Oh Helloooooo there! Thanks for reading so far and being so patient about waiting. :) Wrote a longer chapter than normal. Also for the reviews and grammar/typo callouts. Seriously, there's so much that I probably skip, even after re reading my chapter seven times haha.
Enjoy!
I was outside the bunker, lying on top of one of the carts, staring up. The sun felt great on my skin, especially after the night before, when I thought I would die from the blistering cold. Ah, to be alive.
"I figured I'd find you here," I heard Aiden's voice snapping me out of my thoughts.
I turned my head to see him walking over and sitting right next to me. "I didn't even hear you climb up," I muttered.
"Did I scare you?" He asked.
"No," I said and sat up, fixing my hair.
"Your phone is off. I was worried you might have left, but then I remembered where we were," Aiden paused, "And that you can't swim," He finished by poking my arm.
I smiled, "You remember," I said mostly to myself.
"Of course I remember. Why wouldn't I?" He asked.
I shrugged, "Dunno," I felt weird for even bringing it up.
He didn't respond right away, and the silence felt uncomfortable. "You should get back inside. It's warmer in there," He finally said.
"The sun feels nice," I muttered.
He nodded and he spoke up after a few moments, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything. In retrospect, keeping you in the dark wasn't the best way to keep you safe," Aiden said.
Why should he have told me? If him and Clara were together, why would I matter? Then again, why would he be worried about keeping me safe? This man's logic and motives would be the death of me. "No, it's okay… I may have overreacted," I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself. I could no longer focus on the warmth of the sun. I had Aiden beside me. I couldn't focus on anything else.
He started rubbing my back lightly, which completely threw me off. I was too afraid to look up at him. I was too afraid to look up in general. I sat there, playing with my nails. He moved closer and then fully wrapped his arm around me, lightly pulling me closer to him. I was timid at first, but I leaned into him. He's being sweet now; what kind of dick move is he going to pull next? Kill me?
"I'm really glad you're okay," I said quietly. His thumb was lightly brushing over my shoulder. I missed this feeling. The only difference between the past and now is that he would be holding me while watching a movie; not comforting me on the fact that he wasn't dead.
"What made you think I died?" He asked softly.
Should I tell him about my new 'boss'? I wondered. No, of course I shouldn't. Aiden would kill him. He may have leads to my dad. I need him alive. "I saw the news about the Owl Motel…" I realize it wasn't convincing. Aiden knew I would give him more credit than that…
"Ripley-" He began, but I interrupted.
"I know; it's stupid. I already thought about it. After just not hearing from you, I thought of the worst possible outcome," I was unsure of what else to say
"Jordi didn't tell you anything?" He asked.
I let out a single laugh, "No, Jordi doesn't tell me anything, anymore."
"I told him to tell you in case you asked," He sounded annoyed…at Jordi, I hoped.
"Jordi knew? Of course Jordi knew…," I said under my breath. "He doesn't answer me, so I never ask him anything. My questions end up changing the subject somehow," I thought about Jordi and my last phone conversation when I was delusional. I should call him back before he freaks out further than he may already be. Unless he already forgot about it; which is also very likely.
"Well… I'll catch you up with everything later. I need to go to Rossi-Fremont. The bunker can't connect to it, so I need to get inside." He explained.
I looked up at him, "Can I go with you?" I asked. I was feeling restless sitting around on top of a cart all day.
"No," He answered too quickly. "Just charge your phone and call Jordi. He called me in hysterics earlier. I told him you were fine."
"You should've said you didn't know," I pulled away from him, causing him to remove his arm. I stood up and stood right at the edge of the cart.
I heard Aiden stand up and walk over to me, "You told him you were going to die," He said carefully.
I could feel his eyes on me, but I looked straight ahead, "I was cold. It was a joke."
"He definitely didn't take it as a joke. I've never heard Jordi that concerned about…well, anything," His tone changed, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
I turned my whole body to face him and I crossed my arms as my only defense, "If you know something, just say it. Don't back me into a corner here." I responded. I didn't know what he was trying to get out of me. Did he want me to admit my real feelings for him? He seemed to shoot down my last obvious attempt; I doubt he cared that much.
"Look, I'm just making sure you're not trying to kill yourself," He said bluntly.
