permission to share the news with his mom. My stomach dipped with nerves though. What if Jade didn’t want me dating her son? What if she kicked me out? I wasn’t sure I wanted to live at home alone again. Jade was so kind though. I didn’t think she would do something like that.
I blew out a breath and slowly nodded.
Aiden smiled at me before facing his mom once more. “Mom, Clary and I have something to tell you…”
“Oh…” Jade waved his comment off. “Is it the fact that you two are together? I already know about that. I thought you had something bad to tell me.”
Aiden’s throat bobbed as he swallowed “How do you know that?”
“Rosalind,” she replied. That one word was answer enough. It seemed the street’s resident gossip had been living up to her reputation. I blushed as I realized that Rosalind probably knew about us because Aiden and I had been making out on the front porch. It was hardly the subtlest of locations.
At least Jade seemed to be taking it fairly well. She didn’t seem overly excited or concerned. She hadn’t started yelling at us, so that was definitely a plus. She hadn’t classified it as bad news either, so that must have meant she was okay with it.
“And you’re cool with this?” Aiden asked.
She shrugged. “I figured it would happen eventually.”
I’d been completely blind to my feelings for Aiden, but even his mom had realized they were there.
“You’re both smart kids,” she continued. “You’re already eighteen, and I know Clary isn’t far behind you,” she smiled at me. “As long as you guys are being responsible, I’m happy to see you dating.”
My nose crinkled slightly at the word responsible. It was pretty much a parent’s way of telling us not to bring a surprise baby into the world. That was something Jade definitely didn’t need to worry about though. Aiden and I had only just kissed for the first time. We were a whole world away from anything more than that.
“Thanks, Jade,” I said, returning her smile. Aiden’s mom was being really nice about this, and I couldn’t believe she was taking it so well. My parents definitely would have embarrassed me by now.
“I should probably call my parents to tell them,” I said.
“That’s a good idea,” Jade said. “But don’t be surprised if you struggle to get through to them. I talked to your mom yesterday afternoon, and they’re struggling to add credit to the SIM card they bought over there. They might be out of contact for a few days while they sort it out.”
“You talked to them?” I hadn’t spoken to my parents for a couple of days. They’d texted me yesterday and the day before that, but no phone calls.
“Yes, she was just checking in. I think she’s tried to call you a few times, but your line has been busy.”
“That’s probably because Zoey is always calling me,” I grumbled. I loved chatting to my best friend, but not when it meant I’d miss a call from my parents.
As if he could sense my change in mood, Aiden squeezed my hand. “You can get Zoey to call my phone so you don’t miss another call from your parents if you like,” he suggested.
I looked up and smiled at him. “Thanks.” It was like he’d read my mind.
“How about we grab you a coffee and try to call your parents now. We can go watch a movie or something after,” Aiden said.
“I’d really like that,” I replied. His eyes twinkled with mischief as we left the room, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to catch much of the movie.
21
Aiden
I was beginning to think being trapped in isolation was the best thing to ever happen to me. Clary and I had only been dating for a few days, but I’d enjoyed every minute. We spent most of our time cuddled up on the sofa in the media room watching movies together. Sometimes, she’d read a book while I played a PlayStation game with Elliot, or we’d join video calls with our friends. I even managed to convince her to give me another cooking lesson—which I totally aced.
Clary made it easy to forget the world was in chaos around us. In those happy moments when I was with her, it felt like we weren’t in the middle of the pandemic, and we were just a normal teenage couple. Reality always rushed back far too quickly. Especially when Clary would get a