03

OLIVIA

I keep my eyes on Nathan till he leaves the restaurant and disappears from my sight.

I turn to my best friend, Ashley who already has a mischievous grin on her face. I am not surprised, I know she would do something silly.

Ashley winks at me and then squeals loudly, attracting stares from the few people scattered around the restaurant.

Damn, social anxiety is scary for this girl!

I take a deep breath, letting her do whatever she likes. This is going to be one of those moments where I just let her have her fun.

"I said it!" Ashey exclaims.

"Just shut the fuck up," I snap at her, lifting my glass to take a sip of the fruit juice I got.

"You fûcking like Aiden Blacksmith," Ashley whispers, leaning close to me. "And you are acting like you don't give a fuck about him."

I give a half shrug. "I don't give a flying fuck about him. I don't like him, Ashley," I mutter.

"He's my sister's best friend. It would be weird to like him," I add.

"You can keep the fact that he is your sister's best friend out of it. As if you don't want him to do all sorts of things to your body," Ashley blurts out, a smile playing on her lips.

I arch a brow. "Ew, I don't want to hear that," I mumble.

Ashley starts, gazing at me with her eagle eyes. " You seem to have a soft spot for Nathan. Then why did you turn down his offer to give you a ride home?" She asks.

I shake my head. "Aiden had already offered to give me a ride after my lectures. I didn't want to make him feel bad or something," I reply.

Ashley raises her eyebrows. "When did you start caring about Aiden's feelings? Last time I checked, you found him irritating and didn't like his bad boy reputation," She points out.

"I still don't like him," I snap. "Jeez, this is becoming an interrogation. I don't want to discuss this anymore."

Deep down in my mind, I can't help but wonder what is wrong with me. Why did I say "no" to my crush's offer to give me a ride home? Why do I care about Aiden's feelings? He is arrogant and acts like the world revolves around him. What the hell is wrong with me?

We are finally done with our lunch, and we walk to the parking lot. Ashley heads to her car, and thankfully, she does not say anything about Aiden on the way out. Instead, she gives me a hug and reminds me of the party. I am sure she'll chat about it later, but at least she isn't bringing it up right now.

I walk to the usual spot where Aiden usually parks his car. Of course, his car is there. I feel stupid. He doesn't even know my lecture schedule - how would he know when I would be done with my lectures? But, somehow, my feet bring me to the spot anyway.

I swallow a gulp down my throat, my eyes taking in the scene that's playing out in front of me. Aiden Blacksmith has his arms wrapped around a girl's waist, and they are kissing like it's the only thing they know how to do.

My hands curl into fists. Can't they at least do this somewhere else? It pops in my mind that we stood here this morning too, his body close to mine. But, we had not been kissing. Even so, we were the object of everyone's stares. It feels like I am one of those girls – his flings.

Aiden's eyes meet mine as they break apart from the kiss. I spin on my heels and walk away before he can say anything. I will just call a cab to get home.

This is what I get for rejecting a ride from Nathan. If I had accepted his offer, I never would have seen Aiden doing that. I won't be feeling like shit right now.

"Good for you," I mutter under my breath.

Why did watching Aiden kiss the girl made my stomach churn? He is so into it, treating her like she is the most delicious treat. Like, she is a candy. I wonder what it would feel like to kiss someone. I have never been kissed before.

Maybe Sarah is right when she says I am a loser.

Why the heck am I even mad? Is it because I saw Aiden kissing another girl? Why should I care? He can kiss anyone he wants. He is my sister's best friend, after all.

~~~

I hear the doorbell ring a third time, and this time I force myself to open my eyes. I have been sleeping ever since I got home from school.

I need the rest.

I need time to clear my head.

I know when my sister, Sarah, got home because her car's horn had woken me up, but I had drifted off again. I could hear the doorbell ringing twice before, but I pretended not to hear it. I figured Sarah would answer it, but maybe she's sleeping now, too.

I drag myself out of bed and over to my closet, grabbing the nearest t-shirt I can reach. I can't open the door to greet whoever is there while only wearing a bra. What if it is a guy, or even dad?

But then again, it could not be Dad - he is working out of the country and won't be back until the end of the month. Even if I wish he would be around more for me and my sister, I know that's not possible. Not since Mom divorced him.

Jolting out of my thoughts, I run downstairs to answer the door.

I open the door. I lose my balance at the sight of the person standing there, his honey brown eyes piercing into me. In an instant, he grabs my wrist, preventing me from falling.

I shrug, jerking away from his hand. I must get a grip on myself.

Yes, Aiden Blacksmith is standing at my door. Why should I freak out?

I'm about to go back into the house when he reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me back. I wish I was stronger and heavier. If I had more weight, he would not be able to move me so easily.

Aiden has got me in his arms. I am so close to him that I can feel his breath on my ear.

"Why did you run off at school?" He asks.

I keep my gaze fixed on his chest. I don't even trust myself to meet his eyes.

I can't help but admire how built he is. His broad chest. His well toned arms.

I desperately want to touch his body, but I control the urge to do that.

Aiden lifts my chin making me look into his eyes. "I like your hazel eyes," He mutters.

His eyes darken, making my heart beat faster. His eyes drop to my mouth. "Fuck, I like your lips too,"

He bends his head. I don't even bother to think it over. I just close my eyes waiting for his lips to touch mine.

"What the fuck!"

That is the next thing I hear. My sister's familiar voice.