Chapter One
Harlow
He wasn’t one of those boys next door. I doubt he’d ever been called gentle or sweet. He was rough around the edges, his voice deep and gruff. I had no doubt he’d even been called a little bit crazy.
And for some reason, I was transfixed by him.
Aiden Graft.
He’d been the new kid at school last month, his identity shrouded in mystery, because he was a loner, kept to himself, and seemed perfectly content with that. He seemed like he had a chip on his shoulder and wore a perpetual scowl on his hard-set face. I wondered if he harbored secrets. And if he did, I doubt anyone would ever find out what they were.
For the last month, I’d watched him from afar, this gorgeous solitary boy who everyone gave a wide berth. It was like they knew he was dangerous. He certainly looked like he had the ability to beat the shit out of someone without even breaking a sweat.
I wanted to figure him out, to see what made him tick.
I wanted to know who he was… who he really was.
I braced my elbows on the table and stared at him from across the cafeteria. He was always alone, but he seemed completely content with that. He sat in the corner of the room, everyone around him loud and obnoxious, always moving, always active.
But he was still, relaxed, like the world turned at his pace.
He was leaned back in his chair, his leg propped up on the seat in front of him. There was a bottle of water, an apple, and a protein bar sitting on the table before him. And he was alone, only two people seated at the far end, as if they were afraid to get any closer.
And every day, I watched as he read a book during lunch. It was always a new one, as if he devoured the one the day before and was hungry for more.
And I found that so attractive.
Just looking at him, how he dressed, how anti-social he was, you’d assume he was some unintelligent punk. I knew a lot of people thought that, saw him as dangerous. But I looked past all that.
I noticed a couple jocks walk past his table, glancing at Aiden and murmuring to each other before they chuckled.
Idiots. They were all idiots.
I knew everybody at school was curious about Aiden, wondering why he didn’t care to join one of the cliques, why he seemed far older than any other senior at school. He wore a leather jacket, a white T-shirt underneath. His jeans were slightly loose, with a distressed look to them. His outfit had me picturing Aiden working on a Harley.
I didn’t even know if he owned a motorcycle, but he looked like he would, especially with that leather jacket. And I found that arousing as well.
Who was I kidding? I found everything about Aiden attractive.
“Harlow, why don’t you just go talk to him?”
I snapped my head in Pixie’s direction. My best friend since elementary school had a bag of chips in one hand, her other hand digging around inside before she pulled out one of the fried pieces of potato.
She shoved that chip into her mouth, her expression a little bit expectant as she waited for me to respond.
“What are you talking about?” I played dumb, obviously. Oh, I knew what she was talking about, because it’s not like I was trying to be secretive in my obsession with Aiden. But I’m not sure how I felt about her calling me out.
She lifted an eyebrow like she couldn’t believe I was trying to play it off that way. “Girl, who do you think you’re talking to? You know exactly what I’m referring to.” She tipped her chin in Aiden’s direction, and I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at him.
I felt my heart jump into my throat when I saw him looking right at me. Or maybe he was just staring in my vicinity? Either way, my body reacted.
I looked away quickly and cleared my throat, staring at my lunch. I wasn’t hungry, but I started to pick at my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, wanting something to keep me occupied, because I could still feel his focus on me.
“I’m just curious about him is all,” I said softly and turned my attention to Pixie. The fall of my dark hair made a curtain that had me feeling a semblance of security, like I wasn’t under a microscope right now. I felt like it hid my feelings for Aiden, even if I didn’t know what those feelings were.
She didn’t say anything as she started to talk with one of the other girls at the table, clearly forgetting about calling me out for being a creep where Aiden was concerned. And I found myself looking at him again.