13. Aiden
13
AIDEN
“ T hanks for driving me home,” Cora said as we pulled up in front of her apartment building in Morningside Heights. It was a pre-war building with an ornate facade, the kind with historic charm and contemporary amenities. “You didn’t have to go out of your way.”
“I really felt like you hadn’t had enough of the Ferrari,” I said.
She settled me with a playfully withering look, reaching for her seatbelt. “I’ve had more than enough of this thing.”
“You sure? We could take another quick spin around the block if you wanted.”
“I think you know my answer.”
I revved the engine, teasing her just a bit.
“Seriously though.” She touched my forearm, sending an electric thrill straight up through my shoulder. “Thanks for bringing me to the bar. I had a great time, and seeing your dad again was nice.”
I snorted. “All he did was bicker with Maggie.”
“And in between all that bickering, Maggie was super insightful. We talked about very cool speakeasy things.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. While Trent had you and your dad holding up that light fixture for the front entrance.”
“Ah, yes. While I was totally focused.”
“On not dropping the board on your head,” she teased. “Trent seems great. I really hope he gets everything with Nana Dee figured out.”
“God, me too.”
“The poor guy needs to be able to take a break from worrying.”
“Agreed. The sooner we get Nana Dee to this doctor’s appointment, the better.”
Cora released her seatbelt and the click felt like finality, like if I let this moment go, I might never get it back. I didn’t know what was so special about this moment, only that it was a moment, and I didn’t want it to end, so I undid my own belt and pushed my door open.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Walking you to your door.” I looked at her like she had two heads. “Obviously.”
“Um…it’s right there,” she said, gesturing to the building’s front door, Vanna White–style. “It’s not like I’m going to get lost.”
I’d always walked her to the door when I drove her home in high school. Sure, we weren’t dating anymore, but I didn’t see why it would be any different now. “Cora, the least I can do is make sure you get in all right.”
“There’s literally a doorman,” she pointed out with a laugh. I stepped out of the car, ignoring her protests. She popped up a moment later, looking at me over the top of the vehicle. “Carlos will be very disappointed if you steal his thunder.”
“Carlos, huh?” I arched an eyebrow, watching her lips turn up at the corners.
“He takes his job very seriously.”
“So do I.”
“Hate to break it to you, but I don’t think this falls under the job description of a CEO.”
“I think after today you know my job description is wide and varied. Sometimes it involves multimillion dollar deals and A-list events…sometimes it involves buying mini donuts and unlocking offices. And sometimes, it involves walking a lady to her door.”
She hummed, coming round the front of the car. “You’re double parked, by the way.”
“That’s how seriously I’m taking this.”
“You’re gonna get a ticket.”
“Worth the risk.”
“ Aiden .” I could hear the exasperation in her voice.
“The sooner you stop hanging out in the middle of the street, the sooner I can get back to my car and make sure I don’t get a ticket.” I arched one eyebrow in her direction. “See how that works?”
Cora waved me off, heading for the entrance. “Suit yourself.”
I watched her walk away for a beat, appreciating the view of her ass in her fitted dress pants. Then I darted after her.
“Hi, Carlos,” she said to the doorman, a middle-aged man with an impressive mustache.
“Evening,” he said.
“Carlos, this is…” I waited to see how she’d introduce me. As her boss? As her friend? “This is Aiden,” she finally said.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand. “Having a good night?”
“Can’t complain,” he said. “How about the two of you?”
“Yeah,” she said, shooting me a little smile. “It’s been a pretty good night. Oh, and earlier today, we took a little drive out to Newburgh.”
He hummed thoughtfully. “That’s got some nice views of the Hudson.”
“Not that you would know,” I whispered in her ear. “Since you were so busy getting powdered sugar all over my car.”
“Oh, please. You left powdery fingerprints all over your steering wheel.” She wished Carlos a good night and slipped inside the building. I followed Cora across the lobby. She paused at the elevator, turned to me, and said, “Guess that’s your job done then.”
I leaned casually against the wall next to her, reaching for the call button. “This is door-to-door service.”
“Oh, is that right? Part of the full CEO pickup and drop-off service?”
“Exactly. You’re subscribed to the full package.”
