by Mia Hoddell
“So what’s your favourite scene in the show?”
Kayleigh took another sip of water to stop herself from blurting out her first thought, which was their kiss. That would just be weird and obvious. After she’d swallowed, she said, “The group dance I think, because it’s happy and I had the most input with it.”
“Really? It’s not kissing me? And just so you know, if you say it isn’t, I don’t think I’ll be able to take it.”
Her body stiffened at the heat running through her. She was flushed and her mouth had become dry, making it hard to get the next words out. “I-I ... um—”
He laughed, but for once it didn’t sound like he was laughing directly at her. As he was leaning towards her, the gap between them—that was quickly closing—did nothing to help her concentration. He was so close to her she could smell his scent: a mixture of soap and spice.
“Want to know a secret?” She swore the deep rumble of his voice would make her knees give way. The rich sound travelled through her so that she could only nod in response without sounding like a breathless idiot. He was teasing her. She knew that and didn’t want to make a fool of herself. “Kissing you is my favourite scene and a huge bonus to doing this show.” His lips were level with her ear as he spoke, his warm breath caressing the pulsing spot on her neck.
The words irritated Kayleigh instantly, and the heat from his presence was replaced by an angry one as she realised what he was doing. Her hand rose to meet his chest, pushing him back so she could breathe again. “What the hell, Aiden? I told you not to mess around with me. I’m not going to be one of your flings,” she hissed, allowing her fiery temper to take over. She folded her arms—a physical defence—and glared at him. He didn’t even have the decency to look guilty, but then again he was the most renowned player on campus.
“What if I don’t want you to be?”
She opened her mouth to argue, but she hadn’t expected that reply. It threw her, so only a confused squeak came from her lips. “What?”
“What if I offered you more than a fling? You interested then?”
Kayleigh couldn’t figure out what he meant. What wasn’t a fling? A week? Two? In Aiden’s world she figured that would equate to a serious relationship, but that wasn’t what she was looking for. He’d soon get bored and move on, leaving her in the heartbroken camp of losers who still chased after him. She refused to be one of them.
“Why? You’ve never paid any attention to me before.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve always noticed you.”
“But—”
“Just say yes, Kayleigh. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
I’ll probably regret it if I do, she thought as images of it all being a big joke played out in her mind. “No.” It wasn’t a confident answer and the word shook, but it was the best she could do.
“No?”
“Yes, no. You’re not being serious about this, and I’m not looking to be turned into a laughing stock because of you and your need to get with everyone on campus.”
He seemed genuinely hurt and confused by her statement. “Why would you think I’d want to do that? Okay, so I may have been with a lot of people, but I’ve never intentionally hurt them.”
“Come on, Aiden. You’re not part of my world. I’m the geeky drama student who can only talk to guys I don’t know when I’m in character. I’m not exactly your normal choice.”
“Firstly, how’d you know what I normally choose? And secondly, you’re talking to me now and you’re not in character.”
“But I’m in this room. In here, nothing else exists. I’m in a place where I can be anyone I want to be and no one will judge me.”
“Just say yes, Kayleigh. Let me show you I can do serious.”
“Why me?” Her voice was barely a whisper as he put cracks in her defence. She’d waited years to hear him say something like that to her—to finally notice her—but she couldn’t believe him.
“Why not you?”
“I’m not your type. I don’t do casual and you don’t do serious. One of us will want something more, and I can guarantee it’ll be me left alone, hurt—” She snapped her mouth shut, having gone further than she thought she would with her explanation.
“I could be serious for you.”
“People don’t change, Aiden. You are who you are and it’s pointless to believe otherwise. I should know … I spend most of my time in a fantasy world and those kinds of endings don’t happen in reality.”
Before he had a chance to answer her and she could change her mind, she picked up her bag and left the room. The entire way back to her flat, she was both cursing and praising herself. Cursing because she’d finally been given an opportunity with Aiden and she’d deliberately ignored it, and praising because she’d been able to stand up for herself. She hadn’t allowed a stupid crush to affect her, and she was proud of how she’d handled things.
Kayleigh was scanning her student ID through the card reader to let herself into the building when her phone bleeped with an incoming message. Hoping it wasn’t Aiden, she pulled it out and was relieved when Ellie’s name appeared. What she didn’t expect was the message it contained.
Fancy meeting up? Back for a few days and need details!
Despite Ellie’s need for gossip, Kayleigh thought she could use some girl time. Not to mention that Ellie knew Aiden better than most, so would be able to put things in perspective for her.
Hang out at mine? Tired from drama.She replied and Ellie instantly sent back a smiley face and said she’d be over in half an hour.
Great, Kayleigh thought, that gave her less time than she’d have liked to prepare her defence.
CHAPTER TEN
Aiden was just about to knock on Justin’s door when it was removed from his hand’s path. He stepped back in surprise as Ellie almost ran into him while she moved to shut the door behind her. She hadn’t even noticed him. When she turned and squealed, jumping so that both feet left the floor in fright, Aiden couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“What the hell? You couldn’t have coughed or made a noise?”
“Nope. That was so worth it.”
