Trapped by the Past

Chapter 18: The Aftermath

Aurora's POV

    I wake up to someone shaking me. I groan and turn around but the shaking continues which makes me groan again and pull the comforter over my head.

"Aurora," Someone said. "Wake up." It was Aiden's voice. How did he get in here, in my room? I quickly sit up straight and look around.

This is not my room, I thought to myself. Then I remember what happened last night. I turn to my right and see Aiden watching me. When he sees me looking at him he narrows his eyes at me.

"Finally." He says as he looks me in the eye. "You're awake. He gets up from the bed and offers me his hand. "If you don't get up, you'll be late." He says as I take his hand. I look at the clock and my eyes go wide.

"s**t," I mutter and go outside toward my room, leaving a laughing Aiden behind.

When I opened the door, I go straight toward the bathroom and wash my face and brush my teeth. I don't have time to shower, so I just headed straight toward my closet and put on a white and black long sleeve shirt and a pair of black jeans with my black and white tennis shoes. I put on the wig and tied them into a ponytail as put on my glasses, I pick up my bag pack and go outside at the same time as Aiden comes out. I look at what he's wearing and my eyes go wide. He is also wearing a black and white shirt with black jeans with black and white Nike shoes. I see him smirk. We are matching and it's somehow sweet. 

"Like what you see?" He says and I roll my eyes at him and start to go downstairs.

Of course, he has to ruin the moment. I look downstairs and see Ethan and Liam and Dad talking to each other about something with Dad and Liam's back toward the stairs and Ethan facing me. As soon as Ethan sees me, he stops talking and smiled at me which I return. Both Dad and Liam turn to look at me and as soon as they see me they smile.

"Hi," I say as I make my way toward them.

"Hey." They all say. "You're late," Ethan says with raised eyebrows.

"Whatever." I roll my eyes and head toward the door and hear them laugh. "Who's taking me to school?" I ask them over my shoulder.

"You're going with Aiden," Ethan says as Aiden starts to walk toward me. I nod and make my way toward Aiden's car which is upfront. I get in the passenger seat and Aiden takes the driver's seat.

"Can you hurry up?" I say in annoyance.

"Don't worry," He smirks. "You are the next Queen after all, and it's not like anyone can tell you anything." I try to stay calm by taking deep breaths and ignore the urge to wipe that smirk off of his face.

"No one knows who I am," I mutter with closed eyes. "Just drive faster," I say when all he does is chuckle. I guess he could see how annoyed I am since he stopped laughing.

"Sorry." He says as he drives faster. Neither of us said anything until we reach the parking lot of the school. We both got out in a hurry and made our way toward the school.

"Aurora," Aiden calls when we are about to go our separate ways. "We are going to sit at lunch together.

Before I can say anything, he's already gone. I exhale sharply and as soon as I reach my class, the tardy bell rings and I hurry to my seat.

******************************************

The day goes on smoothly without any encounters with Aiden. But Zach was still following my every move.

After Aiden told me about Ali. I tried to avoid her and her friends, and she never came to talk to me or explain what happened between her and Aiden. Others would try to talk to me but I wouldn't let them in, or anyone else as a matter of fact.

Right now, it was lunch and I was sitting alone at a table and reading a book and had my earphones in to block the surrounding noises.

I know Aiden wanted us to sit together at lunch but he never showed up so I sat at a table at the very corner. Trying not to draw too much attention to myself.

I was so lost in the book that I didn't notice someone sitting in the seat next to me. I tend to do that a lot, when I have problems that I don't want to face, I read. I trusted Aiden and he let me down again.

"Aurora?" Someone calls and makes me look up from the book. I look to where the sound came from and saw Aiden looking at me with an expression that I couldn't understand.

I clench my jaw but other than that I keep my expression blank, not wanting him to know how much he has affected me.

"Yes?" I say when he doesn't say anything and just kept staring at me. He didn't say anything, so I went back to reading my book, but his stare was making me uncomfortable.

"Why are you sitting here?" He finally says. I look at him, my jaw still clenched.

"Where else am I supposed to sit?" I ask, not taking my eyes off of my book, even though I couldn't understand a word.

