Page 66 of Check You Out

I let out a low chuckle and gesture to the door. “I should get going. I’ve, uh, got an early morning.” Rising from my seat, I grab my purse from the nearby end table. “Thank you, again, for ramen and tea. It was very nice.”

He nods, putting his hands on his knees before standing up. “I’ll, uh, walk you home. Thank you for the cookies.” He strokes his mustache. “Or thank you to Nicole for giving them to you.”

Xander perks up. “Nicole gave you cookies. Where?”

Aidan points to the kitchen before opening the front door for me, and I follow a few steps behind him. As he closes the door, I call out over my shoulder, “Bye cockblock!”

Xander scrambles with a cookie in his hand, his eyes wide and his cheeks reddened. “Wait, what? I’m sorry! I’ll—”

I slam the door and run off, laughing and tossing my head back. My hair streams behind me. Arms reach around my waist when I reach the street, and I let out a squeal as Aidan pulls me to his chest. He spins me around, and I come face-to-face with him. His dark hair is messy from our jaunt down the street and his glasses are skewed. He cradles my elbows in his hands.

“You should’ve seen his face,” I say, sticking a finger in his chest. I mimic Xander’s wide eyes and slack jaw.

“I saw.” His thumbs rub against the skin on the inside of my arms.

My stomach does the flippy thing for the fiftieth time that night.

We stand there in the glowing streetlight. The trees framing the sidewalk sparkle with fireflies. My heart hammers in my ribcage and my chest heaves from my breaths.

“Now, where were we?” I ask, my voice low and husky.

Aidan’s mouth drops open. “Right. Right. Right. I-uh, w-w-w we were—”

I peer at him and blink rapidly several times. He stutters for a few more seconds. Did I break him or something?

“Ah, fuck it,” I murmur as I wrap my arms around his neck and our mouths crash together. He stiffens somewhat, but then envelopes his arms around my body, running a hand along my back and fingering my hair with his other hand. He presses his lips against mine, and I swallow back a groan in the back of my throat. He tastes of mint, salt, and there’s a faint dab of coffee. When we finally part, we rest our foreheads against each other while our breaths come in pants.

We stare into each other’s eyes for a few moments, just listening to the sound of the crickets and the hum of an AC unit somewhere nearby.

Finally, I break the silence. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”

“Really?” he says, his eyes widening. “S-s-so, have I!” He twirls a strand of my hair in his fingers and stares intently. “I’ve wanted to touch your hair since I saw you. I always thought it would feel like silk. Although to be honest, I’m not entirely sure what silk feels like.”

A low chuckle escapes me. “I’m not entirely sure either. What does my hair feel like?”

“Better than silk,” he murmurs. He runs strands between his forefinger and thumb. “It’s soft and fluffy and yet firm. I didn’t realize that the curls would just stay that way.” He grins and his white teeth gleam in the twilight.

“Really? Because you have wavy hair too.”

He reaches up and rakes through his own hair. “It’s shorter. I mean, I have thought about growing it out. But then I see Liam and his hair, and it makes me intimidated,” he wonders aloud.

I push a lock of his hair behind his ear, feeling the soft skin under my fingertips. “I think you could pull it off. If you grow it out, you gotta let me braid it.”

A dimple pops. “Done.” He lets out a huff. “Why are we talking about hair again?”

“No idea.” We kiss again. The AC unit has stopped, so now there’s no sound except for the crickets, our inhales and exhales.

“Are those stars? Or fireflies?” I whisper, nodding at the lights floating around us.

“What fireflies?” Aidan breathes.

“You’re not looking at them?” I ask. My fingers play with the ends of his hair as I take in the floating balls of light. I laugh. “They’re beautiful.”

“Why would I look at them when there’s something even more beautiful right here?” His mouth spreads into a wide grin.

My mouth goes dry, and I meet his steady, dark gaze. After a heartbeat, I kiss him again, softer this time, less needy. He’s gentle, despite the hot raging lust coursing through us.

Neither of us are looking at the fireflies.