I raised my eyebrow and stared at him in disbelief for a second to process what he just said, "Do you really think I would do that?"
"I'm asking for Jordi," Aiden tried to assure me, "You told him you were going to die and you loved him and it really freaked him out."
"What's with you two giving each other messages to give to me? Why can't you two both be MEN and talk to me?!" I took a step back.
Aiden put his hand out, attempting to calm me down "You weren't answering your phone. It was the last thing he asked me; I just wanted to make sure."
I wanted to smack him, but I smacked his hand away instead, "So then you were also wondering?"
He sighed, "It was just a question."
"Yeah, a pretty serious question, accusing me to be suicidal!" I stared at him hard in the eyes, even though it was his turn to look away.
"I'm sorry I asked," He said quietly.
I crossed my arms again and fully turned away for a moment before turning back, only to see him turning around, ready to leave, "Aiden…" I muttered. He stopped and looked over. I suddenly felt really nervous and I cocked my head, shrugging as I asked, "What if… I called you …and said I was going to die and…. Stuff." I looked up to make eye contact for a second before looking away. In that second, I saw a look on his face that made me feel embarrassed for even asking, "Oh God, I don't know why I asked that. Forget it," I said and crouched by the edge of the carts to land on the ground. It's obviously been a while since I had to be athletic in any way, so my knees buckled when I landed, causing me to curse under my breath.
"Are you okay?" I heard Aiden asked.
I stood up straight, "Relax, Aiden," I said and started walking off, hiding my limp, "Nobody is going to die from a 14 foot drop."
What was I doing? 12 hours ago I thought this man was died, and I was broken up about it. Now that he's alive, I'm giving him the coldest shoulder ever.
…..
4 years ago…
I knew guys had their weird rule about not contacting a girl for 2 or 3 days after meeting, and then who knows how long for a second date. I always wonder why. Was it not to appear clingy or too interested? Life is too short and fragile for childish waiting games like that.
However, I was glad that Aiden didn't abide by those silly guidelines. He sent me a text the day after to once again apologize for bailing. I wish he knew how well I understood his situation, IF he was in fact a hacker – which I wasn't sure of at the time.
We made plans to hang out again on the weekend…. so the countdown began.
4 long days later…
I got off the train station to the stop Aiden said he'd meet me at. He said he would pick me up, but I insisted that I take the train to meet him. We all know my affinity for material things like expensive cars, but I was still living in my shitty apartment that I wasn't ready for him to see. Jordi would know something was up for sure if I went over to his place for no reason and then leave. Not that I was trying to hide the fact that I was dating someone from Jordi… Ah, hell. I was hiding it because he would ruin it.
I saw Aiden a few dozen feet away, waiting for me. He was leaning on a banister with one hand in his pocket, and the other one holding his phone, typing or swiping… I couldn't tell. My douchebag brain instantly went to the thought of him texting another girl… I tried to ignore it. Aiden didn't seem like a womanizer type, but I also didn't know that much about him. I walked up to him, feeling more nervous the closer I got. I had to admit, he looked really attractive just standing there like that. What the fuck was wrong with me?
"Expecting someone?" I asked, maybe a bit too loudly.
He looked over and smiled, putting his phone in his pocket, "Just some cute brunette," He said and reached his hand out to level it over my head, "She's kind of short though."
"Not THAT short I bet!" I feigned offense and moved his hand away.
"It's not a bad thing. Ready to go?" He asked and I nodded.
We actually decided to get food, despite our last conversation. It didn't feel so formal since we went to a sushi bar, and that worked for me. We got to sit next to each other, poking fun at the weird commercials we saw across the bar. Aiden and I shared some sake. I didn't really like it; Aiden has never had it. We both decided to get it anyway and try it out… me for a second time.
"Yup, definitely still don't like it!" I complained after the first drink.
He set his sake cup down as well, "Can't say I'm a fan of it either."
I looked at our full bottle and immediately regretted it, "Damn, why did we get so much?" I laughed.
Aiden reached for the bottle, "Guess we're going to learn to love sake," he said, pouring more into each of our cups, "Or we'll fill our sake quota for the rest of our lives."