Ellie hit his arm playfully. “Justin’s not here if you’re looking for him. He’s gone to—”
“Prison to visit his sister, I know. I was here looking for you, actually.”
She glanced up at him suspiciously, and Aiden knew she had the right to. Very rarely did he ask for help or seek her out unless it wasn’t to mess with her.
“I was just heading over to Kayleigh’s. Can it wait?”
At the mention of Kayleigh, Aiden knew he had to get his side of the story in first. There was no doubt that Kayleigh would mention what had gone down between them, but he was unsure how she would portray the event, or him.
“Actually, it’s um ... it’s about her.”
Ellie’s suspicion grew, her eyes narrowing into hard lines. “What about her? What have you done?”
“Can we go inside?” Aiden gestured to the door, but Ellie folded her arms in disagreement. Obviously he was going to have to have the conversation out in the hall.
“I need you to persuade her I’m serious about her. She turned me down earlier.”
Ellie burst out laughing at his statement, only causing him to frown. He knew it’d been a risk coming to see her, but he was out of his depth with the whole “serious relationship” thing.
“Good for her! Are you serious?”
“Shouldn’t the fact I’m here prove that? I never need help with girls.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t prove anything. You have a bad reputation, and it’s going to take more than this to persuade me you’re any good for my friend.”
“C’mon, Elles, give me a hand here. We’ve been working on this show for under a week, but it’s all about her. Why do you think I’m putting so much effort into it? I’m actually excited to see and work with her on a daily basis, and I told you that the only reason I hadn’t approac
hed her before was because I didn’t want to hurt her.”
“And you think you’re ready to grow up now? That you won’t hurt her?”
“I’ll try my best, I want to give it a go.”
Ellie studied him for a second, her eyes cold and calculating as they watched him. The silence dragged out as she thought, and an uneasy feeling churned within him.
“If she brings it up I’ll say something, but I can’t promise it’ll be in your favour. It depends on how she feels. I know she likes you, but she’s been single for a while and I don’t know if you’re the first guy she should date.”
“Elliiieee ...” Aiden hated begging, he very rarely had to in order to get what he wanted, but he knew it would prove a small amount of what he was feeling.
“We’ll see, okay. I told you before I’m not going to let you hurt her. If you want my help you have to trust me. Show her you’re serious and that you care. Actions are far better than words.”
Before he could ask what kind of actions or gestures he could perform, Ellie was walking down the hallway to the stairs. He thought about following her for a moment, but quickly changed his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was irritate a potential ally.
Kayleigh had just slipped into her pyjamas and finished making popcorn when Ellie knocked on her door. For some reason she was late, but it had given Kayleigh a few more minutes to decide how to phrase what’d happened between her and Aiden. There was a part of her that was worried about what Ellie’s response would be, as she knew Aiden better, but she needed some help. “Hey! I brought chocolate, I thought we’d need it.” Ellie hugged her tightly once she’d opened the door.
“I made popcorn, too, but what made you think we’ll need it?” she asked hesitantly, a sense of dread filling Kayleigh as she wondered what had happened.
“Aiden caught me on my way over here.”
“Oh, God, what did he say?”
“Nope, I want to hear your side of things first—”
“And then you’ll change what he said to agree with what I think. I can handle it, Ellie. Just tell me.” Kayleigh couldn’t understand why Aiden would have gone to see Ellie about her, but by the stubborn expression on her friend’s face, she was going to have to wait to find out. “All right,” she grumbled and grabbed the bowl of popcorn off the counter and headed over to her bedroom door. None of her flat mates were around, but she still liked the extra layer of privacy.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, bowl on her lap, Kayleigh took a deep breath. As she exhaled she leaned back against the headboard and dipped her hand into the salted snack. “I can’t figure out what he wants. He comes into the auditions, shocks everyone by being good, and somehow I ended up fighting to cast him as male lead. Now he’s suddenly spouting all of this crap about being serious with me. What game is he playing? He knows I like him, but this all feels like a big set up, only I don’t know why he would.”
Ellie was studying her carefully and the constant gaze was making her uncomfortable.
“I haven’t let him in, I’m not stupid. I know all about his reputation and I’m not going to be one of his conquests, but is it the truth or a game? Does he want me or am I a challenge?”
Ellie shrugged, throwing a piece of popcorn up and catching it in her mouth. “I don’t know what’s going on, Kay, but I know Aiden and he wouldn’t play you like that. This isn’t what you want to hear, but Aiden doesn’t need tricks to get girls to sleep with him; it’s not his style. They fall at his feet and I have never seen him chase somebody before.
“It’s true that he’s never had a serious girlfriend, but Aiden doesn’t lead people on. The people he’s with ... well, they know what it is before anything happens. Sure, they always want more, but Aiden’s always up front.”
“So what are you trying to say?”
“I’d love to tell you to go for it—that he’s being genuine—but I don’t want to see you hurt. However, despite that, I think he’s being serious. He doesn’t play games with people’s emotions, Kayleigh. I can’t tell you what you should do, it’s a risk you’re going to have weigh up and take by yourself.”
“So you think I shouldn’t? You’re calling it a risk.” Kayleigh’s hand froze in the bowl. She thought talking to Ellie would help, but she was even more confused.
