“Guys, do you mind?” Julian looks at Noah, Charlotte, and Chase on his right, who all slide out of the booth so he can chase after his girlfriend. The three of them slide back into the booth once Julian’s left Sweetie’s, and we all look at each other, as if silently asking, So now what?
“Don’t you think you should turn yourself in instead of waiting for the cops to find you and arrest you?” Mason asks.
Luke shakes his head. “Have you ever been in prison before? I’m going to enjoy my time out here for as long as I can. Even if I didn’t do it, it’s not looking too good for me.”
There’s an awkward pause. What more is there to say?
“Is there anything else you needed from us, Luke?” Aiden’s face is still neutral and unreadable, his hand still in mine.
Luke slumps a bit in his chair. “Yeah, I guess that’s all. I just wanted to talk to Anna before I got twenty-five to life.”
He gets up and leaves dejectedly without another word or glance back at us, walking out the door with his head down.
The group of us sit at the table in stunned silence. Who would’ve thought the first few days of our Christmas vacation would be so full of drama? I don’t think any of us saw that coming. Not even me, and drama is kind of my thing.
“Now can we head back to the Mystery Machine?” Noah asks, trying to break the tension per usual.
“Do you think he did it?” I’m pointedly ignoring Noah.
“The police said that the primary location was Aiden’s house, which means Greg died there. They didn’t say anything about it looking like a fight took place, just that Greg looked like he’d been in a fight,” Mason answers thoughtfully.
“The evidence against Luke doesn’t look too good either. Plus, he basically confessed to it,” Chase reasons.
“But he doesn’t even remember what happened,” Charlotte points out.
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t do it. How many times have I gotten black-out drunk and not remembered how I got home, or why I woke up naked and covered in barbeque sauce and Cheerios?” Chase counters.
That boy seriously needs to cut back on the alcohol consumption.
“What do you think, Aiden?” I ask, squeezing the hand that still feels heavenly in mine.
“Honestly, I don’t care,” he says almost breathlessly, as if relieved to finally admit it. “Greg’s dead. Out of my life and out of the twins’ lives. I don’t care who did it, Luke or anyone else. They probably did me a favor, since I probably would’ve killed Greg if and when he came near the twins.”
“You don’t mean that, man,” Mason objects.
“Oh, yes, I fucking do,” Aiden confesses without a hint of doubt. “I’m glad he’s dead. And right now all I want to do is go to enjoy my time with the twins without having to look over my shoulder.”
I don’t doubt that Aiden’s glad Greg’s dead; he doesn’t have to worry about him anymore. Hell, my life would be a lot easier if Tony dropped dead, but clearly I’m not that lucky.
“What are we sitting around on our asses for then? Let’s go!” Noah exclaims, looking at Charlotte and Chase expectantly so they can get up and let him out.
As we move out of the booth, I try pulling my hand out of Aiden’s, but he just tightens his grip and looks at me with such a heart-melting intensity that I’m sure he feels my pulse speed up. I blush and look away, catching Charlotte’s eye in the process as we walk out of the parlor. I haven’t told her that Aiden and I kissed, not the first time or any of the other times after that.
She looks back and forth between our entwined hands and my face, a gigantic smile growing on her face, shooting me a look that says, Oh, you are so explaining everything after. At least she didn’t jump up and down squealing and clapping her hands.
If Noah and Chase notice, they don’t say anything. They’re in a heated debate over whether pineapple belongs on a pizza or not. But Mason—his gaze lingers on our hands, and for some reason my heart squeezes. Now’s not the time to dwell on that, though. Right now I just want to enjoy the sensation of my hand engulfed in Aiden’s.
The wind is biting and I bundle my scarf close to my chest. The streetlights illuminate the parking lot clearly, as well as the huffs of our breath. Groups of people are gathered in the parking lot of the arcade across the street, and we can hear their animated conversations from here. From the other side of the parking lot, there’s a screech of tires and doors opening and slamming.
I look at Charlotte as we walk toward the cars. “I’ll call Anna after she’s had some time to collect her thoughts and see how she is,” I say.
Aiden suddenly pulls me behind him with our attached hands and simultaneously steps in front of me, at the same time a malicious and familiar voice yells, “There you are!”
I peek out from behind Aiden’s tense back. Mason steps in front of Charlotte, and since Noah and Chase were walking in front of us, they’re the first ones greeted by Ryan and his friends. But Ryan isn’t even looking at them. His venomous gaze is locked solely on Aiden, the hate in his eyes plain to see.
“You’re a fucking murderer!” Ryan yells.
Before I even notice Ryan lunge, Aiden gently but firmly pushes me farther behind him and simultaneously steps forward toward the action. At the same time, Chase and Noah, being the closest to Ryan, grab him on either side, stopping him from advancing any farther.