Needless to say, it was better than awkwardly staring at each other across a table with nothing to fill the dead air with. I didn't think I was a boring person. I just always felt the need to be the entertainer in conversations. Aiden was interesting. He was older than me, and had a lot more life experiences than I, even though he wasn't so quick to share every little detail in his life. I wasn't so good at reading people, but he had this aura about him that felt mysterious. I had two full nights of conversation with him, but I hardly knew about him.
After dinner, we decided to walk off the sake that we may have had too much of. Wine will sneak in and wreck you if you don't pay attention…. To be fair, however, we did pay attention, after each refill.
"The cold air feels so nice," I sighed as we exited, looking up into the sky.
"I bet, after all that sake," He pulled both his hands out of his pockets and held them up to his face.
"You're still cold?" I asked confused. Alcohol makes you warm, especially warm wine.
He smirked and simply said, "Irish."
"Oh yeah. You probably sobered up as soon as you started walking," I joked.
He shrugged, "You're not wrong, but I wouldn't trust myself driving."
I looked around to see where we were and I saw the baseball stadium a few blocks over, "Hey I know where we are!" I thought out loud.
Aiden turned his head to look in the direction I got distracted with, "Go to baseball games often?" He asked.
"Not really. Maybe once or twice," I lied. I would break in the stadium all the time during the off seasons. It was the easiest thing to break into, had very little security, and the nicest view. It wasn't the tallest, but you could see the lake and a good portion of the city. I grabbed his hand and led him towards the stadium, "Let's go!"
"It's winter…and closed," He said, but still went along.
"Yeah so we can get to the top and no one will stop us," I explained.
"So you want to break in?" He said more than asked.
"Is it still considered 'breaking in' if it's just so easy to do it?" I sighed.
He smirked and looked over, "Oh, you've done it before?"
I looked at him and we maintained eye contact as I tried to hide my smile, "Like you've never broken in anywhere."
He looked away, still smirking, "Maybe once or twice," He responded, quoting my previous statement.
I wasn't expecting to hear that. On one hand, I was feeling pretty immature looking forward to breaking into a baseball stadium. On the other hand, he didn't seem bothered by it, and I was very excited to hear he's not quite the square I once thought he was. Of course, he's done way worse than just break into a place, but I didn't know that.
It was then that I realized I was still holding his hand and we managed to find a way to interlace our fingers together. I didn't even feel nervous… it felt right, as lame as it sounds. It may have been the alcohol.
Aiden stopped and I did, too. It took me a second to realize why we stopped, "So, where is the magic entrance?" he said.
I looked up and noticed we were in front of the stadium. I slowly let go of his hand, and headed for a side entrance, with Aiden following a small distance behind me. There was a gate behind a regular double glass door. He was checking the area to make sure no one was around. I pulled out my lock pick set and jammed it into the keyhole, carefully twisting it to turn the lock on the other side. I opened the double glass doors slightly and slid my arms through the gate to try to pick the lock from the inside. I normally work quicker, but being a little intoxicated brought me down to at least an 80%
Aiden had been checking to make sure the coast was clear, but I could feel his attention turn to me occasionally, "You make it look so easy," He said.
That kind of compliment meant more to me than saying I was cute or pretty. I was proud of my skills… criminal or not. After a few more seconds, I was able to turn the lock and relax. I looked over to Aiden, "Beginner's luck?" I said. He started walking over. "The alarm system has been disconnected from this door for years, and the security camera up there only points to the right. So when you walk in, stay against the gate to the left," I explained.
"Yes ma'am," He nodded with a certain look in his eyes. Was he truly impressed? Turned on? Oh god… and I started to blush so I cleared my throat and looked back at the gate.
"Oh and make sure this door doesn't open too much. It squeaks like whoa and the security guard might hear the echo," I slowly pulled the gate apart, and we walked in, Aiden following my instructions, slowly closing the gate behind us. I lead us to the stairwell, hidden from any cameras or guards.
"Once or twice, huh?" He said quietly, careful not to cause an echo.
I smiled as I stood up straight right in front of him, "You seem to be really comfortable with it," I said and walked backwards to the stairs. I put my finger on my lips as a single to stay quiet, as I let my gaze on him linger a bit longer before I turned around to walk upstairs.
We made it to a doorway that lead back to the outside. Turning the corner lead us to a nice view of the field. It looked eerie with the moon being the only source of light. I leaned forward against the railing and Aiden shortly joined me. "I don't know whether to be impressed by you, or to feel insulted by their lack of security," He said.
