Deviation

“And Aiden?”

“Actually, I asked him to move in more for him than you.” I see that Edith has no idea what went on between the two lovebirds and it’s not my story to tell…yet. However, if they don’t get their respective heads out of their asses, I will tell her and let Edith whip some sense into them.

“You’re a good boyfriend and a good friend. All those times I thought about hurting myself, I never wanted to hurt you in the process. You understand that, right?”

“I know that, sweetheart, but you scared the shit out of me. You can’t use sex, alcohol, or pills to distract from what you’re feeling anymore. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for bringing you to visit your mother. It was wrong and hurtful.”

“I get why you did it. I know I’m nothing like my parents because I’m choosing something different for my life.”

“That’s my girl. My fighter.”

Edith laughs coyly and, in a small voice, asks, “Does that mean you’ll reconsider and move back into the house?”

“Not until we’re ready.”

When Edith sticks her tongue out and makes a raspberry sound at me, I know we’re finally on the road to recovery.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Edith

The semester is passing quickly, January slowly slides into February, then February into March. April brings final exams and fittings for cap and gown. It’s been incredibly busy for all of us. Shelby has stopped calling Aiden, and is also avoiding answering my direct questions. If she’s not at the commencement ceremony in May, I plan to fly to Italy and kick her stubborn ass to get to the bottom of this.

Date nights with Jack leave me panting, making my panties wet. If he wants to drive me nuts and get me on the verge of mauling his ass each time I see him, he’s definitely succeeded. Last time we went on a date, I dry humped him against the wall of the elevator after begging him to take me to see the new hot movie everyone was talking about. I think they dubbed it a worldwide phenomenon. I won’t say we are anything like the main characters of the movie, but show me a lot of naked actors and I’m liable to do anything. I even threatened to go commando next time we went out. Jack knows I don’t have the balls to do it, but I’ve been contemplating it with all seriousness.

Driving up to the house is no balm for the torrent of emotions I feel. Each window glows with soft light, but I know the walls inside are empty because I let my foolish heart go. Jack continues to live at his apartment close to his office because he is no longer subletting, or maybe the realtor never got it going. I don’t ask. I know space is supposed to be beneficial for us right now, but I didn’t think it would suck so much. My only consolation is that Aiden is staying with me, so I’m not truly alone. I think Aiden needs me as much as I need him right now.

Aiden’s beat up Mercedes sits in the driveway in the spot next to mine where Jack’s BMW should

be. He sleeps downstairs in the office, which we converted into a spare bedroom. Aiden says he doesn’t mind, but I know his heart is hurting for his other half, the same as mine is. Nothing has gone right since I dropped the charges against Daniel, and blaming myself for the strife my non-related family is feeling makes sense. Shelby still hasn’t come back from Italy. I don’t know what’s happened, but she is an ocean away and no sarcastic ribbing on my part is going to bridge the gap of thousands of miles until she is ready to talk to me. I feel like my best friend and the person closest to me is hiding something. Last night, I overheard Aiden on the phone with her. He was the shortest I think I ever heard him be with another human being, which is saying a lot because Shelby really does have the capacity to piss people off with her carefree attitude.

As the late spring sky darkens, I get out of the car and slam the door, jogging up the stone path to collect the mail. I grab the small stack of envelopes, thumbing through them. Most are addressed to Jack. I will either drop them off tomorrow or he will pick them up on Wednesday when he comes to take out the garbage bins so I don’t have to drag the heavy cans to the street. I know Aiden would happily do it, but Jack insists. It’s something about not being an absentee homeowner, but my hope is that he does it to see me. However, he usually times those visits for before I get home from class. The separation is awful, and I’m getting tired of waiting, but I don’t feel I can ask him when things will change.

The mail is nothing more than a collection of various bills and credit card offers. However, one of them looks like a fancier envelope addressed to Jack. I turn it over and the return address is for London. From Jack’s cousins maybe? I know he has family over there…and an ex-girlfriend, who I definitely don’t want to know about. Walking into the house, I take the junk mail and tear them up, putting them in the silver garbage canister. I drop the invitation and bills on the counter.

“Aiden, I’m home. You want to order takeout or FaceTime Shelby first?”

I putter around the kitchen, looking for the takeout menus we usually keep in the junk drawer. Pulling open drawers yields nothing, not even the usual random paperclips or batteries. Since Shelby left, Aiden’s been on this OCD cleaning spree. His coping skills are probably better than mine right now.

“Aiden! Yo, doc?! I hope you’re not wanking off in there!” As I walk towards the back of the house where the spare bedroom is, I feel the hair on the back of my neck rise. “Aiden?” I call out again and listen. I inhale and exhale, my heart rate racing wildly, the pumping as loud as a door slamming.

Catching a whiff of something, a warning signal blares through my body, and I quickly turn in time to deflect the large body coming at me.

“Fuck!” I yell as I’m slammed into the wall. Instinctively, I hunch over to protect itself as another painful blow lands, catching my shoulder.

“You fucking dirty cunt,” I hear as I slide to the floor, my breath shaky. I’m pretty sure my ribs are broken, and I can taste blood in my mouth.

“Daniel, you’re breaking the No Contact order.” I don’t know how I get the words out as calmly as I do because of the pain I’m in. The asshole kneels down to my level and grabs me by the hair, spitting in my face.

“How’s that for keeping my distance, bitch.”

He drags me further down the hallway and that’s when I see the door cracked open. Aiden is lying on his side on the floor. I don’t know if he’s dead or just hurt.

“Oh, Aiden…” The words slip from my lips, tears mixing with blood and stinging my face.

“It wasn’t bad enough you hooked up with the professor, but you had to fuck the doctor, too?” When he pulls me up to stand, a guttural sound emanates from my battered body.

“I never–”