“Hey! They aren’t hearts! They’re red circles,” he protested.
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”
“Oh, I’ll say,” he said and quickly pushed his lips against mine. His hard pelvis hit my waist as he continued to kiss me harder and harder.
“Aspen,” I moaned in between our kisses. His hands traced my body and inched up underneath my shirt. Slowly, his fingers brushed the skin of my stomach and crawled closer toward my chest. I never wear a bra when I sleep, but somehow I didn’t care about that at that moment. Aspen was kissing me, and all I wanted to do was to be closer to him and kiss him more and more. I felt the tip of his finger feel under my bosom. He lingered there, as if he didn’t know if he should dare pass that line.
“Go ahead,” I whispered into his ear. My eyes were shut, and my back was arched so I could be closer to him.
Aspen stopped kissing me and pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered and dropped my back against the hard mattress.
“It doesn’t feel right.” Aspen sighed and closed his eyes. “Your parents are letting me stay here, and here I am, seducing their daughter.” He rolled off me and lay next to me.
“Well, you did get me into your bed.” I laughed.
“While you practically attacked me in bed!” Aspen let out a laugh himself.
I smiled and scooted closer to him, resting my head on his stomach. His fingers ran through my hair and never had I felt safer. He was so rough yet so gentle. Who knew a man could do both those things?
“You should probably get some sleep,” Aspen whispered to me and kissed my forehead.
“I know.” I sighed. “Lots of cooking tomorrow.”
“You can finally taste my infamous pumpkin pie.”
“I’m kind of scared for that.” I giggled and he pulled me and nipped my nose.
“You’re a brat.”
“You’re in love with a brat then.” I giggled and jumped up to my knees. My lips pressed themselves against his, and I scooted out of his bed.
“And where are you going?” Aspen protested.
“To my own room.” I smiled and skipped over to the door. “No more snoring!” I told him, pointing a finger at him and narrowing my eyes.
“I said it once, and I’ll say it again. You are a tease!” He laughed and chucked a pillow at me. I jumped out of the way and the pillow flew past me, hitting the tan wall.
Sticking my tongue out, I slipped out of his view and continued to my room.
Sam was sitting crossed-legged when I walked back into our room and there were tears in her eyes.
“You guys are cute,” she said and nodded her head. “I’m happy for you two.”
***
“Dinner is served!” Grandpa announced and placed the turkey on the red covered table.
Aspen brought over the sweet potatoes and took a seat next to me. The basket of bread was tucked under my arms.
“Honey, why don’t you let everyone get a roll?” Mom asked and pointed at the glass bowl I kept close to me.
“No, no. You guys don’t want these. I licked them all before they got to the table.” I nodded and pretended to lick a roll to prove my point. Grandma made the best rolls from scratch every holiday, and I always made sure to grab at least three of them. This year, Grandma only made ten. That meant if everyone got one, there would only be three extras.
“Stop being so fat, and give us the bread!” Sam hissed and jerked the bowl out of my reach.
“Samantha!” Grandma squealed.
“Sam, be nice please,” Dad said firmly. It was like this at every family dinner.
I rolled my eyes at Sam’s comment. Typical Sam. She always had to start a fight over everything.
“What happened Sam?” I raised my voice at her. “Last night you were so nice telling me that Aspen and I were perfect for each other! You said you were happy! Why can’t you always be a happy person, because frankly your bitchy attitude is getting on everyone’s last nerve!” I jumped up out of my seat and threw my hands in the air.
Sam’s eyes narrowed, and a storm had started. “Grow the hell up, Ella! Stop acting like the wounded twin. Look at who’s here with you!” She pointed at Aspen. “I’m sorry, but I don’t happen to see James anywhere near. Aspen is always here for you. Always.” Aspen laughed out loud at this and everyone shot him a glare, including me. He shut up immediately. “Go to hell, Aspen.”
“Sam.” Mom sighed.
“No!” Sam shouted and looked at everyone at the table. “Want to know what?” she asked and scanned everyone’s faces with her devil eyes. “Go to hell. All of you,” she whispered and she left the room with muffled sobs.
