My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 35

Ivy, back then, continues...

I pushed open the back door of my house with one hand, keeping Aidan steady with the other. The night had draped everything in shadows, and I couldn’t shake the fear that every rustle was someone—or something—watching us. My heart raced, but I forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

"Okay," I whispered, guiding him through the doorway, "we’re almost there. Just a few more steps."

"Your parents?" Aidan’s voice was a soft groan, filled with pain and reluctance.

"They are not home yet," I said.

"But they will be. Then what? Yes, your mom was nice to me, but I doubt they’d want me here," Aidan said.

"You are staying here and that’s final," I said firmly. "You can stay in my room. Hide in there if you need to."

"Great plan, Williams. And at night, what if I have to go to the bathroom?" Aidan asked irritably.

"They sleep like logs. They won’t know," I assured him, though my confidence wavered. The familiar creaks of the house under our careful steps seemed to mock my optimism.

"You sure about this, Ivy?" He hesitated at the foot of the stairs, his battered face questioning the sanity of my plan.

"Positive." I squeezed his arm gently. "You need a safe place, and this is it. You can crash in my room for the night."

His eyes searched mine in the semi-darkness, a silent conversation passing between us. I felt his resistance weaken as he nodded, just barely, and let out a resigned sigh.

"Fine," he breathed, and he leaned more heavily on me. "Lead the way, then."

My pulse hammered against my ribcage as I led him to my room.

"Almost there," I murmured, more to myself than to him.

Aidan stumbled, and I caught him just in time, lowering him onto the edge of my bed with care. His breaths came out in shallow puffs, and I could see him trying to mask the pain etched on his face.

"Thanks," he mumbled, looking anywhere but at me. "I don’t... I don’t make a habit of this, you know."

"Crashing in girls’ beds or getting beat up?" I quipped.

"Either," he said, and even through the hurt, the corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile.

"Let’s keep it that way," I replied, smoothing the creases of worry from my forehead as I moved to grab some spare pillows and a blanket from my closet.

"Only for tonight," he added, watching my every move with guarded eyes.

"Only for tonight," I echoed.

"Your extreme show of kindness is starting to irritate me, Williams," Aidan said, making a sour face.

I chuckled softly, the tension of the moment easing just a fraction. "Consider it payback for all those times you’ve annoyed me."

Aidan grinned despite himself, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Fair enough."

I arranged the pillows and blanket on the bed, trying to make it as comfortable as possible for him. "There you go. Try to get some rest."

He scratched his head. "Thanks," he said awkwardly.

I met his gaze, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Are you hungry?"

"No," he said, and I immediately knew he was lying.

I arched an eyebrow, not buying his attempt to brush off his hunger. "Don’t lie to me, Aidan. You look like you haven’t eaten in days."

He sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Stay put," I instructed, already moving towards the door. "I’ll grab you something from the kitchen."

Aidan opened his mouth as if to protest, but he seemed to think better of it and nodded instead.

I hurried downstairs, my footsteps echoing through the silent house. In the kitchen, I rummaged through the fridge and pantry, searching for something quick and easy to prepare.

Eventually, I settled on making a sandwich and heating up some soup. It wasn’t gourmet, but it would do the trick.

As I finished making a sandwich for him, I heard the sound of the front door opening. My heart skipped a beat as I realized my parents were home earlier than expected. Panic surged through me, and I quickly glanced at the clock.

I hurriedly plated the sandwich and poured the soup into a bowl, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. I couldn’t let them see Aidan like this, battered and bruised, hiding out in my room. They wouldn’t understand, and I couldn’t risk them finding out about his situation.

"Ivy, good, you are home," Mom said as she walked in. "I wanted to see if you wanted to visit Aunt Jeanie tonight."

"I...um...I can’t," I said. "I have homework."

Dad narrowed his eyes. "Rejecting going to your favorite aunt’s house for homework? Are you feeling okay, Ivy?"

I swallowed hard, my mind racing for a plausible excuse. "I’m just really behind on my assignments, Dad. I need to catch up before tomorrow."

Mom frowned, her concern evident in the furrow of her brow. "Is everything alright, sweetheart? You seem a bit... tense."

"I’m fine, Mom, really," I said, forcing a smile. "Just stressed about school."