I laughed, "Their security was better before, but I made some permanent changes so I can get in here quicker and easier," I explained without too much detail.
"What did you do?" He asked.
"Shut off some alarms," I simply said.
I think he could tell I didn't want to say much more beyond that, because he simply nodded and changed the subject, "So how often do you really come here?" he asked.
"My dad and I would go to a baseball games pretty often. Over time, I knew the layout of the stadium really well. So one day I just decided to break in when it was empty, and it became a regular thing. No schedule or anything, just whenever I felt like it. Brings me back to when I was a teenager and I would go to random high school's football games. It'd be so cold and the bleachers were really bare. Sounds kind of lame, but it's relaxing," I said.
"It's not lame. What about lock picking?" He asked.
"What about it?" I asked, trying to stall an answer.
"When did you learn to do that?" He asked.
I looked over to him, waiting for his eye contact, and waited to respond, "Let's trade secrets! I break into the stadium. Where do you break in to?" I asked.
He chuckled and looked down at his arms on the railing, "I, uh… Can't exactly answer that." He said and looked back at me.
"Why not?" I asked, "I won't ask you why you break in."
"Kind of goes hand-in-hand," He said.
I sighed, "Well then… Why can't you tell me?" I asked and he shook his head, "Oh come on, Aiden! I get to ask you something! I won't ask why!" I laughed.
He laughed, "Can't you ask me what my favorite color is or something?"
"No because it's probably blue or something really boring. It's blue, isn't it?" My body was completely turned toward him at this point, but still leaning on the railing.
"If that's your question, then sure it can be blue," He said.
"That's not even a real answer!" I said, "I feel like I don't know anything about you. Are you a like a convict, or an FBI agent, or a zookeeper? Do you break into the zoo at night?" I asked, jokingly.
He laughed, "Nothing like that. Was that another question?" He asked coyly.
"Yes. Was that?" I threw back at him, and realized I did what he did.
"So about that lock picking," He said.
If he was going to barely answer things, then so can I. "I've lock picked for several years. Aiden, where have you broken into before?" I said with a grin.
"Office buildings, hotels, banks…" He turned to now fully face me, leaning one elbow on the railing, "…Gang hideouts."
I stared at him in the eyes. I couldn't believe he answered me, but I also couldn't believe his answer. I held in my laugh, "Yeah, right!" I said and pushed his chest back a little, but he barely budged. He still had that look in his eyes. He looked serious, even with a slight grin. I believed him for some reason. I already had suspicions of him being a hacker or something, but I second-guessed it when it started sounding too real. My laughing grin turned into a curious look, "And you won't tell me why. Can I at least ask why not? This is too exciting to ignore."
He never dropped eye contact, "It's complicated."
"I won't tell anyone. Do you trust me?" I asked, taking half a step closer to him.
"Trust has nothing to do with it," He responded. I noticed his eyes dart over toward the field, "Shit," He casually said as he touched my shoulder and brought me to crouch down with him, "There's a guard heading our way," He said quietly. He pulled out his phone.
"I don't think he'll come up here," I said. "We just have to wait for him to pass by." I ignored the fact that he had his phone out.
"I saw you up there!" The guard said from two levels down, "Stadium's closed. You're trespassin'!"
"We can go up one more level. It's kind of like a roof," I suggested. Aiden was doing something on his phone, I hoped, because he wasn't answering. I took a peak and noticed what looked like security camera footage, "What is tha-?"
The sound of a vending machine continuously dispensing soda cans interrupted me. It was coming from the left side of stadium. The guard let out a yell, "Who is there?!" Followed by a small explosion on the opposite side of the stadium we were on. We saw the faint rays of his flashlight over our heads leave, "Aw man… I knew there were ghosts here!" The guard sounded terrified.
Aiden and I were holding in our laughter, "Upper level?" He asked.
I wanted to ask him what happened. I had a feeling. I grabbed his arm and led him to the stairwell one more time, but before I opened the door, I turned and looked at him, "How did you do that?" I asked quickly, placing my hands on his torso. I didn't even realize where my hands were.
"Similar to how you cut off the alarm system to some of the doors," He responded with a coy grin. He had his hands gently placed on my arms.
