Chapter 7
Skye
Aiden and I made it back to the apartment well after dark.
We both desperately needed a shower after the tryst in the sand, and I needed to check my phone.
Willow had tried calling me this morning like she had every morning, and I hadn’t been ready to talk to her.
But now, I felt a little better, so I texted that I’d be free soon, then grabbed Aiden.
The apartment was silent when I teleported us back inside. The air conditioner was running for some reason, and I shivered against Aiden’s warmth.
“You wanna shower with me?” Aiden whispered as we made our way into my room.
“I have to call Willow,” I replied, then rolled my eyes at his exaggerated pout.
He gave me a quick kiss before pulling away and slipping into my room.
I fumbled with my phone in the hall for a minute, then lifted my head as I heard Zephyr.
“Turn off the A/C, it’s freezing.” I said.
“I didn’t turn it on,” Zephyr replied defensively. “I thought you did because you’re sleeping with a literal furnace.”
“Well I didn’t,” I said as I stepped into my bedroom. “Turn it off.”
“Turn it off,” Zephyr mocked me in a high-pitched, girly voice, then cackled when I slammed the door.
I rolled my eyes, then dialed Willow’s number.
“Holy fuck, Skye!” Willow cried. I yanked the phone away from my ear, then shyly turned away from Aiden when he grinned at me.
The best word to describe my best friend was shrill. Willow was almost always too loud with me, even after knowing it hurt my sensitive ears. It wasn’t on purpose, it was just who she was. And I’d long since learned that my issues were my own. No one was responsible for my problems except me.
“Hi,” I said, cringing slightly. “Look, I’m sorry–”
“Nuh uh!” Willow said, her voice slightly lowered. “No way. No apologizing. I mean, holy shit! I can’t believe everything that happened!”
I nodded even though she couldn’t see me, understanding she couldn’t really say what she wanted to say without revealing my secret.
I’m sure watching your best friend teleport away with one of her Links after killing her friend was a lot to process.
“Don’t even start explaining yourself,” Willow said, scolding me for my thoughts she couldn’t hear. “I completely understand everything that happened! Well…minus Landon…”
I closed my eyes, letting the pain from Landon fill me for a moment.
I hadn’t really allowed myself to think about him for too long.
Guilt was threatening to drown me from all sides. Landon. Levi. Aiden being hurt. Rejecting Wyatt. Rafe…
Aiden’s warm breath fanned across my face before he pressed a kiss to my temple. He squeezed my hip gently, and I blinked back into reality.
His warm brown eyes were intent on mine, seeing more than I wanted, as usual.
“Everything’s okay,” he murmured.
I nodded. He was right.
Everything was okay.
“Skye?” Willow asked. “Are you in the…at home?”
Aiden and I made eye contact. Something about that question was off.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Yep. Home sweet home.”
“Ah, good. Everyone there okay?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Zephyr’s being a mother hen.” I chuckled nervously.
“Ooh, yes. Tell me about your brother so I don’t have to talk about mine.”
I snorted. “He’s fine,” I sighed before sitting on the bed while Aiden rummaged around for some clothes behind me. I grabbed my bottle of water from the night before. “I feel like he doesn’t want me going back to school.”
Willow scoffed. “Tell that hunk of man to lay off.”
I choked on my sip of water, and Aiden looked at me in alarm. I waved him off.
“‘Hunk of man’?” I repeated, and Aiden chuckled.
“Come on, Skye, I know he’s your brother but you have eyes. I mostly like girls and even I know Wyatt’s attractive.” I could practically hear her eye-roll through the phone.
I shook my head, holding back my grimace at the mention of Wyatt, and how hot he was.
I also hadn’t allowed myself to think too deeply about that whole situation, either.
I didn’t know what we were supposed to do next.
Zephyr had a book on rejections within Chains, but I hadn’t brought myself to read it yet.
I wasn’t even sure if I’d really, fully rejected Wyatt or if I’d be willing to hear him apologize.
“What’s going on with you?” I asked, my voice flat even to my own ears.
Willow began to talk, but I tuned her out. Aiden came to my side again, trailing his fingers down my back affectionately before kissing my forehead. Then, I watched slack-jawed as he stripped from his damp clothes and slipped into my bathroom.
“Skye?” Willow’s tiny voice came from my phone speaker.
“Sorry,” I replied a little breathlessly, which was annoying.
I’d seen Aiden naked a million times. We’d literally just made love in the beach sand and here I was, panting after his bare back.
And ass. A fantastic ass, as far as men’s asses could go.
