“No.”
“But when I—”
“No.”
“UGH!” I throw up my arms in exasperation. “You’re impossible! You know that? Like, if I was Kaitlyn, I’d say that I literally can’t even right now.”
At the mention of Kaitlyn, the boys exchange a knowing look.
“Wait, Kaitlyn’s going to be there, isn’t she?”
Aiden sighs. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re not coming.”
“Of course it matters!” I explode. “Aiden, you’re being stubborn. Tell him, Mason!”
Mason, who’s currently sitting between Aiden and me, looks back and forth between us, seeming unsure of whether to go against Aiden or back him up.
“I’ll stay with her the whole time,” Mason cautiously suggests.
“Yes! I’ll stay with Mason! And Noah and Julian and Chase can stay with me too! That’s four guys making sure I don’t get into trouble. Plus, Anna and Char will keep me out of trouble. I’ll be good, I swear!” I send Mason a grateful look and look up at Aiden with pleading eyes.
He studies me with his indecipherable gray eyes before sighing and running his hand through his hair in defeat. “Fine. But you stay with Mason the whole time. I mean it, Amel—”
“I will, I promise!” I cut him off, sharing an excited smile with Mason.
“Seriously, Amelia, I have enough to do already and I can’t be worrying about you the whole time.”
“Pinky swear.” I reach across the table and grab his hand. He allows me to lock my pinky finger with his, sealing my promise in order to ease his worries, all the while ignoring the growing sense of dark foreboding knotting through my stomach.
16
It takes about an hour to get to the Tracks, so we decide to meet at my house. Charlotte’s parents don’t know where we’re going, so she said she’s sleeping at my house. It’s not a complete lie because she is, in fact, spending the night.
“They sure are taking their sweet time. It’s getting really cold out here,” Noah complains, having arrived here twenty minutes ago wearing jeans and a fitted T-shirt.
“Didn’t you bring a jacket?” Annalisa asks Noah.
“No.”
“We can stop at your house to grab it before we head up to the Tracks,” Charlotte suggests.
“No way. My mom is home.”
“So?”
Noah scoffs, as if it’s the most obvious answer in the world. “I could never admit I’m cold to my mom who told me to bring a jacket ‘because it’s November.’”
I can’t help but laugh at Noah’s impression of his mom. Yeah. I totally get that. But I text Mason to bring Noah a sweater. Hopefully he hasn’t left yet.
Our banter is cut off by the beautiful sound of Aiden’s black Challenger pulling into my driveway, his headlights illuminating the porch we’re sitting on. He turns the car off and gets out, then walks over to us.
He looks as gorgeous as ever in his fitted black T-shirt, black leather jacket, and dark jeans, his masculinity and dominance unmistakable. However, he doesn’t look too happy about this whole thing; all day he subtly tried to get me to change my mind, but I’m too stubborn for my own good sometimes. Mason’s Range Rover pulls up, and he shuts off the SUV and gets out. He looks confident and charming as always in dark jeans, a fitted white long-sleeved shirt with only three buttons on the top, which are undone, and a black leather jacket.
“Finally! You took forever,” Noah exclaims. “You better have the heat on in the truck!”
“Sorry, I had to turn around and get some idiot a sweater.” Mason smirks and throws Noah a black sweater, which lands right in his face.
“Dude! You’re the best!” Noah laughs as he puts the sweater on.