"How did you kn--" the guy's voice is cut off, replaced by his scream.

I hear the sound of his bone break, and my heart feels like stopping. The guy falls to the ground next to me, causing me to let out a small scream.

"You fucking piece of shit," he curses, holding back his pain as he crawls away from me.

I snap my head toward his attacker and see Aiden.

Oh God, he's here. He's really here.

He's wearing a black jacket -- I've never seen him in this outfit. I usually saw him in either his home attire or a formal suit.

He stares at me with a piercing gaze, and my breath catches in my throat.

I have so many questions for him, but the first thing I ask is, "Did you break his hand?"

It's shocking that a guy was trying to molest me, but it's equally shocking that Aiden has just broken his hand.

"He deserved it," Aiden says. He still looks pissed.

"What are you doing here?" I stutter.

I want to cry for two different reasons. The first one is that he just saved me, and the second one is that I don't want him to be here.

"Well, what are you doing here alone?" he asks back. There's still so much anger in his voice. "I thought you went with your best friends. Where the hell are they? Can't you imagine what would have happened if I hadn't found you in time?"

I'm stunned. Whatever reason I give him, I'll still look stupid because Aiden has indeed saved me from something horrible.

"I'm the one who left them because I underestimated things," I admit.

I technically did walk away from Maya because I couldn't hold my bladder, and Ash had been going through a hard time tonight.

Aiden steps closer to me, and I quickly say, "You can't come here." I look around, hoping that no one is here to hear our conversation. "There are a lot of people here, and many of them probably know who you are and wouldn't hesitate to post your picture on social media."

Aiden halts. "I don't fucking care about what they would post or say about me. I've dealt with enough bullshit the world threw at my family. I'll get rid of it in no time."

I know that Aiden's family is powerful enough to control the media, but it doesn't give me the assurance I need.

"But I care," I say pleadingly. "What if my family sees our picture? I don't know how much more I'll be able to lie."

Aiden frowns, noticing how panicked I am. "Nevaeh." He tries to reach my hand, but I back off.

"I think we should maintain a distance here," I say, trying to keep my voice strong. My words are hurting him, and I can see it clearly in his expression. "Or you can leave. I'm not coming home with you now," I say firmly and turn on my heels.

"Nevaeh," he calls, following me toward the main area of the party.

This is driving me crazy. I don't know how I'm going to survive the night. But for now, I just want to return to my friends.

Maya sighs in relief as she spots me approaching our table. "Oh, God, you made me worried sick." She places her hand over her chest. I notice the drinks she has placed on the table for us.

I glance back at Aiden, who takes a seat at another table. Fortunately, he understands my concern.

I huff and sit beside Maya. My eyes search for Flynn and Ash. To my surprise, they're on the dance floor.

While they're dancing closely, I spot Ash's ex-boyfriend eyeing them from the corner of the room. He can't hide his irritation. The sight makes my eyebrows shoot up.

Flynn whispers something in Ash's ear, and Ash laughs. This is the first time I see her laugh since we stepped into the house, and I'm happy for her.

"What took you so long?" Maya asks.

I gulp down the water she gave me. "I got lost."

Classic answer, Nevaeh.

I look at anywhere but Aiden. I wouldn't be able to hold it if I looked at him. My poor heart wouldn't be able to bear it.

The next couple of minutes is spent in silence. We just listen to the music, taking in what's happening around us.

"Nevaeh," Maya suddenly speaks close to my ear. "I don't know if you've noticed it, but that man at the table over there...He's been watching you."

My heart is racing. I don't need to shift my gaze to know the person.

"I know," I say truthfully. "We actually know each other."

"You do?" Maya echoes in disbelief.

I swallow.

Don't look at him. Please, don't look at him, Nevaeh.

Unfortunately, I can't resist it. I look up, and my gaze meets Aiden's. He stares at me with a look so intense that I feel like my heart is about to burst.

I quickly look away again, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Well, it's obvious that he's attracted to you," Maya says. "How do you feel about him?"

I don't answer right away, but Maya might be able to read my face.

"You're blushing." Her voice is filled with excitement. "You like him too, don't you?"

I give her a small nod and croak, "Yes, I do like him."

Admitting this feeling to myself is one thing, but admitting it to other people feels like I've just made an embarrassing confession.

"Oh God, this is exciting." Maya giggles. "I've never thought that you're into an older man."

Maya glances at Aiden again, and I wish she could stop it to save me from this embarrassment.

"He looks quite miserable now, though," Maya says, and that makes me shift my gaze to Aiden again.

He has a beer in his hand, probably from the waiter passing by. He shuts his eyes, gulps down his beer, and throws his head back. He indeed looks like he's in pain.

I look down at my lap and swallow a lump in my throat.

"Why don't you just ask him to come over here?" Maya asks.

I shake my head. "I can't. It's complicated. My Dad is very overprotective, and my cousin knows him too. I can't risk them finding out about us, moreover with Flynn here."

Now that I've said it, I realize the real reason why I've never wanted to move out of Aiden's house. It's because I don't want to be away from Aiden. It sounds so childish.

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Maya says softly, squeezing my hand to comfort me.

After a while, she speaks again, "But are you sure that we should leave him like that? He looks like he's in agony. Do you want me to say something to him?"

I shake my head again. I don't even know what I want to say to him.

I still remember how he left me while I was anticipating my first kiss from him. My emotions are all mixed up.

Minutes pass, and it feels like torture for me. Maya seems to be uncomfortable too with the tension between us.

"Oh God, you two are killing me. I'm going to talk to him." Maya stands up.

"Wait. What are you doing?" I whisper shout.

Maya sighs. "I don't know, but you both look so miserable. I feel like I need to do something."

Maya cares too much about people, and this is when her kindness is killing me. Before I can stop her, she walks toward Aiden.