I hum, pretending to consider it, then shake my head and pull Ayden even closer with an arm around his shoulder. “Sorry, Mandy. Family first.”
Her lips twist, her foot stomps, and she storms off with a full-on pout.
Ayden watches her go and laughs, not making the slightest move to leave my side. “Thank god you showed up. I swear I don’t know how to tell her we’re never going to be a thing without breaking her poor heart.”
“You shouldn’t have led her on this long.” I raise a brow. “That one’s totally on you.”
He jabs me lightly in the rib. “I told her I wasn’t interested in anything but being friends.”
I shrug my shoulders. “She’s been pining over you since middle school. I’m not surprised.”
“Alysa promised to take care of it if she didn’t get the hint aftergraduation.” Looking down at him, he’s got his head tilted up, that sweet, unapologetic expression on his face. “I’m glad you’re here.”
My damn heart falls right into my stomach. “Me too…” Before I can do something stupid, I release him and take a step back.
“Have you eaten?” he asks, clearing his throat. “There’s food, yard games, and a bunch of stuff to do.”
I tuck my hands into my pockets. “I’m starved, and as long as you’re my partnerormy only opponent, I’m down for some gaming.”
His laugh is infectious, like it always is. The kind that digs into your ribs and makes you laugh even when you don’t mean to.
He leans into me as his mirth grows, shoulder brushing mine, and I let myself soak in the warmth for half a second too long before remembering—I’m not supposed to want this.
“Unless it’s in something like chess or mathematics, you’re going to beat me in everything. Partnering up is the only way we are playing tonight.”
And that we did. For the next several hours, we ate and played partner games. From alcohol-free beer pong, to cornhole. Everyone stopped challenging us, which became boring. So we settled on just talking with Ayden’s graduate classmates.
The entire time, I stayed as close to him as humanly possible without actually holding him.
To me, Ayden is the piece that makes this home feel whole. I’m here with my mom, with my family, but he’s what makes it complete. With him, I’m not hollow. I’m not so empty.
And that thought breaks my heart a little more each time—because it comes with the brutal realization that I can’t have him.
As people begin to trickle out, Ayden and I dodge Alysa as best we can. She’s been trying to sit us down for a board game, and we both know how competitive she is. With me in the mix, it would’ve been aloooongnight.
With our hasty escape, we find ourselves upstairs, slipping into my old room.
“That girl is relentless,” I whisper, letting out a soft laugh.
I glance up at him. He’s leaning against the door, that cheeky smile of his stretching wide enough to reveal both deep dimples.
The sudden realization of where we are—and that it’s just the two of us—makes my lungs tighten. I take a deep, shaky breath, and as our eyes lock, I worry I’ve forgotten who I am to him.
My heart races so fast that my breath comes out ragged.
“Relentless…” he murmurs, his voice low and sultry.
“Yeah…”
I lick my lips, and when he looks at them, I know I’m fucked.
30
It’s three in the morning, and I can’t sleep.
This isn’t unusual; most nights when Keo isn’t here, I struggle to fall asleep. Instead of even trying, I’ve been scrolling through social media. I’ve got caught up in funny cat videos while Clover is curled against my head.
I’m convinced this cat is something supernatural.
