A Starry Eyed Mystery

Chapter 7

Did I think that Aidan Wilcock, the bad boy, badass and opinionated guy was about to apologize to me for breaking my heart? Yes, yes I did. But did he? No, he did not. In fact, he lunged at me and playfully growled, "You better watch your mouth, Smartass. You're gonna pay for that." Oh boy. With that, I quickly sprinted away. There go my UGG boots. Unfortunately, I forgot that Aidan was on the track team in high school. So within seconds he had caught up to me. He tackled me against the tree and pulled me towards his chest. For those few seconds, we were just staring at each other. Being this close made me want to kiss him. Hold up, what the hell, Ashley? You can't just want to kiss this guy. I shook away that thought, and soon I felt my feet lift off the ground. Aidan swiftly started walking towards the water. "Aidan, I swear to god, you better not dump me in that water. Or I will officially hire a hitman to get rid of you." At the split second, he let me go. I let out a sigh of relief. He smiled to himself. "Okay, let's just go set this picnic up. The sun will set soon." He spread out the blanket on the boardwalk and started putting out the food. Pasta, club sandwiches and potato chips for the main course. Tiramisu in little cups and macarons for dessert. And a jug of lemonade and a few bottles of water for drinks. I was officially in love. "Oh my god, Aidan. These look so good, did you really do all of this for me?" He smiled a satisfied smile. "No, my mommy did it, Ashley." He rolled his eyes at me. I laughed, feeling lighter than I have in a while. I've forgotten how I loved joking with Aidan when we were together. "Speaking of your parents, how are they?" Mr. and Mrs. Wilcock had moved out of town and moved to Orange County when Aidan left for New York. "They're good. I actually visited them before I came here, and I've never seen them so happy before." "That's great, I used to love talking to them." I said, remembering how close I used to be with his family. They loved me as if I were their own. Ugh, this wasn't the time to be feeling nostalgic. We started digging into the delicious food in a peaceful silence. After a few minutes, he broke it. "The sun's about to set." He said this quietly, as if not to disturb the surrounding serenity. I looked towards the sun. Wow, it was so beautiful. The bright hues of reds and oranges combined together to create a watercolour painting effect. Soon elements of soft pinks were visible which created a beautiful contrast against the darkening sky. "That was honestly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." I murmured, still in awe. Aidan smiled cockily. "Other than me, you mean, right?" I laughed, perhaps louder that I should with a guy I supposedly hate. I playfully shoved him and he grinned, giving me butterflies. I needed to stop feeling this way around him, so I distracted myself by returning my attention to the food. Mmm, so good. Aidan went back to the car to grab a few more water bottles and an extra blanket since it was getting chilly. I took that time to think. There were so many things swirling around in my mind. Olivia's not so nearly attempted murder, Aidan acting much nicer than he did when we first met, what Olivia was involved with, and my changing feelings towards Aidan. Stress, so much stress. However, we enjoyed the rest of the evening in mostly silence. I didn't even notice how late it was getting or that I was leaning against Aidan's shoulder. He moved his arm to my waist to hold me in place. No matter how much I knew I should move, I didn't. It felt right. Before long, I felt my eyes starting to droop.

I was suddenly awakened by Aidan shifting beside me. "Hey princess, maybe we should get going. You need your beauty sleep." He said in a low tone, teasingly. I stifled a yawn and pulled myself out of his embrace. "How long was I out for?" He replied, "About half an hour. We should get you home though, before your carriage turns back into a pumpkin. It's almost midnight." I nodded and started to help pack everything up. Within minutes, we were ready. I looked at him shyly. "Thank you for tonight. It was perfect." He smiled, "Anytime." Before we left, I took one last look at the beautiful scenery surrounding us. The beach looked a deep blue, almost identical to the sky, littered with hundreds of twinkling stars. The moon was out and about, full and incredibly bright. The silhouettes of the trees gave me a peaceful feeling. Nothing about this town could be eerie. Until Olivia's incident of course. But it was official, I was starry eyed.

Aidan and I started walking to the car. I was still wrapped in the extra blanket since midnight wasn't the hottest time of day. Tonight was everything I could've imagined. I really feel the best and worst around this guy. But my happiness was cut short when I took in the sight in front of us: Aidan's car. Oh my God. This could not be happening. All four of his tires were slashed. How were we going to get out of here?

Chapter 7 is complete!!

What did you guys think of the rising chemistry between the two?

What about the cliffhanger at the end??

I apologize if my updates are a little late; school has been quite busy lately!

But stay tuned for the next chapter on Tuesday!

Keep dreaming, dreamers!

-Ennie