“What was that all about, Isabella?” Mom asked with a stunned look. Everyone at the table had the same face. Sam’s outbursts were like no other. Usually she was the calm and collected one, but not now.
“She needs mental help, Mom.” I scoffed and followed Samantha up to our rooms. Behind me, I heard Aspen talking to everyone at the table. I bet he was trying to direct everyone’s attention away from my fight with Sam by changing the subject, but I know that wasn’t going to work.
Samantha had reached the landing, her feet hitting the hardwood floors in the hallway while I pounded up the steps.
“Sam, wait!” I shouted and followed her down the hall. She closed the door to our room shut, but it didn’t have a lock. I pushed the door open and found Sam crying in a ball under the window.
“Go away, Ella,” Sam cried.
“Sam, please talk to me.” I walked over to her and slid down the wall beside her.
She looked up from her ball, mascara running down her face. “Ella, you need to talk to Aspen.”
I blinked. “What?” What did he have to do with this?
Sam shook her head and grasped my hands with hers. “I want to fix our relationship, but to do that, you need to talk to Aspen.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll do that now then.” I stood up, but Sam wouldn’t let go of my hands. More than anything, I wanted us to finally become real sisters. Ever since I could remember, I have always wanted Sam to be my best friend, even when she didn’t want it. Now that she was finally willing to let me in and become friends, I was willing to do anything for us to stay that way.
“Not now,” Sam said with shaky hands. “Do it when we’re home.”
I nodded. “Of course, anything for you Sam,” I said and pulled her into my arms. As soon as I did, Sam fell apart and allowed herself to unload everything on me.
Chapter 28
Rot in Hell
Nobody wanted to leave Maine. Sam was finally being nice (and going back to reality would probably just cause her to explode again), Aspen was loving the cool air, and Mom was enjoying the company of her parents. Almost every day, Dad would go out for hikes around the mountains. He was an outdoors kind of guy, but because of the Florida weather, he opted to stay in his air conditioned room rather than get fried outside.
“What’s on your mind, babe?” Aspen said and pressed his soft lips against my forehead. He reached out his arm and grabbed my suitcase before he began walking down the hall.
“Just not ready to go back to reality.” I sighed.
“At least Sam’s being nice for once.” Aspen laughed.
“Weird, huh?” I said and jumped down the stairs. The luggage banged down the stairs as Aspen dragged it behind him. “Speaking of Sam,” I said and turned around to fully face him. “She said I have to talk to you about something.”
Aspen’s forehead creased. “Talk about what?”
I shrugged. “Beats me. She said in order for our relationship to be okay again, you and I have to talk.”
Aspen let out a sigh and put the bags down. “Babe,” he said and cupped my face. “Sam has a crush on me.”
“Shocker,” I mumbled, even though everyone knew about her crush.
“She has wanted me gone from your life ever since so that she doesn’t have to see me all the time,�
� Aspen explained.
“Really?”
Aspen kissed me quickly and then gripped his hands on the suitcase again. “That’s all she wanted me to tell you.” He shrugged. “I mean, I don’t have any other secrets.”
Smiling, I watched him push open the door and bring the bags to the car. In that moment I realized again how amazing my boyfriend was.
***
When the car pulled into the driveway, it was already eleven in the morning, and I saw Caleb’s car was parked in the street, with him leaning against it.
“What is he doing here?” Mom said and peered through the windshield.
“Is that Caleb?” Sam sat up to look out as well.
“I think so, but I don’t know why he’s here,” I said. Aspen hopped out of the car quickly, so I could go talk to Caleb.
“Hey!” I smiled, running up to my best friend.
“Your chariot awaits.” He smiled and gestured at his car. He looked at Sam and Aspen who were watching us. “It’s your chariot too, guys.”
Sam beamed and skipped over to the car. Even Aspen gave a small smile.
“What’s going on?” Aspen asked when we all piled in yet another car.
