Chapter 8 Aiden
Aiden
I rub my hand down my face, letting out a frustrated groan. This girl is impossible. Between the traffic, her incessant talking, and the fear of getting caught, my blood pressure is probably through the roof.
If I don’t keep my head straight, I’m definitely going to jail.
As if she can hear my inner monologue, the girl chooses that exact moment to belt out: “HELP! I’M BEING KIDNAPPED!”
I nearly swerve onto the sidewalk.
She giggles, the sound warm and inviting. Slightly unhinged, like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
“I’m kidding! But seriously, I think we both know it looks shady as fuck for me to be sitting in the back of your car with a sack over my head. Just take the sack off. I’m tied up, what will I do?”
I contemplate the idea. A nagging voice in the back of my head reminds me she’s right, and I have no idea how long this traffic will last.
An old couple walking their little Yorkie reminds me of Jake. I hope Eli remembers to put him back in his crate before he leaves. I can’t afford to keep replacing my socks. I groan just thinking of the mountains of socks I had to replace.
“There it is! A vocal response! This is progress. We’re bonding.”
Wait, what did she say? What are we bonding over?
“You know, this car ride is basically our slow-burn enemies-to-lovers arc.” The muffle of her voice makes me wonder if she realizes her talking is decreasing the amount of air she has in there.
Instinctively, I start to think about all the biological factors she’s under.
The stress hormones from being kidnapped, the low oxygen exchange from the thick mask, the—
“Unless, of course, you’re more of a hate-fuck first, love later kind of guy. Which, to be clear, I would also accept. In fact, it’s highly encouraged.”
My eyes widen, like one of those cartoon characters, at her last comment. Did she just say hate-fuck?
The image of her on her back in the back seat, underneath me, moaning my name, has heat building low.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, questioning my sanity.
Has this girl put a hex on me? Because everything that comes out of her mouth is making me question my friendship with Eli.
I wonder how mad he would be if I kept his girlfriend? I’m going with, super mad.
Traffic is slowly clearing and I thank every deity out there for speeding this kidnapping ruse along.
Eli wasn’t joking when he said the locals really did take their Christmas in the Falls event seriously.
This traffic is no joke. Eli had warned me about the town’s obsession with putting together a Hallmark-esque event, but I hadn’t truly expected this.
The streets are lined with twinkling lights wrapped around every lamppost, storefronts draped in garlands and oversized red bows.
The aroma of roasted chestnuts, hot cocoa, and cinnamon wafts from the storefronts.
Cars inch past us, moving faster than before, but I can still sense eyes lingering on my car, scanning, judging, probably wondering why some guy is wearing a mask while driving.
One minivan full of kids straight-up points at me, their wide eyes glued to the back seat.
I adjust my posture, trying to look casual.
Just a normal guy. Definitely not transporting a human being with a sack over her head.
Nope. Just out for a drive. Maybe running errands.
A very slow, very public, completely suspicious errand.
My car’s tinted windows help, but they’re not magical.
Even behind the darkness, anyone leaning close enough or with a curious mind could peek inside and spot her.
Once again, my mind wanders back to the girl.
I can’t help but picture her underneath the sack, probably grinning like the Cheshire cat at the possibility of her captor taking her to a remote location for some rest and relaxation.
From the way she’s leaning forward, her eyes are probably sparkling with absolute chaos.
I clamp down on the urge to smile, forcing myself to focus on the road ahead.
She continues to chatter on, something about an enemies-to-lovers arc.
I hate that her absurdly perfect, irritatingly fangirl voice makes me want to respond to her.
She’s so animated and excited, even in this ridiculous situation.
The more she talks, the more I realize how dull and lonely my life has been.
I don’t think I’ve had a solid conversation with anyone that was not part of my job in months.
I’m thirty-four years old, about to head into my residency year where any social life is non-existent, and I have no other person to rely on outside of Eli.
Medical school has taken all my free time.
Yet, it’s not a decision I’d ever change.
Just like I knew in my gut that enlisting was the right thing to do, I knew going into medicine was my calling.
The eight years I spent in the Marines, watching my guys get patched up by the Navy corpsmen both on and off the field, made me realize there was more I could do.
Eli felt the same way, so once we had finished our last tour, we dove right into getting our licenses.
It was tough; late nights, early mornings.
We weren’t in our primes like the other students but we had the drive.
It was great having my brother with me, going through all the same struggles and relying on each other.
But recently, there’s been a shift. Eli’s spending more time with his girlfriend, confiding in and relying on her.
It’s not that I’m jealous. Well, maybe just a little jealous.
I want that special someone to share life’s highs and lows with.
I want to curl up on the couch and watch trashy TV while eating our weight in ice cream.
As I imagine the scenario in my head, I realize the person I picture on the couch with me is the girl in the back seat.
The thought hits me like a ton of bricks.
I am so in over my head.
Shaking my head from the unwelcome vision, I imagine the consequences of this kidnapping prank gone wrong.
Getting caught by a cop. Arrested. The headlines.
“Local man kidnapped girlfriend of best friend; claims he was coerced into an immersive role-playing ruse.” Failing medical school because of a criminal record.
My entire future flushed down a toilet over a “harmless prank.”