Chapter 62

My jaw drops. “What? What do you mean?” I demand. Aiden chuckles softly.

“Haven’t you checked the internet recently?” He asks. “Even though I'm not on it much, I know that people love you.”

I can hardly believe my ears. I shake my head with bewilderment. “Seriously? Are you sure?” I pull out my phone instinctively and begin to search for the usual celebrity forums. Aiden laughs.

“I’m certain,” he says. “Honestly, I’m starting to worry someone is going to try to sweep you up and take you away from me, at this rate.”

I don’t believe what Aiden is saying until I see it for myself. To my surprise, forums focused on Aiden have begun to be flooded with posts about me. I haven’t bothered looking seriously since the interview where I publicly quit — I’ve been too nervous that people will be trashing me nonstop.

Instead, I find the opposite. It seems like that interview was the turning point in my popularity. Aiden’s fans went from regarding me with suspicion and jealousy to seeing me as a sort of icon of my own.

I’m shocked at the number of paparazzi photos that are being shared online. Most of the time, when an average person becomes the partner of a celebrity, fans tend to insult their looks more than anything else. Instead, I’m surprised to see compliments more than insults.

‘She is so pretty… No wonder she turned his head!’

‘She’s cool, too! Did you see that stunt she pulled on live TV? OMG, so cool!’

‘And she’s smart, too! Move over Aiden, I want to date her!’

There’s plenty of hate to go along with those comments, but it’s far outnumbered. People even post paparazzi pictures of me as reaction images to things that other people say. Somehow, they even have paparazzi photos of me from the party at the Cruz’s penthouse.

‘Brb, buying this dress right now.’

‘There’s no point in getting it! It doesn’t come with the body :(‘

‘Wow, this dress really brings out the green in her eyes…’

I feel my face flush at all of the kind comments. I have no idea how to respond to all of this attention. I’ve always been a private person, and I’ve never really dreamed of being famous. This attention overwhelms me immediately.

“See?” Aiden says with a smirk. I blink — I forgot he was watching me the whole time. I try to hide my embarrassment, but his expression tells me he noticed anyway.

Practice ends shortly after that. I try to keep my mind from wandering to my newfound fame, but it’s difficult to do. I rub my forehead. I don’t even have a public Instagram, I think with bewilderment. It’s hard to even fathom the amount of people who know my name and want to talk about me.

Part of me feels nervous from all of the attention. I have no idea how to handle fame — as evidenced by my disastrous talk show appearances. Still, there is something very confidence-boosting about all of it. I’m not used to feeling important like this.

Imagine someone as ordinary as me, Carol Miller, garnering so much buzz, I think with amusement. The idea is almost ridiculous.

Still, I resolve to take it as a compliment and not compromise my values. It doesn’t make any difference to me! I just need to remember that there are eyes on me at all times. I need to start doing my hair…

That night, when Aiden and I are home from practice, I find myself having a surprising realization. I’m not some passive person being pulled along by Aiden’s crazy life anymore — I’m a part of it.

As ridiculous as it seems, the realization still hadn’t fully sunk in with how quickly everything has been happening. It has almost been six months, and my life has changed so much. As I settle into the villa with Aiden, I can’t help but smile fondly to myself.

Aiden, on the other, seems a bit stir crazy. He managed not to push himself during practice, but now that we’re back at home he clearly only feels more restless. He hasn’t sat down since we return, instead opting to use his crutches to pace around the house.

I glance at the calendar — since it’s a Friday, I at least won’t leave Aiden alone in the house over the weekend. Still, it doesn’t seem like enough. My mind begins to turn as I come up with a plan of how to ease Aiden’s anxieties and help him feel active again.

“Aiden,” I say suddenly, “are you doing anything tomorrow?”

Aiden shoots me a confused look. He gestured down at his foot. “Not as far as I’m aware, no,” he says.

“Perfect.” I turn around without explaining. “I’m headed to bed — you should too! You’ll need plenty of rest for tomorrow!”

Aiden tries to get me to tell him what I meant for the rest of the evening. I smile privately to myself — for once, I get to be the one with the grand, romantic gestures to take him by surprise. I text back-and-forth with Aiden’s private driver for a bit to solidify my plans, make some reservations, and soon enough our entire Saturday is perfectly laid out.

The next morning, I carefully slip out of bed about an hour earlier than normal. Aiden stirs briefly, but I manage to slip out of his arms, carefully enough not to wake him.

I head up to the kitchen and whip up his favorite breakfast. It’s nothing too extravagant Dash an omelette, hashbrowns, and some greens on the side. I decide to throw in a protein smoothie to top it off.

I assemble the meal on a tray and bring it down to our room. I nudge open the door. This time, the sound wakes up Aiden for real. He clearly blinks, his eyes, his expression, turning from one of sleepiness to surprise.

“Carol? What is this?” He asks. I smile.

“It’s breakfast,“ I say, simply. I can’t stop myself from grinning ear to ear. I bring over the tray to our bedside and sit down on the bed next to Aiden.

“Carol, you didn’t have to do this,” he says. Still, he looks down at the meal appreciatively. “Wow. This looks fantastic.”

“Wait until you taste it to see that,” 80s. “Besides, I know I don’t have to. I just want to show you what a great day we can have without you using your foot.”

