Page 33 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

“I still don’t like clowns,” I admitted. “Or the dark.”

“Yet you’ll flip and contort your body like you don’t have bones.” His brow arched.

“That’s different.”

“Not really. You’ve mastered your fear where gymnastics is concerned. You need to master your fear of—”

“Clowns?” I smothered a laugh, and Aaron rolled his eyes.

This was nice. It almost felt like old times. But there was still a distance between us. Things we’d left unsaid, or at least, I had.

But it was better this way.

In time, my feelings for Aaron would fade into the background. And I wouldn’t look at him and feel the ground shift beneath me. Feel the butterflies take flight in my stomach, my heart pounding inside my chest.

“Listen, do you want—” Aaron’s cell phone started blaring and he muttered something under his breath, grabbing it from its holster.

“What?”

“Yeah, she’s with me.” He turned to me and mouthed, ‘Sofia.’ “No, we’re not—Sofe, it isn’t any of your business. Yeah, yeah, okay. Bye.”

He hung up and exhaled a long breath.

“Everything okay?” I asked, aware that once again things felt tense between us.

Sofia wouldn’t make a big thing about us hanging out together, but she would have questions.

Sure enough, my cell vibrated and a faint smile traced my lip at her predictability.

Sofe: What’s going on?

Me: Aaron wanted to talk, so we’re talking.

Sofe: Together… alone… in his car?

Me: One point to you!

Sofe: I want details. ALL the details later.

“Let me guess. She wants to know what’s going on?” Aaron asked, and I nodded, texting her back.

Me: There’s nothing to tell. It’s all very platonic.

Sofe: Ugh, I HATE that word.

Me: Stop shouting at me. Call me later, bye. xo

“We should probably head back,” Aaron said coolly, the air between us turning to ice.

“Yeah, sure.”

His eyes lingered on my face and for a second I thought he might say something else.

But he didn’t.

And that sinking feeling from earlier returned with a vengeance.

By the time I got home Mom and Dad were already in the kitchen cooking dinner while enjoying a beer and a glass of wine. It wasn’t unusual to see them unwinding this way, just as it wasn’t unusual to see them on a video call with my sister.

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