Rain came down in cold sheets, washing away the details of the night, and replacing it with colorful blurs as we bolted out the back door and into the alley.
I turned right towards the main street where our rental car was parked but froze when I saw several people gathered around it. Aiden pulled us back towards the shadows, his voice quiet as rain continued to come down. "They haven't seen us yet."
Turning, we bolted deeper into the alley, Aiden's grip on my hand tight. A shout rang out behind us as Tate flew out the back door, followed by dozens of fans. Aiden swore and sprinted faster. I had never been so thankful for wearing flats in my life. But even in the proper footwear, I struggled to keep up on the slippery street.
And as we turned onto a back street, the sudden change in direction sent me sliding. I lost my grip on Aiden's hand, the rain making our grip slick, and let out a startled scream before crashing into a set of trash cans.
My head hit the ground with a crack, filling my vision with stars. "Laliana!" Aiden shouted. His face swirled in front of me, giving me twice as many eyes to look at.
"Laliana?" Aiden said, his voice cracking with concern. "Are you okay?"
"All six... of your eyes are beautiful..." I said past the splitting headache in the back of my skull. "Why are your eyes so breathtaking..." I murmured. Aiden's face was close to mine, blocking raindrops from hitting my face as he checked my head. His black hair fell forward, droplets dripping off each strand and hitting my temples in gentle taps. "They are so pretty, it hurts..."
A raw vulnerability filled his face, dimples flashing as he smiled down at me shyly. "I'll take that as a compliment."
There was a sudden crash to our left and Aiden vanished from sight.
A moment later he appeared again. "Okay, Laliana," he said, his arms slipping under my knees and back. "I'm going to get you out of here."
"I can stand," I protested.
I was suddenly in the air, cradled in his arms, and fully aware, even in my dizziness of how many muscles were in his chest.
"I'm sure you can. But I don't really want you falling anymore. My mom would kill me." He chuckled, causing his chest to rumble. Then we were moving, the rain hitting my face, but the feeling felt far away as his warmth filled my body.
Aiden was fast, moving with grace and speed as we moved down the backstreet. Turning, Aiden picked up speed as we hit the sidewalk and ducked under awning after store awning to keep the rain at bay.
Two blocks later, Aiden stepped up onto an apartment stoop with a red overhang and gently placed me on the ground as far back into the shadows as we could go. Then he crouched down next to me, both of our backs against the door that led inside the building. He shifted his body so he could look down at me, taking deep lungfuls of air from the sprint.
His hair was caked to his face, clothes soaked through, leaving little to the imagination from chest up in his buttoned-up white shirt. Hist chest rose and fell in a deep, hypnotic rhythm. "You constantly scare the living daylights out of me Summers."
"I know," I answered, leaning my head back against the door.
"You are constantly getting into trouble." He ran his fingers through his wet hair, muscles chorded in frustration. "I've never met a writer who has fans chase her for three blocks—" A group of girls sprinted into view, each carrying a shopping bag from The Black Squirrel and Tea Bookstore. Aiden turned his body to fully face mine, bringing my face against his chest, blocking me from their sight. The girls continued down the street in a fit of giggles. "Make that four blocks."
He looked down at me with an exasperated expression as I leaned back to look up at him. "It would be impressive if it didn't leave you running all the time. You must be a good writer."
I wrung my fingers together. When it came to praising my own work, it wasn't really in my programming. I could compliment my characters all day, but myself? Yeah, not something I knew how to do well. "Or they are chasing me because it sucks," I said with a laugh. "Maybe that's why the stalker is out to get me." I sneezed, suddenly cold.
Aiden slipped off his suit jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. "No. That's not it. You write beautiful things." He gently brushed my hair out of my face, his hand landing on my cheek. "Some people just don't know how to react to beautiful things."
"How would you know?" I countered. My head felt heavy and dizzy and I didn't want him to say nice things unless it was accurate. How would he know?
"Because I've read your books."
I gasped, staring up at him in disbelief.
He rubbed the back of his neck looking flustered by the admission. "Started on the first one the day we met. Had to see what all the fuss was about."
I smiled widely, enjoying the sight of Aiden looking uncomfortable for once. What a nice change. "So? What did you think?" I desperately wanted him to like the books. But it was hard to imagine him sitting there, hoping that Princess Ara would master the ocean and end up with a hot pirate.
"I'll answer your question, but I'm going to make you wait."
I furrowed my brows, irritated. "What? Why?"
Aiden stood and held out his hand to help me do the same. Hair fell into his face, caging his blue eyes. "Because I have a job to do. And this place is crawling with very excited fangirls. It's time to move."
...
We stood on a dock, staring out at the Ottawa River, boxes of take-out food in hand. The air was crisp, hinting towards an early fall. The rain had finally let up. "What are we doing here Aiden?"
We walked past several boats near the end of the dock. Stopping at the end, he looked back at me with a dark grin. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
I crossed my arms, stopping several feet away. "If your job wasn't to literally keep me alive, I would swear you were leading me to my death. Besides, I write about adventure. That doesn't mean I live it."
