’t drink. As much as I wanted it to calm my nerves, I also didn’t want some twisted repeat of what happened in high school.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but he blinked quickly and looked away, downing his vodka in one gulp. Was he as nervous as I was all of a sudden? And why was I so fucking nervous? Why was he? Maybe because I wasn’t drunk, or angry. I didn’t know what his excuse was, but actually having a real conversation behind Bramble, brief though it was, somehow left me feeling more vulnerable than being bent over a table and spanked by my stepbrother.
“I don’t know what we’re doing,” I admitted, clearing my throat even as my gaze fell to the untouched drink in my hand. “I thought we hashed it all out. So why did you bring me here?”
He closed the distance and took the glass from me, setting it on the edge of the coffee table. “Because I want to be with you. We’ve lost so much time already. I don’t want to lose another second.”
“You think one conversation is going to undo the last ten years?”
“No.” He smiled softly and touched my face. “But it’s a start, right?”
“You didn’t even ask if I’m in a relationship. I could have someone waiting at home, you know.”
He smirked. “You don’t.”
“How do you know?” I narrowed my gaze at him. Middleton might have been small, but it wasn’t that small. There were still a few thousand other residents and I doubted my love life was the topic of anyone’s conversation.
“Because despite what you think, I know you,” Alex replied, smirk firmly intact. “I know you’re too busy—not to mention too stubborn and picky as all get out—for any sort of a long-term relationship. Plus, there’s no way in Hell you would have let me go as far as I did if you were seeing someone. You might play up that bad boy image for other people, but you’re not your father. You don’t cheat.”
He had a point. Ok, several points, but rather than admit he was right about any of it, I conceded with an eye roll. “So what happened to the douchebag?”
“Do you really want to talk about him right now?” He arched a blond brow.
Ugh. Even thinking about Alex with another guy made bile rise in the back of my throat. Why did I keep doing this? Oh, that’s right. Because it was easier to pick a fight than have another honest conversation.
“No,” I finally mumbled when it was clear he wasn’t going to let it go.
“No.” He shook his head with a slow grin. “So get him out of your head. He doesn’t matter. You’re the only thing that matters to me right now. Truth be told, you’re the only one who ever mattered.”
I stepped away from him quickly, pretending to be more interested in the rack of wine bottles on the counter. “I owe you dinner, right?”
“Yeah, you do.” His footsteps approached slowly, but I didn’t turn until he slid up on the counter, facing me with a gentle expression. “However, I’m just as happy with a bowl of cereal after a long ass day like today.”
I made a face at him, insulted on a number of levels. “I can’t let you eat cereal for dinner, not after you saved my ass.”
“I can’t ask you to cook for me after you’ve been up since—what time? Five? Six?”
