Innocent Emily Kim

Chapter 20: Reflection

The rest of the evening was awkward, to say the least. Aiden avoided Emily, trying to forget the intense kiss. He could still taste her on his tongue. She, on the other hand, was overthinking everything. Trivial matters became major concerns. She initiated, for the plan, but she couldn't help worrying about exactly where her feelings lie.

Aiden left the room immediately after the kiss. This gave Emily the opportunity to unhealthily think over the whole event, taking the time to grab clothes from his closet and change.

My first kiss. She couldn't believe it. She always imagined Axel, sweet and soft. She would have never guessed it would be Aiden, rough and demanding.

There was a knock on the door. She popped her head out of the closet, all dressed in the usual shirt and boxers.

"Are you decent?" called Axel, walking in with his hands covering his eyes.

"Yes..."

She walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Axel peeked through his fingers, grinning and letting his arms fall to his sides.

"Wearing my brother's clothes I see. Did you already... you know... sex?"

She gasped, looking down at the clothes. She hopped off the bed, not wanting him to make any assumptions.

"No, we did not."

She felt something close to anger bubbling inside of her. But, she could never be angry with Axel, or so she thought. His head tilted to the side and his grin got even wider.

"Are those... hickeys?"

Her eyes enlarged. He gave me hickeys? He is going to pay for this, she thought.

"Where is Ross?" she asked, avoiding the subject. She held a hand over her neck, trying to hide the love bites.

Axel was taken aback by her question, still focused on her neck.

"Oh, she's back at the party. Got mad about Tristan making out with these twins and not noticing her outfit. She dragged him into a room," he laughed a little, remembering the scene. "Actually, it was kind of funny. The whole house got quiet cause of their yelling. And it wasn't just Ross, Tristan was pretty loud too. I think he saw the crop top and flipped."

She stared at him, shocked.

"Really?"

He laughed.

"Yeah. And then it went dead silent and all we could hear was this thumping. Someone turned the music on and things just went back to normal."

Her mouth was hanging open at the end of the story.

"Anyway," he continued, "I came up to ask if you wanted dinner. It's downstairs. Mom put away leftovers for us. I think she assumed you were coming."

"Okay, am I sleeping in your room? I can sleep over, right?"

She felt so bad in that moment. She totally invited herself without even asking.

"Yeah, of course. But, you can't sleep in my room," he replied.

She frowned, confused.

"I can't?"

"No, you need to sleep in Aiden's room."

She gasped.

"No, I can't do that!"

She was so unbelievably shocked, but she needed a place to stay. If Aiden was her only option, she guessed she didn't have any other choice.

"Come on, please. For me?" he pleaded, his arms open in exaggeration.

She sighed. For him, she would do anything. Even if it meant kissing another man, or sleeping in his bed, or transforming into a seductive minx. She couldn't hopelessly disregard the feelings that grew for him over the years. Not for his jerk of a brother, she reminded herself.

"Okay," she said, admitting defeat.

He grinned.

"Great! This way you can keep flirting your way to his heart."

She nodded.

"And then break it," he smiled. Hand raised, his spread fingers snapped into a gripping fist.

Her eyes widened in discomfort at the visual imagery. That took a dark turn. But he was right, she would need to break his heart. It was her duty. The only reason she was still around this wild, exciting group of people.

"Let's go get dinner."

He started walking away. She followed close behind him, wondering how she should seduce him. She knew she had to up her game if she wanted to invade Aiden's heart. Having read plenty of romance novels, more historical than not, she understood the passion that lovers formed, yearning for each others touch. And she would keep him yearning, until he snaps. Maybe, unlike the sweet love built over connections and bonds, Aiden needed the physical stuff.