Aiden walked up to a large white yacht and quickly jumped over the side with ease. "Then now's the time to take on some life experience."
"What are you doing?" I hissed, alarmed as he settled on board the yacht. "That's not yours!"
Aiden leaned over the edge, a slight flicker of amusement entering his eyes. "Will you relax and trust me?"
I narrowed my eyes at him skeptically. "I haven't decided how much I trust you right now."
"It's my friend's boat." He held up the keys. "I promise we aren't breaking any laws."
I wanted to get warm. To crawl under the covers of my bed and read a book. It was Laliana's regular move. To go home and burrow in with a good book. But that plan would involve having to figure out the sleeping arrangements... Which I wasn't quite ready for.
"There is chocolate cake up here," Aiden said holding up one of the bags of food in a taunting fashion. "And warm changes of clothes."
With pursed lips, trying not to smile, I gave in, like the dumb-struck sucker that I was.
He motioned towards the cabin after helping me onto the deck. "I'll put out the food. Clothes are in the cabin."
Dark oak made up the walls of the cozy bedroom in the belly of the yacht. A small closet sat to one side, filled with flannel shirts and sweatpants. Thank you Aiden's friend for having such perfect taste!
But my excitement was short-lived when I realized how utterly large every single thing in the closet was. After several wardrobe malfunctions, I walked back up onto the deck wearing a red and black flannel that went down to my knees, and sweatpants that were at risk of falling off. I rolled up the pant legs, but they still dragged on the ground. I felt like a toddler trying on her dad's clothes.
Aiden stood over a small table on the deck, adding utensils to the spread of Ramen and curry fries. I watched him for a moment, as he adjusted the spoons, fork, and knife for the third time, trying to line them up perfectly next to our plates.
"You really shouldn't stare at people," Aiden said, ruining my illusion of private staring.
Aiden turned around, "It's rude."
"You stare all the time." I countered, adjusting my flannel shirt as the material fell off my left shoulder.
Aiden walked towards me. "It's my job to watch you."
"Creepy."
He stopped in front of me. "Am I really creepy? I thought you said I had beautiful, breathtaking eyes that hurt to look at?"
My cheeks flamed red at the memory of my headache induced honesty. "Scary things can be pretty. But I was concussed. Can't trust me when I am laying among trashcans." He was still wearing his white shirt that was soaked through, making it hard to think clearly as he looked down at me in the moonlight. After staring at his chest for longer than was appropriate, I pointed to the cabin behind me. "You should change."
"Only if you promise not to eat all the food while I am gone."
I snorted. "I'm not Tate."
The sides of his lips quirked up into a small smile. Then he disappeared below deck, giving me a chance to take in the boat that sat next to the breathtaking skyline of Ottawa. Stars sparkled across the sky, full moon silhouetting the structures of the city where bright lights slowly began to turn off for the night.
I was so enraptured with the stars, the ones I could never see in Los Angeles, that I laid down in the middle of the boat, to take in as many of the as visually possible. Enjoying the sparkling tapestry of glittering perfection.
Aiden came back into view, wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a blue flannel shirt that matched his eyes. "Having fun?"
"I've never seen you in anything but a suit before."
Aiden laid down next to me, staring up at the sky. "The boat isn't really equipped for suit wear."
"So what's the plan? Eat on the boat and then hail a cab? Or is Tate picking us up here?"
Aiden shook his head, thoughtful. "No. We'll see him back at the hotel. We're going to take the boat back. There's a spot to dock a few blocks from the hotel. No one will be looking for us there."
We fell into silence, bodies close as we stared up at the night sky. I listened to the lapping of the waves against the boat, Aiden's breathing. The slow rocking of the boat. It felt like a moment out of time. I hadn't truly found a place outside to just be for a long time. Not ever since I started to be recognized for my work.
"Will you answer my question now?" I asked, glancing at Aiden.
"Which one?" he replied, eyes still on the sky.
"What did you think of the books?"
Aiden propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at me, his deep blue eyes dark. "You really want to know what I think don't you?"
I mimicked his position and propped myself up to look at I'm. "Against my better judgment, yes."
"Why against your better judgment?"
"Because I know my audience, and that doesn't include you."
Aiden laid back down and stared up, an amused purse to his lips like he held a secret. "You seem pretty confident."
"I am."
"Well, then you may want to adjust your view on things because I binged all three books in two days."
I sat straight up and looked down at him, a stupidly wide grin on my face. "You did what?"
The stars were reflected in his eyes when he looked at me, two sets of galaxies stared up at me, so magnificent that it hurt to breathe. "You are a good writer Laliana. Sometimes I wonder why the only one around here who doesn't realize that, is you."
---
Thank you for reading chapter twenty-eight! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to know when the next chapter drops!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
It looks like Aiden and Laliana are getting more comfortable with each other.
Based on everything you've read, how do you think Aiden feels about Laliana?
And what will happen once they are finally back at the hotel?!? Will Aiden find a way to stay in Tate's room, or will he be trapped in complicated sleeping arrangements with Laliana?
CHAPTER QUESTION - How would you feel if you found out your crush had read all of your stories?