The flash of the cameras feels like a lightning in a storm. Bright, enlless and merciless. They burst one after the other, swallowing every inch of air around me.my throat tightens but I foce my breathing to steady. i grip the paper in my hands the edges trembling against my fingers and
I have to remind myself to look up. Smile. Breathe. Pretend.
My heartbeat slows the moment Aiden’s hand find my waist again his touch is steady almost absentminded but the warmth of it seep through the silk of my dress, anchoring me.
the chaos around us doesnt stop–The blur of faces in the press room sharpens into shape rows of hungry eyes,raised microphones and voices ready to twist every word into a headline. questions still slice through the air but the sound fades just enough for me to breathe.and somehow,with him standing that close, im calm.
A question slices through the chaos. “Taylor,” a woman in a red blazer calls from the front row, Her tone sharp enough to draw every camera toward her. “you say all these wonderful things about Aiden,but isnt it true that what you really admire is his wealth and status?
let’s be honest he is older, injured and still one of the most powerful players in the league. Doesnt that make him…more of a trophy than a partner?”
A hush falls. the room feeds on tension and right now, im their favorite meal.
Out of the corner of my eye I catch Aiden’s subtle nod. i know what that means–stick to the script.
the words he gave me this morning are printed neatly in my mind: our relationship is built on genuine connection. I fell for who Aiden is, not what he owns.
It’s a perfect answer. Polished. Safe.
But as I open my mouth, the lines dissolve like sugar in water. They don’t taste right. They dont sound like me..
my gaze drifts to Aiden. He’s a wall of calm confidence beside me, aw sharp, posture composed, eyes locked forward. Cameras adore him for that–the image of restraint. But I see more than they do.
i see the faint shadow of old scars across his side the tightness in his shoulders as he try to hide it when the lights hit too hard. I see the man who grinds through pain no one claps for.
and before I can stop myself, I speak.
“You are right,” I say quietly, and the room shifts like a held breath “Aiden’s wealth is real. His power, too. i would be lying if i said I didnt see that.But the first thing I noticed about him wasnt any of that.”
I look up scanning the room.
“It was the way he listens, “i continue my voice steady but soft.
“even when he pretends not to care he notices things. He remembers what people say even the smallest things–how someone takes their coffee, when people are too proud to ask for help or when they are just pretending theyre fine.
I glance at Aiden then back at the sea of faces.“He doesnt talk about it but you can tell he has been through things that left marks. not the kind you see but the kind you carry. He doesnt hide hem either.
He works through pain like it’s part of breathing. I think thats whai noticed first.”
The words come easier now pulling straight from somewhere I didnt plan to share. “It’s strange,” I add quietly, “how someone can be so guarded yet still make space for everyone else.
he has this way of standing in a room and making people feel safeven when he is the one bleeding inside.”
my throat tightens. “So no,” I finish “it’s not the success I fell for it’s the scars behind it. The way he keeps going anyway.”
1/3
Chapter 19
+25 Bonus
the moment the last word leaves my mouth,i realize how much I have said. it is too raw,too open even though what i said was a lie. I hear the tremor in my own voice and a shiver of panic runs through me…
the air between us tightens. Aiden arm around my waist goes still,ngers pressing against the silk of my dress. for a fleeting second, i regret everything. The cameras are catching all of this–the unpolished truth and the messy fake emotion.
what if Ive ruined his perfect image?i glance up at him my heart hammering. his face is unreadable,cut from stone, but then his eyes flick toward me–and something shifts. The cool steel in their softens into something else. Something quieter.
the corner of his mouth lifts,barely there but enough to ground me. The crowd stirs.laughter hums faintly soft approval rippling through the reporters.
Someone murmurs “They’re so adorable,” and just like that the tension breaks.
Questions start firing again but louder this time,cameras flashing in rhythm.
a young reporter in a navy tie stands.“so tell us about your first date,” he say a grin spreading across his face.“who made the first move?”
I know the script for this one too. The line Aiden approved this morning: I invited him first. It’s meant to make me look bold, confident, equal.
“I invited Aiden first,” I say, right on cue–just as his voice cuts through mine.
“I invited Taylor.”
our words collide in the air and a collective gasp ripples through the room.
i freeze blinking. a beat of silence follows–reporters exchanging quick eager looks and pens poised.
for a split second, i want to correct him. I open my mouth, but Aiden’s smirk stops me. He turns to the crowd with that effortless charm that could sell a lie as truth.
“Well,” he says, voice smooth as glass, “I may have let her think she invited me. But technically, I orchestrated the whole thing.” His eyes find mine again, teasing, wickedly calm.
“I tempted her into asking me. so if you think about it, i made the first move.‘
the room bursts into laughter. cameras start flashing again faster now feeding off the chemistry they think they see. I play along because honestly what else can i do? “ididn’t realize that,” I say raising an eyebrow letting a smile tug at the edge of my lips..
“Now you do,” he murmurs.
before i can react he leans down slow and deliberate and presses a kiss to my forehead. the scent of his cologne–clean, faintly spicy, warm–fills my lungs.his lips linger just long enough for my pulse to stutter.
“don’t look so shocked,” he whispers his voice low enough that only I can hear. “you make it far too easy to mean it.”
My breath catches. the crowd erupts again–questions overlapping flashes turning the air white–but his arm tightens slightly holding me there, as if the noise no longer exists. for a second my mind narrows to the warmth of his hand against my waist and the way my pulse jumps under his touch.
this is pretend i remind myself. every look, every word, every perfectly timed gesture–it is all for them.but then why does my heart skip like it didnt get the memo? Get a grip, Taylor
and in that blinding chaos surrounded by lenses and lights and laughter i realize something terrifyingly simple: no matter how much i try to stay outside his world, Aiden has a way of pulling me fight back in–effortless, steady and dangerously close to real..
