"Question: where have those yoga pants been for the past few months?"
Marley shot Aiden the most withering glare she could, sinking into the passengers seat, "Take me back."
"Nope," Aiden replied cheerily, kneeling at her side. He had an AirPod in his right ear and in his left hand, two water bottles, "First off, you wanted to learn self-defence. Secondly, we agreed to spending time together outside of the journal you're obsessing over, and third-"
"It's five o'clock in the freaking morning, maybe?!" Marley hissed, hugging herself with drooping eyes, "Take me back to Bryan's and carry me back to bed and tuck me in and give me a kiss on the forehead and I'll consider that a reasonable apology."
Aiden chuckled, "For someone who gets up early for school no problem you sure aren't a morning person."
She shot him a dry look, "Because it's for school. I like school. I don't like being...active." Marley shuddered at the thought. That's always been more Gabby's thing.
"You said you wanted to feel powerful in your own skin."
"My skin is just fine the way it is."
"You said you wanted to know how to protect yourself."
Marley waved a hand over her boyfriend tiredly, "You can do it. I'm okay being the damsel in distress if it means I get to go back to sleep now."
Aiden leaned in to kiss her temple, "You're a strong, powerful, independent woman, Marley Hoover. You also happen to look so gorgeous in tight workout clothes."
She wrinkled her nose at him. Aiden stood from where he was crouched on the parking lot. They were parked outside of an indoor gym and running track that Aiden has a membership for. They're mostly going for the track, given that he has a personal gym at home he prefers.
And Marley has been nothing short of digging her heels in the whole way, but somehow Aiden managed to convince her into a quick healthy breakfast, getting dressed and tying her hair up. He had to carry her to his car but the fact that he managed to take her anywhere at this time of morning was an accomplishment.
Now, however, it was all sinking in that going to a track involves running and Marley really doesn't run.
"Please take me home," she whined after an embarrassingly loud yawn, "All I need to learn is how to throw a punch. Where to put my thumb and all that."
"In your mouth is where it belongs this morning, baby."
She shot out to shove his shoulder, sticking out her tongue and proving his point exactly. Aiden reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt, "We're flying back to camp this afternoon. Enough time for a nap beforehand, and you can even sleep on the plane if you want to. I also promised Starbucks after we're done here."
Marley rubbed the misting away from her eyes with balled fists, "Can't we do this in the afternoon? Or maybe never-o'clock?"
Aiden laughed, taking a step back and gesturing for her to leave his passenger seat, "Learning self-defence is about more than teaching you how to throw a punch. You have to have the stamina, the endurance, and the physical strength to perform what I teach you. It would also make me feel better, knowing that you can take care of yourself."
Marley peered up at him, "Nice speech. Let's reconvene after eleven."
"Nice try." he grinned. It's five am and the guy's bright eyed and bushy tailed. Marley's beginning to think he's not human. "Morning exercise has better long-term results, boosts metabolism, improves focus and productivity, and helps you sleep better."
Marley let out a long, drawn out sigh, "I'm not doing this every day."
Aiden snorted, "We're not here for my workout routine, I'm taking an off day today to focus on you."
Marley's eyes narrowed at Aiden's words. Aiden is most definitely the more competitive of the two of them, but that doesn't mean Marley's hackles don't raise at a blatant challenge.
She straightened her spine, standing from the passengers seat with new resolve, "New plan. Let's do your workout routine."
Aiden closed the passengers side door, approaching her predatorily. Once her back was against the car, he pressed himself against her. Even though he was dressed in sweats, his Nike trainers and a Nike windbreaker, none of his clothing did anything to barrier his body heat or the hard ridges of his chest.
Marley's wide eyes were locked on his mischievous blue ones. He set his hands on the top of the car on either side of her head, leaning in with a cute smirk, "You can't handle it. These muscles have many purposes besides giving you something to stare at."
The back of her neck tingled with heat, slowly rising to her cheeks, "But, these yoga pants are definitely made to give me many things to stare at."