The smell of his cologne and the heat that was radiating off of his body was distracting me, keeping me from concentrating on the book in my hands. And the fact that I could feel his breath on the side of my face was not helping. I take a deep breath, which was the wrong thing to do because I had to inhale more of his scent, and unclench my jaw and clench it again, causing my teeth to hurt from the pressure. 

"Would you stop staring at me?" I said after I couldn't take his staring anymore. I hear him clear his throat before saying. 

"Come on." He says as he gets up. I glance toward him but ignore him again. "Aurora." He calls my name as he stands behind me. I look at him without showing anything. I see him sigh. "What is going on?" 

"Nothing." I shrug. I was not about to admit to him that I was mad at him because he didn't show up to take me to his table as he said, I know it sounds unreasonable. "I just don't want to attract any more attention and being seen with you would not help."

"Well, I can't leave you alone." He says I can hear the anger in his voice and also from clenching his jaw. "So you are coming with me." He closes my book and takes it away from me. He also takes my lunch bag and my bag pack and before I can protest, he heads toward where his group of friends is sitting. I sigh in surrender and get up. I start walking toward his table and I can see them all looking at me, making me uncomfortable. 

Aiden pulls a chair for me next to an empty chair and gives me a pointed look with him sitting next to me. I could feel everyone was staring at me, so I looked down at my lunch to hid my burning face. 

"What?" Aiden asks with an authoritative voice. 

"Nothing." One of the boys said. "I looked up to see them all looking anywhere but at e or Aiden. 

I let out my breath and started to eat and so did everyone else. As I ate, I was looking at other people that were at the table. 

They were all boys, no surprise there. Four boys were sitting around the table. The one sitting next to me was a tall skinny boy with blond hair and blue eyes, a defined jaw, the perfect Golden Boy. Next to him was a boy with very dark hair that fell on his forehead in messy waves and brown eyes. I let my eyes trail his neck to his broad shoulders, I saw a tattoo pecking above his collar; I couldn't see what the design was exactly. I look up again to see him looking at me with a smirk. I looked down and could feel my cheeks heat up. 

"Aiden," A girl's voice said from my right and made me look that way. A tall skinny girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She was 'Aiden's type'. 

"Ashly," Aiden said, his voice was different, strained. I look at him to his jaw was locked. 

Why is he acting weird like this? 

Ashely, came and stood right next to me but not seeing me. 

"Where were you?" She asked. "I was worried about you." She started tearing up.

I had to take a deep breath to stop myself from saying something. 

"I don't think I have to answer to you," Aiden said in a relaxed tone as he leaned back against the back of his chair. I turned to look at him with my eyes wide. 

Wasn't he just mas? And now, he is relaxed? What is going on in his head? 

Aiden looked at me and smirked. What is going on in his head? What is he up to? 

"Did you want something?" He asked. Ashely who was silent and in shock for the last minute from the shock of what Aiden told her, snapped out of her shock. 

"Yes." She said in a firm tone while glaring at Aiden. "Where were you?" 

"And why would I answer you?" Aiden leaned toward her which meant that he leaned toward me. "Who are you to demand answers from me?" 

"What do you mean, who am I?" She said with wide eyes. I could feel her anger rising as her voice raised. "I'm your girlfriend." 

"I don't remember asking you to be my girlfriend." He shrugs and leans back again. She was about to say something but Aiden cuts her off. "Just because I slept with you, doesn't mean that you are my girlfriend." 

I look down at the table so no one can see my tears. I knew he slept with a lot of girls, but to have them around me all the time was too much. 

"Eat something." Aiden's voice said from next to my ear. "You can be mad at me when we go home. But you have to eat something first." 

I just nodded but didn't look up. His warm breath hitting my ear which sent shivers down my spine. I took a deep breath and blinked to stop the tears from escaping. 

"Is shy why you are talking to me like this?" Ashely said. I looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Who does she think she is to steal you from me." I had to fight the smirk that was beginning to show. I looked at Aiden to find him already looking at me with a smirk and raised eyebrows. 

