Emily's PoV:

I sat there on the balcony, trying to keep my cool while everything seemed to be chaos.

After Alyssa went after Chase, I could see the tension rising in Aiden. He was pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath, and it was only a matter of time before he exploded.

"What the hell is she doing?" Aiden asked the group, his voice sharp. I could tell he was more worried than anything, but he masked it with anger.

Mason was the first to notice what was going on. "She's getting Chase," he said quietly, his eyes narrowing as he glanced out into the darkness and Aiden's anger started to boil over.

"Why the hell is she going after that douche? She's so attached to him, it's not healthy," he snapped, his voice tight with frustration. I could see it in his eyes—this overprotective, almost obsessive need to keep Alyssa safe. I know how Alyssa's last relationship was bad, I know that more than anyone since I was the shoulder she cried into, but Alyssa needs to get back and find love again, and with Aiden being well ... a literal cock block it's impossible for her.

Before Aiden could do anything, Mason was already up and heading outside without saying a word. He didn't waste time, just went straight after Alyssa, and that's when I started to notice something. There was something off about the way Mason reacted, the way he seemed so tuned in to Alyssa. I'd been picking up on it for a few days now, these little things— like the small glances when Chase got in, or their long whispering talk by the doorway so Chase could come in, and especially how Mason had talked to me on the balcony about Alyssa as if he knew her well, better than me.

The rest of the group, Cameron, Jaden, Luke, Regina, and Cady, all seemed to be discouraged as Mason left. The excitement of the night was gone, and they started to head off to bed, disappointed. Even Nate, Amy, and Selena went to their rooms. I didn't move, though. I stayed put, keeping an eye on Alyssa and Mason as they tried to pick up Chase from the snow, far away from the villa.

It wasn't long before I realized I was alone on the balcony with Aiden. He was still staring out into the darkness, watching Mason and Alyssa struggle with Chase. "Chase is a douche," Aiden muttered, almost to himself. "I don't like him being around Alyssa. He's not good for her."

I looked over at him, feeling a twinge of something—annoyance, frustration, maybe a bit of anger. He was so protective of Alyssa, but it was starting to feel unhealthy like he couldn't see that she needed to make her own choices.

"You're too hard on her" I mumbled, trying to keep my voice calm while Aiden turned to me, surprised.

"What do you mean? I'm just looking out for her."

"You provoked Chase into drinking, Aiden. You're the one who got him all riled up, and now you're mad at Alyssa for trying to help him? It's your fault he's out there in the first place."He looked at me like I'd slapped him.

"Why are you mad at me? Lately, it feels like all you do is get mad at me."I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, my frustration bubbling like a hot teapot.

"Because Aiden... you don't see how tough you're being. Chase was just trying to fit in, trying to impress you, and you pushed him too far. And now you're blaming Alyssa for caring?" I said watching Alysa and Mason bring Chase inside

"My fault...?" Aiden said frustrated

I groaned in frustration without waiting for his response, I got up and headed to our room. I could hear Aiden following me, and I knew this argument was far from over. It's like his brain is just a big rock when it comes to sentiments and relationships.

"He can make his own choices, Emily" Aiden insisted, his voice strained. "I didn't force him to do anything."

"But you knew he would, Aiden," I shot back. "He's trying to get close to Alyssa, and he thinks impressing you is the way to do it. You put him in that position."

"How do I put him in that position?"

"You are one of the most famous guys at school and unfortunately you play a role to other people, they try to act cool and be better to be accepted by all of you as if you were some kind of god which you aren't," I remarked

"Don't bring your gods in here" He says, making me even angrier. Bad choice of words bad, I could feel the anger simmering, but I didn't like to fight so I grabbed my pajamas and went straight to the bathroom closing the door behind me. I dressed myself, brushed my teeth, and tried to calm down by meditating on the bathroom floor, I gave one last breath now calmer, and headed back to the room.

When I came back, Aiden was already on the couch, covered with a blanket, staring at the ceiling. The silence between us was thick, and heavy with everything we'd said.

I climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up around me, trying to ignore the weird sensation in the air. I didn't want to think about the fight, about how frustrated I was with Aiden, that would take my meditation down the drain.

Just as I was about to give up on the night and drift off to sleep, I heard Aiden's voice, soft and hesitant. "Emily... I'm sorry."

I turned slightly, surprised. "For what?"

"For everything," he said quietly. "Maybe you're right. I've been too hard on Chase, on Alyssa..."

He finally realized something... thank the gods this guy is getting some conscious " also... on you. I shouldn't have shouted. I'm sorry for fighting with you over... stupid stuff."

His apology warmed something in my heart, but I tried to brush it off, reminding myself that this was all just a game, just a way to help him get Regina's attention. But still... hearing him say sorry, hearing the sincerity in his voice, it made it hard to stay mad.

"It's okay," I finally said, my voice softer than I intended. "I just... I want you to think about Alyssa's feelings too, you know? She's not a little kid anymore. She can make her own decisions."

"I know," he admitted, sounding tired. "I just... I don't want her to get hurt again "

"We can't be that negative and think that will happen again" I mentioned

"The truth is..." I watched his silhouette in the dark and as his cracked voice spoke he took his hand to brush his hair while looking at the ceiling "She got hurt because of me and I can't let that happen again"

"That is not true" I mumbled sitting up in the bed and looking at his figure in the dark

"It is... I feel responsible for it"

I looked over at him, surprised by the natural emotion in his voice. Aiden wasn't the type to open up easily, especially not about something like this.

"Aiden, it's not your fault," I said gently, trying to offer some comfort. But I could tell he wasn't convinced.

