only a front. I just love wearing tights and tees.”
“Let me say, I love you in tights.” I give her a half-smile.
“Calm down there, mister.” She releases my hand and taps my shoulder then shakes her head.
“One more thing. I dare you to kiss me again.” I watch and wait for her reaction.
She gives me nothing.
I wait longer.
Elsie slowly leans over with a small grin on her face, but I quickly close the space, sealing another kiss on her lips. I could kiss her all day.
When she pulls back, the smile on her face is bright. “That one was easy.” She winks.
I shake my head, chuckling.
We spend the rest of the morning and afternoon on the wharf. I love spending time with her. We make each other laugh, and it feels good. I have so many opportunities to tell her the truth about my fake girlfriend, but I don’t. It should all be okay now that I’ve apparently ended things with her anyway, so why bother telling her the ‘actual’ truth. There’s no need to go down that path.
It’s wrong and I know it, but I don’t want to hurt her.
When I get back to the house, Parker’s sitting in the living room. The sofa bed’s all packed away. I head to the fridge to make a sandwich.
“So, Addison tells me that you ended things with your girlfriend?” He’s not impressed—at all. The way the words come out so dry, it’s as if they have rolled across the desert to get to me. It instantly burns me.
Stopping what I’m doing, I turn, and his features are stone. “Yeah…” I draw out the word, unsure what else to say.
Parker rises from the couch. “You should’ve been honest with her. What are you doing?” Oh hell, I can tell he’s pissed off. “You’re building a friendship based on a lie.”
I nod. Unease settles in the pit of my stomach. It makes me ill. “I know. I will tell her the truth.”
Parker folds his arms across his chest and stares me down. “You’re going to break her heart. You’ve got to see that. And in turn, I’m lying to Addison, which I hate. If she finds out that I knew about this from the start, I’m going to be in trouble. None of this sits right with me.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.”
“You better, or I’m going to tell Addison, and she’ll surely fill Elsie in on this lie. Just tell the damn truth before you break both of the girls’ hearts.”
“Both girls?”
“Yeah. It’ll break Addison’s heart as well because she likes you.”
I hang my head. The shame pumps through my veins. “Okay. I’ll fix this. But what if she hates me after I tell her?”
Parker smirks. “She’s going to be angry. Both of them will, there is no doubt. But you have to prove to them that you’re not that person. You’re a good person, Aiden. Unfortunately, you’ve done a stupid thing.”
I nod, and Parker exits the room.
I’ve screwed up.
How am I meant to fix this without Elsie hating me?
Spending yesterday with Aiden had been great, and those kisses were memorable. Addison wasn’t at the dorm when I arrived home, so I managed to catch up on my homework and schedule out my week with tutoring. Sitting in my bedroom at my desk, I check my watch to make sure I’m not going to be late to my first class of the day. Sweet. I have an hour to spare.
I click open my emails and clear anything that’s not needed. Stupid spam. Then, I proceed to check the junk folder. There are always emails in there that shouldn’t be from students who need tutoring.
There are three emails. Clicking them open one by one and then moving them to the inbox, I glance over the last one. There’s no name to tell me who it’s from, except when I open it, it’s signed off with an A. I purse my lips, thinking a moment. Could this be Aiden? Surely, he would just ask me for help, or if he was trying to remain a secret, he’d be a little more ingenious about it.
Okay, buddy. Two can play this game.
I click open the attachment, and it’s the English assignment we received in class last week about Shakespeare. We’ve got to write a meaningful poem, taking inspiration from Shakespearian plays. It’s probably one of the most straightforward assignments this term. Why would Aiden need help?
I click reply.
Good Morning A,
I’d be happy to