Aiden fell quiet, glancing around the room once, twice, three times before looking back to me.
“You should ask Mandi to dance,” he said.
What?
“Come again?” I raised an eyebrow.
“She’s all alone and you’re the only person here she knows,” Aiden reasoned. “You should ask her to dance.”
He was sosweet. My heart ached at the thought.
He was right, too. Mandi had defended me—and Dad—this morning. Ignoring her wasn’t polite.
Besides, I thought we’d maybe come to half an understanding. It would’ve been nice to stay friends, especially if she was planning on hanging out more with Hallie.
“I’ll ask her,” I promised, leaning forward and letting my forehead rest against Aiden’s. “After this one. Okay?”
Aiden squeezed my fingers and let his eyes fall closed. “Okay.”
24
Aiden
You still awake?
I bitmy lip as I waited for Morgan’s reply. I knew he would've been in bed by now, butin bedwasn’t the same asasleep,and I sure as hell needed someone to talk to.
Morgan:only if something’s on fire
Did this count as a fire?
It definitelyfeltlike it.
Think I’ve maybe fallen in love with Carter
I hit send before I could second-guess myself, staring at the message for long seconds while the reality of it sunk in.
Saying it aloud—or at least, writing it down—made itreal. It wasn’t just in my head anymore.
Morgan:congrats, but why are you telling me and not him
Morgan:?
I glanced up at Carter dancing with Mandi, twirling her under his arm like I’d showed him, and my stomach clenched.
Catch and release.Thatwas why.
Carter hadn’t looked twice at me before this week, and there was a reason for that. Multiple reasons. I couldhavehim, right now, but I couldn’tkeephim.
He wasn’t for me, even if I wanted him to be. Because despite everything, I was still…
I was stillme. Smartass troublemaker who couldn’t keep his mouth shut for ten seconds, covered in tattoos and fifty percent bad habits by volume. I slept in until the last minute and left my towel on the floor and drank milk from the carton when I was alone, I was only behaving right now because I wanted Carter to like me more than I wanted to do those things.
Because some part of me was still fifteen years old, and sad, and alone, and desperate for his approval.
Same reason you aren’t telling my idiot brother you’d walk over hot coals for him
We didn’t usually talk about that, but it was true.
