didn’t trust him. Thankfully, I’d been dating someone else, so I hadn’t fallen for the prank at the time. Nothing had changed between us since, and I certainly didn’t want to date him now.
“You’re hesitating, so I feel like maybe you’re considering it…”
“Ugh, of course, I’m sure,” I quickly replied. “I wouldn’t go out with you if you were the last guy on the planet.”
“Ouch, Clary.” His face portrayed pain, but his eyes twinkled like he was enjoying every second. “Given our current situation, that could happen, you know…”
“That’s not funny,” I said. “Thankfully, we’re not there yet, and don’t pretend you’re offended. You’re far more interested in irritating me than going out with me.”
“Who says I don’t want both?”
The blood rushed from my skin as I stared at him. “What?”
He flashed me a grin and picked up my bag again before he continued down the corridor like nothing had happened.
“So, this is my room.” He pointed to a door on the left of the hallway. His voice was chipper, like he didn’t have a care in the world, but all I could do was stare at him. “And the bathroom is in here.”
I was distracted as he talked, still trying to process what he’d said about wanting to both irritate me and go out with me. It felt like my brain was malfunctioning. He couldn’t actually want that, could he? There was no way. Why had he said it though? Surely, he was just messing with me.
“Then this is your room, right across from mine.” Aiden stopped by one of the doors and pushed it open. The room beyond was beautiful and bright with soft gray walls and dappled light flooding in through the window. I could see the leafy trees of the backyard from where I stood, and the large bed looked so inviting I was tempted to run over and jump on it. The walls were decorated with pretty floral artwork, and a matching teal throw lay over the end of the white bedspread. It was such a pretty room, until you caught sight of the exercise equipment in the corner.
“It’s our guest room and home gym,” Aiden explained. “Sorry about the weights and equipment. I didn’t have a chance to move them out of here before I picked you up.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I won’t be here for long, so there’s probably no point moving it all.”
He nodded, placing my bag down inside the entrance before tucking his hands into his pockets. “I’ll leave you to get settled. I’m just across the hall if you get bored. I’m sure I can think of a way we can keep ourselves busy.”
My jaw slackened, and my hands itched to slap his grinning face, but he winked at me and darted out of the room before I could respond. I’d been too shocked to react immediately, but as soon as he left, I reached for the door and slammed it shut after him.
“Ugh!” I glared at the door. Did my parents really expect me to live with this guy for the next few days? I already couldn’t wait to get out of here.
I took my phone out my back pocket and sent a text to my parents.
Me: I’m at the Moores’ house. Any luck with the flight home?!?! XX
I chose to keep the text short and simple, deciding to keep my serious concerns about living with Aiden to myself. Mom and Dad had enough to worry about right now without adding my sleazy new housemate to the list.
I tapped my phone against my hand as I waited for Mom’s response. Somewhat surprisingly, it came in a matter of seconds.
Mom: Still working on it. We’ll let you know the moment we have news!! xM&D
My chest constricted with worry. If they still hadn’t found a way home, there was no telling how long it would actually take. I chewed on my bottom lip as I typed out my reply.
Me: Okay. I’ll leave you guys to it. XX
Mom didn’t reply, and I hoped it was because she was too busy figuring out a way home with their travel agent.
I let out a sigh and went to lie on the bed. The mattress sank beneath me, dipping softly and seeming to mold to my figure, like a bed from a luxury hotel. Not that I’d been in many luxury hotels. We went on a family trip to Las Vegas a few years ago though, and the bed there felt just like