I shake my head and he shrugs. If she knew who I am, she wouldn't be standing here, talking to me like this. 

"I think you need to tell you, bodyguard, to stand down," Aiden murmurs under his breath. I look around and see Zach a couple of tables away from us, ready to stand between me and Ashely, looking at Ashely with a determined look in his eyes.

When I get his attention, I shake my head, telling him not to interfere. He hesitates but looks beside me and nods, finally. 

"First of all, she's just a friend," Aiden says to a seething Ashely. "Second of all, I was never yours, to begin with, and third of all, have you been living under a rock? I'm with the Princess now." Ashely gasps but Aiden continues. "Now, if you can leave us, it would be amazing." He starts to eat. I look at Ashely one last time, before turning my attention to my food and play with it. I could feel her eyes throwing daggers at me before leaving. 

As soon as she leaves, the whole table bursts out laughing. 

"Dude, that was epic." One of the guys said, making me look at him. He was tall and muscular with brownish-black hair that was pulled back and a defined jaw and big brown eyes. I shook my head and had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. 

From what I have heard from others, she was the one who owns the school. 

After a few seconds, the table was back to silent. 

"Why didn't you tell us you knew the Princess?" The same guy from before asks. I froze and so did Aiden. 

"Jake," Another boy said in a warning tone. He was the one sitting next to me. 

"What?" The boy, Jake, said. "isn't that what all of us want to know?" 

Aiden looks at me, but I refuse to meet his gaze. 

"My dad was old friends with the King," Aiden said. "He asked me to be company her to the ball and who am I to refuse that?" 

"And you couldn't settle down, even for the Princess?" Jake said and I felt Aiden look at me. I didn't dare look up. 

Jake was right, he couldn't settle for me, the Princess? The Princess who was going to be the Queen in less than nine months? 

"Don't," Aiden said from near my ear. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. 

"Dude, if I were you," Jake continued to talk, oblivious to the shift in mood around the table. "I would do anything to make her fall in love with me, but you-" 

"ENOUGH" Aiden yells and slams both his hands on the table and gets up. Every eye turns toward us. Aiden was about to say something when I put my hand on his which was on the table. He looks t me and I shake my head at him. He took a deep breath and took my hand and made me get up. I take m bag with me and followed him. 

"Like I don't know how I messed up." He says as soon as we are in the empty courtyard. "Like I don't know who I messed everything with." 

"Aiden," I say in a calming voice. "Calm down." 

"How?" Aiden said. "How am I supposed to calm down when I messed up everything with you? Huh?" He turns toward me, running a hand in his hair, making them messier than before. I stepped toward him and cupped his face. 

"Look at me," I said when he avoided meeting my eyes. "Look at me," I murmured. 

When he looked at me, the look of hurt and helplessness that was in his nearly broke and I did the only thing I could think of. I stood on my tiptoes and placed my lips on his. Aiden was shocked at first but after a few seconds, he started to kiss me back and take control.

The kiss turned passionate and wild, almost hungry, with his lips moving restlessly against mine and biting my bottom lip, making me moan which was embarrassing.  

After a few seconds, I pulled away, breathless. 

"You didn't mess up anything," I said and rested my forehead on his. He pulls me closer and gives me a look and I add. "Ok, maybe a little bit. But I'm still here. By your side." 

He leans down and kisses me again, this time, taking his time. 

"I'm sorry." He says as we pull apart. For a second, I thought he was talking about kissing me but pushed that thought away. 

"For what?" I asked trying not to show how weak and unstable I was feeling... 

"For losing my temper like that." He said and I let a breath out that I didn't know I was holding in, out. "I shouldn't have lost it, but the way he was talking, just made me-" 

"It's ok." I cut him. "It was either that or we had to listen to him go on about what he would and wouldn't do if he was you. Like I was not even there." 

"They don't know who you really are." He pointed out with a teasing tone. 

"Shut up," I said and laughed while smacking his chest, but he caught my hand and brought me closer. We stared at each other and forgot everything that was around us. Suddenly the bell rang and we pulled apart, remembering that we are at school. I could feel my cheeks getting red so I tucked in my head and heard Aiden laugh. I threw him a cold glare but just shrugged. 