Realization dawns on Aiden’s face. He smiles fondly and shakes his head. “Carol, you’re too good for me,” he says, his voice warm with love. I lean in and give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Nonsense,” I say. “No, you better scoot over -- I made enough for the both of us.”

We enjoy our breakfast in bed. We take turns feeding each other bites and peppering one another with kisses. It’s painfully sappy, but I just can’t help it -- I like being painfully sappy when it’s with Aiden.

When we finish our breakfast, Aiden makes a move to get out of bed. I put a hand on his chest. “No can-do,” I say. “Wait here. I need you to get dressed. Wear something comfortable, but cute.”

Aiden clearly realizes that arguing with me is a losing battle, so he relinquishes with a smile. I take the dishes upstairs and quickly clean up while he gets into clothes for the day. When I come back down the stairs, he’s wearing a comfortable sweater and a nice pair of jeans.

“Come on,” I say, and I take his hand. He grabs his crutches, and we head up the stairs. Outside our front door, Aiden’s personal driver is waiting for us. Aiden shakes his head, bemused.

“Jared, you’re in on this too?“ He says with mock-betrayal. Jared shrugs helplessly.

“Sorry, sir. She insisted,” he says, not sounding sorry at all.

Jared drives us to a nearby national park that Aiden and I had been talking about visiting. We head straight for the parking lot directly next to the lookout points – that way, we don’t even have to hike. It’s only a few steps from the car.

I pull a picnic basket and a blanket out from the car. “There’s a little more to eat in here, if you didn’t have your fill,” I say. “The real star of the show is the wine, though.”

“Drinking at 11 AM?” Aiden teases. “I didn’t know you were such a bad girl.”

I feel a shiver go down my spine. I bite the inside of my cheek to control my expression. Why was that kind of hot? I wonder helplessly. Well… It is Aiden. He makes everything hot.

The beginning spring has brought about a bit of warmth. Our view gives us the perfect picture of the beginnings of the season. The once-frozen waterfall has begun to thaw. Flowers have begun to bloom in the trees and bushes all around us.

The view from the lookout is incredible. Although this area is beautiful, it’s somewhat remote, meaning Aiden and I are able to enjoy this view alone. We eat some of the light snacks that I brought along and enjoy some sparkling wine – nothing too alcoholic, but just enough to make us giggly.

We enjoy the view and chat for a few hours. It’s nice to have some calm time with just the two of us – life has kept us so busy lately that we haven’t had much alone time. Plus, Aiden’s injuries and our recent brushes with danger have put the both of us on edge.

Our next stop for the date is a movie. I excitedly explain the movie we’ll be watching to Aiden on the drive over. It’s a romance movie by one of our favorite directors – we watched almost all of his works in the comfort of our own home, but this is the first time we get to see one of his movies on the big screen.

To my surprise, when we arrive at the theater, it’s completely empty. “That’s strange…” I murmur. Aiden smirks.

“Just because you’re planning this date doesn’t mean that I can’t help,“ he says. “Once you told me the show we were seeing, I decided to rent a theater out for just the two of us.“

I smile widely and pull him into a kiss. “It’s just like you to one-up me,“ I tease him. Having a theater to ourselves means that we can chat as much as we like, and treat a few kisses during the movie without anyone seeing.

We close out the day by going to one of Aiden‘s favorite restaurants. Although I haven’t been there myself, Aiden has always talked about taking me there. When the driver brings us to the door, it’s immediately clear what a classy establishment it is. It makes sense -- Aiden mentioned before it was often frequented by celebrities, meaning he never brought too much attention.

We enjoy a nice dinner on the patio. The view from the restaurant isn’t as expansive as the view at the park, but we can still see tall trees in the mountains in the distance. The sunset paints the world around us a beautiful pink as we enjoy our food.

As soon as the waiter comes with a check, the date becomes a race. I try to grab it, but Aiden is too quick for me, taking it before I can. I let out and exasperated sigh.

“Aiden, this date is supposed to be my treat!“ I insist. “You pay for everything. Isn’t it time I return the favor?“

Aiden shakes his head with a gentle smile. “Carol, you organized this entire date for me,” he reaches across the table and takes my hand. “No one has ever done something like this for me before. The least I could do is pay.”

I hesitate. The restaurant is very expensive, but I made the reservation knowing that I could afford it. Still, when I look into Aiden‘s eyes, I feel my heart melt.

“Fine,“ I say at last with a sign. Aiden smiles and kisses my hand.

“Thank you,” he says sweetly. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

Although Aiden‘s words are nothing but sweet, I can’t suppress the shiver that goes down my spine. His expression has turned slightly coy – I get the impression that he’s planning to make it worth my while physically.

As the driver takes us back to her house, Aiden‘s hand on my thigh confirms my suspicions. I can’t deny that I’ve been hoping we could be intimate tonight, although I’m still resolving myself not to let Aiden get hurt again.

We bid Jared good night and make our way to the villa. Even on crutches, Aiden manages to beat me to the door and hold it open for me. I shake my head with a smile, but I step inside.

“So,“ Aiden says suggestively, “are you gonna let me thank you for today?“

I feel my heartbeat quicken. “It depends. How are you planning to thank me?“ I ask. Even smirks.

“I think you already know. Why don’t you meet me in the bedroom and see for yourself?“