The Fate Of Broken Hearts

Chapter 30

Even if this was just a kiss and nothing more, it made me feel more alive than I had ever been. He was difficult and stubborn, but that was a barrier, a wall he had built for himself to separate the world away from him. And the tall wall he built had cracked.

"I want to take things slow..." I breathed heavily. "I don't- I don't want to move too fast and ruin whatever this is."

Aiden smiled softly, a nod with his words, "I want the same thing."

"Are you sure?" I asked. I couldn't help myself. I knew his past with previous girls, and even though I wouldn't hold it against him, I had to be sure that he knew I wouldn't be giving myself to him so quickly.

"Have you done it before?"

"I have, once." I nodded. "But I need time to figure out what... what this is first." I waved my hand between him and I. "I'm not the kind of girl to sleep around with the first guy I like, Aiden. And I would understand if you don't want the same thing."

"If time is what you need, take as much of it as you want." He said. "I'll wait."

With everything I had experienced with Aiden, I could hardly believe those words were coming from him. I had my mind set on the fact that he was arrogant, and rude, maybe even impatient, but seeing this side of him made me believe that there was a possibility he wasn't all I first thought he was. Still, I refused to let myself dive into that idea just yet. I wasn't a fool.

Aiden and I laid together for a little while longer in an idyllic silence, until the cold set deeper in the field. We folded the blanket and tucked it back in the car, took one last final glance at the scenery, and drove away. I didn't know when the next time I would see the field was, so I made sure to savor it, imprinting it in my memory while I snuggled back into his jacket.

The road back to the apartment was peaceful and undisturbed, however when I looked over at Aiden, his eyes were restless. They attached to every little thing we passed by; whether it was a shrub or a plant. His brows twisted and knotted together alongside his thoughts, and the further we drove, the more on edge he became. I tried not to ask, to let him be, but I became nervous.

I tried to reach for the stereo to numb the silence, but Aiden stopped me faster than I could blink.

"Please, don't touch that." He said, fidgeting nervously.

Before I could ask why, I realized we were only a block away from my apartment building.

"Aiden, are you okay? Is there something wrong?"

He didn't even look at me, let alone say anything.

The moment he parked, he rushed out of the car. He opened my door, impatient as if in a hurry to be elsewhere.

He handed me the keys and called one of his friends for a ride. Meanwhile, I stood there completely oblivious as to why he was acting this way. It was strange... he wasn't angry; he was confused and battling himself with something, a hint of fear shining in the white of his eyes.

"You should get inside." He said. "It's cold."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," He lied, his words turning crisp and cold.

"So we're back to this? Are you serious?"

"I don't know, maybe." He shrugged, but I was thrown off by his uncertainty.

The car he had called to pick him up turned the corner up ahead and made it's way over to us.

"What about your jacket? And the blanket?"