Designed for Submission

Chapter 5

"Anything for my little girl. And you don't annoy me. Don't ever worry about that," he says sweetly. "It's actually cute the way you act, and I love being able to treat you."

I blush bright pink and finish the rest of my cone and go to throw away a napkin. Ah! "Aiden!" He comes up behind me and swings me around in his arms. He puts me down and I'm a giggling mess.

"Cutie," he says as he taps my nose. I suddenly feel really shy. "Come on, let's get you home."

"Good, night little one! I'll pick you up at 6pm tomorrow for the party, alright?"

We're standing at my door. I give him back the jacket he put around my shoulders and smile at him. "Okay. Thanks, Aiden." He gives me an endearing smile and turns to leave.

-~-

Audrey's party is amazing! She is on the spirit committee that hosts parties and events to keep schoool as interesting as possible. Audrey is also the most popular person at our school, so the party is pulsing and raving. She has a soft serve ice cream machine, an open bar, an awesome dj and a huge disco ball. All sorts of people are here and they are all dancing, playing games and drinking their asses off.

Parties really aren't my scene, but Aiden dragged me here. There's too many people, there's so much noise and it's all quite overwhelming. He's stayed with me this whole time, though, so it's been fine. He's just left to get some punch and snacks for us.

"Caramel!" Anna calls out and gives me a huge hug. "Holy, shit! You're actually at a party! Oh, I bet it was that cute boy, Aiden, that convinced you."

Why does she say it like that? "Yeah, I came with him, but I don't actually want to be here. You know that, Bananas. I don't like this kind of stuff."

"Oh, come on. Just let loose and have some fun." She gets distracted by a few girls that just arrived. "Rachel and her friends are here, I need to go say hi. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay!" I yell over the loud music.

Now left alone, I decide to head to the dance floor and try to enjoy the party. Suddenly, I feel hands wrap around my waist and I freak out. I whirl around to come face to face with a short, curly-haired guy who is intoxicated.

"Hey there, sexy," he slurs. "You look stunning in that skimpy dress."

I want to punch him, now. My dress isn't skimpy at all compared to other girls. Why did he have to choose me to harrass of all people? I'm wearing a mint green dress that, granted only comes to mid-thigh, but has thick straps and a collar. It's not really a party dress, but it's cute and comfortable. Aiden likes it. Oh, where is he when I need him?

"Please, go away. You're pissed drunk."

Ah! He doesn't listen and instead reaches to grope my breasts. "Come on, darling. I'll do some nasty shit with you. I know you like it."

Slap! My palm stings from the contact it made with his cheek. His eyes widen in shock, but he's so inebriated that he can't do anything except slink away. As he does, his words sink in and I realize that the whole thing with Jay has not blown over. Not evey 15 minutes of being at the party, I am ready to leave. I almost make it to the front door, but Aiden finally finds me.

"Hey! What's wrong, E? Please don't leave yet!"

"Aiden, I don't like parties. I only came because you wanted to. I'm going home," I say as I try to push past him, trying to contain the tears that are threatening to spill over. He grabs my arm, though, and turns me to face him. His eyes are kind, but determined.

"Here," he says abruptly, handing me a drink. "It's vodka and sprite. I know how much you love sprite, and you've always wanted to try vodka. Mixed together, their really good."

"Aiden, I just want to go home."

"Come on, E. Drink it. It'll help you relax. I want to dance with you and maybe play some games. I promise we won't stay late."

I huff at him but take a swig of the drnk he gave me. It burns my throat a little, but it's not very strong because of the sprite. Wow! He was right, this is really good. I think I've found my new favourite drink. I take a few more sips before Aiden takes it from me and puts it on a table.

"May I have this dance?" I giggle at his faux chivalry. I take his hand and he leads me to the dance floor. We start moving our bodies to the incredible beat. After a couple of songs, I'm feeling light headed and slightly intoxicated. Vodka is strong. Suddenly, I swoon.

"Woah! Alright, time to go home, now. You are such a lightweight little E," he says as he helps me off the dance floor. He picks me up and carries me out of the house to his car.

"S-sorry, Aiden."

"Shh...It's alright. Here' put this on." He puts me down and puts his jacket around my shoulders as he unlocks the car. He opens the passenger side and helps me in. Not long after getting onto the main road, we reach my house. He carries me to my door and finds the key under a potted plant by the doormat.

Once inside, he lays me on the couch and goes to the kitchen. Oh, my head is spinning! When he returns, he hands me a warm mug of coffee and places a cold towel against my forehead. As I sip the coffee slowly, Aiden wipes my face with the cloth. His face is serious and scrunched tightly in concentration. He's so close that I can study every feature on his beautiful face. His eyes are amazing, his jaw is strong and his lips, which are pulled into a straight line, are so inviting.

I find myself involuntarily leaning into him until our mouths are just barely touching. Aiden takes the mug from me and puts it alongside the towel on the coffee table beside us. He caresses my cheek and I lean into his soft touch.

"E," he says cautiously. "What are you doing?"

His warm breath blows across my face. The intensity of his gaze, the closeness of his face and the rasp in his voice ignites a flame inside of me. Oh, no. I'm attracted to him. "I want to kiss you, Aiden."

He pulls back and holds me at arms length, giving me a confused expression. His face suddenly drops briefly, but he recovers quickly. "You're drunk, E. I can't do this with you like this. I care too much about you to jeopardize what we have."

Oh. I'm surprised that my heart drops a little, and I guess my face did too because Aiden suddenly cups my cheek and brings our foreheads together. His intense blue eyes stare into my cloudy brown ones.

"Oh, E."

"Please kiss me, Aiden."

"Are you sure you want this? Because once we sart, there's no turning back."

Do I want this? Before I can give it another thought, it happens. He leans in slowly and our lips connect in a sweet, slow kiss. His lips are warm, soft and so enticing. His tongue suddenly dances lightly along my bottom lip. I smile and give him access to my mouth. His tongue gently massages mine before dominating it. His hand moves from my cheek to the nape of my neck where he holds my head firmly as he deeps the kiss. What started out as a slow, passionate kiss turns into a heated, breathless make out session.

Unexpectedly, Aiden uses the grip on my neck to tilt my head to the side as he brushes his lips against my ear. Isn't this familiar? Being controlled like this. I ignore the reason of the voice in my head and relish the feeling of his lips exploring my neck. He nips at my collarbone.

No! "Aiden, stop!" I gasp.