“Don’t you worry about it, pretty boy,” Caleb joked. Sam and I even allowed ourselves to laugh at the joke.
“As long as you aren’t trying to hit on my woman.” Aspen stiffened. My eyes looked back at him and smiled. Aspen had my heart, so I didn’t know what he was worried about.
Caleb looked at Aspen in the backseat. “Oh, don’t worry.” Caleb bit down on his lips and looked toward Sam. “It’s not your girl I’m looking at.”
“Caleb!” Sam giggled, and I cast her a look.
“Don’t get jealous,” Caleb whispered next to me and squeezed my leg. “I still love you the most.” Then he started the engine and drove away from our house.
When we got to Caleb’s house, it was filled with cars. Immediately, I recognized Quinn’s and Becca’s cars.
“What is going on?” I asked and gaped at Caleb who was already out of the car. Music was blasting from his backyard and balloons were strung everywhere.
“It’s your welcome back party!” Caleb announced when he yanked open my door.
“Caleb.” I laughed. “I was only gone for a week.”
Caleb grabbed my shoulders and leaned his head close to mine. “And that was too long!” He took my hand and pulled me toward their house. “Come on! Everyone’s here!” Before Caleb could drag me away, I latched hands with Aspen, who had also gone out of the car, and followed Caleb.
When Caleb said everyone, he meant everyone.
The cheerleading squad was in the pool, which caused Sam to scream when she saw them. Quickly, she jumped into the pool and hugged all the girls. It didn’t even matter that she was fully clothed. On the deck were Quinn, Becca, Brian, and even Tristan who was sitting across the three. Caleb’s guy friends—the ones that he played all his video games with—were by the coolers drinking orange soda.
“Caleb!” I exclaimed and wrapped my arms around him. My lips met his cheek. “You’re the best!”
Aspen pulled me toward him and held me under his arm. “Thanks, dude.” He nodded, and so did Caleb. I laughed. Their little interactions were always weird but cute.
“Ella!” Quinn shouted and waved me over to her. I smiled and went to join her and everyone else on the deck, but Aspen held me close.
“Aspen?” I asked when he still didn’t let me walk away.
“Come here.” Aspen nodded his head toward the hammock and began to walk over to it. The cheerleaders screamed behind us.
It was weird, but my heart was racing. What was going on with Aspen? Ever since we left Maine, he’d been acting strange. Sam was still being nice, but whenever I tried to really talk to her, she would just say I talk to Aspen.
“What’s going on Aspen?” I finally asked when we sat on the hammock. It rocked underneath us and I had to hold his hands to keep myself from tipping over.
“Your sister’s right. We do need to talk.” His face was stern, and I saw him grind his teeth together. The eyes in him were stormy, yet they looked gentle. His thumb rubbed the back of my hand.
“Aspen, you’re scaring me,” I admitted to him. This strange behavior wasn’t working for me. It made me suddenly question our relationship, and I hated doing that. Aspen was my first love. Everything had to be perfect between us.
“Ella,” he said calmly and brushed a piece of my hair out of my face. “I have a confession.” I gulped. What kind of confession? Thoughts were already flying through my head. “You remember that time when I asked you if you wanted a ride home from soccer?” I nodded slowly. He continued. “Well, there’s a reason why I asked you then.” He sighed.
I smiled, remembering the date. It was quite possibly the best day of my life, because it was the day Aspen stepped into it. For the first time ever, he talked to me. It was all so strange, yet delightful. I felt honored to have been the girl he chose. “Because you liked me.” Aspen continued to stare at me, his face still serious. I hesitated. “Right?”
Aspen slowly began to shake his head.
“Okay,” I said, my voice beginning to waver. “Then why did you do it?” My heart picked up speed.
“I always thought you were a great person,” Aspen said. “And an awesome soccer player.” he included. “But… I never thought of dating you. My feelings weren’t like that for you. I never planned on driving you home, but then someone asked me to.”
