He’s not resurfacing.
I jump on shaky feet, the jacket falling to the ground.
“A-Aiden?” I slowly approach the edge of the deck, my heart thundering against my ribcage.
“This isn’t funny, Aiden!”
No answer.
Oh, God. No.
Oh, please. Not Aiden, too.
Please. Please.
“Aiden!” I shriek. “Stop playing around!”
He’s not coming out. He’s drowning. Like Eli.
Just like Eli.
No.
I kick off my shoes. My movements are frantic at best, but I don’t stop.
I won’t let him die.
Not Aiden, too.
I don’t care if I die in my quest to find him. Lake water and my phobias be damned.
A hand grips my ankle.
I shriek.
Aiden’s wet face resurfaces as he uses the deck to jump beside me.
I watch him closely, my eyes filling with tears. “Y-You’re here.”
He comes closer, his chest glistening with water and his hair sticks to the side of his face. “What’s wrong —”
I wrap my arms around his waist and hide my face in his chest. “I lost my brother that way! Eli drowned that way!”
“I didn’t know that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
A sob tears from my throat. “Don’t ever do that again! I thought you were dying. What am I supposed to do if you die?”
His wet fingers stroke my hair and he tugs me closer to him. “That means you’ll be free of me and I don’t like that idea, sweetheart.”
I snort in his chest, breathing him in. “You’re incurable.”
“For you?” He kisses the top of my head. “Always, sweetheart.”
I pull back to look at him.
He’s watching me with a strange gleam. It’s like affection mixed with obsession.
I knew Aiden has been obsessed with me for a while, but now I realise just how much I’m obsessed with him, too.