Kiss My Ice

3|1

31.

            The large iron gate that stood in front of my car seemed a lot more intimidating to me than it was the first time I saw it. Right now, the gate seemed to scream 'STAY OUT' in large, aggressive letters.

            I clicked the switch on the door of my car, watched as the window rolled down. I sucked in my bottom lip, glanced around at the tall trees around me as if someone was going to jump out at yell at me. It wasn't like I was about to commit a crime, but it felt like it.

            Aiden knew that I was coming over. He thought that it would be easier for me to already be there when the rest of the guys showed up instead of it being the other way around. He probably wasn't wrong.

            If how they had responded to seeing Aiden and I kiss at practice was any indication of how tonight was going to go, I likely would want to run from the scene. Similar to how I ran from the bonfire...

            But I was in a much better frame of mind after a two-hour long therapy session with Lucy and Riley. I felt like I was ready to tackle any question that the guys would have.

            I leaned out the window, punched 2-7-4-8 into the keypad.

            A loud clicking sound echoed from the gate's latch, followed shortly by the iron gate creaking open to make room for my car to drive through. I slid back down into my seat, feeling relieved that the gate opened. A small part of me had been afraid that the gate's locking system would malfunction, failing to open the gate.

            I bit down on the inside of my cheeks. I was overthinking again. It was a bad habit that I really needed to get a grip on.

            My fingers clenched tightly to the steering wheel as I drove through the now open gate. Why did it feel like I was committing a crime? I knew I was doing nothing wrong. Aiden had invited me over. He knew I was here.

            In the rearview mirror I could see the gate start to close as I drove slowly down the long, winding drive that led to the mansion of a home. Seeing the Gray's house for second time around, it was just as large and elegant as I had remembered. Everything about it screamed that they had money from the floor to ceiling windows, to the young man (I assumed to be a worker) that was outside shaping their already perfectly trimmed hedges.

            I parked my car in front of their four-car garage. As I stepped out of my car, I couldn't help comparing it to the white Range Rover that was parked next to me. Parked next to a car as expensive as a Range Rover, my small Chevy Cruz might as well have been a pile of junk.

            "Hey," Aiden greeted, suddenly appearing from around the corner. He must have been outside and heard my car pull up.

            A smile tugged the corners of my lips. "Hey."

            I began closing the distance between us, taking note of how good Aiden looked in a tank top. He had ditched the hoodies I usually saw him in for a loose fit grey tank top that showed off some impressively toned arms. I had to resist an overwhelming urge I suddenly felt to reach out and touch his biceps.

            Who knew that a hockey player had so much muscle?

            "What time are the guys supposed to be here?" I asked, electing to ignore every hormonal urge I felt to tackle Aiden.

            Aiden shrugged. "An hour or two."

            Over an hour alone with Aiden... My cheeks warmed. I turned my head towards the garage to hide my blushing. I didn't mind the sound of that.