Tears were now stinging my eyes. I didn’t know what he was saying. I didn’t want to know what he was saying. It felt as if my heart was ripped out of me. My entire life was a lie. The past two months were lies. I was enjoying my life—finally—but now I was being told it wasn’t true. Did Aspen even like me at all?
“Are you saying you don’t love me?”
“Yes—wait—no!” Aspen said, panicking. “No, no, no.” His hands slipped from my hands and grabbed my shoulders. “Ella, I loved you while we were dating. I’m in love with you now, even though it didn’t start out that way.”
“What are you talking about Aspen?” I demanded. If he didn’t start making sense, I was going to get up and leave.
“After we bumped into one another at the party, Sam realized you had a bigger crush on me than she thought you had,” he began to explain. “Now, and this is going to sound crazy, but for a while Sam and I kind of hooked up.”
I jumped up. “What?” Tears were strolling down my face, while my body sweat from anger and despair.
“Listen to me, Ella! Please,” he begged and pulled me close to him.
I shook my head and shimmied away. “No. You explain it quickly, because I’m leaving in a minute.” My head was spinning. I didn’t want to believe a thing he was saying. I wanted to go back to how we’d been, but apparently that was all a lie—an act. I didn’t know what was real, and I wanted answers immediately.
“Since the summer, Sam and I have been,” he said and paused to rub his head with his hands, “Let’s say we were friends with benefits. You know Sam didn’t—doesn’t—like you, so when she found out about who your crush was, she asked me to do something.”
“What was it Aspen?” I wasn’t ready for what he was about to say although in my gut, I already had an idea. I knew that everything was too good to be true, but I wasn’t yet ready for it to be destroyed.
“She asked me to ask you out on a couple of dates,” he said, letting out a deep sigh.
My lips began to quiver, and the tears stung even more. I took my hands and covered my face in order to hide my embarrassment. A cry left my mouth.
“Ella, listen, she didn’t ask me to bring you home from that party or to bring you coffee in the morning.” He then rambled off the other nice things he had done for me, and that just made me cry more. What was real in our relationship and what was fake?
“Ella.” He took my hands and pulled me into him. I squirmed and fell to the ground, where he
joined me and held me close. “She may have asked me to ask you out but she need not ask me to fall in love with you.”
“When you said you loved me, did you mean it?” I said, my lips quivering.
Aspen groaned.
“Tell me, Aspen.”
He looked down. “Not at the time Ella, but eventually I did and fell in love with every single thing about you.”
Tears continued to fall on my face, and my head was pounding. I always thought Sam was the biggest bitch I knew, but she proved to be the worst of it all by doing this. Aspen was a dick, and I should’ve figured that out. Who could actually like a girl like me? A guy like Aspen will never choose me; it’s just how the world worked.
“We were becoming so serious, Ella, and I didn’t feel like our relationship could go any further without you knowing the true foundation of how it all came to be.”
I stood up on shaky feet, anger coursing through my veins. “I understand everything, Aspen, like how much of a fucking asshole both you and my sister are!” I screamed. “You deserve to rot in hell with my perfect sister.” I spun around and stormed over to the gate.
Sam must have gotten wind of my fight with Aspen because she was now running toward me in her wet clothes. Everyone was staring at me. Sam reached out for my arm, but before she could utter more lies, I cut her off.
“Screw you, Sam! You’re a good-for-nothing bitch, and I hope that you and Aspen get together, because you’re the perfect couple.” She stared at me with her crystal blue eyes. She blinked at me, and I could see tears forming in her eyes, but it was too late. I wasn’t in any mood showing any ounce of sympathy for her. I’ve never hated her more than at that moment. “Fuck you.” I sneered at her and looked back at Aspen. “Fuck you both.”
Still shaking, I left the party and began walking down the horrid road.
Chapter 29
Twinzies
It’d been only a couple days since my life ended. The hole in me where Aspen had ripped my heart out grew in size as the days passed by. Since his confession, I’d moved in with Quinn. If I saw so much as Sam’s hair, I would kill her. I have set myself into thinking that. Not even joking.
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