Though, there were two more man asses I hadn’t gotten to see clearly yet, so maybe–
“–and don’t even get me started on Wyatt,” Willow finished her sentence with an audible sigh. “Dad is pissed he’s not coming home for another break. I’m like, why would he? He’s never wanted him home before, it’s so stupid, but my mom keeps asking for him–”
“Wyatt’s not going home? Where is he?”
I cringed at how earnest I sounded. Not hearing from Wyatt or Rafe since the situation at the academy had me a little on edge. Even with the rejection towards Wyatt, I’d expected…something from him. Definitely not complete silence.
“With his boyfriend,” Willow snarked. “Wyatt either goes to the Palace or stays at the academy over breaks.”
“Right,” I croaked. I swallowed nervously, hearing Aiden step into the shower on the other side of the wall. I imagined the water trailing over his muscled torso while he pushed the wet curls out of his face, and I swear my knees buckled slightly.
“Anyway,” Willow went on, telling me about Mia, her mom, how her father was angry about the attack at the academy. She told me how her father had put in a call to…Alexander? Alejandro? Why the hell did that man use two different names?
Anyway, her father had called Rafe’s father, and then assured Willow and her mom that the attack was being thoroughly investigated.
Fifteen minutes later, I finally managed to get off the phone.
I stepped into the bathroom and my mouth went dry.
Aiden’s bare back faced me, somehow perfectly visible through the steam while he used my pink loofah to wash down his front.
His curls were sopping wet just like I’d imagined, trailing down the back of his neck in perfect ringlets.
“You coming in?” he asked, startling me out of my weird horny haze.
I nodded, then realized he couldn’t see. “Yeah,” I replied weakly.
Aiden turned, flashing me a look of concern over his shoulder. “You okay?”
I nodded, fumbling with the hem of my bikini cover before pulling it off. Aiden watched hungrily as I peeled off my still-wet bikini, top then bottoms. Aiden’s gaze stayed on my face even as my nipples pebbled in the humid air.
“Willow okay?” he asked, his voice slightly deepened.
I nodded, still weirdly speechless. Aiden pulled the shower door open and I stepped into the small space, pressing against him immediately and shuddering as the hot water warmed my cold skin. Aiden wrapped his arms around me before kissing the top of my head.
“Willow said Wyatt isn’t going home,” I whispered, blinking hard as water ran over my face and into my eyes.
“That’s normal,” Aiden replied, wiping my hair back away from my face.
“She thinks he’s with Rafe,” I went on.
“That’s also normal,” Aiden murmured, pressing his lips against my temple. “But you can be worried. It’s understandable.”
“I’m not worried,” I said too quickly.
Aiden pulled back, giving me a dry look.
“I mean, I feel…I don’t know. Guilty?” I tried.
“Still normal,” Aiden said. He pushed my wet hair behind my ears. “Rafe could have followed us if he really wanted to. But it’s probably better he stayed with Wyatt. For Wyatt’s sake, at least. He’s going to need his friend.”
That was also true.
“Why didn’t you tell me you rejected him, Skye?” Aiden murmured the words against my cheek, and I sucked in a ragged breath.
“I was scared,” I said in a small voice. “I think part of me was hoping he’d start acting right and then I wouldn’t have to tell anyone about the rejection. But…that was stupid of me.”
“I get it,” Aiden replied softly. He was quiet for a moment before asking, “Do you trust me?”
“I do,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the water. I turned in his arms, meeting his soft gaze. “I’m so sorry, Aiden. I’ve treated you so wrong.”
“We’ve both fucked up,” Aiden replied with a sigh. “It’s okay. I understand. And I’m not saying we’re even now or whatever.”
“I’m still so sorry,” I whispered, just holding back a sob.
“It’s okay, baby. I forgive you. Just like you forgave me. It’s over. We’ll do better. Both of us.” Aiden practically cooed at me, running his hands over my shoulders and down my arms as I pressed my face into his warm chest.
After several minutes of sniffling, Aiden began to wash me. He ran my shampoo through my hair, then tilted my head back to rinse. I closed my eyes, allowing him to move me any way he wanted. My loofah ran over my body next, the smell of my apple-honey body wash filling the entire room.
“Anything else you need to tell me?” Aiden murmured, his voice quiet in a way that didn’t cut through the silence. “I…I know you almost said something you didn’t mean to share. When we were on the beach.”
My stomach dropped slightly, but then I sighed. “There’s one more thing. It’s…it’s a big thing.” Then I whispered, “Maybe two things.”
“Bigger than your affinities?” Aiden asked.
“No. But still big.” I replied.
“Okay,” Aiden said easily. “No more after this, right?”
“No more,” I whispered. “I swear.”
“Tell me,” Aiden urged softly.