Academic lovers

39 | Late night

I went upstairs to my room. I was not about to let her make me cry; nope, not today. We've always had fights, but not ones like this. How could a parent not support their own child? It makes no sense.

I wanted to be far away from here right now. I reached for my phone and dialled the number of the one person who could always make me feel better. After a brief ring, Aiden's deep voice greeted me with a warm "Hello, sweetheart!" Instantaneously, a smile spread across my face.

Aiden picked up on my feelings right away. "What's wrong? You don't sound like yourself."

I let out a sigh, realizing that my feelings were more transparent than I thought. "It's just my mom. I told her about my decision to go to law school, and now she's really upset with me."

"You went to talk about it?" Aiden asked

"Not really," I admitted, feeling hesitant to go into the details. "But I want to see you. Are you busy right now?"

I could hear some movement on his end. "Not at all. Wait for me outside your house, and I'll come pick you up."
—

As I sat on my doorstep, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Being outside, away from the tension in the house, already made me feel a bit better.

Suddenly, I spotted Aiden, slightly out of breath, making his way towards me. He was jogging lightly. "Thompson, I'm here!" he called out, a mix of excitement and exhaustion in his voice.

I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him. "You look like an idiot right now," I teased, unable to contain my amusement.

Aiden's face was flushed, and his nose was a shade of red from the exertion. But despite it all, he approached me with a warm smile. Leaning down, he gently planted a kiss on my lips, his hands tenderly running through my hair.

I pulled back, but he gently pulled me back in, deepening the kiss, his free hand making its way to my neck, tracing small circles.

"Zhera, you forgot your co-" My dad's voice abruptly halted, and I quickly pushed Aiden away, scrambling to my feet and wiping my lips.

"Oh, dad," I sighed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

"Good evening, Mr. Thompson," Aiden greeted my dad with calm composure. How was he so calm after my dad walked in on us practically making out?

"Well, good evening, Aiden. I didn't expect our reunion after all these weeks to be like this," my dad remarked.

Aiden chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, sir."

My dad nodded and then turned his attention toward me. "Here's your coat, Zhera. Just make sure you don't stay out too late. It's getting dark." He then looked back at Aiden and added, "Keep her safe, please."

I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. I don't know why I thought my dad would totally flip out, even though he's not the kind.

I threw on my coat, and we started walking, not really sure where we were headed.

"You still don't want to talk about your mom?" Aiden asked.

"Nah, not right now. I just want to forget about her.".

We continued walking in silence, enjoying each other's company. The air was getting colder every day, a sign that Christmas was just around the corner, my absolute favorite holiday. My birthday was also coming to an end soon, with only two more hours left.

This birthday was different from the ones before. Usually, I'd just hang out with my friends or chill at home. But today, I did so many different things throughout the day.

I kissed Aiden, spent the evening with my dad, got into a fight with my mom, and now here we are, taking this walk together. I mean, are we even officially a couple? We never really talked about it. But, like, aren't we automatically dating since we confessed our feelings and kissed? Or am I just overthinking things?

Aiden suddenly let go of my hand, and I watched as he made his way over to the park's bench. I followed him, wondering what he was up to.

As I got closer, I saw him crouching down, his eyes filled with excitement. My curiosity piqued, so I approached him cautiously. And then, to my surprise, he revealed the reason for his excitement—a tiny, fluffy cat nestled in his hands! Its fur was a beautiful mix of colours, and its bright eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Aww!" I couldn't help but exclaim as I extended my hand to gently stroke the soft fur of the adorable cat. However, our cute little moment took an unexpected turn when the cat suddenly hissed at Aiden and attempted to paw at his face. Aiden quickly let go, and in a surprising twist, the cat jumped onto my arms instead.

"It seems like animals aren't really fond of me," Aiden sighed, shaking his head sadly at the situation.

With a playful giggle, I reached over to fix his hair and reassured him, "Your face probably irritates them."

Aiden rolled his eyes and sarcastically replied, "Wow, that makes me feel so much better."

I shrugged.Hey, your face irritates me sometimes too."

He chuckled "But you're the one who fell for this face." I rolled my eyes and said, "Whatever." But then, with a warm smile, he surprised me by planting a gentle kiss on my cheek. To our surprise, the cat hissed at him, leaping out of my grasp and darting into a nearby bush.

"Wow, it really does not like you."

—

As the night went on, we were just having a good time, talking about random stuff, and laughing our hearts out while we strolled around the park.

Eventually, we found ourselves at the swings, and I couldn't resist the temptation to hop on one. The gentle back-and-forth motion made me feel so relaxed, but I could tell that both Aiden and I were getting pretty tired. It was getting closer to the end of my birthday, with only about 10 minutes left.

"Miller, are we a couple now?" I could feel him freeze in his tracks, his movements coming to a halt.

"I guess we are," he replied, scratching his head. "I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend, but I just couldn't find the right moment yet."

A smile spread across my face as I reassured him, "It's okay, really." He let out a frustrated groan and reached for my hand. "I wanted it to be more romantic than this."

I gently squeezed his hand and said, "Miller, it doesn't have to be all fancy and romantic. I really like how things have turned out tonight, and you've made my birthday so much better."

He grabbed my hands and pulled me into a hug. "I totally did, didn't I?" he said with a confident smirk. "I really am amazing."

I groaned badly and pushed him back. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, now."

Aiden pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. We stood there in silence, but it was a silence filled with warmth and affection. It was one of those heart-melting hugs where you could feel all the love and happiness in the world. In that moment, I knew that being together was all that mattered.

And just like that, my birthday ended in the most beautiful way.

—

Wordcount: 1253