Chapter 9
Hayley’s POV
I never wanted to be alone with him again so I went out of my way the next few days to avoid being with him, I mean just us.
That conversation which I had with Mona had me all worked up with a lot of anxiety and confusion.
While I wanted Aiden’s touch, his kiss, I realized that I couldn’t see it merely as a casual thing.
But really my affection was so high even though I did not comprehend how I felt.
Thus, Aiden, for one, appeared to understand that I was gradually moving out of his outer orbit.
Sometimes I saw him glancing at me with questioning eyes whenever I came up with ridiculous reasons to leave the room every time that we were left alone.
Still, another part of me considered how confusing and even hypocritical it was to give him mixed signals after that intense hookup.
The larger part of me was afraid of failure, of getting my ego broken, or rather of having my heart broken.
Finally I could go with it no longer.
One late evening, after we are done eating our dinner, my parents informed me that they will be going out for a date night, thus leaving only me and Aiden at home.
Immediately after the two left, a rather uncomfortable silence ensued.
“You’ve been rather aloof with me as of late,” Aiden asked me, finally getting the courage to break the silence. “Did I do something wrong?”
I opened and closed my mouth, I could not find the words.
How could I put into words the knotted ball of confusion over emotions which I seemed to be in?
I was staring ahead, silent for the moment as he tried to figure out what to do next: “Hailey? Talk to me, please. ”
I gulped hard for air, my heart was pounding heavily inside my chest. “I’d really like to, but it’s complicated.” I blurted.
Aiden only sat there quietly, not interrupting my when I was lost in my thoughts.
And something about how he sat there all calm and collected managed to unwind me a bit.
Flushing with embarrassment I said.
“That night we…uhm you know…it was important to me. Probably even more than you know. ”
A look of realization crossed Aiden’s face and he stepped forward.
“Admission confirmed, you have feelings for me beyond the level of basic, physical attraction. ”
I glared skeptically at him and could not decipher any sentiments painted across his face.
“And what if I do? Where does that leave us Aiden? We cannot openly date as stepsiblings. ”
He paused for several seconds and I stood ready for the verbal blow that would invariably precede his decision not to move our relationship to another plane.
To my astonishment, however, he shifted forward and grabbed my face with his hand and touched it gently.
“I’m not going to pretend that I haven’t had those thoughts about you,” he blurted out with such honesty that it was painful. “Once that line was crossed, it was as if a door opened that cannot be shut and a reality that cannot be unseen. That is not all that you are to me anymore, Hailey. ”
As thoughts and confusion began to take their toll on me, hope made its humble residence in my heart. “Then what are we? What does such a prospect mean for us?”
Aiden looked at her and let out a breath, raking his hand through his hair. “I don’t have all the answers… But what I do know is that I don’t want to be just mere stepsiblings and keep fighting this attraction between us… That’s not healthy for me… at least. ”
I finally let out a breath at his words.
I was not the only one with such passionate feelings and sexual urges.
Without thinking, I wrapped myself around Aiden, drawing him as close as possible, my arms locked around his neck.
He grinned, and pulled me in close once more, returning the embrace with just as much force.
“Maybe we should try it this way,” he whispered the words into my hair. “I can’t label it and you don’t have to either. We’ll just go through the process and discover what this is between us, okay?”
I nodded my head, nuzzling into his chest, and for the first time in days, it felt like everything would be alright. There was comfort in just knowing Aiden was on the same mostly befuddled, mostly exhilarated wavelength that I was on.
We remained that way for a few minutes hugging each other before we moved to the couch.
Thus, Aiden put his arm around me and I wrapped myself in his embrace, feeling rather happy. However the next events were going to look like, we would certainly be facing them as more than stepsiblings. And that was enough. .. for now.
That night, as I went to bed I pondered on what Mona had to say about expressing my intentions to Aiden. But she was not wrong the line of communication needed to remain open because these were indeed new territories that we were about to step into as a couple. No more ‘perhaps’ or indecisiveness.
With that set in my mind, I closed my eyes and let my happy thoughts take me to a place of having Aiden’s arms around me and the great future that awaited us.
