A Starry Eyed Mystery

Chapter 6

I was lost in thought. Olivia Dean: strangled, but not intentionally murdered. But why? Aidan and I had made ourselves out of the hospital and went back to From Dusk Till Dawn, an iced caramel macchiato in my hand, and a mocha in his. I sighed. "I swear this mystery is making no sense anymore. It's like we're back at square one." He briefly nodded, "Well that's detective work for you. Haven't you read enough of Nancy Drew books to know that?" Ugh, and he was back to his old snarky self. I rolled my eyes and decided to be blunt. He gave his opinion one too many times, so it's time I started doing the same. "Aidan damn Wilcock, for one, just one time can you stop being sarcastic and be a little compassionate for once? I don't care what you said about the past being in the past: you broke my heart, you broke me. And now, a year later, you're back with that damn attitude and can't even be of any help. You're the most arrogant and confusing person ever. Like leave me the hell alone if you're not going to help. You clearly don't want to be here anyway. So leave." He stayed put in his chair, slowly stirring his coffee, and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for being a dick, but it is what it is. No use in sugarcoating everything. Yeah, I broke your heart. Yeah, I'm not as compassionate as you. But I'm still going to stay. The police force asked both of us, not just you, Smartass." "Plus", he added, his face softening just the slightest bit, "I don't want you to be in any danger. You need help, so I'll give it to you." After hesitating, I complied. "Fine, you win." I knew my sullen face wasn't very convincing though. He noticed this. "Hey, Ash. Maybe we're overthinking this. Either way, let's take a break. I'll make it up to you. Pick you up at 7?" I looked at him, surprised with the sincerity of his tone. "Where are we going?" I tried to hide the enthusiasm from my face, but he saw right through me. Dammit Ashley, you're supposed to hate this guy but you're excited to go somewhere with him. Wait...this isn't like a date right? I thought. He grinned. "I swear I can sense you internally panicking. It's a surprise, but bring something warm, it'll get a bit chilly." I nodded, regretfully being excited at the prospect of spending time with him.

At 6:45, I was the world's biggest hot mess. I didn't know what to wear and have spent the last hour trying to figure that out. And I was panicking. Anxiety really hit me at the wrong times. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Just calm down Ashley. Everything will be fine. I shook out my hands, calming myself. Finally, I brought myself to pick out an outfit. A denim miniskirt and a white cropped top with my stylish brown wool jacket and short brown UGGS. I ran a brush through my dark curly hair and applied a touch of clear lip gloss. No point in caking myself with makeup and making myself look worse than I normally do. At 7 sharp, my doorbell rang. Mom was still at the station so thankfully I wouldn't have to face her wrath. However, I left a note saying that I would be out for a bit. I opened the door, covering up my smile as much as possible. But seeing Aidan made my jaw drop. Damn, this boy could be an Armani model. His dirty blonde hair looked both messy and styled at the same time, his gorgeous green eyes glancing at me. Black jeans with a denim jacket and white shirt, complete with Air Force Ones and a subtle silver chain. Goddamn, please tell me I was not drooling as I checked him out. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. He met my eyes and his face broke out in a smile. "Looking good, Ash. Ready to go?" I smiled back. "Of course, let's go!" Crap, I sounded too eager there, didn't I? He led me out to his car, a shiny black BMW which has likely never had a scratch. "Nice car," I eked out, trying to hide my awe. He grinned and opened the passenger door for me. "After you, ma'am." I got in the car, with him getting into the driver's side. After a few minutes on the road, I couldn't take it anymore. "So where exactly are you taking me? This better not be one of those horror movies where you murder me and bury me in the deep woods." He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Nah, don't worry. I was planning on submerging your body in the water." He winked. I gasped, feigning fury. "Aidan Wilcock, you better take me back home before you do something you regret." "Something like this?" he replied, taking my hand in his. I blushed, avoiding all eye contact with him. He cleared his throat and let go, stopping the car. "We're here," he announced. I gasped, we were at the beach, right near the boardwalk. The sun was low in the sky, close to sunset. And wow, was it beautiful. He opened the door for me and gestured for me to get out. He went to the backseat and pulled out a blanket and picnic basket. "Welcome to your first ever sunset picnic," he said, with a small smirk on his face. I decided to be feisty. "How do you know I didn't have one after you left?" I shot back, hiding a smile. He rolled his eyes. "I know you didn't. But what do you think? A good break from detective work?" Wow, he was acting way too nice for his own good. Well, I might as well enjoy it. "Of course, who knew that Aidan Wilcock was capable of doing good things?" I said that in a teasing tone but I truly didn't expect his face to turn serious. He took a breath and lifted his eyes to meet mine. But he couldn't hold it for long. "Listen Ash, I have something to tell you..."

Chapter 6 is complete!!

What did you guys think of Aidan's mild apology?

What about the outing he's planning for the two of them? Do you think it's a date?

Let me know what you guys think.

By the way, I have added an image each for the previous chapters to spice up the visual aspect of this story!

And stay tuned for the next chapter on Thursday!!

Keep dreaming, dreamers!

-Ennie