“Letting anyone in is taking a risk, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. All I’m saying is be careful. You know of Aiden’s reputation so he may hurt you by accident ... he may not to be able to commit. However, what if he does? It’s up to you, Kay. I know you’ve liked him for a while, and he told—” Ellie cut off abruptly, and Kayleigh’s head snapped up in curiosity.
“What? He told you what?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you. It might get your hopes up.”
“I’m not a china doll, Elles. Just tell me.”
Ellie huffed. “He said that he’s noticed you for a while, but the only reason he never approached you was because he didn’t want to hurt you. He said he wasn’t ready for serious, but might be now.”
Kayleigh’s heart started to race, her eyes open wide with shock. She thought the words would’ve made her happy, but all she was doing was questioning why her, what made her special, and whether he was really being serious.
“You think I should go for it?”
Ellie shrugged, causing Kayleigh to let out a frustrated groan. She loved her friend, but she was being exceedingly unhelpful on purpose.
“Listen, Aiden’s not a bad guy. When he chooses to care about someone he’s all in. Let him prove it to you, don’t jump in head first and give your heart away.”
Ellie wasn’t stating anything new, she’d been in Aiden’s presence enough from their friendship, but it was a nice reassurance. Kayleigh was about to say more when Ellie’s phone buzzed. Pulling it from her pocket the bright screen illuminated her face in the dimly lit room as she glanced up guiltily.
“Do you mind if I go? It’s just Justin has been visiting with his sister and he’s always in a foul mood when he gets back.”
Kayleigh didn’t understand what Ellie wasn’t telling her in that sentence, but there seemed to be something deeper going on. “Yeah, no worries. I’ll just go to sleep, these rehearsals are killing me.”
“Thanks.” Ellie leaned over to hug her quickly before she jumped up and was out of the room in a flash. Alone again, Kayleigh pulled a book from her bedside table and curled on to her side, trying not to overanalyse what Ellie had told her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Standing out in the hallway, Aiden stared at the row of doors. A small sigh escaped his lips as he frowned, wondering what the best approach was: knock on every door? Text Ellie? Ask someone if they knew? His mind went over the possibilities with confusion as one of the doors opened. Aiden braced himself. He’d already had one girl come up to him, asking if he was there for her before having to untangle himself from her hold, and it was something he’d rather not repeat. He used to like the attention, but he knew it was the first thing he was going to have to change if he was to win Kayleigh over. The blonde who’d pouted the length of the corridor as she begged him to change his mind held no appeal anyway. His mind was only focused on which room was Kayleigh’s.
Relief flooded through him when he noticed the brunette stepping through the door was in fact Ellie. She had saved him time and humiliation. Hurrying over to where she was just about to shut the door, Aiden managed to block it with his hand, making sure the lock didn’t click into place.
Ellie glanced up at him in surprise. “What are you doing here?” She sounded annoyed, her hand still on the handle as she tried to close the door.
Wedging his foot in the gap, Aiden made sure the task was impossible. “Proving myself, like you said.”
“Uh ... How does showing up here prove anything?”
“Just let me in, Elles. Please?”
“I shouldn’t.”
“Come on, I’d do it for you in a heartbeat.”
E
llie rolled her eyes, but was distracted when her phone rang from her pocket. The second she turned to look at the screen and answer it was all he needed. Applying a slight pressure to the door, her hand slipped from the handle and he caught it before it swung to hit the wall.
“Aiden, no!” Ellie hissed after him, but was distracted by the phone again. “Sorry, Justin, hang on I’m dealing with your idiot cousin.”
“Which room, Elles?”
“Out. Now. You can’t just barge in.”
“I didn’t barge, you let me in.”
“Aiden ...” Ellie’s pitch dropped in warning, but he wasn’t worried. There were only four doors lining a small corridor so it wouldn’t take him long to find Kayleigh if she refused.
“Thanks, Elles. You can go now,” he said dismissively.
Shaking her head at him, she frowned. “Don’t try anything, you hear? You’re lucky Justin needs me or else we’d be here a lot longer.”
“Don’t worry, I’m trying to get her to like me, remember?”
“That’s not your problem. You have to get her to trust you.” With that parting comment, Ellie turned on her heels and left, her phone pressed against her ear.
Lying in bed, Kayleigh could hear voices out in the hall, but she assumed it was her flat mates returning home. What she didn’t expect was a male voice to call out her name—a voice that made her pulse flutter. “Kayleigh?” The voice came again, but this time it was closer. In fact, it sounded like it was right outside of her door. Oh God, why is he here now?
Sliding off her bed, Kayleigh ran her fingers through her damp hair before reluctantly moving to open her door. When she removed the wooden panel she was face-to-face with Aiden. She watched as his gaze travelled down her body, taking in the pink, cotton shorts, fluffy socks, and an oversized hoodie. She could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment at her choice of outfit, but she hadn’t exactly been expecting company.
“Cute.” He nodded at the clothes, a smug grin on his face as she tried to talk. Her mouth was refusing to pick itself up off the floor. “Can I come in?”