Chapter 4: "Just Friends… Right?"
1534 Words
George’s POV
I woke up with that post kiss glow still lingering on my skin.
Aiden’s words, his lips, his touch, ugh. Get it together, George. You promised yourself you wouldn’t catch feelings. You swore this semester would be different. Focused. Drama free.
And yet here I was, standing in front of my mirror, questioning if the top I picked out was too flattering.
It was a fitted cream crop top that not tight but hugged my waist just right, paired with a black maxi skirt hugged my curves. It highlighted my pear shaped body a little more than I intended to… especially my hips.
But I didn’t change. I wanted to but I was late.
“George!!” my brother yelled from the hallway.
I grabbed my bag and headed out, heart thudding a little too hard in my chest.
My phone buzzed. Aiden.
“Ready?”
Just that. One word and somehow it made my stomach do that annoying little somersault again.
I quickly texted back:
“Yep. We’re on our way.”
Last night talked about alot of stuff and I slept off...
Grabbing my bag, I flew down the stairs and slid into the front seat of my brother’s car just as he was about to honk.
“You know, if I ever become deaf, it’s your fault,” I said, buckling up.
“Correction,” he said, pulling out of the driveway. “If you ever become deaf, it will be from blasting sad girl music at 2 a.m.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Just drive.”
We pulled up to Aiden’s house and, like clockwork, he came jogging down his driveway, hoodie half zipped, hair still a little messy in that boyish, annoyingly perfect way.
“Morning,” he said, sliding into the backseat.
“Hey,” I replied, trying not to smile too wide.
“Did you sleep okay?” he asked softly, just for me.
I nodded. “You?”
He gave a half-shrug. “Better after you texted.”
I looked away, cheeks heating. I didn’t know when talking to Aiden started to feel like slipping into warm water. But it did. Safe, easy. But also terrifying. Because I could feel myself getting pulled in.
My brother glanced at us in the rearview but didn’t say anything. Thank God.
---
At school, Aiden and I walked side by side from the car. Our arms brushed a few times. I pretended not to notice. He didn’t move away either.
“You’re quiet this morning,” he said.
“I’m thinking.”
“Dangerous.”
I laughed. “I’m just... trying to keep things simple this semester.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And how’s that going?”
I bit my lip. “Not great.”
Aiden smiled, and for a second, we just looked at each other. Like something was about to happen. But then-
“GEORGIE!” Devon’s voice rang through the air like a tornado in glitter heels.
I turned, barely having a second before he tackled me in a hug. “I missed your face! Your little dramatic mess of a face!”
“Devon!” I squealed. “We literally saw each other yesterday.”
“And yet, here I am. Still deprived.”
He turned to Aiden, eyes narrowing playfully. “So you are still hanging around, huh?”
“Looks like it,” Aiden said, his voice cool but not unfriendly.
Devon squinted at both of us, then grinned. “Hmm.”
I groaned. “Don’t ‘hmm’ me.”
“Oh, I will ‘hmm’ whoever I want.”
---
Then it happened.
As we rounded the corner toward the lockers, a voice I hadn’t heard in months cut through the noise.
“Well if it isn’t the school’s favorite love triangle.”
It was Chlos.
Ex-best friend Chloe.
And of course, right behind her, with that same stupid smirk, was Tyler.
Chloe stood there like she hadn’t backstabbed me just a few months ago.
Perfect hair. Perfect lip gloss. Perfectly fake.
“Oh wow,” she said, eyes darting between Aiden and me. “You really upgraded fast.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
She tilted her head with a sickly sweet smile. “Nothing. Just... didn’t expect to see you two all cozy so soon.”
Before I could open my mouth, Aiden stepped closer. Not touching me, but enough that I felt the shift.
“You must be Chlos” he said calmly. “You talk this much trash to everyone or just the ones you’re jealous of?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Jealous?”
Devon sucked in a breath and whispered, “Oh, this is getting good.”
Chloe scoffed and flipped her hair like she hadn’t just been embarrassed. “Whatever. I don’t have time for this.”
Tyler had been quiet the whole time, watching. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but when our eyes met, something flickered there. Regret? Guilt? Too late either way.
They walked off, and for a second the hallway buzzed again, like the tension had lifted.
“You okay?” Aiden asked, his voice low.
I nodded, but I could feel the tightness in my chest. “Yeah. Just… forgot what that felt like.”
“You mean being around human garbage?” Devon offered.
I laughed. “Exactly that.”
Aiden’s POV
The moment i stepped into Mile's car, I had to remind myself how to breathe. And when we stepped out.
She looked… insane. Like dream-level beautiful.
She had always been fine, but today? Today she looked like a full-on goddess. And her outfit looked so good, with her perfect pear shape. She looked confident, put together, a little dangerous.
And yet, she probably had no clue what she was doing to me.
Yesterday meant more to me than she will ever realize.
The way she trusted me enough to follow me, to open up, to cry and not apologize for it… It wasn’t just a moment. It was the moment. And when she kissed me?
I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
----
George didn’t say much after Chloe and Tyler walked away, but I could see it, the way her shoulders tensed, the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes anymore.
It made something twist in my chest.
I hated seeing her like that. She didn’t deserve it. Not the betrayal, not the drama, not any of it.
George’s POV
I tried to shake it off.
Chloe’s voice still echoed in my head like a mosquito buzzing small, shrill, irritating, and impossible to ignore.
I kept walking. Fast.
Aiden matched my pace without a word. He didn’t ask if I was okay again. He didn’t need to. His presence alone made it easier to breathe.
When we reached my locker, I turned to him. “Thanks for earlier. For... stepping in.”
He shrugged one shoulder, eyes soft. “You shouldn’t have to deal with them. Especially not alone.”
I smiled a little at that, and for a second, I almost reached for his hand. But I didn’t. Too many people around. Too many eyes.
He glanced down the hallway. “You want me to walk you to class?”
I hesitated. “You don’t have to- ”
“I want to.”
That shouldn’t have made my heart flutter the way it did, but of course it did. He fell into step beside me again, and we didn’t talk. We didn’t need to.
When we reached my classroom, he lingered just a second longer than necessary.
“Text me if you need anything,” he said.
“I will.”
His gaze dropped to my lips for a half second just long enough for me to notice and then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd like he hadn’t just ruined my ability to concentrate for the next fifty minutes.
I exhaled slowly.
“Okay, what was that?” Devon’s voice came from behind me like he’d been waiting all his life to say it.
I jumped. “Jesus, you scared me.”
Devon gave me his usual dramatic once over, arms crossed, head tilted. “You and Aiden. Something’s going on.”
“No, there’s not,” I said way too quickly, turning toward the door.
“You’re a bad liar, Georgie. Spill. Now.”
I sighed. “Okay. Fine. We… kissed.”
Devon’s jaw dropped. “You what?”
“Keep your voice down!”
He squealed, actually squealed and slapped my arm. “You kissed??”
I pulled him inside the classroom before he caused a scene. “It just happened. Yesterday.”
Devon flopped into the seat beside me, eyes wide. “Okay. We’re going to need details. All of them. Every second. Every breath. Every- ”
“I’m not telling you every breath,” I muttered, but I was already smiling.
And for the first time since seeing Chloe and Tyler, I felt good again. Warm.
Because yeah, Aiden and I kissed. And maybe everything was about to get a whole lot more complicated.
But for once, I didn’t care.
- Writer
