LightningSmolder

The Battle (Final Part)

The next time my eyes opened, I was on Aiden's couch. 

My knees were tucked in and I stretched them out as I blinked my eyes. Light flooded the room, and I shielded my face in surprise.

"Ahh!" I yelped.

I heard footsteps. Aiden peeked into the room, concerned.

"You alright?" He asked tentatively.

"Yeah," I muttered. The events of last night came back to me, and I sat up straight. "What- how did you find me?"

"Brynne went out to look for you and found you at the park, so she slung you over her shoulder and carried you home. Both she and Mini went out for groceries since we don't have any, so breakfast might be a little late."

I nodded, focusing on a vase placed on the dining table nearby. 

"Wait!" Aiden called again after he'd gone back into the kitchen. "We have a pancake mix! Want some?" 

"Sure," I said. I quickly darted upstairs and brushed my teeth, raking my hands through my damp, tangled hair, and washing my face. Once I got downstairs, Aiden was waiting with two plates of aromatic pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and topped with strawberries and blueberries. Seated at the small coffee table near the windows, he gave me a shy, genuine smile. Despite my confusion about my feelings, I couldn't help but melt inside. It'd been a long time since I'd had breakfast with a friend without some near-death experience afterwards.

I settled at the mahogany chair, cushioned with a comfortable pink pillow in the shape of a heart. It seemed to be giving me a sign. I glared at it as Aiden exited and entered the room with two cups of warm, steaming chai.

"Thought you'd want some," he said bashfully as my eyes widened.

"You didn't have to do all this," I responded. I looked around at the table. It was too perfect; the vase filled with lilies was perfectly centered; not a single speck of dust rested on the edges of the table; the sun illuminated my side of the table, so my tresses gleamed in its rays. Beads of maple syrup caught the light and shimmered as they dripped down the sides of my stacked pancakes so they looked like pure amber.

"It wasn't any trouble." He rubbed the back of his neck, but never took his eyes off me. I was the first one to break the gaze, and he set my cup of chai next to my plate, taking a seat at the opposite end of the round table. 

Shamelessly, I dug in. I was starving, and I didn't let the pain in my side stop me from gulping down half of my pancake stack in less than two minutes. Aiden took his time, sipping his chai. He looked out the window as my eyes latched onto his glossy curls, his lean figure, those hypnotizing eyes. His lips.

I shook that last thought away.

We sat at the table, neither of us saying a word. The silence, deafening, choked me.

Aiden finally cleared his throat. "I'm...I'm sorry about what Rudy said yesterday. I-" He broke off, looking down at his lap.

"It's fine," I mumbled into my cup. He's brought up a pretty sensitive topic.

"Listen, I know. I know I've been a jerk lately." My head jerked up at his words. "It's just- I was confused, okay? I was just torn. I didn't want to die, but- I didn't want to lose you." My breathing quickened as Aiden stabbed viciously at his pancakes.

"Shah - I've always had feelings for you. No matter how hard I try to push them away, they keep coming back, and- I just can't keep it in the dark anymore."

"But- but that month after-"

"I was ashamed of myself. I never meant to hurt you, Shah. I would never hurt you. Ever." The passion in his voice shook me to the core. I blinked, processing his words. "And that day? The day you wore those yellow pants and asked me how you looked?" He let out a breath. "You looked stunning."

My breath caught in my throat. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

"I like you, Shah. And whether you return the feelings or not, I always will."

I blinked a few more times. The silence hung over us like rain clouds. 

"Aiden-"

"Can I kiss you?" 

What. In the entire multiverse. I squeaked incomprehensibly.

I was probably hallucinating.

"...what?"

The corners of his lips twitched up in amusement. "I said, can I kiss you?"

Yep. Definitely hallucinating.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said just before reaching out and brushing his fingers against my cheek. Closing the distance between us, he pressed his lips over mine.

Oh.

My freakin'.

Gods.

It was like all the happiness in the world exploded inside my chest and traveled through my neurons, from my head to the tips of my fingers. His lips tasted like maple syrup, his mouth like fresh, homemade tea. Unconsciously, I leaned forward and placed my hand on the side of his neck, deepening the kiss. Aiden sighed into my mouth.

I pulled away, giddy and on cloud nine. I exhaled loudly.

"Was that okay?" He asked, concerned. 

"Just shut up and kiss me again," I said exasperatedly. I tugged a handful of his shirt and pulled him back to me.

And as I felt him grin against my lips, I matched his smile and kissed him hard.