I reluctantly take the mirror from her, and I’m struck speechless. Hailey didn’t go overboard, she went with subtle light purple eye shadow, mascara, and a light pink lip gloss. Holy shit! I stand up and wrap her in a hug. “Thank you,” I manage to utter.
“Hey, none of that, or you’ll smear my masterpiece. You’re beautiful, Allie.”
I pull back from her. “I feel beautiful,” I whisper.
“It’s the undies.” She winks at me. “You are beautiful! This is a bonus for me, because I can assure you I won’t be buying any drinks tonight with you by my side. Now come on, or we’re going to be late. I need to go meet my male counterpart, so hop to it, missy,” she scolds me.
We arrive at The Warehouse right at eight o’clock. Ace sent me a text telling me he and his roommate, Mac, were already there. They’d gotten us a booth near the back. Hailey and I make our way toward the back of the club while Florida Georgia Line sings about getting their shine on. Hailey and I are already swaying to the music as we walk.
“Hey, there’s my brother. Let’s stop and say hi. Do you see Ace anywhere?” Hailey asks me.
I look up and stop dead in my tracks. Liam is sitting in a booth, looking good enough to eat, and beside him…is Ace. What the hell? They’re deep in conversation, so they don’t see us until we step up beside them.
Ace, who’s sitting on the outside of the booth, sees me and immediately he stands up and wraps his arms around me, giving me a big hug. “You look amazing,” he whispers to me. As he pulls away I can see the questions in Hailey’s eyes.
“You know Dash?” she questions me.
“Dash? This is Ace, um well, Aiden, my best friend I was telling you about,” I tell her. Aiden releases his hold on me and sits back down beside what appears to be an angry Liam. Hailey motions for me to scoot into the booth, so I do. This left me sitting directly in front of Liam and Hales in front of Aiden.
“So, let me get this straight, Aiden here, also known to us as Dash, is your Ace?” Hailey’s trying to untangle the connection.
Aiden laughs.
“Yes, Ace is the name I call him. It’s his initials, Aiden Cole Emerson. I’ve called him that since I first met him,” I explain. “To me he’s Ace, sometimes Aiden, and to you, well, he’s obviously Dash.”
My thoughts drift to the day that I first met Aiden:
Sitting on Gran’s back porch swing, I scrunch my eyes, trying to keep my tears from falling. Today was the day I had to say my final goodbye to Mommy and Daddy. I’ve been trying to be really strong and show I can handle it, I don’t like for Gran to see me cry. It makes her sad.
Some lady I have never met steps up on the porch. This has happened a lot the last two days. I’ve met and hugged a lot of strangers. Gran says they worked with my parents.
“You dear child, come give me a hug,” she says as she leans down and embraces me. I can feel the burn in my eyes. No matter how hard I squint, I know my tears are going to come.
She turns and heads for the door, mumbling about how I still haven’t spoken to anyone. I don’t really have anything to say. I’m sad my parents are gone. I wait until she’s in the door, before I bolt off the swing and run to my favorite spot, the large oak tree. I reach the tree and slide down the side, bury my face in my knees, and let my tears fall. My only hope is Granny doesn’t find me before I can get myself together.
I’m not sure how much time has passed when I hear footsteps in the leaves. I raise my head and see the dark haired boy who was at the funeral. He sits down beside me.
“Hey. My name’s Aiden,” he says to me. “I live next door, we’re going to be neighbors.” He’s trying to make conversation. I don’t want to talk. “What’s your name?”
I keep my face buried in my knees and don’t respond to him. The next thing I know he’s singing. “Aiden, Aiden ,bo-baiden, Banana-fanna-fo-faden, Fee-fi-mo-maiden, Aiden!”
I can’t help the giggle that escapes, he’s funny. He’s also the first person who hasn’t mentioned my parents, or how I’m the poor orphan girl. I slightly raise my head to look at him.
“What’s your name?” he asks again.
“Allison Shay Hagan,” I tell him, and he nods as he starts to sing.
“Allison, Allison, bo-ballison, Banana-fanna-fo-fallison, Fee-fi-mo-mallison, Allison!” he sings.
I lift my head and gift him with a smile, but I don’t say anything. This doesn’t seem to bother Aiden, he just keeps on talking.
“Allison Shay Hagan, hey, your initials spell ash. I think that’ll be my new nickname for you.” He bumps my shoulder. “What do you think, Ash?”
“My daddy used to call me princess,” I tell him softly. The first words I’ve spoken, since Gran told me about the accident.
“Well, I like Ash, so that’s what I’ll call you from now on,” he states.
“What’s your name, your initials, I mean?” I ask him.
He smiles at me. “Aiden Cole Emerson, Ace.”
“Can I call you Ace?”
He’s already nodding his head yes. “Yeah, it’ll be our thing. You’ll be my Ash, and I’ll be your Ace.”
Hailey’s loud laugh brings me back to the conversation. “Wow, what a small world. I guess you never put two and two together did ya, big guy?” Hailey says to Aiden.
“Not in the slightest,” Aiden replies, laughing. “Ash, also known as Allison Shay Hagan, this is my roommate Mac, also known as Liam MacCoy, Hailey’s older brother.” Aiden suddenly whips his head toward Liam and gives him a curious look. Liam just nods his head yes. They must have some kind of super-secret guy language going on.
I’m mortified, not only does Aiden know Liam, but he’s his roommate and best friend, other than me of course. I told Aiden last night I thought Hailey’s older brother was hot. Damn. He’s never gonna let me live this down.
Chapter 6
Liam
Aiden and I arrive at The Warehouse about fifteen minutes to eight. We grab a booth near the back, and Aiden sends Ash a text letting her know where to find us. We chose to sit on the same side of the booth, allowing the girls to sit together to avoid any awkwardness. As we’re talking, I look up and spot my sister. Beside her stands Allison, and I just about swallow my fucking tongue. If I thought she was beautiful yesterday, today my brain cannot seem to find the right word to describe her. She’s wearing short white shorts, showing off her amazing legs, a purple and white tank top, and her hair is pulled to the side exposing one side of her neck. All that skin. My eyes travel back down to her legs and that’s when I notice the black cowboy boots, fuck me that’s hot! I’m so engrossed in Allison I don’t even realize she and Hales have stopped at our table. I’m brought out of my trance when Aiden stands up and wraps his arms around her. What the fuck! Why is he hugging her? I’ve never in my life been so happy to hear my little sister’s voice as she questions them.
I sit quietly, listening to their explanation. Apparently, my Allison is also Aiden’s Ash. Well, fuck me! My thoughts immediately go to my conversation last night with Aiden at the same time his must have done the same. He turns to look at me as if to tell me if I hurt her, I’m a dead man. I simply nod my head. I understand. He also needs to understand that even with the recent turn of events, my attraction to her hasn’t wavered. I am so screwed. So much for using tonight to work her out my system. Fuck!