was still up. I squeezed my eyes shut as I allowed myself one last moment of doubt before I opened them again and tiptoed across the hallway. I didn’t bother knocking when I got to Aiden’s room. Instead, I silently pushed the door open. Aiden had been comfortable barging into my room this morning, so it only seemed fair I returned the favor.
My heart was galloping as I pushed the door inward and snuck into the room. I hadn’t been into Aiden’s bedroom before, and I was surprised to find it extremely orderly. All his school textbooks were piled neatly on his desk, and his bookcase was filled with rows of trophies. There weren’t any dirty clothes on the floor, and the scent of his aftershave permeated the air, giving the room a pleasant smell. I’d noticed him cleaning the house obsessively over the last few days, so I probably should have expected his room would be just as spotless as the rest of the place.
I scanned the room until my gaze finally reached Aiden. He was lying on his back on his bed. He seemed to have fallen asleep on top of his comforter with a book resting open on his chest. I didn’t know whether I was more surprised Aiden was reading a book or that he was actually wearing a shirt indoors for once.
He hadn’t opened his eyes as I entered the room, and his breaths were flowing gently in and out. I was kind of relieved to find him sleeping, but my lips scrunched as I considered what to do next. I was winging this whole plan and really wished I’d had time to come up with a strategy. I wasn’t flirtatious by nature and felt completely awkward as I stood just inside the doorway. I needed to be more confident if I wanted this to work. The first thing I needed to do was wake him up.
I walked over to his bed and climbed onto it. The mattress dipped as I crawled over to Aiden and lightly pressed my hands onto his chest. I was trembling a little, and I hoped he wouldn’t notice.
“Aiden?” I murmured.
He slowly blinked his eyes open and gave me a dopey smile. His gaze remained dazed, and he looked like he was still half asleep.
“This has to be a dream,” he murmured.
I smiled and fluttered my eyelashes at him. I was absolutely useless at flirting. I should have gotten some pointers from Zoey first. “It’s not a dream,” I replied softly.
“No, I’m pretty sure it is. I’ve had this dream before.”
I almost spluttered out a laugh. Was he being serious? He still looked like he was waking up, so I wasn’t sure if he knew what he was saying. I quickly refocused though and forged forward with my plan. I leaned closer to him and lightly brushed a hand across his cheek. My fingers tingled as I touched him, and I tried to ignore the way my stomach clenched at how close we were.
“Aiden… I want you.”
His eyes widened, and he blinked several times, as though he was finally waking up. “What?”
“I’ve always wanted you, and my feelings have only grown stronger since I started living here. I don’t want to deny it anymore.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and his eyes were troubled, as though he wasn’t sure whether to believe me. I hoped he couldn’t feel how much I was shaking with nerves; otherwise, he might start to see through my little act.
His eyes dipped toward my lips. He stared at them for a long, drawn-out moment before he finally lifted his gaze to meet mine once more. The corner of his mouth lifted in a sweet smile, and the light flickering across his eyes seemed to dance. “You do?”
There was almost a sense of hope in his gaze, and I had to remind myself who I was looking at. Aiden was a player. He would have reacted the same way to any girl who got into his bed and uttered those words to him. I couldn’t quite bring myself to repeat them though, so I simply nodded in reply.
His smile widened in response. “Well, stop talking about it and kiss me already.”
I froze. I hadn’t really thought through the mechanics of the prank in detail, but this was not how I saw it going. I thought I’d just flirt with him a little and give him a taste of his own medicine before finally laughing it off