Marley smacked his arm with her mojo back, "That's three comments about the yoga pants, Matthews. Can we move on, please?"
He smirked, throwing an arm over her shoulders, "You've spent almost every day with me for over two months and you still don't know me at all."
Marley sighed in defeat as he walked them inside, "I do, which is why I know asking you to move on is pointless, so instead I would like to make a deal."
"I'm listening," Aiden replied with peaked interest, swiping his card on the trackpad beside the door.
After a beep sounded, the light on the pad turned green and the door clicked open. He led them through an empty lounge area with modern seating, a stocked fridge of energy drinks and a water cooler. The carpet beneath them was a navy blue, and there was a small entrance on the right to what appeared to be a store for workout clothing and accessories. They passed by an empty receptionists' desk — even the employees aren't awake at this unholy hour of the morning.
Aiden led them down a hallway with glass walls leading to a set of stairs. On either side was a view of the track he was referring to. It even had artificial grass in the middle of the ring and along the edges of the black oval running track. No one else was on the track, but Marley could distantly hear the sound of music from upstairs. Once they made it to the stairs, Marley glanced over signs which told her the weights were on the second floor, the bathrooms and change rooms were around the corner, and down the stairs led to the track. They walked downstairs together while Marley explained her deal.
"I'll do what you ask, on your terms this morning if you agree to put a pause on your Aiden Matthews comments."
She watched his expression scrunch up with an eye roll. Typical. He swiped his access card across another pad like the one outside, and it flashed green again. The track was practically an auditorium with high ceilings and industrial fans to keep the air cool and circulated. The temperature was comfortable enough, though, to remove her jacket.
Marley's one and only professional workout outfit was a gift from Jenna — Bryan's wife and a yoga guru. It was a Nike outfit composed of high waisted leggings with mesh along the side of her calves, and a black sports bra that covered enough area to be almost a shirt.
The two together didn't expose much apart from the slits in her back and some of her midriff, but Aiden's eyes still bugged considerably when she turned around mid re-tying her ponytail.
"Deal?" she demanded tightly, her cheeks burning watching his eyes trail over her frame hungrily.
"Can I just say-"
"No."
Aiden's eyes finally locked on hers, his expression pinched up in annoyance, "Deal," he said sourly, "But as soon as this is over-"
"No!"
Aiden laughed as he dropped his duffel and unzipped his jacket, his eyes lightening again at her infuriated expression, "You look beautiful. How's that for keeping it PG?"
Marley's heart stuttered watching him slip his jacket off, revealing a white muscle tee with a low neckline that honestly did him all the favours in the world.
"Tongue back in your mouth spitfire," Aiden teased.
Oh man. Is there drool? There's definitely drool.
Marley blinked out of her stupor, crossing her arms and glaring at him with admittedly a lot of well-deserved humiliation, "Our deal, Aiden Matthews!"
He made a zip motion with his lips, his hands moving to the waist band of his sweats, "Before you freak out, I'm wearing shorts underneath."
Marley was honestly about to turn away and shriek at Aiden to stop stripping — he knows her way too well — but his words had her sighing in relief. Aiden kicked his pants off to reveal Nike shorts, shoving them in his bag, "Okay, warm-ups first. Stretching, and then we're going for a fifteen minute run."
"Wait, hold on," Marley copied his position stretching out his legs on the ground, but her eyes were narrowed suspiciously, "the run is just a warm up?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow, "Fifteen minutes is generous. I vary my time depending on the day but on my intense days I run sprints for about fifty."
Marley blinked, "Minutes?!"
"Five miles," he shrugged with a teasing glint in his eyes. He stood after another leg stretch on the ground, and Marley followed suit — though she was much less flexible. "But don't worry, I didn't take your 'Let's do your workout routine.' speech seriously."
Marley avoided his teasing smile with a wave of shame hung over her like a storm cloud. Between the hypocrisy of telling Aiden off for checking her out, and claiming she can handle a workout routine she now knows she can't — her dignity was as good as crawling on the floor, barely breathing.