Dad glanced between us, his expression skeptical. "Alright, but don’t stay up too late. You need your rest."

"I won’t," I promised, relief flooding through me as they headed toward the living room.

Once they were out of sight, I let out a shaky breath, the tension slowly seeping from my muscles. That had been too close for comfort.

Hastily, I gathered the food I’d prepared and made my way back upstairs, relieved to find Aidan exactly where I’d left him.

"Here," I said, setting the plate and bowl down on the bedside table. "I made you a sandwich and some soup."

Aidan’s eyes widened in surprise, his expression softening. "You didn’t have to do that, Ivy."

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "It’s no big deal."

My chest constricted as I watched him devour the sandwich. He really was hungry.

~-~

"So, are you planning on sleeping with me?" Aidan smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "You don’t have to make it sound so scandalous. We are only going to sleep next to each other, nothing else."

"Are you sure you won’t be tempted to take advantage of me?" he said coyly.

I scoffed, playfully swatting his arm. "Please, you wish."

He chuckled, wincing slightly at the movement. "Or are you the one wishing?"

I snorted. "Not a chance."

"I bet you can’t stop fantasizing about me ever since that night at the pool," Aidan smirked.

"Aidan! You promised we won’t talk about that night!" I breathed, already turning red.

Aidan raised his hands in mock surrender, still grinning mischievously. "Okay, okay, I’ll behave. No more teasing." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I shot him a warning look, but couldn’t help but smile despite myself. "Good. Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret it."

He laughed softly, the sound warm and genuine. "Got it. No more teasing about the pool incident."

With a satisfied nod, I grabbed his empty dishes. "Get some rest. I’ll be right back."

Later that night, I settled down next to him, leaving a breath’s space between us. I could feel his warmth radiating off his body, our legs almost touching.

"This bed is kind of small, isn’t it?" Aidan murmured from beside me. "I can smell your shampoo."

"Is it bothering you?" I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"No. It’s...nice. You smell nice," he said.

I blushed. Thankfully, it was dark in my room, so he couldn’t see it.

My fingers brushed against his hand, tentative, searching for some act of connection beyond our tangled past.

"Sorry, I can’t sleep," I whispered, pulling my hand back, suddenly self-conscious.

"I can’t either," he breathed out.

The moon spilled silver through the blinds, casting bars of light across the room as I glanced at Aidan’s silhouette next to me.

"Did you know," Aidan murmured, breaking the heavy silence, "that sharks can’t swim backward?"

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh, both at the randomness of the fact and the sound of his voice—hoarse but trying so hard to be light. "What?"

Aidan chuckled softly. "Yeah, it’s true. Sharks have to keep moving forward to keep water passing over their gills so they can breathe. If they stop, they suffocate."

I shook my head in wonder, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "How do you even know this?"

Aidan grinned in the dim light, his eyes shining with a hint of mischief. "I may or may not have a weird obsession with marine biology."

I chuckled softly, the tension of the night slowly dissipating. "Well, I guess that’s one thing I didn’t know about you."

He shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes. "Hey, everyone’s got their quirks, right?"

"Mhm...I just didn’t realize you were a nerd," I said, grinning.

"You take that back!" Aidan growled softly.

I giggled. "Who would’ve thought the notorious badboy Aidan Blackwood is a biology nerd?"

"Don’t make me come over to your side, Ivy," Aidan threatened playfully.

I laughed, feeling the heaviness of the night lifting further with each exchange. "Oh, I’m not scared of you, Blackwood."

Aidan feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. "Ouch, that hurts, Williams. Right here."

I rolled my eyes, playfully nudging his shoulder. "Stop being such a drama queen."

He grinned, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Fine, I’ll spare you from my dramatics... for now."

"Good," I said, stifling another laugh. "Now, try to get some sleep."

"I can’t. It’s hot in your room," Aidan said, sitting up.

"Then take your shirt off," I blurted out.

"Oh? you just want to see me shirtless, don’t you?" Aidan teased me.

My face flushed red. I tried to play it off as a joke too. "Shut up, Aidan. That’s not why," I said coolly, but my heart was hammering in my chest.

"Right...but I think I will," he said.

I chewed on my lower lip as I saw his shadowy figure pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor. I kind of wished I could see more.