10. Aiden #3
The question caught me off guard, partly because I’d never really thought about it in those terms. “I don’t know if it’s what I want, but it’s what I’m good at. And it’s what’s expected of me.”
“Those aren’t the same thing.”
“No, they’re not.”
We lapsed into silence again, both of us lost in our own thoughts.
I found myself studying his face in the soft light from his desk lamp, noting the way his features had softened since we’d started talking.
The sharp edges of anger and defensiveness were gone, replaced by something more open and genuine.
“Can I ask you something?” he said eventually.
“Sure.”
“Your father. What happened to him?”
I felt my entire body tense, the relaxed atmosphere in the room shifting instantly. “I’d rather discuss anything else.”
It wasn’t angry or spiteful, just a simple statement of fact. There were some topics that were off-limits, and my father’s health was definitely one of them. Not here, not with Rhett, not when things between us felt fragile and new.
Rhett nodded immediately, and I was grateful that he didn’t push. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s fine. Just…I’d have a better time talking about chlamydia.”
“I get it.”
And somehow, I believed that he did. There was understanding in his expression, the kind that came from having his own family dynamics to navigate.
The conversation shifted to safer topics after that.
He told me about his classes, his professors, the books he was reading for pleasure rather than requirement.
I found myself talking about my own academic interests, the subjects that genuinely fascinated me rather than the ones I was taking because they were practical for business school.
It was strange, this easy back-and-forth between us.
We’d spent so long antagonizing each other that I’d forgotten we were both intelligent people with actual thoughts and opinions beyond our family rivalry.
Rhett was funny when he wasn’t being defensive, with a dry sense of humor that caught me off guard.
And he was curious about things, asking questions that made me think about topics I’d never really considered before.
Hours passed without either of us noticing.
We talked about movies, about travel and places we wanted to see, about the future and what we might want to do after graduation.
It wasn’t deep philosophical discussion, but it wasn’t superficial, either.
It was the kind of conversation that happened between people who were genuinely interested in getting to know each other.
When I finally glanced at the clock on his desk, I was shocked to see it was nearly two in the morning.
“Shit,” I said, standing up and stretching muscles that had gone stiff from sitting in the desk chair. “I should let you get some sleep. You probably have classes tomorrow.”
Rhett looked surprised, like he’d lost track of time, too. “Oh. Right. Yeah, I have Economics at nine.”
“I’m sorry for keeping you up.”
“You didn’t keep me up. I could have kicked you out whenever I wanted to.”
There was something in his voice, a slight uncertainty that made me think he was about to say something else. Maybe offer to let me stay or suggest we do this again sometime. For a moment, I considered waiting to see what he would say, but then I thought better of it.
This had been good, whatever this was. Better than I’d expected, better than I’d had any right to hope for. But I didn’t want to push it, didn’t want to overstay my welcome and ruin whatever progress we’d made tonight.
“Thanks for the snacks,” I said, grabbing my jacket from where I’d draped it over the back of the chair.
“Thanks for the umbrella.”
I headed for the door, then paused with my hand on the handle. “This was…nice. Talking to you like a normal person instead of trying to figure out how to get under each other’s skin.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “It was.”
I let myself out and made my way back downstairs, retrieving my umbrella from where I’d left it by the entrance. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle, and the walk back to my car wasn’t nearly as miserable as the trip from the gym had been.
As I drove back to my apartment, I found myself thinking about the evening in a way that felt unfamiliar.
For once, I hadn’t had a goal or a mission or a challenge to overcome.
I hadn’t been trying to prove anything or gain any advantage.
I’d just had a conversation with another human being, and it had been pleasant.
More than pleasant, actually. It had been the kind of evening that made me remember why I’d been drawn to Rhett in the first place, beyond all the family drama and sexual tension and competitive rivalry.
Underneath all the complications, he was someone I actually enjoyed talking to.
Not that he would ever stoop so low as to admit I was a good conversationalist, too.
That was a dangerous realization, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. But as I pulled into my building’s parking garage and took the elevator up to my empty apartment, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between us tonight.