“I don’t care about them! I care aboutyou. Let me be more than just an acquaintance. I am patient. Even if it takes years, I’ll wait until you’re ready, but please give me a chance.” I grasp his hands and press them against my heart, hoping to reach his. “That’s all I’masking for, and if you don’t want to see me again afterward, I’ll respect your choice.”
“I can’t believe this. Stop it and get up.”
“Not before you give me a chance.”
He groans and pulls me up by my collar, seething. “Fine.Get up now. You’re causing a scene.”
I bubble with joy and have to hold myself back from picking him up and kissing him right this instant. I rise and smile so brightly that my cheeks ache, but I couldn’t care less about the pain.
He said yes. In your face, Aiden!
“Can we go now?” he mutters, reaching for his coat and striding toward the exit. “I can’t stand those people staring at us like we’re clowns in a circus. After what you just did, they’re not even wrong to think it.”
I nod frantically and grab mine before settling the tab. Outside of the restaurant, Aoi slowly inhales and exhales the fresh evening air as a means to calm his nerves.
He turns to face me, a frown creasing his brows. “You’re a real snake. I can’t believe you put me in that situation. You know that’s fucking manipulative, right?”
I bite my lip. He’s adorable even when he’s mad. There’s no way I could take him seriously right now. Not when his cheeks are rosy and his lips plump, ready to be tasted.
“I know, sorry.” I smile regardless and place a hand on his lower back, guiding him to my car. “But you just made me the happiest man on earth so-”
He politely swats my hand away but obediently follows me to the vehicle. “Keep it to yourself.”
His actions and intentions are so contradictory. Amused, I open the door and gesture for him to sit.
I know he’s trying to be mad at me, but even he can’t help smiling back at me.
“Where are we going?” he asks as I drive off.
I glance over at him and teasingly say, “To Paradise.”
Aoi rolls his eyes and smiles. It’s not the polite and cold smile he expresses most of the time now. It’s a genuine smile, filled with the warmth of a flame slowly igniting from the ashen wood of a fireplace.
This one is closer to the Aoi I used to know.
The longer I stare at him, the more I fall for him. It’s the most excruciating feeling on earth, yet it’s the deepest and realest sensation I’ve ever experienced.
Nothing can make me give up on him.
Not even him.
22
Aoi
Why am I indulging him like this?
I usually have more resolve, but something about him makes it incredibly difficult to say no.
One minute we’re in the car, driving to who knows where, and the other, we’re in front of a dark alley in between buildings.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” I glance around myself at the suspiciousness of this place. “I’m not a fan of odd places, for the record.”
“I told you earlier,” he says, grinning as he steps into the alley and beckons me to follow him. “Paradise.”
“More like hell.”
He stops in his tracks and grabs my wrist. “Do you trust me?”
