The cool, clean scent of pine wood hung in the air. I could hear Sophie’s sweet, playful voice as she showed Aldan her new manicu-
- re.
Aidan was sitting right in front of me. From my angle, I could see his hands on the steering wheel, his knuckles sharp and defined. He kept his eyes on the road, but he responded to her every word.
I glanced at the rearview mirror, at the handsome lines of his face, and felt a wave of disorientation.
Aidan had never been this patient with me.
When we were together, he was always so insecure, so full of dread. He knew about my mission and was terrified I would leave at any moment. He’d wake up in the middle of the night, startled, his hand frantically searching for me on the other side of the bed. I would have to soothe him, again and again, exhausted.
“I won’t leave you alone. I love you, and it has nothing to do with the mission.”
I kept telling him that lie, right up until the moment I left.
He had cried then, clutching my hand, begging me not to go. Begging me to stay just a little longer, just a few more years.
I had sighed and refused every plea.
His face had gone pale, his eyes swirling with a storm of pain and madness. “Why? Don’t you love me? How can you just leave me
like this? You said you’d never leave me alone!”
I gave him a bitter smile. “I have someone I love in the real world.”
Aidan’s eyes flickered up, catching my gaze in the mirror. He frowned.
The car lurched forward with a sudden, violent screech of brakes.
Caught off guard, my forehead slammed against the window with a dull thud, leaving a blooming bruise.
“Sorry,” Aidan’s voice was raspy. He turned his head slightly. “We’re here.”
It took me a moment to register. “Oh,” I said, managing a “thank you.” When I’d gotten in the car, Sophie had asked for my address,
and I’d just blurted out the name of a random apartment complex.
I arranged to meet Sophie next time and got out of the car.
Aidan kept his eyes down, never once looking back at me. He didn’t linger for a moment; the car’s taillights vanished around the
corner almost instantly.
At the busy entrance to the complex, I wrapped my arms around myself and slowly sank to the ground.
www.
20 43 C3
I don’t know how much time passed.
Then, the familiar luxury car pulled up again, silent and imposing, right in front of me.
The window rolled down, revealing the sharp, defined profile of his face. Aidan stared at me, his expression unreadable. “Get in.”
6
I’d expected Aidan to find a way to see me alone.
