Aiden lunged again, blinded by pure jealousy, but came up short when his shirt snagged against his throat.
With other guests crowding around to see the argument, I hadn’t even noticed Dean had moved until he grabbed Aiden by the scruff of the neck. Aiden didn't know who stopped him. He also didn't care when he swung blindly to get loose. This time the punch landed; a misguided, drunken swing that connected with Dean’s mouth.
Aiden paused, eyes wide with frustration.
Dean gritted his teeth, lip already bleeding, as his grip tightened on Aiden’s shirt.
“Get the fuck out,” he growled.
The entire room had fallen silent, including the music, as everyone watched Aiden and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. His nostrils flared but he was beginning to realize it was pointless.
Kira stood on the edge of the crowd. Her eyes lined with tears as she covered her mouth and watched. When Aiden shrugged out of Dean’s grip and marched for the door, she quickly wiped her eyes and followed him out.
I wanted to go after her, to check she was okay and tell her she should come home with me, but I was blocked by the bench and the crowd that pressed in around us.
They left with the sound of the front door closing. And more silence followed as no one dared be the first to speak.
And then the base of a wine glass scraped against the kitchen island.
Xavier raised his glass, smiling awkwardly when everyone’s attention shifted to him. “Happy housewarming, everyone!”
Chapter 50
Lily
Seb, Dean, and I left soon after the whole ordeal. I had hoped that we would catch Kira outside Xavier's apartment but found she had already left with Aiden by the time we got downstairs. Which only made me worry more. Aiden was drunk, angry, and driving, and Kira hadn’t answered any of my texts or calls. I kept refreshing my inbox anyway.
When we pulled up in front of my apartment, after taking Seb home first, I realized I hadn’t spoken a single word to Dean. And I still needed to speak with him about everything else that was on my mind before Aiden lost it.
Aiden had lost it and Kira was alone with him.
“Do you know his address?” Dean hadn’t shut the engine off yet.
I shut my phone off and breathed in sharply. “No.”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, frowning, thinking, as he looked ahead. A red mark was on his chin, and his split lip had dried but it looked sore. When he realized I was watching, he half smiled and licked the cut briefly.
“It’s nothing,” he said.
“At least let me look at it inside.”
“Lily, it’s just a cut—”
“Aiden was drinking before the party, and he really shouldn’t be driving but I obviously can’t help Kira because I have no idea where they are, and she’s not returning my texts— I need to direct my concern onto something, or at least distract myself before I get so anxious, I explode.” I blinked when I was done, stunned by my own assertiveness before I looked at Dean.
He seemed equally stunned, apart from the light in his eyes. His chest expanded with a sigh before he put the car in park and shut the engine off. “I guess I’m comin’ inside.”
There was no need to sneak Dean into the apartment this time. If Susan happened to catch us in the hallway, I didn’t care. My parents were already aware that I was spending more time with him, even if they stubbornly refused to accept it, so Susan could spy to her nosey heart's content. I was even looking forward to whatever story she might spin tonight so my mother could repeat it to me at bible study tomorrow.
Dean followed me through the apartment to my small bathroom, where I flicked on the lights while still thinking of Kira.
No news is good news.
I hopped up onto the counter, and he stepped in front of me. Ignoring that my knees were directly at his hip height, I pulled several tissues from the box by the sink and dabbed them under the tap.
Aiden wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
With the tissues damp enough, I turned back to Dean and lifted the tissue to his bottom lip.
