The warm touch is nice; it makes me feel less alone in the wide cab of his car. His large hand splayed out on my knee looks almost sinful. I can feel his rough callouses brushing against my soft skin as he trails his palms in circular motions in a comforting manner.
The hands of a man, something I’ve never experienced. Adjusting to the warm light I notice for the first time that his knuckles are busted, bleeding from his altercation with Ian.
“Your hands! Are you okay?” I bite my bottom lip with concern, guilty he got hurt because of me.
He looks down and a smile creeps up his face. “Don’t worry about that. Were you two together long?” His tone is light.
I ponder the question. It isn’t about the time we were together. I’m more upset that I believed he cared for me when he obviously didn’t.
“We weren’t together long at all. Maybe three months between us meeting to dating and now...this.” I gesture to my tear-soaked face, mascara undoubtedly falling on my cheeks.
“He doesn’t deserve you.” He states, concern thick in his voice.
The sentiment causes a light smile to spread on my lips, but the overwhelming embarrassment crashes down overhead. “I can’t believe he said those things to me. Everyone must think I’m so naive. I really thought he liked me for me, like really liked me.”
Saying it out loud makes me feel worse about myself. How blind am I?
“First off, being naive isn’t a bad thing, as long as you have people around you who won’t take advantage of you. I think your trust is just in the wrong people.” His thumb gently rolls circles on my leg, trying to console me.
Between his warm and calming tone, and his soothing touch, I calm. “I should have known better, really.” I shake my head. “He is a star Lacrosse player and a senior, and I’m this.” I gesture to myself, feeling less confident than I did when I left.
“No man would want to wait to have sex anyway,” I remark absentmindedly.
“He is not a man.” A sound emanates deep in his broad chest, as his deep jade eyes pierce me.
He quickly composes himself. “No man would have spoken to you that way, or pushed you off of him. Those things should be saved for the bedroom, with a real man, when you want those things to be done to you, for fun.”
My cheeks burn with the intensity of his stare and the seductiveness of his words. “I’m just glad I didn’t give him my virgi–”
I cut myself off. He may be Ashley’s brother, but I don’t really know him. I’m not sure why I’m so comfortable around him. Maybe it’s because of his concern and how closely he’s listening to me.
“I’m sorry. I need to go,” I rush out as I go to grab the handle.
“Absolutely not.” He commands. I sit back against the leather seat, taken back by the change in mood. “It’s his loss. I’m happy he didn’t. You saved yourself from that whole situation. Besides, you shouldn’t have to sleep with someone just to get them to stay with you.” I stare at him with mild shock at his frankness.
“Thank you?” This is embarrassing.
“You needed to hear it. You ready to go in now?”
I nod as I slide out of his car and he follows me in.
“Can I help you?” I ask, heading towards the first aid kit. He looks at me inquisitively as if he doesn’t understand my question. I point to his bloodied knuckles, “I’ll clean and bandage them.”
His head tilts slightly, examining me. “No, you need your rest. I’ll be fine.” Another hint of a smile flashes on his face, is he not used to someone helping him?
I grant myself one last glance as I walk towards my room.
Aiden plops down on the couch and grabs the worn-out book from the coffee table. His feet dangle off the edge about a foot. Our couch is way too small for his massive frame, it makes me laugh a little.
I lay down in bed and wait for the tears to come, but they have all been used up. I laugh at myself, to think I even cried over that asshole. It’s the shock of the events that upset me, the way Ian spoke to me. I’m an idiot for even considering sleeping with him. How juvenile of me to get so upset over a guy I have only known for three months.
I’m happy that Aiden had hit him. I don’t like violence, but it felt nice to have someone stick up for me. A man to take charge of a situation that upset me, he seems like a gentleman. A sense of calm washes over me as I wrap the blankets tighter around me and I slip into a dreamless sleep.
Three
Aiden’s first week with us passes by in a confusing blur.
I spend the better of the week in bed, drowning myself in sappy heartbreak movies and tissue boxes. I keep away from Aiden, wanting to confide in him more, but not wanting to bother him. I can’t shake the way his green eyes drink me in when I stumbled sleepily into the kitchen the next morning. Or maybe it’s a hallucination created by my insecurity to make me feel better about being cheated on.
I learn a few things about this otherwise mysterious man over the course of a week.
He enjoys his coffee black, two cups every morning. He reads while watching the news; how he does it, I do not know. It takes complete silence for me to get lost in the pages. When he concentrates, his brows furrow and his edges harden. I don’t think I’ve seen a more defined jawline in my life.
My unexplainable interest in him bothers me.
Why do I care so much? Why does his presence affect me so thoroughly?
I barely know him, yet I can’t resist the magnetic
