My Aussie Guy - Liz Lovelock Page 0,12
he snaps it into smaller pieces. After a moment, he finally turns to me, and I notice there’s no smile on his face.
“You didn’t do or say anything wrong. I just… ah… miss my girlfriend.” Gee, don’t choke on the word, buddy.
“Oh, I’m sorry. What’s her name?” I ask gently, cautious of his reaction.
Another small silence. “Ah… Emma.”
“Nice. What does Emma think of you being over here?” I close my laptop, completely interested in what he’s about to tell me about his girlfriend.
Aiden shifts around on the grass as if he’s uncomfortable. “She wasn’t too happy, but I had planned this trip for a while, so I was always going to do it whether I was in a relationship or not.”
“That’s fair enough. How long have you been together?”
His brown eyes turn to me. There’s something there, but I’m not sure what. It’s as though he wants to say more, but he keeps his mouth shut. That is, until he finally answers my question. “Only a short while.” He shrugs. Before allowing me to say anything else, he blurts out, completely changing the subject, “Anyway, what are your plans for the rest of the day? You wanna go grab a bite for lunch, or can I hold you to one of your dares?” He waggles his eyebrows.
I cross my arms in front of me. “Yeah, I’m not doing any of those today. I have a raging headache, and I’m sure jumping from a cliff won’t help that. And don’t even get me started on the foul stench of fish.” I pretend to gag. Aiden laughs. Not just any laugh, but a full-on belly laugh. I can’t help but smile at him enjoying himself at my expense.
“Gee, you remind me of my little sister. The way you said that right then… it was her. Only when my sister says it, it’s said with an Australian accent.”
“You have a sister?”
“Yeah, Eden. She’s fifteen.”
“That’s so cool.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I do. An older brother who’s off traveling the world right now. He finished college and decided he needed time away. Kinda like you, in a way.” I backhand his arm. We fall into a comfortable conversation. At least, I’m slowly getting to the point of not carrying on like a fool around him. Even if there is a part of me that still wishes he didn’t have a girlfriend.
Aiden nods. “Sounds like my kinda guy. I want to do more traveling when this semester is over. I seem to have picked up a travel bug in my teen years.”
I lean back against the tree trunk and look up at the blue, cloudy sky. “I would love to travel. Take time for myself instead of study. Don’t get me wrong, I want an education and all that, but there’s a big part of me that wants to get out of this small town.”
He stretches his legs out and leans back on his hands. “You should come to Australia for a holiday. I can show you around.”
“Pfft, yeah… I bet your girlfriend would love that.” Sarcasm drips from my words.
“I’m sure she’d be fine.”
“Doubt it. If I were your girlfriend, I wouldn’t like another chick hanging off you. I’d make sure others knew you were mine.” My hand goes to my mouth. “And there I go again, foot in the mouth. Sorry.” I chew my bottom lip, waiting for him to say anything.
Aiden stands, and dread fills me. I’m sure he’s walking away because I’m such a fool. Stupid, broken filter. He turns, looking down at me. “I’d be happy for you to be all protective…” He smiles. “If you were my girl, that is.” Clearing his throat, he continues, “Get ya stuff together, and let’s go get lunch.”
Without hesitation, I shove everything in my bag. Aiden holds his hand out to me, and I take it. It slips perfectly into his and, for some reason, feels right. He pulls me off the ground with ease, only he doesn’t release my hand as quickly as I thought he would, so I glance up at him. He opens his mouth then shuts it, his lips forming a thin line. He drops my hand, and I’m left confused.
What was that all about?
Damn, I’m digging myself into a hole I’m not sure how I’ll get out of. Elsie is so upfront. I’m so scared I’m going to say something that will reveal my lie. The lie that is slowly killing me. I’ve done this for a