Valerie smiled as she waved goodbye back inside the door to her friends. She turned and heard Aiden shut the door. She pulled her keys out of her purse and glanced up at Aiden as they walked side by side to her car.
"So, you're staying for a while longer?" Valerie asked.
"Yeah. Sarah just got back and I want to talk and spend some time with her." He said cautiously, glancing at her. Her strawberry blond hair fell just past her shoulders and framed her face in the front. He always loved her hair.
At the mention of Sarah's name, Valerie's fingers clenched into a fist around her keys, the metal poking in her flesh causing pain that she soaked in as the hurt and anger pulsed through her. She looked away and at the ground as they stopped at the car.
"Hey," Aiden said softly, making her look up at him. "I'll call you okay?" He paused and stopped close bringing his arms tightly around her torso. He breath dragged out in a sigh of relaxation when he felt her arms around his neck. "I care about you so much. Nothing will tear us apart or get in between us." He waited a beat. "Not even Sarah." He whispered softly in her ear. His fingers toyed with the ends of her hair.
Valerie felt her stomach twist and a pang of hurt curl in her gut. Her eyes brimmed with wetness but dried quickly when she felt him pull back just enough to look at her.
"You want to say something to me. Tell me." Aiden said, knowing her well and knowing she knew he was perceptive with her.
Valerie looked past him and then down at his arm that was still wound around her. "I can't talk to you now." She said quietly.
Aiden heard the distance and the tears in her voice and his hands quickly came up to cup her cheeks and hold her face in a way that made her want to lean into the touch.
"Look at me." He waited until her eyes met his. "Don't slip away from me. I need you. And I care about you."
Valerie couldn't speak words in return so she nodded and looked back at his arms. "I have to go." Her hands came up to grip his arms and move them away so his hands weren't touching her face. She felt his eyes on her as she walked around to the driver's side and get in. She glanced over out the window at him and met his eyes and then watcher him take a few steps towards the door before driving off.
God, her heart ached. Tears brimmed her eyelashes yet again and she quickly wiped at them before they could slide down her cheeks. She wouldn't let them fall.