My eyes widened, "I knew it! You're a hacker! Right?"
He smirked and bent down to grab my legs, throwing me over his shoulder. I almost screamed, but covered my mouth and let a muffled squeak sneak out, "You're making a lot of noise over there," He laughed.
I felt us going up the stairs and it threw me off. I hated being picked up or losing any sort of control over my movements, "Aiden, please put me down!" I whispered loudly.
I assume we reached the top of the stairs and back outside because it got cold again, and Aiden placed me down. I needed a few seconds to regain my composure. I stood straight up with my hands on my cheeks, but as soon as I was going to uncover my face, I was going to have to yell at Aiden, I didn't care who heard.
"Aiden, wh-!" I got cut off by, none other than, Aiden forcefully placing his lips on mine. Wait, what? Aiden was kissing me? I felt his hands on my back, and I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer, kissing him back. It was heated from the very beginning and only escalated when he backed me to a wall, getting closer to me. I suppose all that tension from our last date was finally being addressed. I broke our kiss for a second so I could hop up and wrap my legs around his torso, which made a peculiar sound come out of him that fueled my lust. I didn't know what came over me, but it eventually occurred to me that it has been a while since I've been with anyone. He had one had on my back, and the other reached down to my butt to help keep me up. He pushed his hips more into me, getting us that much closer, which also let a moan rumble in my own throat. Our making out got that much more feverish, but never sloppy. Damn he was a good kisser.
Attractive, mysterious, hacker…or something, with a deep voice, who owns an expensive car, and is a great kisser… Oh yeah. I was gone.
Before I could completely lose myself into him, he suddenly broke the kiss and turned his head down, resting it against my shoulder, "We should stop," He whispered, regret in his words.
"Why? What's wrong?" I whispered back, suddenly aware and uncomfortable of the position I was in, so I let my legs unwrap from his waist and he backed up off the wall to let me down on the ground.
He let out a long sigh, "Won't be a able to stop if we keep it up," He said.
"Oh…okay," I was so turned on by that, but I couldn't take advantage of that. We let go of each other and he turned around to take a few paces toward the seats. He had one hand on his hip, the other one held his hanging head. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked.
"No," He quickly said with a breathy laugh, "No" He said again, this time with a stern low voice, "You…did everything… great," He said under his breath, as if saying it any louder would make his condition worse. He went to sit down on a random bleacher seat that was hanging out. He leaned slightly forward, his arms resting on his thighs.
I stood leaning against the cold wall for a second, trying to get my mind off things, but I couldn't. Nor did I want to. I smirked and walked over to him, nudging his knee with my own, "What if…" I began to climb over his lap, straddling him, "…I didn't want to stop," I leaned down and kissed him again, enjoying the feeling of him kissing me back. He let his hands wander all over, both ending up on my butt as I began to rock my hips back and forth, slowly, but noticeably. He groaned and that just made me want to do it more, but I kept my pace.
He moved his hands to my waist and broke the kiss once again, "Ripley, you're drunk," He said quietly.
"I don't feel drunk," I said, griping the folds of his coat.
"You didn't see yourself walking up stairs," He said with a smirk.
I looked away, trying to focus on far away object. I did notice things were a little fuzzy, "Shit, I'm like one of those people you said you end up babysitting," I said with a frown.
He rested his hand on my hand and starting rubbing the back of it with his thumb "No, because you actually can walk up stairs."
"I'm sorry…" I said looking down. I didn't feel too drunk, but when he mentioned it, it only became more apparent.
"Hey, don't be," He squeezed my hand for a second. "But you sitting on my lap like this… isn't, uh, making it better."
I smiled, "Hacker and a gentleman," I said and crawled off, sitting next to him on the bleacher seat.
"Let's not throw that word around too much." He chuckled.
"What, gentleman?" I asked sarcastically.
He looked over and smirked, "Sure."
I smiled at him; a genuine smile. I was a little embarrassed, but he seemed very understanding and relaxed about the situation. Why should I be embarrassed? HE kissed me first! I rested my head on his shoulder and he draped his arm over my own shoulders, bringing me in closer.
….
