Inside Jessica's living room, laughter kept playing like a scratched record.
The movie was on, something loud and filled with explosions, but Aiden barely heard it. Jessica had leaned into his side again, giggling at something he didn't register. Connie's fingers had stopped tracing his arm and now rested gently on his thigh, just a touch—but charged.
His phone buzzed again. Rosalie texted.
"They're gone. For now."
Connie tilted her head toward him, voice low and velvet-soft. "Everything okay, Shade?"
The nickname—unspoken for years—slid like ice under his skin.
He stood abruptly. "Bathroom."
Jessica frowned. "You sure you're—?"
"I just need a second."
He shut the door behind him and gripped the sink, breathing heavy. The dim bathroom light flickered once, then steadied.
His reflection stared back at him—older, stronger, but no less haunted.
Something had been set in motion.
The game with Connie. The tension with Rosalie. The whispers behind Edward's eyes. Something primal, something buried, was clawing its way back into his life.
He splashed cold water on his face, and as droplets slid down his cheek, one of them felt warmer than the others—like blood.
Aiden didn't hear the door open—just felt the change in the air.
When he looked up from the sink, Jessica was already inside, quietly closing the door behind her. Her reflection wavered behind his in the mirror.
"Thought you might've climbed out the window," she teased lightly, stepping closer.
He turned, arms crossed. "Jess."
She leaned against the counter, blocking his path without touching him. "Everyone's either half-asleep or making out on the couch. I figured… why not check on you?"
Aiden stayed still. His silence wasn't cold—but it was clear.
Jessica stepped in a little closer, her voice softer now, edged with something more vulnerable. "You know, you're hard to read sometimes."
"I'm not trying to be."
She reached up like she might touch his face, then dropped her hand. "You're not like the other guys here. You don't try too hard. You don't laugh at dumb jokes. You actually see people."
Aiden shifted his weight. "Jess—"
"I'm not stupid," she cut in, voice tightening. "I see the way you look at her."
That caught him. His brow furrowed. "At who?"
"Rosalie." Jessica let out a dry laugh, eyes shimmering. "She's perfect, right? Hair like a movie star, skin like glass, walks like she owns the ground. You think she sees you? Like really sees you?"
Aiden's jaw tightened.
Jessica pressed on, her voice dropping—half angry, half aching. "You don't even realize what it's like watching her just… snap her fingers and have every guy in the room on his knees. You're not like that. That's why I—"
"Jessica." His voice was low but steady. "I'm not interested."
She blinked.
He softened slightly, not cruel—just honest. "You're great. You are. But this... isn't me. I don't play games. I'm not a prize. And whatever's going on with Rosalie… it's complicated."
Jessica's throat bobbed. For a second, she looked like she might cry—but then she nodded, swallowing it all down.
"Right. Of course." She straightened her posture. "I shouldn't have come in."
She reached for the door but paused. "For what it's worth… She's lucky. Even if she doesn't know it yet."
And with that, she slipped out the door, leaving Aiden alone once again—surrounded by silence, the echo of honesty, and the weight of someone else's heartbreak.
Jessica sank into the couch, a heavy weight pressing down on her chest as memories of the night in her room replayed with unsettling clarity. The way Aiden had stiffened when she tried to get closer—the barely concealed tension, the flicker of something fierce and unreadable in his eyes. She hadn't expected him to push her away so sharply, and yet a twisted part of her felt electrified by it.
Her thoughts spiraled: Does he even want me? Or is he just… scared? The line between desire and frustration blurred dangerously. She'd always been used to getting what she wanted, but Aiden wasn't like anyone else. He was a storm—unpredictable, wild, and completely magnetic.
Before she could sink deeper into the whirlpool of her own emotions, the door creaked open. Angela stepped in, her eyes sharp but concerned.
"Jessica, you okay? You've been quiet."
Jessica blinked, trying to shake off the heaviness. "Yeah, just… thinking."
Angela perched on the armrest beside her, her gaze steady. "About Aiden?"
Jessica swallowed hard. "Yeah. He's… complicated."
Angela nodded knowingly. "He's got a past, Jess. You're not the only one trying to figure him out."
Jessica glanced away, biting her lip. "I don't know if I can handle all this… whatever it is. But I want to."
Angela reached out, squeezing her hand gently. "You're stronger than you think. Just take it one step at a time."
Jessica let out a shaky breath, grateful for the quiet support. Outside, the night hummed with possibilities—and the tangled, dangerous pull of what was yet to come.
Jessica sat curled on her bed, heart pounding, mind racing with the sting of rejection still raw in her veins. The way Aiden had shut her down—cold, sharp, like she was nothing more than a ghost trying to haunt him—kept looping over and over.
He didn't just say no, she thought bitterly. He pushed me away like I was poison.
She felt the heat rise in her cheeks, a mix of embarrassment and something darker—frustration, maybe even a hint of anger. Jessica was used to being wanted, to being desired. But Aiden? He was a different game entirely. He was distant, guarded, like a locked door she couldn't pick no matter how hard she tried.
The door creaked open, and Angela slipped inside, eyes immediately catching Jessica's tense posture. "Hey, you alright? You've been quiet."
Jessica gave a bitter laugh, running a hand through her hair. "No, not really. He… he basically told me to back off. Hard."
Angela settled beside her, voice low but steady. "That's Aiden for you. He's not easy, not like the others."
Jessica's jaw clenched. "I don't know why I thought it would be different. He's like a wall."
Angela gave a soft, sympathetic smile. "Maybe. But walls can come down. Just not all at once."
Jessica sighed, biting her lip as the weight of the night pressed down on her. She wanted to say more, to confess how much it hurt—but the words caught in her throat.
Outside, the night felt colder somehow, the silence between them heavy with unspoken things. Jessica stared at the floor, fighting the fierce ache of rejection—and the stubborn hope that maybe, one day, Aiden would let her in.