She bit her lip, her cheeks flushing. “The fine print says I’m safe and sound now. Nothing’s gonna get me between the elevator and my apartment.”
I winked at her, liking the color that spread across the tops of her cheekbones. “You never know.”
The elevator door dinged, rolling open, and Cora stepped inside. I sauntered in behind her. “I really don’t need an escort.”
“I’m here now. Might as well go for the ride.” She eyed me, playfully suspicious as she hit the button for the seventh floor. When she’d settled back into her corner of the elevator, I asked, “How long have you been living here?”
“In my current apartment? About a year,” Cora said. “The place is a little small since I share it with Jennifer—you remember Jennifer, right? She was with me at Bottom of the Barrel.”
“The brunette with the Dirty Shirleys?”
“That’s right. She’s awesome—bad taste in drinks aside—and she really came through for me when I needed a new living situation stat last year, letting me move in with her even though it’s just a one-bedroom.”
I let out a low whistle. “Sharing a one-bedroom? Is it like being back in college?”
“Kind of? We both work weird hours, so we don’t actually get in each other’s way much. The bigger problem is that I tend to hog the kitchen when I’m making my videos. That’s another reason why the lab has been such a godsend. But we’re making it work. Plus, I love the neighborhood.”
I was about to tell her not to worry, that she could use the lab long after her contract ended, but the words wouldn’t leave my mouth. Did I even want her contract to end?
The elevator released us on the seventh floor, and I followed Cora to the end of the hall. A soft yellow light glowed above the silver number next to her unit.
“This is me,” she said, gesturing to the door. “Guess that officially releases you from your duties.”
“Guess it does.”
She dug her key out of her purse and unlocked the door, her hand falling away from the doorknob as she looked up at me. “Thank you again. I had a really nice time.”
“Think you’ll be up to flying next time? Then I could really show you the views of the Hudson.”
She laughed. “No way in hell.”
“Too bad.”
“Is it?” she asked softly.
I leaned closer. “The helicopter is way cooler than the Ferrari.”
“I’ll just have to take your word for it.”
“Guess you will.” I was close enough to count the freckles along the bridge of her nose and to study the hazel flecks in her brown eyes and the way her bottom lip jutted out just slightly. I couldn’t help myself. Today had been amazing, reminding me of the way things used to be between us, and I missed that. Missed her. I wanted her. I leaned in, going in for the goodnight kiss, watching for any indication that she was pulling away.
She wasn’t.
My lips connected with hers, and it was like coming home. I remembered doing this in another lifetime. I remembered the way I’d had to bend, making up for our height difference. I remembered the soft sounds she would make, that same sweet, perfect hum she was making now in the back of her throat. And I remembered the way her eyelashes would flutter against my cheek as the kiss deepened. I lifted my hand to cradle her jaw, to deepen the kiss, but before I could, Cora jerked away, thumping against the wall. Her eyes shot open, her fingers coming up to touch her lips, her cheeks bright red.
“Well, goodnight,” she said, turning and rushing inside without another word.
“Cora—” The door closed between us. A lock clicked. “Goodnight?”
I hardly registered the fifteen-minute drive from Cora’s place to my apartment in the Upper East Side. This half-numb, disengaged feeling must be what shock felt like. I operated on autopilot, driving into the parking garage beneath my building. The only thing I could do as I rode the elevator up to my place was relive that horrible moment she jerked away before disappearing into her apartment.
What the hell did that mean?
Had I read the signs wrong all day? The laughter, the flirting, asking to come hang out with my dad? Was that all just her being friendly? But no, I remembered the way she’d kissed me back. She’d been on board…but then she’d gotten spooked. Had I moved too fast?
I pushed through my door, the floor-to-ceiling windows offering a sparkling view of the city after dark. It had never looked so dull. I dropped my keys on my kitchen counter, not bothering with the lights, and crossed through the open living room to collapse on the leather sofa. I pulled out my phone as it started buzzing. It wasn’t a call, but one notification after another as Trent filled the group text thread with messages.
I opened it, scanning his comments.
Trent
So I’ve finally met Cora in the flesh. She’s indeed real.
Dom
Of course she’s real!
