Page 48
She rolled her eyes and pulled her shades down to hide the blush spreading heat over her cheeks. “Nope.”
“Does it bother you?”
“Your sister does it every time I see her.” You’re not attracted to his sister, though. “Why would it bother me?”
He tucked his hands in his jean pockets. “Alright.” His lips tilted into a half smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She dropped her gaze down to her sandals, tucking her curls behind her ear.
“So what’s for lunch?”
Her head snapped up. “Oh. Um. I dunno. I didn’t even plan to go out today and waste money, but I haven’t gone grocery shopping, and what’s at the apartment sucks.”
“Why don’t I take you—”
“Hey, Charlotte.”
Aiden looked over her head as she turned around.
“Oh hey, Noah. What are you doing…” Her words died as she took in Noah’s appearance. His lip had a severe split, and extensive swelling and bruising trailed from his right eye down to his jaw and across his cheekbone. “Oh my god, what happened?”
Noah chuckled and then winced when his smile pulled his split lip. “Got my ass handed to me.”
“Obviously. But how? Who?”
Inhaling through his nose, Noah shook his head. “It’s not important. Got ahead of myself. Won’t happen again.” His eyes flicked up from her face to Aiden before dismissing him. “What are you doing out here?”
She didn’t like how he avoided her question, but she wouldn’t push it.
“Going to grab lunch in the Tate Building, but Aiden showed up.” She motioned over her shoulder to where Aiden had taken a step closer to her back.
“Aiden? The guy you mentioned in class?”
Aiden arched a black brow at Charlotte, and his lips tipped up in a teasing grin. “You talking about me?”
“No! I mean, yes, but it wasn’t anything bad. Rachel did most of the talking.”
“Color me curious,” he said, chuckling.
“Well, I’m starving,” Noah said, interrupting them. “Wanna get something together?”
“Um.” She turned and looked between him and Aiden. “What do you wanna do? You drove all this way.”
The way Aiden stood staring at Noah with narrowed eyes made her shift from foot to foot in discomfort. Noah had the same sour look on his face. Their dislike for each other was clear, but she couldn’t understand why.
“Uh, guys?”
Aiden looked down at her, his harsh expression clearing. He smiled. “I thought I’d get us set up to play back at your apartment. If you want to grab a bite and then meet me there? Or I can come back and pick you up?”
“Apartment?” Noah asked.
Aiden’s eyes moved up to Noah and his face went stony. “Yes, apartment. I’m here to play video games with Charlotte for the day.”
“Ah, yeah? I didn’t know you were into gaming.” Noah looked from Aiden to her as a haughty smile spread across Aiden’s face.
She shrugged. “Oh, yeah. It’s fun.” She had never shared with Noah her love of video games. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t tell many people outside those down in Rosebrook whom she considered close friends. Like Aiden, Riley, and Blaire.
The crackling atmosphere as the two guys stared at each other over her head made her tense and uncomfortable. She didn’t know what their problem was, but she’d never seen Aiden like this before. Agitated was the only word to describe his body language and the tense set of his shoulders. His forehead kept lining when he couldn’t keep his expression neutral. What made him so upset?
