Page 14 of Fight or Flight
Then I roll my eyes and take out my phone. Can’t be so dramatic and needy to cry the first time Aidan is late. Maybe something happened.
I click on his contact details and send him a message.
Forgot about me? ;)
Better play it off as nothing, so he doesn’t know how much I’m already overreacting. I keep the phone in my hand and glance at the screen almost every second, hoping to see the reply, but almost break under the weight of dismay when, with each step, nothing happens.
I’m such a stupid girl. He’s probably bored with me already. A guy like Aidan could have a different girlfriend each week.
I’m almost reaching my house when suddenly a familiar car is ahead. I follow it with my eyes and raise my eyebrows when it does a U-turn before stopping right where I stand on the sidewalk.
The passenger window lowers, and a sheepish-looking Aidan looks at me from behind the steering wheel.
All the negative emotions instantly leave my body when I basically skip toward the vehicle.
“Hi, stranger,” I say with a flirtatious smile. “What brings you here?”
His mouth pulls up in a smirk, and he tilts his head to the side. “I just saw this beautiful girl walking all on her own, and I thought: my God, how is it possible that somebody didn’t snatch her up already? Thought I’d make a move then.”
“Really?” I laugh and get in.
As soon as I’m in the passenger seat, Aidan kisses me hard like he’s a starved man and then releases me, only to caress my face with a troubled look.
“Sorry, I’m late, baby. There was this thing that I had to do for the Culebras. I was already on my way to get you, but Saint had me run another errand for him. The plus side is that he let me borrow his car without bitching so much. Again, I’m sorry.”
“Psh,” I flick my hand, trying to play it cool as if I weren’t just full-on spiraling out of control because I’ve been on my own for five minutes. “It’s fine. I thought something important must’ve kept you.”
“Yeah,” Aidan rubs at his neck and looks to the side.
I already asked him a few times what it is that they are doing, but so far, he’s been tight-lipped. I pressed him one time, and he behaved like a caged animal, so I decided to just stop asking. Maybe it’s not important. Or maybe I don’t even want to know. I’m not stupid; I know they’re in a gang, so it’s probably illegal stuff. But I learned that I’m pretty good at ignoring the little red flags that Aidan has. I see it all; I just choose not to acknowledge it, worried that it will ruin what we have.
As soon as his eyes meet mine with a smile, I forget all about it.
“Do you have to come home, or can I take you somewhere?” He asks, and before he even finishes the question, I’m already nodding my head yes.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask, snapping the seat belt eagerly.
He laughs, looking at me like I’m truly precious before pulling onto the road again. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Oh, my god, I love surprises,” I squeal and tap my legs on the floor excitedly.
“And I love it when I can make you happy.”
And I love you. I want to say, but won’t dare to voice my feelings yet.
We drive out of town for a while, submerged in a comfortable silence. About forty minutes later, we turn toward a small country road and then continue, passing through a field that’s barely drivable. The tall grass obscures most of the view until we arrive in a clearing. The place looks completely isolated. I glance at the tall trees in front of us when Aidan puts the track in the park and turns off the engine. Behind the little forest, I spot sunlight reflecting on an uneven surface and realize there’s a lake here. I get a glimpse of a small pier on the side, too, and gasp.
“Wow. How do you know this place?”
“I used to live two towns over for a while as a kid. With one of my aunts. Once, I was wandering around and got a little lost. That’s how I found it. Honestly, I’ve been a little worried if it’s still here. I’m glad to see it survived the time because I really want you to see the surprise.”
“I thought this place was the surprise?” I point through the windshield and unclasp the seatbelt to exit the car.
Aidan joins me by the door and kisses me softly on the lips. “This is only the first part of the surprise.”
“There’s more?” I almost yell, and Aidan chuckles at my enthusiasm before moving to grab something out of the back seat. He extracts a blanket and a backpack and then leads me toward the pier.
“Aidan, if I’d known you were planning this romantic date, I would have worn a different outfit,” I whine, glancing down at my purple t-shirt with a unicorn, black skirt, and worn-out tennis shoes. I didn’t even wear any makeup today.