Trent
You were so right, dude. There’s definitely something going on between her and Aiden again. Those high school sparks have been rekindled. Nana Dee is going to flip when I tell her.
Dom
SEE! I told you guys! I might currently be out of the game, but that doesn’t stop me from recognizing the game.
Vincent
Piper wants all the details. Like the ‘who, what, where, when, why’ of the encounter.
Trent
Let’s just say I spent all evening in their company while doing renos at the Red Lion, and heart eyes don’t even begin to cover it.
Dom
Aww, look at our little Aiden. Flirting with a girl over bar renos.
Vincent
Shut up! Shut up! I’m transcribing for Piper in real time in case that wasn’t clear. What’s Cora like? Tell me everything!
Trent
Super nice girl. Mixes a damn good cocktail apparently. Should be fun to have around at parties.
Vincent
Heck yes! The moment I stop breastfeeding I’m taking Cora and Chloe out for drinks.
It was obvious Vincent was still transcribing what Piper was saying. Considering they had a newborn, didn’t they have better things to do than hang out in the group chat?
Trent sent a thumbs-up .
Trent
My favorite thing is that she doesn’t take any of Aiden’s shit. Like…at all. I’ve never seen our boy so flustered. Not even with Steph when we were back at school.
I grimaced at the mention of my college girlfriend. What a train wreck that had turned out to be.
Dom
Hmm… I’ve been busy with Hailey lately, but I distinctly noticed less bickering in the office, so things must be progressing in a good direction between them.
Trent
Frankly, I don’t know what she sees in Aiden. He almost hammered a nail into his thumb tonight.
Vincent
Be nice to him. Piper’s words, not mine.
Paul
That’s awesome, @Aiden. Chloe and I look forward to meeting her soon.
My hand tightened around my phone. I could see it all so clearly. Cora would get along great with the guys, and I just knew Piper and Chloe would click with her in no time at all. To say nothing of Nana Dee, who was bound to adore her. But I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. Cora didn’t seem sure where she wanted things between us to go. As for me…well, I wasn’t sure either. The relationship had ended pretty badly last time. But that was then, this was now. We were older, wiser—not the same dumb kids we used to be.
The guys kept going off, teasing me and congratulating me in equal measure. I knew it was their way of being supportive, but with things so up in the air between me and Cora, there was only so much of it I could take. I muted the chat, preparing to toss my phone aside, but that wouldn’t get Cora and tonight off my mind.
Instead, I opened Elixir’s social media pages, scrolling through the company’s accounts on X and Instagram and TikTok, checking to see where Elixir had been tagged. I tried to keep my scrolling work-focused at first, but on my X Pro dashboard, my eye caught on the column where I followed former classmates. I noticed a lot of my classmates were posting old high school pictures in preparation for the reunion. Some of the photos were grainy, clearly stolen from someone’s mom’s photo album.
I scrolled through them. It was like entering a time machine as I was dragged headlong into memories. God, it felt like a million years ago. Like this world belonged to a different Aiden.
I supposed it did.
Look at everything I’d accomplished since those days. Two successful companies. An award-winning liquor brand. More money than I could spend in a lifetime.
I paused my scroll as a familiar flash of red caught my eye. I zoomed in. It was exactly what I thought. Cora and I were in the background of someone else’s photo, walking down the hall, holding hands. I was probably on my way to drop her off at her history class. We gazed at each other in the photo, so focused on one another we didn’t even realize the camera was there. I wasn’t surprised. I remembered feeling so head over heels for her, almost as if I was in a constant freefall. Sort of like the moment our lips connected tonight. Warmth settled over me. This was a good memory, one I hadn’t let myself think about for a long time.
I kept scrolling, slower now, coming upon a picture from my football days. The senior team stood there, caught mid-celebration after a game. No. I looked closer, spotting the scoreboard. This wasn’t just a game. This was the game. The one where I’d lost my temper, very nearly lost control of myself. The one that was the whole reason I’d had to break up with Cora.
But that was a long time ago, I reminded myself. I was only a kid then, so charged on hormones and adrenaline that I didn’t know which way was up. I didn’t need to worry about anything like that happening now.