Chapter 12: Mixed Signals
1107 Words
Emma spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the mess left behind from the book signing, but no amount of tidying could fix the chaos swirling in her head.
Aiden had left without another word, and despite the frustration she had felt in the moment, she couldn’t shake the nagging guilt creeping into her chest.
She sighed, stacking a few leftover books on the front counter. Across the store, Lily was scrolling through her phone, an amused smile tugging at her lips.
Emma arched an eyebrow. “What now?”
Lily smirked. “Oh, nothing. Just the dozens of headlines popping up about today’s event.”
Emma groaned. “I don’t even want to know.”
Lily cleared her throat dramatically. “How about this one? Hollywood Heartthrob Aiden Carter Sparks Romance Rumors with Mystery Bookstore Owner!”
Emma’s face burned. “That’s ridiculous.”
Lily grinned. “Is it?”
Emma snatched Lily’s phone and skimmed through the article. Sure enough, it was filled with pictures of her and Aiden—him signing books, him laughing with customers, him smirking at her like they were sharing some private joke.
And then, the worst part.
A picture of Aiden and her standing close together, their faces inches apart. It must have been taken when she had turned to glare at him after that ridiculous dating question. From the angle of the photo, it did look suspiciously intimate.
Emma groaned and shoved the phone back at Lily. “This is exactly what I was afraid of.”
Lily shrugged. “Honestly, you should just embrace it. You do have chemistry.”
Emma’s stomach twisted. “That’s not the point.”
Lily gave her a knowing look. “Then what is the point?”
Emma opened her mouth to respond, but she didn’t have a good answer.
Because the truth was… she did feel something when she was around Aiden.
And that terrified her.
Emma spent the next morning debating whether or not she should text Aiden.
On one hand, she felt bad for snapping at him. He hadn’t intended for the media storm to happen. But on the other hand, he was the reason her life had suddenly been thrown into the spotlight.
In the end, she decided against reaching out. If Aiden wanted to talk, he could make the first move.
And, of course, he didn’t.
By the time afternoon rolled around, Emma was irritated. Not that she cared, of course. It wasn’t like she was waiting for him to waltz through the door with that stupid smirk of his.
Except… part of her was waiting.
And when he did finally show up, she hated how her heart gave the slightest little jump.
He strolled into the shop wearing dark sunglasses, hands in his pockets, looking far too casual for someone who had caused a media storm less than twenty-four hours ago.
Emma crossed her arms. “Took you long enough.”
Aiden smirked. “Miss me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not even a little.”
Lily, who had been lurking nearby, suddenly perked up. “Oh good, you’re here! We were just talking about all the rumors flying around.”
Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Emma shot Lily a warning look, but she ignored it.
Lily grinned. “Apparently, you and Emma are the new topic of the internet. People are obsessed with the idea of you two being a couple.”
Aiden glanced at Emma. “Is that so?”
Emma scowled. “Don’t look so pleased about it.”
Aiden chuckled, then leaned against the counter. “Look, I get that you didn’t want the attention. But it’s already out there, so maybe we should just… roll with it?”
Emma blinked. “Excuse me?”
Lily gasped. “Are you suggesting a fake relationship? Because I love that idea.”
Emma gaped at them. “Absolutely not.”
Aiden shrugged. “Think about it. The media already believes we’re together. If we play along, it might actually help your business.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “And how exactly does that help you?”
Aiden hesitated for a fraction of a second. Then he grinned. “Maybe I just like spending time here.”
Emma snorted. “Yeah, sure.”
But the way he was looking at her—half amusement, half something else—made her stomach twist.
Lily clasped her hands together. “This is perfect. Aiden, you’ll hang around the shop for a little while, let people speculate, and boom! Instant publicity.”
Emma groaned. “I don’t want publicity.”
Aiden tilted his head. “Then what do you want, Emma?”
The question caught her off guard.
Because the truth was, she didn’t know.
All she did know was that ever since Aiden had walked into her life, things had felt… different. More complicated. More exciting.
And that terrified her.
She shook her head. “I just want things to go back to normal.”
Aiden smirked. “I hate to break it to you, but normal went out the window the moment I stepped into this bookstore.”
Emma sighed. “Trust me. I know.”
For the next few days, Emma tried to pretend that nothing had changed.
She went about her usual routine—organizing shelves, chatting with customers, pretending she wasn’t constantly aware of Aiden whenever he was around.
But it was getting harder to ignore the way people stared at them when they were together. The way the internet was buzzing with theories about their supposed “romance.”
And, most frustrating of all, the way Aiden seemed completely unfazed by it all.
It wasn’t until the end of the week that Emma finally reached her breaking point.
She was closing up for the night when Aiden wandered in, looking far too comfortable in her space.
Emma exhaled sharply. “Do you ever go home?”
Aiden grinned. “Why? Do you miss me when I’m not here?”
Emma scowled. “You are insufferable.”
He chuckled. “You’re cute when you’re annoyed.”
Her face heated. “I swear—”
But before she could finish, he suddenly reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Emma froze.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
The teasing glint in Aiden’s eyes softened, and for a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Then, just as quickly, he stepped back and smirked. “Goodnight, Emma.”
And with that, he turned and walked out the door—leaving Emma standing there, breathless and completely, completely confused.
- Writer