My eyes slowly started fluttering open. I had no idea where I was for a good minute. All I knew was that it was cold. Was I with Aiden? Was it all a bad dream and I'm in my apartment? I found myself sitting on the ground, leaning against a freight cart. The sun was still up. I had no idea how long I was out for. Why the fuck did I have a very detailed dream of my second date with Aiden. At least, I think. Is that how it ended? I probably mostly don't even remember, because I was drunk. My asshole brain was trying to taunt me. I hate my subconscious. Forgive him, Ripley. He's only looking out for you, Ripley… You just really want to bone him, Ripley. Yeah, he was also over me and moved on to Clara.
It was time I just move on and charge my phone so I can call Jordi and get the hell out of the bunker. I headed inside to see Clara at the computers. She turned around, probably expecting Aiden, but she saw me.
"Wasn't sure if I'd see you again," She said.
Yeah, she'd like that, wouldn't she? "Is there any alcohol here?" I asked as I went into the bunker's bedroom and charged my phone up.
"No?" She responded, unsure.
I walked back out and sat in one of the chairs looking at the computer screens. "Great," I sighed and looked around, starting to slouch, "It's weird being here," I said.
She stopped typing and looked over to me, probably surprised that I was talking, "what do you mean?" She asked.
"My dad was involved in this kind of shit, so I've heard people name drop the bunker so many times. It's strange being in what's supposed to be known as a legend" I finished it with air quotes.
"Tell me about it. I wanted it to exist, but there was a part of me that was afraid it was only going to be a fairytale," Clara said. She turned her head to the monitors, "And our chapter is already almost over."
"Already have answers?" I asked.
"No. The deal is almost done. I'll be heading out shortly," She said something in French after that, mostly to herself.
"Aiden rarely asks for help. You're lucky he let you help this much," I rolled my eyes, "He won't trust me with anything. As cool as the bunker is, I can't wait to leave."
She turned her head to me, "I don't think he wants you to leave," She said.
I remembered when he told me to charge my phone and call Jordi, "He basically already told me to leave."
"He's very easy to read. He couldn't focus on anything after you showed up last night," She said.
"Yeah, because he's mad that I'm here. Interrupting whatever is going on," I mostly meant the work, but I also meant between him and her. "Which is fine. None of my business anyway."
She didn't seem to pick up on the second meaning, "I think you two just need to talk."
"Having a real conversation with that guy is impossible," I muttered.
We heard the bunker entrance start to make some noise, which meant Aiden was on his way back in. I quickly stood up and started heading for the room to check my phone.
"Ripley?" I heard Clara say. I looked over to see her now standing, and I waited for her to continue, "It was nice to meet you. Take care." She said, heading to the exit.
"You're actually leaving?" I asked.
"My work here is all done," She shrugged.
I didn't really know what else to say. If she and Aiden had a thing going on, outside of business, I wouldn't want to see her again. Not even sure I would see Aiden again. "Okay…" I said slowly.
She nodded and headed up the stairs, looking down the whole time. I went back to the room to turn on my phone. I could hear Clara and Aiden exchanging words, but I didn't know what exactly they were saying. My phone finally booted only to greet me with 42 text messages and 8 voicemails, which is all my inbox would hold. Who knows how many more I would have? Most of the text messages were from a confused and concerned Jordi, but a few were from my 'boss'.
-Ready for the first task?-
-You're not thinking of resigning, are you?-
-Did you forget the deal?-
-Ripley, dear-
-I see your phone is off, possibly dead. Contact me asap or you're going to see how I deal with a no call/no show-
I turned the screen off and tossed it back on the desk to let it continue charging. I hoped the screen would break and I would never have to see his stupid phone number or messages ever again.
I peaked around the corner to see Clara and Aiden at the computers together. I thought she was leaving. They were looking at some camera footage that I assume they hacked. I don't know what the fuck the guy on the camera was going on about. Guess I should have been there to have it make sense. I walked out casually anyway to see the end of it. Someone was beating another man off camera with a briefcase…How did that lead to Lena's murderers again?
"I don't see how you could get on the compound. Nevermind near that room," Clara spoke, "Even the security locks on the doors are encrypted."
"That fat kid, Bed bug. He's going to go in for me," Aiden said.
"Just like that? And why should he help us?" Clara asked him in disbelief.
"I'm betting he's one mistake away from a bullet to his head, so when he makes that mistake, I'll be recording. Nothing like blackmail to change someone's tune," Aiden explained.
