AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Please, you first,” my voice is low and when I can’t feel her beautiful eyes on me, I lift mine and see her shaking her head softly. I inwardly groan, lifting the bottle and filling her wine glass up before doing my own.
Lifting the glass to my lips, I turn my body slightly so I don’t have to look at her and take a large mouthful of my wine, willing for it to numb out my feelings.
“So, Aspen,” my mom says, her voice loud as she perches herself in the perfect position to pounce like a waiting lioness. “Tell me all about this famous fiancé of yours and your life in the wonderful LA.”
My own eyes widen when I hear Aspen begin to cough, her glass being placed roughly on the table as she reaches for a napkin. My eyes narrow as I watch Pacey’s hand slip under the table and I have to chill my inner self from losing my shit and exploding on Christmas day.
“You okay?” Austin, her brother, leans into her, his face laced with concern as he rubs her back and she just nods, keeping quiet.
“Sorry,” she mutters and I scoff. I’m not buying her shit. She is hiding something, but little miss perfect won’t admit it. I feel a swift kick to my shin from under the table which makes me groan and I know it has come from her, a fucking smile plastered along her face as a warning to me.
Fuck, that hurt.
“No, no, don’t apologize,” my mom says softly but she is still sitting in her position waiting for Aspen to spill all.
“Things are amazing, Luke is just so busy on set with his new movie, so instead of being home by myself at Christmas, I thought I would spend it with my family. It’s been a hot minute since I have been home,” she smiles through gritted teeth and that’s how I know she is lying.
I watch as her chest rises and falls a little quicker now, her lips parting as if she is trying to inhale as much air as she can to fill her crushing chest, her suffocating lungs. Letting my eyes move, her fingers are tapping on the table in a rhythm and I know she is trying to focus on that rather than my mom’s onslaught of nosy questions. The finger tapping became more apparent when she had her accident, whenever she had to open up about it, she tapped.
“Beautiful engagement ring, you really are glowing Aspen. Good for you for getting out of this time loop and making something of yourself,” my mom continues, and I see Aspen snap.
“Please,” she just about manages as she pushes her chair across the hardwood floor and stands up. “Excuse me for one moment,” and only then, do our eyes connect and I feel the air shift between us, the ground moving beneath my feet as I only focus on her. She rushes from the room and it takes everything in me not to follow her.She’s not yours to follow.
Pacey’s eyes move from Austin to Tripp and finally onto me. I have no idea what to do.
“Is she okay Blue?” my mom asks Aspen’s mom. Blue’s face is turned into the direction her daughter disappeared but slowly moves to look at my mom.
“Yeah, yeah,” Blue rushes out, reaching for her water as her eyes move to Buck and I can see the concern that masks Blue’s smile.
Yeah, fuck this.
I push away from the table and ignore my mom when she asks me where I am going. I move down to the hallway following Aspen’s steps and stop outside the bathroom door. My hand hovers over the doorknob, internally battling with myself whether I should go in or not. Do I knock or just enter?
I should knock, it’s the right thing to do.
“Aspen,” I knock on the door gently, but she doesn’t answer. I inhale, rubbing my hand over my face and feeling my frustration bubbling deep inside of me. I don’t like the idea of her being in there and clearly upset.
Lifting my closed fist, I knock again a little harder this time.
Nothing.
My fingers wrap around the doorknob and I twist it, pushing the door open when I feel the resistance of her leaning against it.
“Get out, I’m in here!” she shouts out, her petite frame pushing against the door, but she doesn’t stand a chance. I push the door with force and she steps aside just as I do.
I fall through the door and steady myself by placing my hands on the paneled wall in front of me.
Silence surrounds us, I feel the air crackle between us. The tension is thick. My eyes scan over her pretty face and my heart stammers in my chest. Her beautiful golden honey eyes are red rimmed and puffy, tears rolling down her cheeks and she swipes them away with force. Her lips are parted as she sucks in air but chokes on a sob on her intake of breath.
No words are needed.
She throws herself at me and I hold her tightly and that’s when I feel her petite body sag into mine. Tightening my grip around her waist, my neck cranes and I press my lips to the top of her head, inhaling her addictive scent, she smells like wildflowers in the spring meadows.
“You okay thereDinks?” and I feel her stiffen when her nickname rolls off my tongue like a bad habit.
“I will be,” she says quietly, her hands on my chest as she presses away from me, her honey eyes lifting and connecting with mine and I feel my heart swell in my chest.
My eyes fall from hers for just a moment and graze to her parted lips, gliding them back to her wide eyes, I edge closer to her, letting my eyes fall once more as her lips are inches from mine.
