Love Deserved

Chapter 2-2

~Ayden~

Fire shot through my body as Mia stared at me. Her chest rose and fell with every rapid breath. I didn’t expect her to have a different reaction to seeing me. What I hadn’t prepared for was the fact that she admitted to still being in love with me, not Darius.

The thought caused the thumping in my chest to increase. So did Mia. I couldn’t believe I was standing in front of her. More than that, I had held her in my arms again. I’d come so close to kissing her, but I couldn’t do it under false pretenses. She thought I was Darius. I wanted her to know the truth.

Perhaps my old mentor would be the one standing in my place had the guys and I not come back to Music Haven. We weren’t due back for another month. Luckily, the last few performances were canceled after Dark Souls’ lead singer came down with pneumonia.

It was unfortunate for him, but a stroke of luck on my end. Darius played his part too. He’d kept tabs on Mia for me while I was gone, assuring me that she was doing okay and hadn’t passed out anymore. As soon as he found out we were coming back, he reminded me about the masquerade ball.

I still remembered the words he told me when I asked why he was helping me. He swore Mia’s feelings for me hadn’t changed, no matter how much she denied it to everyone. Her admission tonight confirmed that.

Afraid she would pull away, I slipped my mask back over my face then did the same with hers. She didn’t flinch when I pulled her back into my arms. Her mouth parted as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

As the music changed again, we swayed. The weight of Mia’s gaze grew heavier the longer we remained quiet. By now, she had figured out that Darius had helped me plan this ruse. I hoped she didn’t get too pissed off at him. He had the best intentions. Still, she had confessed to something dire while thinking I was her ex. I couldn’t ignore that fact any longer.

“Did you mean it?”

Her body tensed. “Mean what?”

“What you said earlier when you thought I was Darius.”

Her mouth parted again as the sweet scent of her breath filled my nose. “Don’t make this into something it isn’t, Ayden.”

She tried to back away, but I tightened my arms around her, trapping her against my body. “I’m not making this into anything. I just want to know the truth.”

“What truth?”

I nosed closer. “You said you wished you loved Darius the way you love me.”

Several seconds passed while she did nothing but look into my eyes. I knew she was struggling to answer because doing so meant telling me the truth. If she lied, I would call her bluff.

“Mia—”

“Ayden . . . Yes, I still love you.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her answer, but it soon faded when I noticed her shaking her head. She wasn’t finished.

“Me admitting I love you changes nothing.”

“Bullshit. It changes everything. You know I love you. We feel the same about each other. Nothing’s going to change that.”

“You’re the one who said you shouldn’t be in a relationship.”

The tension in my muscles released as I slumped my shoulders. “I was upset and confused. Looking back, I know I should have kept my big mouth shut. It always gets me in trouble.”

“Ayden . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything. Just hear me out. Please.”

Her mask made it hard to read her facial expressions, but I could tell by the thin line of her lips that she was upset. The tension in her body was enough of a clue for me to know she wanted to get away from me.

I would release her in a moment, but not until she heard what I had to say.

“It killed me to get on that tour bus and leave this place. I wanted to make things right before I left, but you didn’t give me a chance. It’s affected me, Mia. I’ve been lost without you.”

“Again, you’re the one who said—”

Placing my finger to her lips, I waited until she stopped talking before I removed it. “I didn’t mean what I said to you at the hospital. I love you, Mia. I don’t want to be with anyone but you. I’d rather be alone than choose someone else.”

“You can’t say stuff like that, Ayden. You don’t know how you’ll feel in a year from now.”

“Yes, I do.” My raspy voice caused her to wince. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. For Christ’s sake, ever since I left here, I’ve been having nightmares, Mia.”

“About what?”

This time, her voice held no cynicism. Instead, I heard concern. It was enough to give me hope. She still cared, and deep down, I was sure she still wanted to be with me too.

Leading us to the edge of the dance floor, I stepped onto the carpet and away from the crowd, but I didn’t let Mia go. Keeping her in an embrace, I eased back so I could study her face. It wasn’t easy to admit this. I only hoped it would help her understand.

“This will sound crazy. Believe me, I’ve questioned why it’s happened almost every night since I left.” I drew in a deep breath and prepared to tell her the rest. “The dream starts off in a room. I’m not sure where it is, but I hear a baby crying. Once I find a crib and go toward it, you show up. You block my path and tell me it’s too late, that you’re . . .”

My throat grew dry. It was hard enough admitting this to Bentley. Confessing to Mia was worse.

“You tell me you’re with someone else. I never get a chance to ask who it is, because the guy shows up and pulls you away.”

She peered at me from behind her mask. “Who is the guy?”

My body grew cold at the thought of answering her question. It meant admitting that Darius was the man in the dream. After everything he did for me, I didn’t want it to seem as though I resented his relationship with Mia, and I sure as hell didn’t want to appear intimidated.

But I couldn’t lie to her.

“It was Darius.”

She pressed her lips together and shook her head. It wasn’t the reaction I wanted. My hands began to sweat even though the rest of my body was shivering. Maybe it was my conscience reacting to this conversation. God knows it was getting the best of me.

“Mia, say something.”

Her attention shifted to my arms. I worried she would pry them away from her waist, but she didn’t move. “What can I say, Ayden? First, you tell me that I’m better off without you. Now you’re having bad dreams about my ex and me getting back together. I don’t know what to think.”

“I’ve feared the thought of losing you to Darius since you brought him here when you returned. I get why he was in the dream. What I don’t get is you blocking the crib and telling me I’m too late.”

The tension between us grew noticeable as she took a step back and hugged her chest. “I’m sure it has something to do with the baby my sister lost. It’s been in the back of your mind.”

I nodded. “That’s what I was thinking too, but it still doesn’t explain why you were blocking me from the crib.”

She didn’t miss a beat when she looked at me and answered, “It’s your subconscious. Deep down, you feel like you had to make a choice between the child my sister was carrying and me. I was blocking you from your happiness.”

Her answer chilled me to the bone. I clasped both of her arms and leaned closer. “That’s not true. You are what makes me happy. Besides, dreams usually mean the opposite of what they appear to mean.”

“If that’s the case, then you should know that nothing is happening between D and me. We’re friends. At least I thought we were. I’m assuming he helped you concoct this entire scheme.”

She tapped my mask and glared at me.

I didn’t back down. Instead, I moved closer. Mia’s glossy lips made me anxious to feel them next to mine, but I focused on what I had to say. “Yes, Darius helped me. You shouldn’t be mad at him though. I’m the one who drove him crazy with texts since I left. I had to know what was going on with you, Mia. I’ve been worried sick.”

When I cupped her cheek, she tilted her chin up and gave me a defiant look. “I already told you I’m okay. There is nothing for you to worry about, Ayden.”

She was resisting me. I could sense her pulling back. Instead of letting her go, I tightened my arms and pulled her to my chest. Her lips radiated with heat, reminding me every second of how desperate I was to taste her. I needed her in my life.

“I worry because I love you, Mia. Nothing is going to change that. Nothing.”

Her heart beat against my chest in a rapid rhythm that almost matched mine. When her mouth parted, I leaned even closer. Satisfaction filled me when she closed her eyes.

There was no hesitation on my end. I slid one hand to the small of her back, the other tangled inside her hair. In one slow sweep, I brushed my lips against hers. Just as I went in for another sweep, Mia pulled away. Yet it wasn’t the worst part.

That came the moment she broke free of my embrace, rushed toward the main doors, disappearing from my sight.