We went back inside and since we had the same class, we headed that way together, earning myself a death glare from every girl that we passed. 

"Aurora," Aiden said as we stopped by the classroom. 

I turned to look at him. He was fidget and playing with his hands. He takes a deep breath like he was going to say something that was really hard. 

"What is it Aiden?" I asked.

"We are going out tomorrow." He said as he closed his eyes, I just stare at him until he opens his eyes and looks at me.

"Is that all?" I asked, trying hard not to laugh. When he didn't say anything, I burst out laughing. Everyone who passed us looked at me weirdly, but I didn't care. 

"I thought that you were going to say something big." I gasp through my laughter. "Was it really that hard to ask me out?" I lowered my voice while saying the last part.

"It's not every day that you get to ask the Princess out." He smirks and I glare at him. 

"Shut up," 

"Is that a yes?" He asks in a nonchalant voice, but his eyes gave away his nervousness. 

"I have to think about it." I couldn't help but tease him. 

"Come on. We both know what your answer's gonna be." 

"Don't make me say no just because you're cocky." 

"Fine," he said and started to go into the classroom and I followed sitting at the front of the class. I thought Aiden was going to sit in the back with his friends like usual but he sat behind me in the empty dest. 

I ignored him and took out my stuff from my bag. 

"Well, now it's obvious why you don't settle down for the Princess," Jake's voice says from behind me, making me freeze. "You're in love with her." 

"Jake," Aiden growls. "Shut up." 

What did he mean, in love with me? Aiden can't possibly be in love with me, or can he? No that's not possible. I mean, I would love to believe the boy that I like, likes me back but there is no way Aiden is in love with me. I try to think about the way he acts around me. I mean, yeah he does act different but that's because we were once friends.

There was a sound coming from my phone which broke me out of my thoughts. I pick it up and saw a message from Aiden on my screen I opened it. 

- Are you ok? 

-Don't worry about me. 

-AURORA!! 

-Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. 

-Are you sure? 

"Ahm." A voice said from above my head. "I there something on your laps?" The teacher said and I froze. "Miss Walker, was it?" I nod. "Well, we're all waiting for an answer."

"Nothing," I said, my voice shaky. "There's nothing on my laps." 

"So you were listening to me the whole time?" I nodded. "Then you won't have a problem explaining what I just explained to the class." I looked at the board and the lesson was the one I was teaching Aiden last night. I shake my head. "Ok, then. Why don't you explain it?" 

I got up and went to the front. I was nervous but I had to do it. I took a deep breath and looked at Aiden who gave me reassuring smile. I started to explain, but only looking at Aiden the whole time and he didn't take his eyes off of me. 

After I was finished there was complete silence. I was getting nervous again and dropped my gaze from Aiden. 

"Well," I said, looking down. "I think that was all." I look at the teacher who was staring at me. I went and sat down. And as soon as I did, the bell rang. 

"Oh, my God," I mutter as I leaned on my elbows and put my head on my hands. 

"Are you ok?" Aiden's voice says from next to me, making me meet his amused gaze. I roll my eyes at him. 

It was all his fault. 

"Wow," Jake says. "That was really something else. How did you know so much?" I just shrug in response. 

"Come on," Aiden says, ignoring Jake. "We have to go or we'll be late for the next class." He sad and I got up, picking my bag with me. 

We left and went toward our next class. All the time, I was thinking about the kiss in the courtyard and thinking about telling him not to kiss me when we are at school. 

"Aurora," Aiden's voice was dangerously close to my ear. "What are you thinking about?" 

"Nothing." 

"Fine don't tell." He folds his arms in front of his chest and pouts like a kid. 

"I'll tell you," I said before he could storm away like a little girl. With that, I couldn't help the smile that broke on my face. 

"What are you smiling about?" He narrows his eyes at me. 

"You were going to storm away like a little girl." 

"What?" Aiden's expression was priceless. "No, I was NOT." 

"You so were." I teased him. 

"Shut up," He says, trying to stop himself from smiling. 

"Hurry up or we'll be late," I said and started to walk toward the class.