Page 22 of Stuck with You

I shrugged. “I saw on the internet that some people were dropping cards in their neighbors’ mailboxes offering to help them with their groceries and stuff. I was thinking I might do something similar.”

“You know, I was thinking the exact same thing,” Aiden said. “How funny is that?”

“Uh, it’s hilarious?” My reply came out like a question. Surely, he hadn’t really had the same idea as me. What was he playing at?

“How about we do it together?”

I frowned as I glanced at him and was met with his cheeky grin. Aiden was clearly messing around, and I’d have bet my favorite pair of Converse he was only offering to help to annoy me. Some people learned a new skill during lockdown; Aiden seemed to be working on perfecting his ability to irritate me.

“That’s okay. I don’t need help.”

“Don’t be silly. I insist.”

Aiden’s mom was watching me closely, and I felt backed into a corner. I’d sound ungrateful if I refused his help. Then again, could I handle a day spent putting cards in mailboxes with Aiden? I’d barely managed to get through cooking dinner in his presence last night. I’d eaten my meal in my room to avoid spending more time with him. Yeah, I definitely needed to get out of this.

“I appreciate the offer, Aiden, really, I do,” I said. “But we can’t leave the house together anyway. Not with the current lockdown restrictions in place.” I had to withhold a smile as I delivered my excuse. It was perfect. And, for the first time, I was actually grateful for lockdown restrictions.

My sense of victory wavered though as I noticed Aiden’s trademark grin grow even more confident. “Actually, I think you’ll find that since we’re from the same household, it’s fine,” he said.

My heart plummeted as I realized he was right. And from the self-satisfied way he was watching me, he totally knew it.

“Oh, so now you know the rules,” his mom said, lifting her eyebrows at Aiden. “Because I got a voicemail from Seth’s mother who wasn’t too impressed you went over to his house to hang out yesterday.”

My eyes darted back toward him. “You broke the lockdown rules already? They’ve only been in place for two days.”

Aiden’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and he looked down as he scuffed one foot across the floor. “It’s not like I went near him or anything,” he muttered.

I folded my arms across my chest as I shook my head at him. My pose almost mirrored his mom’s exactly. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised a guy who didn’t seem to have a care in the world wasn’t all that bothered about flouting social distancing rules too.

“These rules are in place for a reason,” Jade said. “You have to remember that just because you’re young that doesn’t mean you’re invincible. And while you might not die from this disease, if you pass it on to someone else, they could get really sick. You can’t mess around with this.”

I found myself nodding along with her. Jade was totally my idol right now. Not only was she putting Aiden firmly in his place, but she was completely calm and thoughtful as she did it.

“Sorry, Mom.” He looked a little like a sad puppy as he glanced up at her.

“Just don’t do it again.”

He nodded. I’d never seen Aiden look anything other than cocky and arrogant. Seeing him taken down a peg was just about the best start to a day I could have asked for.

“The card drop sounds like a good idea,” Jade continued. “It might be nice for you both to get some fresh air together rather than staying cooped up inside all day.”

And with those words, she brought my happy little high back down to earth with a bang. I really struggled to keep the disappointment from my face. Jade had totally thrown me under the bus. I knew she hadn’t done it on purpose, but it was still frustrating.

Aiden’s puppy-dog eyes were quick to disappear, and he struggled not to smile when he saw my reaction. His eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation, and I had to wonder exactly what he hoped to achieve out of our little expedition. I was very suddenly wishing the lockdown rules surrounding the number of people you could be out in public with were even stricter.

“Just make sure you’re both careful and keep an adequate distance from other people,” Jade continued. “No touching your faces while you’re out, wear a mask, and don’t forget to take that bottle of hand sanitizer I got for you, Aiden.”

“Yes, Mom,” he said, giving her an overly exaggerated eye roll.

Jade stood up from her stool and gathered her phone from the table as she went to leave the kitchen. “I’ll probably be home late again, so don’t get up to too much mischief while I’m gone. And no breaking lockdown rules.”

Her eyes were narrowed on Aiden, who was smiling wickedly like that was exactly what he planned to do. She let out a long sigh, as though she was realizing there was no way to completely control her son. From my experience, I felt the same.

“I’ll see you later, Clary,” she said.

“Have a good shift,” I replied as she left the room.

That left me alone with Aiden, who was still smiling at me smugly.

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