Chapter 76


    See Your Friends


    Vincent? What was he doing here? Had hee to pick me up?


    I looked through my phone, only to find no messages from Vincent at all.


    Had hee to check in on me, with no warning?


    “Vincent’s getting out of his car and heading over here. If you don’t hide, you’ll have to confront him.”


    Aaron raised his eyebrows at me. He didn’t look distressed at all; in fact, he looked excited to watch the


    show.


    I rolled my eyes at him. I’d been nning for so long to get back at Vincent for cheating on me, but if he


    caught me with Aaron, I knew he’d try to y the victim.


    I caught a glimpse of someone approaching, and it was toote for me to get out of the car. I hesitated


    for only a split second before I crouched down and folded my entire body into the space beneath the


    passenger seat.


    I was fortunate that Aaron was driving his SUV today, since it was spacious enough for a grown woman


    like me to hide in. If he’d been driving the convertible, I would have had to pray that Vincent was


    severely nearsighted.


    I heard Aaron let out a softugh above my head. Hearing himughing at me, I realized how ridiculous


    I was acting. Had that ice cream really turned me into a kid again? I red daggers at Aaron, silently


    ordering him to stopughing.


    Immediately something soft swept over my head, cloaking me


    in darkness, and I smelled the faint scent of amber. I knew it must be his suit jacket. The fabric covered


    mepletely, and I felt a wave of relief. I was d the light in the parking lot. was dim. Without a


    shlight, it would be impossible for anyone outside of the car to see me hiding beneath the passenger


    seat..


    A few secondster, there was a knock at the car window, and Aaron rolled the window down. Vincent


    peered around the interior of the car, then gave a phony smile. “Aaron, what are you doing here? Didn’t


    I see you in this neighborhoodst night, too?”


    “Oh, I’m just here to pick up my girlfriend.”


    I heard everything clearly from my hiding ce, and my heart skipped a beat at Aaron’s boldness.


    Vincent frowned thoughtfully. “You’re picking up Molly? But- Molly doesn’t live in this area, does she?”


    “Who said Molly was my girlfriend?” Aaron retorted.


    Vincent was stunned into silence for a moment, then quickly came to his senses. He said with a smile,


    “Well, whoever your girlfriend is, I’m sure she’s lucky to have you. Bring her along to a party sometime,


    so we can all meet her.”


    “Oh, trust me, I’ll be sure to do that.” Aaron’s confident promise caught Vincent off guard.


    From my hiding spot, I heard Vincent ask hesitantly, “Are you serious? I never thought a yer like you


    would settle down with just one girl.”


    “Well, when you meet the right person, it’s like you can’t even look at anyone else. Isn’t that right,


    Vincent?”


    I clutched Aaron’s coat with both hands. His words stung me, a series of small pinpricks like thorns


    under my skin. The right person? I thought I’d met the right person, but now it all seemed like a big


    fantasy, an impossible dream that would nevere true.


    “Ha, well, congrattions to you then,” Vincent drawled. “When you bring your girlfriend around for


    everyone to meet, I’ll bring Olive, too. Maybe we can have dinner together or something.”


    “Are you taking Olive or Emily?”


    “Olive, of course! Emily’s just for fun, it’s not serious.”


    “Looks like you guys had a lot of fun, though. Your neck is pretty scratched up.”


    “Yeah, she’s a little wildcat, all right. She loves to scratch.”


    I couldn’t believe the bragging tone in Vincent’s voice. What was he doing, boasting about cheating on


    me? Did he think it was something to be proud of?


    As I hid under the car seat, I felt my cheeks heating up with rage. I wished I could jump out and punch


    Vincent right in the


    nose.


    After he left, Aaron patted my head through the coat. “He’s gone now, you cane out.”


    I immediately lifted the suit jacket and crawled out from under the seat, taking a few deep breaths to try


    to calm down.


    “Vincent already went upstairs. You…” Aaron paused for a moment, his eyes sweeping over me


    analytically. “Do you still want to go home?”


    Go home? Home to what? Just to see the marks Emily left on


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Vincent?


    “No, I can’t go back. Take me to…”


    My mind started spinning, and I realized I didn’t have many options. My life seemed to revolve around


    theb and Vincent in equal parts. But I couldn’t go to theb right now, that would be too pathetic.


    “Take me to Cinder’s.”


    I’d been about to suggest he take me to a random hotel, but just in time, I remembered my friend


    Cinder.


    “Are you sure?” Aaron put his hands on the steering wheel and asked me with a smirk, “Are you sure


    you want me…” He pointed to himself, “…A strange man, to drive you to your friend’s house?”


    He was reminding me that we were only fuck buddies, and Vincent was my real boyfriend. In a secret


    rtionship like ours, it was probably best to avoid each other’s social circles.


    “Forget it, if you don’t want to.” I opened the car door and started to get out. Of course Aaron wouldn’t


    want to meet my friends. After all, we were nothing serious. “I’ll just take a cab.”


    “I didn’t mean that.” Aaron reached over and grabbed my hand, holding me firmly in my seat. “I’m d


    you’re willing to let me meet your friend.”


    I looked into Aaron’s sparkling blue eyes and swallowed the words Cinder already knew about us


    anyway.


    Whatever, I might as well make him happy.