The Naughty List (The Naughty List #1)(45)
Author: Suzanne Young

“I brought a couple of sodas, if you’re thirsty,” Christian whispered, turning the ignition key so that he could put on the radio. He might have been trying to be romantic since he had Radiohead playing low, filtering in through the speakers. I was sure the skirt didn’t help keep things platonic. Boys just didn’t respect it. It made them all goofy. Just then, Christian glanced at my legs.

Even though I wasn’t thirsty, I nodded when he offered me a soda from a cooler in the backseat. We sat quietly, listening to music. It was nearly ten o’clock. Could they still be at dinner?

“So what else did your sister tell you?” I asked. If she was sneaking around with my boyfriend, she’d have something to say about it. The boy was talented at more than just basketball.

“Nothing. My sister hardly talks to me at home. And she especially doesn’t talk to me about the guys she’s dating.”

Hold on. “She is not dating Aiden,” I said forcefully. I nearly spilled my can of pop. If he cheated, that was one severely messed-up thing, but dating? No. Not likely.

Christian shook his head. “Sorry. You’re right. I just mean, she hasn’t said anything about him to me. Other than that they were going to dinner.”

Franks and beans! I wanted to cry again. I couldn’t take this emotional roller coaster I was on. This was all too much. I should just call Aiden and ask him what was going on. He’d tell me. Aiden wouldn’t cheat. He would never …

His car drove past us and turned into the driveway. I swallowed hard and set my drink in the center console as I leaned forward. My heart rate was through the roof. I couldn’t tell if anyone was with him.

Aiden sat in his car for a long time. His outline was visible through the back window. What was he doing? Was she with him? Good golly! I was going to have a heart attack.

His door opened. I held my breath as I watched his long body climb out. He looked nervous, darting his eyes around the neighborhood. I almost didn’t recognize him. He was still in his track pants, but he had a baseball hat on, pulled low. A disguise?

“Is Chloe with him?” Christian asked. He was staring at me and not out the window.

“I don’t know yet.”

I put my hands on the dashboard and tried to steady myself. I was shaking so badly with adrenaline, I felt like I could lift a car or do some other superhuman thing like that.

Aiden turned back to his Jetta and walked around to the passenger door. I gasped. She was with him, wasn’t she? I whimpered.

He opened the door. Aiden reached his hand in, and Chloe took it as he pulled her out. She stood up, clad in a cute, yellow sundress, and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him. I moaned.

“There it is,” Christian whispered.

No. Not Aiden. Not him.

I began to cry but didn’t look away. I felt Christian’s fingers touch my knee, and they were warm. He shouldn’t have been touching me, but I was too sick to care. My heart hurt.

I stared out the windshield, mumbling to myself, wanting to curl up into a ball. Aiden was looking down at Chloe, his hands at her shoulders, near the thin straps of her dress, while they talked. I wished I had audio. She was all over him, and at least Aiden had the sense to not do anything in his driveway. At least he had that much respect for us.

Then he put his arm around her waist and moved her away from the car so that he could shut the door. What was he doing?

“So sorry,” Christian said next to me, squeezing my knee and moving his hand to rub at the skin just above it. I looked over at him. He turned quickly to me and apologized again. I would have thought his concern for me was sweet if I weren’t having a complete breakdown. I couldn’t even feel his touch.

I focused back in on Aiden. He led Chloe up the stairs to his big front porch as she clutched onto him, his T-shirt balled in her fist. I hated her. I’d never hated anyone in my whole life, but at this moment, I hated her. And if I talked to her, I’d tell her as much.

Aiden turned back, looking over the street guiltily. One hundred percent. One hundred percent of the time, they cheated. I thought that maybe Aiden could be the one exception, but it sure as heck didn’t look that way.

As Aiden walked into his darkly lit house with Chloe and shut the door, I covered my mouth with my hands. He’d brought her inside! He was cheating on me. I was too stunned to move.

I was Mary Rudick. I was just like her when she found out about Kyle. I’d become her. I’d become the meaning behind SOS.

“Tessa?” Christian asked softly, his hand moving dangerously close to the hem of my skirt. But I didn’t tell him to move it. I didn’t care. And I wasn’t going to answer him either. Instead, I just stared at Aiden’s house, hoping he’d come marching outside and walk over to this car and yank me out. He would tell me he loved me and that this was all a big mistake. That nothing happened or was even going to happen.

The light in his upstairs bedroom flicked on, and my heart officially broke.

No.

No.

Not my Aiden. Not him.

I bent over, sobbing violently. This wasn’t real. It was some nightmare, and I was still in Aiden’s room, letting him hold me like he did last night. He wouldn’t hurt me. Never.

Christian’s hand moved off my leg and touched my shoulder. He wasn’t Aiden, but I wished he were. I let Christian pull me into him, and I cried against his shirt. Hard.

I’d lost everything. I reached up and wrapped my hands behind Christian’s neck as I continued to shake. What would I do? What could I possibly do now?

“Don’t cry, Tessa,” Christian whispered into my hair. His voice was soft. I liked it.

“I don’t understand,” I choked out, letting go of him to wipe my face. Christian was holding me tightly, and although I knew I needed to pull away from him, I didn’t. I felt so lonely. So dead.

“He’s an ass**le,” Christian said.

“No,” I mumbled, trying to let the numbness take me over. I didn’t want to cry anymore. I didn’t want to hurt.

Christian slid his hand from my shoulder to hold the back of my neck. It was actually very comforting. I suddenly felt protected.

“Shh …” he said into my hair. His breath was warm on my ear.

It made me feel special, the way he wanted me. I didn’t love him. He wasn’t Aiden. But Christian liked me even without the pep. I sniffled and looked at him.

“I want to go home,” I said, and slowly began to pull away. Only, when I moved back, Christian kept his hand on my neck, tilting my mouth toward his.