Page 45 of Lust & Lies
“Blame dad, not me. He’s had me working non-stop these past days. I heard you gave my brother a tour of your garden. He bragged about it all day yesterday. I want a tour too.”
I shook my head. “I swear you two are going to drive me crazy. Come on. I’ll show you around.”
He walked beside me while I pointed out things like peppers, cucumbers, and basil. He claimed he wanted a tour, yet his eyes remained on me the whole time, like he was unable to look anywhere else.
At least when I gave Ethan his tour, he actually paid attention to the garden and told me what he wanted in his salad when he came over and made steak for us next week. But that was the difference between Ethan and Aiden. Ethan was my best friend. My partner in crime.
While Aiden....
I stared at him from the corner of my eye to find that he was still watching me. My heart rate increased. Aiden was the guy I’d had a crush on for so damn long. And even a blind man could see he felt the same way. When we reached the end of the rows, I stopped and faced him.
“That’s it. What do you think?” I asked.
“I think it’s amazing, Noe.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he said, smiling down at me.
Unable to hold his gaze, I faced my plants. “Once they’re ready, I’m going to take some to the local women’s shelter and donate them. I also need to take some to your dad and aunt. Oh, and my...”
“What about me?” he asked, hand going to my chin and pulling my gaze his way. “You’re naming everyone else. What about me?”
My eyes met his. I swallowed, gaze dropping to his chest.
“Aiden...” I whispered.
“You’ll be leaving town in a few days,” he reminded me.
“I’ll only be gone a week.”
“A week is a long time. You told me you’d give me my answer before you left.”
“I know.... I just....” I went silent again.
Of course, I wanted to say yes. However, saying yes would make some people happy while disappointing others. What we had now was good. We should keep it that way until everyone was on board with us being together. But Aiden was impatient.
“You know how I feel about you, Noe,” Aiden whispered. “You know I love you so damn much. Why can’t we just be together?”
“You know why,” I muttered.
“That’s not fair, and you know it.”
“I know,” I told him, gaze rising to his. “But... just give me a little more time. Please.”
“A little more time to do what? Keep worrying about everyone else’s feelings but your own. It’s okay for you to be happy, Noe. It’s okay for you to have something for yourself. It’s...”
“I know!” I yelled, far louder than I’d intended.
Aiden gritted his teeth. “I’m upsetting you again, aren’t I?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Every time I talk about us, I upset you.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“I should go before others show up and you get embarrassed to be with me.”
