Page 58 of Stuck with You

“It is. I swear she even knew what colleges I got accepted to before I did.”

“So, she goes through your mail too?”

He grinned. “Probably. Anyway, she asked me if I could pick up some medications for her.”

“We can do that.”

“Great, we can swing by the pharmacy while we’re out.”

I nodded. “It’s not like we have anywhere else we need to be. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll get changed.” I turned to my duffel bag to find something to wear, but he didn’t leave the room immediately.

“Hey, um, Clary…” Aiden cleared his throat.

“Yeah?” He was still standing just inside the doorway looking somewhat uncomfortable. His gaze seemed troubled, which was a look I’d rarely seen on him.

“There was something I wanted to tell you.” He pushed a hand through his hair and stepped toward me.

“Okay…” He’d been fine a minute ago, but now he was acting strangely, and I had no idea why. He didn’t respond straightaway, and I got the feeling he had some bad news for me. He looked like he wanted to be sick. “Should I be worried?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing bad,” he quickly replied. “At least, I don’t think it is.” He muttered the last part.

“Well, what is it?”

“I just… Well, what I want to say is…” Whatever it was, he was doing a really bad job of actually saying it. He blew a breath upward, ruffling some of the hair that hung across his forehead. “Well, there’s you…and then there’s me.”

I gave him a confused smile. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

“No, probably not.” A door slammed shut downstairs, and he flinched at the sound. He was really on edge right now.

“So, what do you mean?”

“Just that… The two of us…” His voice trailed off as he faced me once more. I waited for him to explain, but there was a pained look in his gaze, making me feel like it was difficult for him to find the words. He pushed a hand through his hair once again and let out a sad laugh.

“The two of us…” he tried again. “We have to start online learning with school on Monday.” His shoulders deflated slightly as he finally got the words out.

“That’swhat you had to tell me?”

He dug his hands into his pockets and nodded. “Um, yeah.”

I got the distinct impression he’d intended to say something else, but I was probably just reading too much into it. Maybe he was just disappointed the break from school was over.

“Yeah, I saw the email,” I replied. “It will probably be nice to have something to do every day.”

“I guess,” he agreed.

I moved closer to him, still not sure why he was acting so strangely. “Was that really what you wanted to tell me?”

His lips were tense as he smiled in reply. “Yeah, of course, it was. What did you think I was trying to say? Pronounce my undying love for you?”

I let out a laugh and shook my head. “No, of course not.”

He turned toward the door before I could catch his expression. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to get ready,” he said. “I’ll meet you downstairs in five.”

He left without another word, and I stood there staring at the empty doorway. Why did I feel like I was missing something?

* * *

Aiden put the radio on,and the music played quietly in the background as he drove us to the supermarket. He didn’t make any effort to talk to me, and I had to wonder if his quietness was related to how strangely he’d been acting before.

---