“I don't want it to. And, deep down, I don't think you want it to, either.”
“So, what do you wanna do?”
“How about a bath?”
“No sliders?”
He grins. “No sliders.”
My eyes follow his naked butt as he goes into the bathroom and turns on the water.
A few minutes later, he brings me out a fluffy robe. I snuggle up to it. “It's warm.”
“They have a towel heater.”
“Nice.”
I follow him into the bathroom and add a bunch of bubbles to the bath.
Once we’re in the tub and I'm leaning against his chest, I say, “I’m tired, Aiden.”
“I know you are, baby,” he says, kissing my shoulder. “Just think. Tomorrow at this time, we'll be back at the loft.”
“A day of relaxation before I start to work.”
“Do I get to come watch you film?”
“You watched every one of my play practices.”
“That's because you're amazing.”
“It had to be boring.”
“It wasn’t.”
“I’ll let you come if you promise me two things: you won't get jealous and you promise to leave if you get bored.”
“Deal,” he says, cupping warm water in his hand and pouring it across my chest.
I run my fingers lazily down his arm and notice something.
“Aiden, did you take your wish bracelet off because it didn’t look good with your suit?”
He holds up his wrist, chuckles, and shakes his head. “Well, I’ll be damned. You were right.”
“What do you mean?”
“You told me it’d fall off once I got my wish.”
“What did you wish for?”
He pushes my hair off my shoulders and kisses my neck. Then his mouth is against my ear. “I wished that someday you’d trust me enough to tell me the truth.”
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18TH
The story of us.
9:30am
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Aiden knew I was lying. It all makes sense now, though. His wanting to be my friend. His sneaky ways of getting to know me. I thought it meant he wasn’t interested in me, but what it really meant is that he loves me.
I know he loves me.
I was going to say it to him last night. And he knows it, since he read the script.
Just let things settle down a little. Don’t plan it. Just tell him when it feels right.
I think about when might be the perfect time.
Then I frown.
“What’s the frown for?” Aiden asks.
“Oh, I was just thinking.”
“About last night?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re disappointed?”
“A little, yeah. I thought it was going to be perfect.”
“It was perfect, until Whitney pulled you on stage.”
I smile. “You’re right. It was.”
Aiden rolls onto his side to face me, gently trailing his finger down my thigh. “Maybe instead of writing the script and getting sad when people don't follow along . . .”
“You remember me telling you that at rehearsal?”
“Boots, pretty much everything you've ever said to me is permanently ingrained in my mind. It’s all the story of us.”
“As opposed to my scripts, which are the story of me?”
“Exactly. What if we write new ones together?”
“Like, collaborate? Hmm. That might be a good idea. I mean, especially since most of my old scripts were already cast.”
“Brooklyn?”
“Yeah. There's still a lot there that's unfinished. At least now you understand why I can’t see him. Remember Labor Day when I went to his tournament and how upset I was?”
“You told me that he was stupid. Then you said that you were stupid.”
“I was. In lots of ways. It was bad enough to watch him sneak into a cabana and get it on with some girl, but what was worse is that Vincent, the stalker, was there. If Brooklyn hadn’t done what he did, I wouldn’t have left. I would’ve been a sitting duck. I went with no security and didn’t tell anyone I was going. I really didn’t think Vincent would fly across the country on the off chance I’d be there. It was a big blow, both to my confidence and my heart.”
I start to say something else, but Aiden kisses me hard.
“What was that for?”
“I don't need to hear any more. I get it.”
“What do you get?”
“I need to teach you how to live life unscripted, because we’re going to be better than anything you ever imagined.” He lets his comment hang there for a moment, then says, “So, what are you going to do about the stalker, now? Will you be able to go back to Eastbrooke?”
“Definitely not. That’s why I lied on stage. So everyone would hate me and, hopefully, forget about me over break. I want all my friends at Eastbrooke to stay safe.”