All Chapters of Nightmare turned love : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"Sleepover! Yay, sleepover!" Eli cheered as he threw open the door to his house."Parents aren't home, yay!" I echoed, skipping inside with my arms in the air like an idiot."When are Jace and Ty joining us?" I asked, dropping onto the couch while he bounded up the stairs."Probably by eight," he called down. "Also… how’d you get your parents to agree to this? They don’t even know me yet, so I’m kinda shocked."Fair point."I let Arnold handle it," I said, grabbing a throw pillow. "Told him I was hanging with you, and he was cool with it. He’ll find an excuse to tell our parents. Eventually.""Hmm. Still. You gotta drag me home sometime so I can charm them. Preferably when they're around," he added with a smirk, returning with a bag of chips."Now, enough questions. I’m here to unwind and forget about a certain high school boy, so let’s get to the unwinding part.""Have a little patience, girl. We just need to prep the sitting room, lay out snacks, pick a movie, and then vibe. It’s no

I should’ve known this game would come back to bite me in the ass.The moment I heard Eli’s command, I looked up—just in time to hear Aiden ask who the other number was. And before I could even think, I grabbed his hand and dragged him upstairs.Yeah, Eli was definitely going to have a lot to say about that later. But hey, anything to avoid another kiss with him. I even dropped my card dramatically on the table for effect. Bold move, I know. But these were desperate times, I tell you.A million thoughts ran through my head as we walked. What could he possibly have to say? Was this about Jordan? School? Us?Once we were in the room, I shut the door and turned to face him.“Okay. Talk,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.I took him in. He didn’t look smug for once—just serious. There was actual restraint in his posture, a hint of uncertainty in his expression. Weird, because Aiden Cross never hesitated. Ever.He shoved his hands into his pockets and finally met my eyes.“I came here

I kept staring at the dress Eli held up with a full-blown smile on his face. What the hell was he thinking, getting me something this… I don’t even know how to place it. “It’s cute, innit?” he asked, still smiling. “You seriously don’t expect me to wear that,” I said, still gawking at it. “Of course I dooo! It took me hours to find the perfect outfit for you—and trust me, heads are gonna drop tonight,” he said, shimmying his hips a little. I nearly chuckled. I got up and took the clothes from him, the material smooth against my palm. “It’s strapless, Eli,” I repeated, as if saying it twice would magically change that. Heads up—it didn’t. The whole thing still felt like a scene in a movie. And not a good one, I tell you. “Just put it on and stop staring at it like you can make it disappear,” he said, pushing me into the bathroom. “I wish I had that superpower,” I muttered as I placed the dress on the counter. Okay, time for self-motivation, Nova. You can do this. How bad could

Aiden's POVThe ride home was quiet—and surprisingly, not the awkward kind.Me and Nova just sat there while some slow music played from the car speakers. Honestly, the fact that she showed up at all tonight felt unreal. I wasn’t sure she would, and when she actually did… the party had to go and turn into a full-blown disaster. That was unsettling. But whatever—those parties were never really under my control. Some idiot always decides it’s their night to go off the rails.Still. I wasn’t about to let her sit through that crap.Imagine her getting even a tiny scratch.Arnold would actually kill me.“You were supposed to dance with me, Nova,” I said, breaking the silence. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but there it was.I’d seen her dancing with that jerk Jordan earlier—and yeah, it annoyed me way more than it should’ve. A lot more. I needed a damn drink or something.“Aww, are you sad you didn’t get to dance with the new school celebrity?” she said, her face dead serious.I couldn

Aiden POV I walked into school Monday morning fully prepared to catch hell from Nova. And honestly? I deserved it. I was the idiot who blew off a hangout I planned and left her texts unanswered. If she ignored me today, I wouldn’t blame her. But before I could even try explaining, I had to deal with Jordan. Our little heart-to-heart was scheduled for this morning.I made my way straight to the basketball field. I couldn't risk running into Nova or even Eli—not yet. My focus had to stay locked on Jordan. I waited by the edge of the pitch until practice ended. The second he was done, I pulled him aside and dragged him into the locker room, locking the door behind us. Others could wait.“Good morning, Aiden,” he said, settling onto a bench like this was a casual chat.“Yeah? Looks like it,” I muttered, sitting across from him. “I thought we were done talking. Why do you need to see me again? I’m getting bored of our little meetups,” he added with a smirk.“I don’t give a shit if you’re