"You're right. I'm wrong. Happy?" She asked with a tight smile, redirecting her gaze to Aiden to copy his arm stretches.
-momentarily stuck on his flexing biceps. Get it freaking together, Marley. Don't stare. Don't stare-
"We should do this more often."
Marley nodded mutely, her eyes still stuck to her boyfriend like glue. She really can't be held responsible for what happens when the guy isn't only showing off his muscles, but flexing and stretching them.
"I love it when you check me out but you've officially been revoked of your right to judge me for doing the same."
Aiden's words sunk in a little too late because he was stretching his arms behind his back...
Marley shot her eyes away when his words set in, her traitor cheeks turning red beyond her control. They really need to stop exposing her like that. Rude.
"Suggestion?" Aiden murmured smoothly, in front of her before she could consider pushing him away. His hands slid around her waist, pressing their fronts together.
She had her chin turned away from him but that only gave the boy full access to her neck. He lowered to brush his nose along her jawline, and her body reacted in all the ways she only feels with Aiden.
"Why don't we take this to my car for a few and we can both put our hands where we want them right now?"
Another shot to her dignity was definitely her breathing. Marley was going to die of a heart attack due to the charms of Aiden Matthews and the smug delinquent knew exactly the power he had over her.
His warm hands roamed along her waist, palms sliding along her bare midriff. When she felt his bare skin against her stomach her hands shot out for his shirt, holding tightly with her eyes squeezed shut because dammit this boy is going to be the death of her.
Aiden lifted his head to whisper in her ear, "I know I'm doing something right when you grip my shirt," he hummed. She could feel his satisfied smile against her skin, "or dig your nails into my back. One of the two."
"A-Aiden..." she stuttered warningly, causing him to place a chaste kiss on her lips and give her space.
"Warm-up finished."
"Shut up."
Aiden laughed, turning to jog backwards ahead of her slowly, "Let's go spitfire. We don't have all day you know-well, unless you want to exercise another way. In that case we'll need all day and most of the night-"
"Aiden I swear to god," she hissed, jogging to catch up to him with narrowed eyes and flushed cheeks, "One more comment and I'm leaving. You can't hold up your end of our deal for five minutes!"
Aiden kept her pace respectfully, but with his height her jog was borderline his fast-walk. He shrugged his shoulders casually, "If teasing you wasn't so entertaining and I didn't love it so much, I wouldn't do it."
"Oh, and if you weren't so dirty minded."
"That too," he replied cheekily, causing Marley to shove his shoulder with her hand.
But almost as soon as silence settled between them, Marley's mind was focused back on the journal, her fathers' words, the voicemail...
Though yesterday she hid the journal under her bed and didn't say a word to Bryan as they spent the afternoon at his apartment. She did manage something productive, however, a call to her manager Dean. He was made aware of the situation with her father by the councillors, but she respected him too much not to call him herself. He was nothing but worried about her, offering to take her off the schedule until the new year. Marley was ready to refuse for the simple fact that she needs the money, but with the journal to decipher she didn't have the room on her plate. Even when she opened the rest of her college essentials gift basket without breaking down, and she and Aiden played multiple board games with Christopher — she still refused to waste time by pushing it out of her mind. Aiden knows her too well not to have picked up on why she was distant and distracted, hence this mornings' wake up.
But it's not working because Marley's too smart not to be able to mentally multi-task.
"Marley-"
"I think if I remembered what happened that night — the night of the voicemail and the night my father supposedly saved my life — it would lead me back to why they disappeared. I don't know why I believe that, but it's a hunch I can't shake."
Aiden sighed from beside her as they jogged their second lap, "You're obsessing again."
Marley opened her mouth to admit that while he slept on the couch, she was awake behind the closed door of her bedroom doing more research on cryptography and hidden meanings. It's a broad subject matter though, and she guesstimated it would take her a few weeks to a month to learn properly. Sleeping a handful of hours last night means she was grumpier this morning than she normally would have been.
