He considers me for a moment like he isn’t quite sure whether or not to believe me. “You sure? All the girls at Sun Valley High like the Devils.”
“Definitely not this one.”
He releases a relieved sigh. “That’s good. They’re assholes. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt.”
I don’t argue because, well, they are, and the fact he’s concerned about me is kinda nice.
I pull out my phone and shoot a text off to Janessa.
Me: Do you think my dad will let me go out with a friend this weekend?
Janessa: Dates, Times, Location?
I turn to Aaron.“My dad’s assistant wants to know for how long and where we’d be going?”
He lifts a brow. “Assistant?”
“Yeah. I know it’s weird but I’ll get a faster response if I go through her rather than trying to track him down.”
He nods like he understands. “Shadle Creek. Today until Sunday morning.”
I shoot her the information and watch as the three little dots appear. Then they stop. Then they appear again.Urgh.Come on. Answer already.
Janessa: That’s fine. Your father says to use the credit card he gave you if you need anything. He’ll try and schedule a dinner with you when you get back.
Me: Great.
I roll my eyes.I love the idea of having to schedule a dinner with my dad. I shove my phone back into my pocket and turn to meet Aaron’s expectant gaze. “I’m in.”
His eyes light up. “Really?”
I nod.
“Awesome!”
* * *
Aaron givesme a ride home and follows me inside. He sits on the edge of my bed, watching as I hastily pack a bag with the essentials. Underwear. Toothbrush. Hairbrush. Toothpaste. I’m not sure what all I’ll need but it doesn’t take long to realize none of the clothes Janessa got for me are going to work. Everything is white or blush and definitely not suitable for camping.
I dig through my dresser drawers and raid my closet looking for something passable. Aaron looks out of place in the space as he leans back against the pink floral bedspread covering the bed.
He’s wearing his usual black Volcom pants, though today he’s paired them with a Hurley long-sleeved thermal tee and a pair of checkered Vans. His shoulders are well defined, even beneath the fabric of his shirt, and his tee rides up, exposing an inch of smooth, tanned skin dusted with a light trail of blond hair.
I force myself to look away from the curve along his hips that I know leads to an Adonis belt I have no business admiring. How did guys get that? I’ve seen him eat. He’s like a garbage disposal in the lunchroom, but looking at him now, you’d never know it.
“I can’t believe you live here,” he says, a touch of wonder in his tone.
“Yeah, well, only up until a week ago.”
His head tilts in question and I sigh, not really wanting to explain but not really seeing a way around it either. “My mom died.” I stuff down my emotions and force the words past my lips. “Dad’s the only surviving relative I have, so I was shipped off here. I just moved in the week before last, so none of this,” I wave at everything around me. “Is mine or even resembles the life I grew up with.”
“No shit?” He shakes his head and his face pulls down into a frown. “Damn. I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”
Silence stretches between us, and after looking through the final drawer in my dresser, I give up in defeat. “I don’t think this is going to work. I don’t really have anything appropriate for camping,” I say, resignation in my voice. I didn’t realize just how badly I wanted to go until it became apparent I might not be able to.
Aaron considers me a moment before coming over to take my hands and pulling me from the floor where I’d been sitting. “It’s cool. You can borrow some sweats of mine if you want. My bag is already packed in my trunk. Or we can always run by a store?”
