Novel Square
63: Not Again
Aiden’s POV
I jerked off my bed as the blaring sound of my phone ringing filled my eardrums.
I looked out the window, pitch black. Who the hell was calling this late at night?
I glanced at the clock; it was 4 a. m.
“Somebody better be dead.” I said to myself and picked up the phone.
The caller ID wasn’t saved; I answered the call and put it on speaker. I didn’t want some stranger screaming in my ear.
“Hello.” A feminine voice said
“Who is this?” I asked while trying my best to submerge my anger.
“It’s Fiona.” The voice answered.
“Oh,” I said instinctively.
As much as I wanted to rip off her head or something worse, I needed to be on her good side, which wouldn’t happen if I didn’t control my emotions.
“I’ll take it; you haven’t looked at the time.” I added
“Oh, I have. I just had good news for you.” She said it nonchalantly.
“Which is?” I asked.
“The boss scheduled a meeting with you today. I thought you’d want a bit of a heads-up.” She said
Finally, It was a little annoying not being told in advance, but I couldn’t complain. I was the one who wanted to get this over with, so the faster, the better.
“Okay, send me the details.” I said
“Just like that?” She said it with a whiny tone.
“I don’t understand. Is there something else I’m missing?” I asked, still trying to hold on to whatever speck of sleep I had left.
“Well, how about, ‘oh Fiona, thank you for pulling strings for me and getting me the meeting; how can I repay you?'” she answered.
Not this again; I was getting really tired of her failed attempts at flirting with me. Honestly, it was exhausting, faking a smirk and fighting the urge to tell her off.
“I’m sorry. Thank you for your assistance.” I said I was trying to sound as professional as possible.
There was a small pause, probably her smiling to herself. I was about to end the call then and there, but she talked.
“So what do I get in return?” She said
“What do you want?” I asked; I couldn’t get the details for the meeting without her, so I figured I might as well go with the flow.
“I’ll think about it. I’ll send you the details. Bye.” She said
The call ended there, and my phone buzzed from a text; it was from Fiona.
I lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
I waited, and thanks to Fiona, the fatigue was gone. Now I just felt restless.
It felt good regardless; I was finally at the final step of going home, and I couldn’t wait to see Hayley.
Our last conversation had been plaguing me non-stop; she had actually let go of us.
After everything, my dad called to inform me that her mom was in the hospital, and now she wanted to put a stop to the things we felt.
I needed to find a way to convince her, to show her that she didn’t mean the things she said and probably only felt them in the moment, but I didn’t want her to feel pressured.
I didn’t want to call; I wanted to be there physically. To get her to look me in the eyes and show her how much I cared, it would hurt both of us to let go.
I could still picture her face and the way her lips parted like theater curtains to display her teeth when she smiled.
I hadn’t talked to Alessa either, and she hadn’t called either. I had already made out a scenario in my head where Hayley had confronted her and they were back to being enemies, and ultimately it was my fault.
It had been five days already, so maybe it would have died down.
It should have been morning for them, so I decided to call Alessa.
I dialed her number and waited as it rang.
“Hey,” she said nonchalantly.
“Hey…” My voice trailed off. I want to know how to start the conversation. Was I supposed to apologize or just act like nothing happened?
“Do you need something?” She said that the words gave off the impression that she was willing to help me, but her tone said something entirely different.
“Alessa, is everything okay?” I askedThis content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.
She scoffed.
“Is everything okay?” She said it sarcastically.
“I’m sorry.” I said it without knowing what I was apologizing for.
“For what, Aiden, what are you sorry for?” She asked
“I don’t know.” I felt like an idiot for calling; I should have just let her be.
“Exactly. Don’t give apologies you don’t mean.” She said
“If you tell me exactly what you’re mad about, then I’ll be able to make an apology.” I explained
“Aiden, why did you call me?” She said it gently, but I could sense the hurt beneath it all.
“Because I wanted to check up on you.” I said this was getting really uncomfortable for me.
“And why didn’t you check up on me all this time?” She asked
“I was…” I was about to say I was busy, but that would have been a blatant lie. I didn’t want to have to lie to her.
“You were what? Aiden, you don’t care about me. I’m just such a pawn in your pursuit of your sister.” She said
I hadn’t seen that coming, Pawn. Where was this coming from?
“Alessa?” I was a bit shocked by how hostile she sounded.
“When you needed me to spy on Hayley, you called, but when she figured out I’m spying for you and I’m no longer useful, you don’t even text to know how I am.” She said
“I’m a person too, you know. I have things I have to do with my time. I have feelings. I’m not some option you have lying around for when you have no more cards left to play.”
“Alessa, calm down.” I said she didn’t sound like herself at all.
“You never cared about me, even after all that time we spent by the stream.” She said it with a shaky voice.
Huh?, stream?
I paused; I had never gone to the stream with Alessa. Was she trying to tell me something else?