But Aiden would just be upset and disappointed in her — so she kept the truth to herself.
"I can't let it go, Aiden," she said instead, "This is my brother. This is seven years and five of those I gave up. Maybe I shouldn't have. I should've dug more. Researched-"
"And wasted days of your life? Your childhood that's already been stolen from enough?"
Marley's pace picked up involuntarily, due to frustration more than anything else, "If Violet disappeared would you stop looking? Give up?"
She turned her head to watch Aiden's jaw lock and his eyes tighten. He kept his gaze strictly on the path in front of him, but he wasn't happy she brought Violet up, Marley can tell. Not that she regrets it — it needed to be said so he can understand better.
"I don't know what I would do, Marley, because that's not what happened and you know how much that-that kills me. I see what you tried to do and it's not fair."
Marley stopped running abruptly, crossing her arms and watching Aiden do the same a few seconds later, "Not fair? You needed to see things from my perspective. He could need my help, there could be something I can do to get him home. Plus, there's a whole night I don't remember where I apparently almost died, Aiden. I need the truth. So would you."
Aiden's eyes blazed, "If our roles were reversed you'd want me to take a breather. I know you barely slept last night and you spent four hours yesterday rambling about it!"
"Correction," she replied stiffly, "I wouldn't want you to let it go, I'd help you figure it out to give you peace-"
"Oh give me a break," Aiden scoffed, causing Marley to recoil in offence, "You thought I was in love with her. You broke things off because you wanted me to move on and let her go."
"Not true. I broke things off because I wanted you to figure out where your heart was. Who you really cared about."
Aiden shoved a hand through his hair. The both of them were getting more and more frustrated by the second but Marley had no desire to let the water cool right now — and neither did he.
"I didn't say it then but I'm saying it now. Sometimes you make things a lot more complicated than they need to be, Marley. I told you I love you, I told you you're the only one and it took you two damn weeks and me going to Brown to convince you."
If Aiden was trying to strike a nerve with her, he succeeded. Marley's fists balled, her voice raising, "If you're going to cash in Brown every change you get you should've gone to Notre Dame. It was your choice, a choice you made without my influence or input. And while we're being honest, it's mostly because you can't handle the idea of being out of control about anything! You backed me into a corner, Aiden! You accepted the offer without even talking to me first!"
"So, what, you're saying you don't want me there, then? Say it. Be honest and I'll accept one of the many better offers I got."
Marley scowled, wanting to shove at him but she just rocked back on her heels, ignoring the urge, "This is how it's gonna be, right? Every chance you get you'll remind me of the big sacrifice you made to give you brownie points or the upper hand in any argument. If you're planning to use it against me, Aiden, then I'm telling you right now do not go to Brown."
"That's real rich coming from the girl who just used Violet against me to prove a point. If you plan on using her against me, I won't be going to fucking Brown."
"You still will."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah because you're Aiden Matthews!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He snapped, taking a step closer to her in challenge. Three of his strides and they'd be inches apart.
"It means that you need to be around to repel guys from me like I'm an object anyone can pick up the moment you look away, and not a human being who would never cheat on you."
"Look at what you're doing!" Aiden's voice raised, "You're lashing out at me because I'm telling you to take a break from the journal. Can you see now why I think you have a problem?"
"Stop treating me like a damn child," she hissed back, "And you were the one who lost it for my using of an example so you'd get why this is important to me. Turning it around like I'm a malicious person who-"
"I never said that you were being malicious! But you brought her up hoping I'd encourage this and I won't! I took you here because exercise has always been how I cope and how I am able to clear my head and put things into perspective. This will drive you crazy if you let it. You heard your long lost buddy Max."
"I-" Marley paused, studying his dark expression carefully, hoping what she was hearing was false, "I better have imagined bitterness behind the situation with Max because if I didn't I'm about to lose my mind Aiden."
He raised an eyebrow, his fists balling under his crossed arms, "Tell me with a straight face that your meeting with him was purely platonic."
