He blinked.
It kept going, for at least ten seconds, like before. Getting any sleep had seemed almost impossible anyway, but with a noisy neighbour? He could just forget about it. He got up and, wearing only his boxers, slammed on the light, stalked across the French doors and slammed them shut, satisfied by the noise they made.
Take that, cricket.
He spun to go back to bed, but his gaze fell on his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. He stopped walking. The tattoos. He put a hand on the Titan first, thinking back to the day he’d got it inked. On how it had felt to sign his contract with the club, to know how wanted he and Blake were. To know they really, truly belonged to something special. It was a feeling he’d never known before. Not even at college.
The Titans had gone all out to secure the twins, had made them front and centre of their line-up, promoting them to their fan base, building them in the league as star players. They were all in with the Carters, so the Carters were all in with the Titans.
His hand shifted sideways to the eagle – which he’d chosen to do one Fourth of July, and loved, because of how he felt about this country, and the opportunities he’d been given.
Then, he turned, slowly, pulling down his boxers and looking over his shoulder so he could see the writing.
Ad Meliora.
Towards Better Things.
It had been his first tattoo. He’d got it with his brother about a month after leaving Ashbury Falls. When he’d been closest to weakening and getting the hell out of there. When he’d been most tempted to walk away from the game, the scholarship, from Blake and his mom, and just go home.
Not to his dad. His father, as far as Aiden was concerned, could go to hell.
But Sienna… God, he’d missed her like he’d lost a damned leg.
He’d ached for her in a way he’d never known it was possible to ache for another human.
He’d been desperate to see her again. To be with her.
But Sienna was impossible, the life they’d talked about wanting just a stupid, childish fantasy. Or maybe, maybe it wasn’t. But Aiden would never have taken that risk.
Because, what if he’d hurt her?
What if they’d stayed together, and one day, the same monster that lived inside his father had started to take up space in Aiden?
His dad hadn’t always been such a pig.
When his parents first got married, they were happy. Normal.
But then, when the twins were born, and his mom went through post-natal depression, their dad couldn’t cope. Instead of helping her, he got angry. And then, he got violent.
When he lost his job, and started to drink, he got angrier. And more violent. And then they were locked in a never-ending cycle of the beatings, the remorse, the apologies, the forgiveness, the honeymoon phase and then, bam. The violence again.
The day Aiden realised just how much he loved Sienna was the day he knew he had to leave.
Even without the catalyst of Blake’s charges, and his fear for their mom, Aiden had realised that leaving Sienna and making a clean break of it was the right thing for her. Sienna was smart, funny, motivated and gorgeous. She was going to go a long way in life, with or without him. He knew their break-up would hurt in the moment, but she’d be better off down the track.
At least, that’s what he’d told himself then.
So why was she still living in Ashbury Falls?
What happened to all her big plans of making a life for herself in a big city?
Chiiiirrrupppp.
He startled, glancing around the room. Because the sound wasn’t coming from outside, as he’d suspected, but rather, inside his damned bedroom.
It didn’t chirrup for long enough for him to find it, but he stayed standing perfectly still, listening and waiting.
Another quick chirrup, from somewhere near his bed.