"No, it is," he insisted, his voice tightening. "You don't understand... Tyler only got with her because of me. Because of my stupid popularity. He wanted to be around me and my friends, to get in with us, to be part of the 'cool' crowd. And once he did, once he got what he wanted, he started cheating on her. Repeatedly."

I moved closer to the end of the bed and now I could see him better due to the light of the moon reflecting on him. I could also see the pain in his eyes as he spoke .

"She suffered so much because of it. And I couldn't protect her. I'm supposed to be her big brother, I'm supposed to keep her safe, but I failed. I let her get hurt because of who I am, because of what people think they can get from being close to me."

Hearing him say all this, I realized just how deep his guilt ran. Aiden had always been the protective older brother, but this... this was different. He wasn't just protective, he was consumed by the idea that he was responsible for Alyssa's pain. It was heartbreaking to see.

"Aiden," I started, trying to keep my voice steady, "you can't blame yourself for what Tyler did. That was his choice, his bad character, and bad choices. You didn't force him to cheat, you didn't make him hurt her."

"But I put her in that position," he shot back, his voice cracking. "I was the reason she was with him in the first place. If it wasn't for me, for my stupid popularity, she would've never gotten involved with him. She wouldn't have been hurt."

As he spoke, the words just kept spilling out, and I could see the emotions rising to the surface, emotions he'd clearly been bottling up for a long time. Then I heard it—a small, broken sound that made my heart ache. Aiden was crying. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks, and without even thinking, I got up from the bed and went over to him.

"Aiden..." I whispered, sitting down next to him on the couch. He was hunched over, his hands covering his face as he tried to hold back the tears. It was so unlike him, and it broke my heart to see him like this. "It's not your fault," I said softly, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Tyler's bad character and intentions hurt Alyssa, not you."

He didn't respond, just kept crying softly into his hands. I wasn't sure what to do, but I knew he needed more than just a small tap on the shoulder. So, I did the only thing that felt right—I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a hug. His head rested against my shoulder, his hair brushing against my chin as he leaned into me.

For a moment, he seemed to hesitate, but then he melted into the embrace, his arms wrapping around me tightly as he let out all every emotion he'd been carrying. I held him close, feeling his tears fall into my shirt.

"It's not your fault" I whispered as he hugged me tight pressing my chest against him

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, his breathing gradually evening out as he cried himself out. Eventually, the exhaustion from everything — the fight, the emotions, the stress—took over, and I could feel him relax in my arms, his grip on me loosening as he drifted off to sleep.

Not wanting to disturb him, I adjusted myself slightly so I could leave and get back to bed but I he wasn't sleeping like I thought, he pulled me closer his grip tightening around my body and pulling my body next to his. He was too strong for me to so I gave in and hoped he fell asleep so I could leave.

I felt his head rest against my shoulder, and I gently leaned back waiting patiently for him to fall asleep.

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ 9:00 AM ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺

The next morning, I woke up to the feeling of something warm and solid pressed against me.

Then... it hit me. I realized that I never left Aiden's side and that I actually had fallen asleep next to him and somehow we ended up snuggling together on the couch. His arms were still wrapped around me, and my head was resting on his chest. For a moment, I just lay there, too comfortable and too tired to process what was happening.

Then the door to our room creaked open, and I looked up only to see Regina stepping inside.

She paused, her eyes scanning the room, her gaze landed on the empty bed, and for a split second, I saw a satisfied smirk cross her face.

But then her eyes moved to the couch, and her expression changed instantly. She spotted us tangled up together, Aiden's arms around me and my head on his chest. The smirk vanished, replaced by a look of pure jealousy and anger. She didn't say a word, just turned on back, groaning in frustation and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her waking up Aiden too.

Reality hit me and now fully awake and suddenly very aware of how close I was to Aiden. My face flushed, and I quickly untangled myself from him, trying to ignore the awkwardness that settled between us. I could feel Aiden stirring, his eyes blinking open as he realized where he was.

He looked up at me, a sleepy smile spreading across his face. "Morning," he said, his voice still rough from sleep, which made a weird tingly sensation run through my body as he scrubbed his eyes.

"Morning," I replied, trying to sound casual, but I could feel my cheeks burning. "We... uh, we should get up. Everyone's probably getting ready for the trip to the mountains."

Aiden stretched, clearly not in a hurry to move. "Yeah, we should," he said, but there was a teasing glint in his eyes as he looked at me. "But I have to say, that was probably the best night of sleep I've had in a while. I think we should sleep on the couch more often."

I shot him a glare, feeling my irritation flare up. "Don't push it" I warned, but he just kept smiling, clearly enjoying how flustered I was.

"I'm just saying," he chuckled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "It was nice."

"Whatever," I muttered, feeling my frustration bubble over. I didn't want to admit it, but a small part of me had felt the same way. But I wasn't going to let Aiden know that. Instead, I pushed myself up and headed to the bathroom, needing to put some distance between us before I said something I'd regret.

As I closed the door behind me, I could still hear Aiden's soft laughter, and it only made me more determined to get ready quickly and avoid any more awkward moments.

"Hey" I heard a knock on the door and I knew he was about to tease me even more

"What?"

"Thank you" he simply said his words hanging on the air, as I heard him moving things probably getting dressed up or something, but my heart thumped like Athena's heart thumped for wisdom.

This whole situation was getting way too complicated, and I needed to clear my head before the day started, I did so by splashing cold water into my face but even as I did that my eyes traveled to the mirror in front of me, trying to focus on anything other than Aiden, but the truth was I couldn't think about anything else.