By the time I get home, my mood is lighter. That is, until I step inside and the smell of something delicious immediately floods my senses. Mac and cheese, grilled chicken—maybe something else I can't quite place. My stomach growls in approval. Mom rarely cooks, and when she does, it's a treat.
I follow the scent to the kitchen, where I find her busy at the stove. "Mom, it smells amazing in here!" I say, slumping onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island.
She turns briefly from the oven, a warm smile on her face. "Oh, good! I invited the Harrisons over for dinner. I forgot to tell you, and when I remembered, I couldn't find you. Where have you been, anyway?"
I blink, my mood plummeting instantly. "The Harrisons? Tonight?" My voice comes out higher than I'd like.
"Yes, tonight. And where were you?"
"Just out for a walk." I force a casual shrug, ignoring the way my pulse quickens at the thought of seeing Aiden. I'm not ready.
"A walk?" She raises an eyebrow. "You haven't done that in ages."
I manage a small laugh. "I just needed some air. Maybe I should start using the school gym."
"That's... unexpected," she muses, giving me a searching look before shaking her head. "Anyway, go freshen up. They'll be here soon."
Soon. As in now. The doorbell rings, and I freeze.
"Go get the door, honey. I need to set the table."
My legs feel like lead as I make my way to the front door. This is fine. It's just dinner. It's not like anything can happen. I take a deep breath, school my features into a polite smile, and pull the door open.
Mrs. Harrison greets me warmly, stepping past me with ease, heading straight to the kitchen like she owns the place. Aiden follows behind her at a leisurely pace, his expression unreadable. His grey eyes flick over me once before he moves past, silent. Cold.
Good. That makes things easier.
Dinner is... tolerable. Our mothers chat effortlessly, reminiscing and laughing, their wine glasses never empty. Aiden and I sit next to each other, a cruel twist of fate. He says nothing, barely acknowledges me, and somehow that irritates me more than if he had. His presence is suffocating, yet he acts like I don't exist.
Mrs. Harrison eventually turns to me. "Katie, we haven't seen much of you lately! What's keeping you so busy?"
I feel Aiden still beside me, though he doesn't look up. "Just school," I say, forcing a smile. "Things have been hectic."
She nods in understanding, but something in her gaze lingers, like she senses the unspoken weight behind my words. I can't let her see it. I can't let anyone see it.
After dinner, Aiden and I are tasked with doing the dishes while our mothers continue drinking and chatting in the living room. The silence between us is thick, heavy with unspoken tension. He doesn't say a word, and neither do I. The clinking of plates and running water fills the space between us.
But it's too much. I snap first. "Aiden."
He doesn't look at me. "What?"
I hesitate. He sounds... detached. Unbothered. "You're really quiet tonight."
He dries a plate, setting it down with controlled precision. "I thought you wanted to cut me off. I'm just helping you out."
"I see..." I say quietly. Now, I'm annoyed, I am tired of this. The silence is draining me but I made my choice, no more Aiden so I will stick to it. And since he is being so cooperating in this new arrangement, I decide that it's for the best.
By midnight both Aiden and Mrs Harrison say their goodbyes and leave, I'm exhausted from the forced conversations with Aiden as we couldn't outright ignore each other the whole night while our parents were catching up. We were mostly on our phones but every now and then we were forced to become part of the conversation.
My mom also tells me goodnight and leaves for her room and since I have no plans to wake up early and help with the cleaning in the morning, I quickly clean the living room and kitchen, washing the few used glasses and wiping the surfaces and then I make my way to my room.
As soon as I get there, I decide to take a shower, which I end up enjoying a little bit too much and therefore taking a long time than I had anticipated. As soon as I turn the water off, I hastily dry myself off and decide to just crawl over to bed naked.
Now, to say I am surprised to find Aiden sitting patiently by my desk would be an understatement.