Dissipate

He gave my hand a squeeze as he spoke, “It’s a date then.” I loved the fact that I had a date.

Brooklyn did her little clap thing when she was excited.

A guy approached Aiden and whispered something in his ear. Aiden looked at me. “I’ll be right back. There’s something I need to handle.”

Then, he made eye contact with Mike who responded to what must have been a silent question, “You got it.”

Aiden followed the guy upstairs. I was about to say something when someone came and plopped beside me, nearly knocking the couch backward. I braced myself.

“Hey, you came. I knew you’d come. This is better than a phone call.” Trent slurred his words.

Trent was acting weird and I wasn’t sure what to say as he appeared friendlier than what seemed acceptable.

“Umm . . . hey, Trent.” My voice was guarded.

Trent whistled or attempted to. “I like your new look. Fuck a duck, you’re even prettier than before.”

His words made me uncomfortable and I scooted away. It was evident what he was intending and I wanted Aiden. Quickly, I searched the room to see if I could see him. He was nowhere to be seen.

“Trent.” Mike’s tone was a clear warning and I was relieved he recognized how uncomfortable I was.

Throwing his hand on my leg haphazardly, I moved away. The touch repulsed me. Brooklyn got off Mike’s lap before he stood.

“What? She’s single. She’s hot. Don’t Trent me.”

Mike shook his head and I swear he got bigger as he crossed his arms over his chest. I was now far enough away that I had lost contact with Trent’s hand.

“She’s with Aiden, Trent.” Mike’s booming voice had me wanting to shrink back.

Trent looked my way and gave me a goofy smile. “You can still call me.” He lowered his voice to what he thought was a whisper, but was still loud enough for everyone to hear. “I won’t tell if you call. Pssst . . . I like to bang Aiden’s girlfriends.”

I gasped and stood as two hands grabbed Trent’s collar. “Don’t lay a mother fucking hand on Kenzie again. Stay away, Trent. I’ll get your ass kicked out of the house so fast and not think twice about it. I’m not messing around.”

Trent laughed and Aiden was breathing hard. I’d never seen Aiden this agitated. Moving across the way, I joined Brooklyn on the couch.

Trent leaned his head back and cockily slurred, “Just give her time. She’ll be begging me to fuck her hard like Stacy.”

A fist crunched into the side of Trent’s face as Brooklyn and I cringed at the sound.

“HEY, PUT THIS on your knuckles.” We were in the kitchen at my apartment as I handed Aiden a bag of ice.

Taking the ice, Aiden leaned his head against the light colored wood cabinets. As he pressed it against his knuckles he didn’t wince and I had a feeling he was only icing them for the benefit of me. I put my flowers in a vase I’d found in one of the cabinets.

Aiden’s blue eyes pierced me. “This was not how I envisioned our first night as a couple.” Then thoughtfully, added, “I’m sorry about Trent.”

Looking at Aiden’s hand, I played with a few strands of my hair. Tonight had been a test and showed me how much I still had to learn as I integrated myself into this society. “Mike was there and you returned the minute he crossed

the line. Is it true about Stacy?”

I knew it shouldn’t bother me, but it did.

He cleared his throat, “Yeah. We dated in high school. Last school year, I was supposed to be gone for a long weekend at my parents’ house. Stacy had wanted to stay behind. Her parents fought all the time and she hated going home.”

Pausing for a second, he shook his head as if he was clearing a bad memory. “I came back early to surprise her. Trent and Stacy were in bed together at her place. The rest is history. She said it wasn’t what it looked like and that she’d been confused. The normal bullshit you hear people saying.”

Aiden shifted the ice on his hand. “Anyway, she’s been trying to get back together since then. When Stacy saw me on the lawn with you near that tree, she freaked out on me as we walked back to the Sigma Chi house. I told her you were just a friend. The last thing I needed was for her to scare you off.”

I hated feeling insecure about myself. However, Stacy was beautiful and experienced—the exact opposite of me.