I Choose You

26. Unexpected (Edited)

And then it dawned on me.

"Are you drunk?!" I cried.

"What?! No!" but I just looked at him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Okay—slightly." he rocked his head forward. "Can you please just let me in?! I'm freezing my ass off out here!"

"Fine! But you have to be quiet Aiden, my dad's asleep!"

He nodded his head as I pushed hard on the window, shutting it tightly and latching it back, before turning out of my room and tiptoeing down the steps as quietly as I could. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I couldn't believe I was actually letting Aiden into my house at two o'clock in the freaking morning, with my dad snoring in the master bedroom. This was breaking every single rule my father had ever set for this house. Every single rule in the history of rules. If he woke up and found Aiden in our house at this hour, there's no telling how much trouble I'd be in. I'd probably be grounded for the rest of my life and locked in my bedroom for eternity. Dad would never trust me again if he found out I did this on his watch.

But that was how desperate I was to see Aiden. To tell him how sorry I was. That I would risk never seeing him again, just to see him for one day. Here. And now.

God, what is he doing to me?

I twisted the doorknob of the front door and opened the door as slowly as possible, Aiden wasting no time in entering. He shook his shoulders, as if shaking off fake snow that had accumulated on them. I shut the door quietly behind him.

I looked at him, really, looked at him...and I felt the pain in my chest grow. Like it was going to swallow me whole. He looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes apparent, and he had stubble peppering his chin and cheeks, making him look years older. In all the time I had known Aiden, I had never once seen him with stubble. He was always clean shaven. He'd always taken good care of himself, but today he just looked...exhausted.

He looked around for a second, before looking back at me and leaning forward slightly, sniffing the air as I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You smell nice."

His words only confirmed my earlier suspicion.

"You're drunk." I stated.

He scowled. "I'm not drunk—I'm buzzed—there's a difference!"

"Shhh!" I hushed him, pointing towards my dad's room on the other side of the kitchen. I grabbed his hand and pulled him behind me up the stairs, cursing at his pounding footsteps. What part of be quiet does he not understand? I was risking my whole life on this boy right now.

I pulled him into my room and shut the door behind me, walking over to my desk and turning on the small blue lamp that illuminated the room only slightly. Aiden just stood there for a moment, taking it all in, his eyes scanning over all the pictures I had lining my walls. I had strung a pair of Christmas lights around my room a few year ago with a pink, blue, and green color scheme. I decided to pin all my favorite high school pictures of friends up there with colored close—pins. Most of them were of Autumn and I, but I added quite a few up there with Riley, Blake, Carter, and Aiden too. I started adding those a few months ago.

"So, this is your room." he said, still gazing around as if he was mesmerized by everything.

I watched him, arms crossed over my chest, as he walked towards my desk, his eyes set on the picture frame I had placed there ages ago. He picked it up.

It was of us, together. The day we had gone ice skating with the group. Apparently, Riley had taken that picture of us, right before our...almost kiss. Aiden was holding me in his arms, looking at me with an unfathomable look in his eyes. The way boys look at girls in the movies. That's how he was looking at me in that moment. She had sent it to Aiden's mom, and she'd had it framed for me. She gave it to me the day before Aiden's birthday party.