Aiden and I stayed at a Japanese steakhouse - which he had rented out completely - for four hours, talking about everything that had happened in the past year that we weren't caught up on already.
I told him about summer, how I worked for Jess's café, and how my classes were going. I even told him about Alice and James dating.
"I knew they'd get together," said Aiden, leaning back in his chair in a satisfied way.
I laughed and said, "What? How did you know that? You've never met them before."
He shrugged. "It was in the way you talked about them. They were bound to get together. The goth girl and the country boy. Classic."
We shared a laugh. It was an interesting combo, I had to admit.
Aiden told me about his new movie, a spy-action-adventure movie that would release in about a year. He also said he was asked to be in a TV show, though he might turn it down and stick to movies since he was busy enough already. The tiredness in his voice and eyes became more apparent as the dinner continued and the initial elation of seeing me had worn off.
We talked for a solid hour about comic books. We had a lot to catch up on after a year of not having a long discussion about what we were reading or had read. I was so happy that Aiden was a comic nerd at his core. He sure dressed like a superstar and held that air of confidence, but at the end of the day, he was still my teddy bear of a brother who liked to read Marvel comics with a flashlight in our pillow fort.
We went out for ice cream after the restaurant, and we sat in his SUV for privacy as we ate and talked some more. I finally told him all about River.
"And that's why we had to stay," I said, not looking Aiden in the eyes. I knew what he'd say...
"You could've just asked me! I could've given you the money to move out."
Yep. That was it.
"I didn't want to," I said, frowning at him. "You know that I wanted college to be fully funded by myself, right? That includes the apartment. I didn't want to rely on you."
"I know but..." Aiden sighed. "I understand. At least it worked out, right?"
"Yep!" I said a little too enthusiastically.
Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me you're dating that loser."
"He's not a loser!"
"I don't know... I have pretty high standards for my sister's boyfriend..." said Aiden with a grin.
"He's not my boyfriend, okay? He actually hated me in the beginning. We only recently started getting along."
"Hated you?" said Aiden, dropping his smile. "Why? You're awesome."
I laughed as I said, "Well, thanks. I think he was just... scared. It's a weird situation, to be thrown with another person. And he's really popular on campus, so maybe he thought I was using him? I don't really know. Point is, we're good now."
"Good," said Aiden. "Let me know if he tries anything."
"I will," I said with a smile, "but be nice. He's a good guy."
"Fine, fine."
We talked for a while longer. I didn't want to leave the vehicle and go back to reality, a reality without Aiden. He told me that we could hang out tomorrow, Friday, but he had to leave by that evening.
"Do you want to stay at my place instead of a hotel?" I asked as we drove back to my apartment building. "I'm sure you're tired of hotels."
Aiden let out a sigh. "I would, but I already have a hotel with my manager and staff. For logistical reasons, they want me to stay with them. Otherwise, I'd love to stay with you."
"It's okay. We don't really have the means to host anyone so... it's better that you said no," I said, and we both laughed.
"Then why ask?!" he said through his laughter.
"To be nice!"
I had missed laughing with him so much. He was the person who understood me most in the world, and I was happy to have him back, even for a couple of nights.
❁❁❁❁❁
Aiden and I took a detour to his hotel, and I got to see his manager again, Mr. Green, who I had met only once before. We talked until we realized it was getting too late to continue.
I got back to the apartment at midnight. I tried to unlock the front door as quietly as I could. I closed the door gently behind me and took a step inside the dark room.
Glancing up, I froze. Was that... a figure in the far window?
But then the next second, it was gone. I blinked, and it didn't reappear. It'd be strange anyway, for someone to be outside of a third-story window. Perhaps it was a tree's shadow.
"Holly?"
I turned and saw River rubbing his eyes. He was sitting on the couch, clearly having just woken up.
"What are you doing up?" I asked. "You have practice in the morning."
"Making sure you came back," he mumbled as he thudded to his room, his hair a mess, still rubbing his eyes. "G'night."
"Good night," I responded as he shut the door. I felt a blush coming on. Did he really stay up for me to get home safely?
Maybe I was reading too much into it.
I forgot about the window figure and went straight to bed. The sooner I slept, the sooner I'd get my last day with my brother.
❁❁❁❁❁
I had several things to look forward to today: no work, class with River, and Aiden.
During art class, I invited River to hang out with me and Aiden after class, but he had an extra long practice in the afternoon, so he was busy.
Class ended quickly, and I soon found myself back at the apartment, my wallet in hand and a goofy smile on my face. I couldn't hide my excitement when I saw the imposing black SUV pull up to the front of the building.
The door opened and Aiden was in its place, beaming.
"Did you have a schedule today?" I asked as I got in the vehicle, glancing at him up and down. Aiden looked like a celebrity. He wore a black shirt and black leather jacket, complete with black pants and boots. His sunglasses were on top of his head, pushing back his perfectly styled blonde hair. His jewelry was particularly blingy today, especially his long earrings, and he also wore... makeup?
A bodyguard closed the door and got back in the car before we took off down the road toward the highway.
"Yeah, I had a photo shoot for a magazine in the area," said Aiden. "That's why I'm here in the first place and able to visit you. How did you know?"
"I noticed you had makeup on, which you don't wear often," I said.
"Yeah, it's annoying," said Aiden with a grin. "But, it does hide my tiredness. Can't have fans seeing that I'm about to drop dead. They'd riot."
"Hey, don't joke like that," I said, dropping my smile a bit.
Aiden noticed the change in my tone and lightly punched my arm. "I'm teasing. Don't worry about me, I take care of myself well enough."
"All right." I tried to shake off the conversation by switching it. "So, where are we headed?"
"I was hoping you'd know," said Aiden, back with his brilliant smile.
I rolled my eyes and said, "How did I know you wouldn't be prepared with a place?"
"You don't know me!"
"Idiot."