An age gap love story.
A brokenhearted billionaire.
A college girl.
*****
"Nevaeh," Aiden whispers, "can I rest my head on your shoulder?"
I nod, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. He closes his eyes.
"Thank you." He sighs in contentment. "...
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"Right. Over there." I bite my lower lip, watching as the house staff members help me put the balloons on the ceiling of the living room.
A grin of satisfaction spreads across my lips as my eyes scan the decorations.
Ian steps from the dining room and travels his gaze around the room with a knowing smile. "You really turned this space into a whole different atmosphere. He'll be surprised."
I giggle. I don't know whether Aiden likes this kind of surprise or not, but I must admit that all these birthday decorations make his place more lively.
"It's about time that this house gets a girl's touch," Ian says with humor -- he can't hide the happiness in his voice. "It was getting boring. Too cold. Too stagnant. Sometimes I wondered if I was inside that castle in the Beauty and the Beast movie."
His comment makes my eyebrows rise. Even though Ian was only joking, I can't help but picture Aiden in that kind of castle.
All this time, Aiden has been surrounded by lovely people who care about him, but the thought of him ever feeling cold and lonely in this house makes my heart sink.
He was a man who chose to forget his sorrow by burying himself in work. He had those nightmares that he wished he could forget. But I hope that it's all over now. No one should continue living with such pain and loneliness.
When my eyes dart to Ashton, I frown. Despite this exciting birthday celebration for Aiden that Ian and I are really looking forward to, Ashton looks somehow distracted. He's sitting on the stool at the kitchen counter with his eyes glued to his phone.
He looks restless, involuntarily shaking his legs like he's desperately waiting for something to be done. His expression is a mixture of anger and... disappointment? What is going on?
"Ashton," I call, causing him to snap his head toward me. "Are you alright? You seem restless."
I wonder what's bothering his mind. I see the nervousness in Ashton's expression when he shakes his head. "Nothing. It's just--" He takes a deep breath. "Something about work, about the business." Before I can open my mouth to ask more about it, Ashton cuts me off, "It's not something that can't be settled, though. It's just taking longer than we expected. Aiden is taking care of it, and I think it will cause him to come home late."
Ashton is avoiding my eyes, as though he feels guilty, when in fact, he shouldn't feel so.
"Did he tell you when he'll be here?" I ask.
Aiden hasn't answered my texts for hours. It's unusual for him to do that because we always check on each other throughout the day, but I know that he's busy. Maybe Ashton knows something.
"No." Ashton swallows before he looks up to see me again.
My mouth drops open because of the sadness lingering in his eyes, as if it's killing him to speak to me about it.
