"What has you so distracted today?" Aiden’s voice broke the silence, startling Serena as she nearly jumped in her seat, quickly shifting away from him who’d co to stand behind her. She turned around and leaned back, her gaze eting his and then moving away. The move did not go unnoticed by Aiden who raised an eyebrow, "What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Am I that scary to you?"
Serena shook her head, trying to compose herself. She could not yet let him know about Owen. Before she could answer, Aiden leaned in closer as if to kiss her and she quickly slipped from under his arms and searched her wits to behave as normally as possible and gave him a smile," You’re the scariest ever! I’m pretty sure even the ghosts are scared of you."
Aiden shook his head, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he glared at her with mock suspicion. "Is that so?"
"It is so," she replied, turning to walk away. She needed to get away as soon as possible or else she might let slip what was on her mind. She needed ti... "And I’m very tired, so I think I’m going to turn in for the night. Good night, Aiden."
Just as she thought she’d escaped the tension, his cold voice stopped her in her tracks. "Aren’t you forgetting sothing?"
Serena froze, her mind spinning. Did he know she had been to his office earlier? Slowly, she turned around, forcing herself to keep her expression innocent. "Do I look like a forgetful lily to you? What could I possibly forget?"
"No." Aiden smiled before adding," More like a forgetful prickly cactus."
Serena narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Aiden Hawk..."
His smirk widened as he closed the distance between them. "Well, you were the one who demanded just this morning that I co ho early to make you dinner. And now that I’m here, you’re turning in? Did I push back all my etings just so you can sleep?"
Serena’s eyes widened. She had said that—half-jokingly, not expecting him to take her seriously.
He walked closer to her then, while she stood thinking of a way to get away without rousing his suspicion. He leaned in, his lips curving into a smirk as he spoke suggestively "Unless you have a different kind of... sleep in mind. I’m all for it."
Aiden’s gaze lingered on her for a mont longer before he began to slowly loosen his tie, pulling it free from around his neck. His eyes never left hers, a teasing glint dancing in them. He tossed the tie onto the nearby chair and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, his movents casual but deliberate.
"Aiden Hawk! You gangster! I am going to sleep in my room! Alone!"
His laughter followed her up the stairs, low and mocking, as she hurried to her room, her pulse racing. She shut the door behind her, and leaned against it as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she let out a shaky sigh, trying to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions inside her.
How was it that she still felt attracted to him, even with everything she had discovered? Had she lost her mind? Here she was, thinking about Owen, about the things he had told her, about the worries that had consud her all day—and yet, all it took was one smirk from Aiden, one touch, and she found herself thinking about him. Imagining... sleeping with him.
Serena paced the floor, worried about her next move. What was she supposed to do? She’d been thinking all through the afternoon into the evening but the answer remained elusive.
Serena shook her head and tried to calm herself. No. She needed to think and reevaluate everything that she knew.
Crossing to her desk, she grabbed the small diary she had been keeping by her side for weeks now—a place where she noted down the fragnts of mories and dreams that haunted her and random information that she discovered about her likes and dislikes. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she flipped through the pages, her brow furrowing as she revisited the entries she had written just days ago from her dreams.
Two conversations stood out, replaying in her mind. The first was the farewell and the argunt and then later saying goodbye to soone. Could it really be true? Could she have willingly left her family behind for soone else? And if she loved him so much, why didn’t she rember him now? And worst still, why did she feel nothing for him now? Even if her mind could not rember, her heart should feel so attraction to him...
The second conversation was what she now assud was Owen’s mother, demanding an elaborate wedding. For this, she would have to confirm with Owen. If she’d severed ties with her family then obviously she would not have wanted a large wedding party and Owen had probably understood that. But she needed more information. Even that of her estranged family. And there was only one person who had all the answers at this mont.
She picked up her phone and stared at it for a long mont, her thumb hovering over Owen’s number. She knew what she needed to do. Call him. Arrange a eting. Get the answers she was so desperately seeking.
But sothing held her back—a hesitation, a reluctance that she couldn’t quite explain. Why was she hesitating? Why, in the mont she needed clarity most, was she feeling so unsure?
With a sigh, she placed the phone back on the desk and looked away. She was scared. Sohow, after waking up, she’d found a way to make her life simple. But once she accepted that what Owen had said was the truth, things would get complicated... And she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.
Finally she gathered her courage and typed out a ssage..
Reviews
All reviews (0)