Page 72 of Spin The Bottle
“Hey,” Rosie says. “I like those too.”
Aiden glances at me before he heads out of the living room. I blow out a breath when he leaves. Whenever he’s in a room with me, my eyes follow him, looking for him everywhere. There’s so much tension whenever we’re in the same room together and knowing that we’re not alone, that we’re hanging out… together… with other people, it’s scary.
Gabi grabs a can of beer off the table, cracks it open, and takes a sip. I lick my lips, wanting one, but I also want to kiss Aiden later, and I can’t do that if I taste of beer. I haven’t stopped thinking of what he told me about his family.
I would have never guessed Aiden came from nothing, that he had nothing. He always seemed so sure of himself, so confident. He dominates every room he’s in, guys and girls following him wherever he goes.
A part of me feels like it’s a good thing that he told me, that he trusted me with that part of him, but another part feels like it’s a waste of time because, eventually, it will be for nothing. Aiden will move on, with someone else, and I’ll be stuck harboring all of these little facts about him, knowing more about him than I do about anyone else.
When he comes back into the room, I glance up, watching how he throws a pack of sour gummies to Gabi.
“Fuck yes,” she says, catching them. She grabs a can of beer and holds it up. “You want one?” she asks him.
His smile drops, his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m good.”
“C’mon,” Gabi says. “I have to say thank you somehow. One beer won’t derail your training.”
I don’t know what comes over me, some kind of protective urge to get him out of this situation but I blurt out, “He doesn’t drink.”
All eyes turn to me, Gabi’s lips turned in a smirk. Since she’s in on my little secret, she knows how I know that about him, but the rest of the group doesn’t, which is why they’re all looking at me with confusion. Aiden’s smiling though, a hint of a smile on those beautiful lips of his as he looks at me.
“You don’t?” Madi asks him.
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
He shrugs, clearly not knowing what to say, so my big mouth interrupts again and says, “It’s not a big deal. I’m laying off the beer too.”
Now, Gabi’s eyebrows raise. “You? Not drinking?”
“Yeah, why not?” I might enjoy a beer here and there, but if it means they’ll lay off Aiden, then I guess I’m quitting drinking.
She smirks, shaking her head. “It’s interesting, that’s all.”
Aiden drops onto the couch beside me and my eyes widen as I look at him, glancing around to see if anyone notices, but they don’t, wrapped up in their conversations. “You’re not drinking, huh?” he asks.
I shrug. “It’s not a big deal.”
He laughs, running a hand over his mouth. “You know I don’t expect you to do that for me, right? I’ll still kiss you if you drink.”
I glare at him, hating how he’s caught on to my reasoning for laying off the alcohol, but when he scoots closer to me, I see him holding a pack of the vegan candies me and Rosie love. He rips it open and holds it out to me. My eyes widen at him. “What are you doing?” I whisper.
His eyebrows raise. “Eating?” He shakes the package at me again, and I shove it away. “C’mon,” he says. “Gabi said they’re your favorite.”
“She’s exaggerating.”
His smile drops, and I can see the worry kicking in, wondering if what the nurse said was true after all and he pushes the package closer to me. “Take one, Leila.”
“Aiden.”
He shocks me by saying, “Defy me and see what happens.”
My eyes snap to his, feeling the burn from his gaze, and I lick my lips. “What are you going to do?”
He smirks, lifting his brows. “Do you want to find out?”
Yes. I love how he throws me around in the bedroom, taking control and making me think of nothing but pleasure whenever we’re together. But when I hear Gabi laughing, my panic kicks in, and I put some distance between us. “You can’t do anything. We’re in public,” I whisper.