"He's innocent…" I said softly.
Aiden turned away to make eye contact with me, "I need to get in there, Ripley." He said.
"You're going to get him killed," I tried to reason with him.
"I'm not going to let that happen. I have it under control," He said calmly.
"You don't have anything under control, Aiden." I said crossing my arms.
He dropped his head down for a second before he walked over to me, grabbing my shoulder, and guiding me into the bunker's side room. He pulled me in and he closed the door, looking at me immediately, "If you don't like this, you can leave."
I cocked my eyebrow, "Damn, fuck you too, Aiden."
"I'm serious. This isn't your thing, and I get that. But it's important to me." He explained.
"I know it is, but you're bringing an innocent kid into your problems. Especially when you have me offering to help you every single time." I said.
"I don't need your help Ripley." I could tell he was trying really hard to stay calm.
"You'll blackmail this kid, but you won't let me help you. I know what I'm doing, remember?" I asked.
"It's dangerous," He said.
I laughed sarcastically, "Who cares?!"
"I do!" He raised his voice; "I almost couldn't save you when you got shot a few weeks ago. I would never be able to live with myself if anything happened to you because of me."
I was taken a bit back, but I didn't let it stop my rage, "That's really funny, because all you do is act cold around me!" I raised my voice back.
He looked at me like I was crazy, "What about you? Last night, you show up in hysterics about me, and now you just want to argue!"
"I wonder why!"
"Because I tried to hide information that could endanger you? Sorry for doing what I can to keep you safe. I have a lot of shit going on right now, I'm doing what I can!"
I rubbed my temples, "Oh my god, I never asked you to protect me. When have I ever needed your protection? And maybe I would know what's going on in your life if you would just talk to me or something!"
"Maybe I don't want you a part of my life anymore." He said sternly.
I paused, "What?"
He crossed his arms, "You heard me."
"You don't mean that…" I said quietly.
He shrugged, "It'd be a lot easier if you weren't around."
He saved me before when he didn't have to. He grabbed photos of us together. He tried to kiss me. He called Jordi when I was injured. He looked so hurt when I came to him crying. He admitted several times he was keeping me safe…. "You're just saying that to get rid of me." I said. I had to convince myself. My heart was breaking yet again. Jordi paid him. He was just being nice. He pushed me away when I tried to kiss him. I was just a liability to him.
"You're right. You don't need my protection. You don't need me." I just couldn't form any words as I figured I would just back myself into another corner. I instigated Aiden saying these things. I would just make it worse. "I'm going to go talk to Bed Bug. When I come back, I'll drop you off at Jordi's." He finished.
I was a second away from bursting into tears again, so I pushed him. It was better than stabbing him, which is what I really wanted to do. I unplugged my phone and walked out the door, slightly nudging him once again out of my way, "Good luck," I said to Clara before storming out. She would need it.
I sat outside on the opposite side of where the bridge would connect, staring into the sun. It was winter, staring into it actually didn't hurt as much. Maybe I wanted to blind myself. I didn't know. The idea of calling Jordi popped into my head and when I turned on the screen, I got a text message from a new unknown number. I opened the message and it reveiled to be an audio message.
I clicked play and heard a conversation between Clara and Aiden:
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but… did you mean any of that?" Clara said.
"It's the only way to get it through her thick skull," Aiden said.
"Sounds like someone I know," Clara said, with a hint of humor in her tone.
"She'll get over it," Aiden said.
"It was pretty harsh. She's only trying to help," Clara said.
"I can't risk it." He sighed.
"Oh, come on, Aiden. She can make her own decisions. Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd doing anything for them?" She asked.
"Yeah," Aiden said before a pause, "You were looking right at her."
-End Message-
Clara sent me that. He was only saying that to keep me away. I knew it. That manipulative asshole…but did that message mean he still…. Loves me? Thank you for wording that so specifically, Clara. That also means they weren't dating, after all.
Maybe I found a new best friend.
I smiled. I felt so bipolar. Pissed off and in love with the same person in the span of 10 seconds.
Aiden was going to be the death of me
Drama Llama Aiden! Let me know what you think~
Don't hate Aiden! I have to write it in a way that makes you empathize with Ripley.
Thanks, everyone! Will be starting the next chapter soon :)