"He was my brothers' best friend. I haven't seen him in seven years! This is what you do! Every goddamn time! Conner, Adam — the guy I texted when we were friends — every single other freaking guy at camp and now Max?! I can't condone this ridiculous property ownership crap anymore! It's not fair, Aiden!"
"You know what all the people on that little list you made have in common?" He retorted calmly, with zero plans to back down either, "They all have bad intentions. Conner's a sleaze, Alec kissed you without your consent and I saw the way fucking Max looked at you. I said nothing and I left it alone-"
"You're bringing it up right now like you were planning to all along! I can be friends with males that aren't you, Aiden, and I don't need your damn approval. If you're following me to Brown to create some force field or threaten away every guy in my radius because you're insecure then that's not my problem and I won't put up with it."
"I'm insecure? Okay." Aiden's expression was full of dark humour.
Marley felt her stomach lurch at his words, "You've slept with about every girl in school, never committed and you wonder why it worries me that I'm your first girlfriend test trial?!"
Aiden's hands shot to his hair, tugging violently, "I do everything I can to prove that there is no one else for me anymore and you're still...it's been almost two months and I put a damn ring on your finger. Which — to make this clear — isn't just a piece of jewelry. It means something bigger. It means I see an entire fucking future with you. I haven't so much as laid eyes on another girl even when we were friends. This is getting ridiculous."
"Exactly," she snapped angrily — she could feel her face turning red in fury. In the back of her mind, Marley is realizing this is their first real fight and she hated it with every fibre of her being, "It's been almost two months and you're still not secure enough in our relationship to stop questioning every single guy I speak to. News flash, Aiden! In case you've forgotten you're the only one I've ever so much as kissed let alone anything else and you still get jealous, all the while wondering why it bothers me that you're so skilled at what you do because you've had plenty of damn practice."
Aiden took two steps abruptly. They were inches apart, huffing and puffing, glaring at each other, "I'm sorry I can't turn back fucking time, alright! I'm sorry I went through shit and I fell off the rails! I'm sorry I can't give you what you give me and I'm sorry you're insecure! It kills me, do you think it doesn't?!"
"You've made it crystal clear that it annoys you more than anything else. You've made it crystal clear that no matter what I say or do, you'll always be the possessive caveman who can't stand not having control! The entire nature of our relationship is decisions based on you on a freaking power trip! I told you I didn't want goddamn figure skates and you used your strength and your upper hand when we kiss to shut me up. You don't listen. You don't hear me out. You don't respect me as your equal is the bottom line, clearly. By the way you refuse to understand why I need answers about my brother. Aiden Matthews' way or the highway."
"If it's so difficult to put up with me why are you?!" he growled, "And it's hypocritical that you're telling me I don't listen to you when you won't meet me halfway. I tried to help you and you turned it into a major issue because guess what, Marley! Sometimes you blow things out of proportion!"
Marley took multiple steps back, her eyes burning, "If I'm such a drama queen why are you putting up with me then? If it's so difficult for you?!"
For a few deep, harsh breaths their eyes locked. In that moment, neither had anything left to say to each other. Marley was angry, and so was Aiden. They both spoke out of turn, dredged up old issues and woke up things they put to bed. Marley knew she had things to apologize for but she had no desire to with everything Aiden said on the table.
"I think we both need space right now." He took another step away, breaking their stare with a clenched jaw, "I'll be upstairs in the gym. I'll leave my car for you and find another ride."
Without another word Aiden strode past her for his bag, dropping his car key on the grass and putting his duffel bag over his shoulder, walking towards the stairs with a tense back. Marley's eyes fell on the keys with a twisted feeling in her heart. "And find another ride."
"Say hi to Tiffany for me!" She snapped with a shaky, bitter tone, "Or is it Brittney? Maybe Michelle? Will she drive you straight home or take a detour first?!"
Aiden whipped open the door, refusing to turn around before he was slamming it behind him, nearly off its hinges.
***
Oh myyy. 😱😱😱🥺
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