The morning that followed I woke up without the feeling of being weighed down as I had been for the past days.
It was also a relief that we could finally talk about our feelings for each other and I knew we were much more than friends.
I tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen deciding what I was going to tell Aiden.
I met him leaning over the counter drinking the coffee and browsing through his phone.
“Morning,” I said warmly, I couldn’t bend the corner of my lips to smile no more.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
Aiden looked up and then smiled at me with a great awareness of myself. “Hey you. Sleep okay?”
I nodded, and I blushed slightly; until now I had not really thought about how I looked.
“Hey guys, concerning what we discussed last night…”
He put down the mug on the table, and looked me directly in the eye. “Yeah?”
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out, so I took a deep breath. “I wasn’t kidding when I said we should have it proceeding slow and sort them out together; no more of this confusion and running away from emotion. ”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Aiden said genuinely pleased, and I appreciated his honest politeness. “I think being as transparent as possible to one another is going to be vital. ”
“Exactly,” I said, moving even closer until I was almost toe to toe with him. “Total honesty?” I grinned and reached for his hand, entwining our fingers. “I think I might be in love with you, Aiden. ” Stop! My mind screamed as my lips finally shaped the words.
His eyes searched mine intently. “I feel the same way. What’s between us… it’s powerful stuff, that’s for sure.”
We stared at each other for a heated moment before I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch him, running my fingers along the chiseled line of his jaw. Aiden shivered at my touch but didn’t move away.
“So where do we go from here?” I asked huskily.
Instead of answering, Aiden cupped the back of my neck and pulled me into a searing kiss. I melted against him, all rational thought flying out the window as the spark between us roared to life again.
When we finally broke apart, breathing heavily, Aiden rested his forehead against mine. “Does that answer your question?” he said roughly.
I laughed breathlessly. “Yeah, I’d say so.”
The sound of a key turning in the front door made us spring apart guiltily. My parents strolled in, chatting about their evening out, completely oblivious to the charged moment they’d interrupted.
“Morning kids,” my mom chirped. “Did you two have fun staying in last night?”
“Uh, yeah, it was… fine,” I managed lamely, fighting a blush as I met Aiden’s heated gaze.
My dad clapped Aiden on the shoulder jovially. “That’s my boy, keeping your stepsister company and out of trouble!”
If only he knew just how much deliciously sinful trouble we were getting into together. I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning wickedly.
After they wandered off, Aiden crowded me against the counter, his movements decisive and full of intent.
“Dinner and a movie tonight?” he murmured, lips brushing my ear and sending shivers down my spine. “A proper date, just us two.”
I nodded breathlessly, already looking forward to getting him all to myself again without parents around. “It’s a date.”
Aiden smirked at my obvious eagerness before reluctantly stepping back. “I’ll make reservations somewhere nice. Meet you in the living room at 7?”
“I’ll be there,” I promised, unable to resist reaching out to squeeze his hand quickly before we separated.
As I got ready for our illicit date night later, an excited thrill coursed through me. This was really happening – Aiden and I were taking a huge step forward in exploring our relationship. My body hummed with delicious anticipation for what the night would hold.
When I emerged from my room at 7 pm, dressed up in a sexy little black dress that showcased my curves, Aiden’s reaction was extremely gratifying. His eyes ran hungrily over my body and he visibly swallowed hard.
“You look incredible,” he rasped out, extending his arm for me to take. “Shall we, my lady?”
I grinned and allowed him to lead me out to his car like a proper gentleman, ignoring the raised eyebrows from my parents. Tonight, propriety could go hang. I was on cloud nine, drunk off my growing feelings for Aiden.
As his car pulled away, I dared to lean over and press a teasing kiss to the corner of his mouth. Aiden groaned softly.
“You’d better behave yourself, or we may not even make it to the restaurant,” he warned half-jokingly.
My heart raced with the delicious implication behind his words. “Is that a promise?” I couldn’t resist replying cheekily.
Aiden shot me a heated look that made my insides turn molten. “It’s going to be a very long night if you keep that up.”
I leaned back with a satisfied smirk. Somehow, I didn’t think either of us would be complaining about that one bit.