Aden is standing outside my balcony. He's coming to ask me to come back to him. I can barely contain myself.

He signals at the door downstairs, so I rush down in the hotel robe. But his face is so solemn when I get there, that my giddiness dissipates. This is going to be a serious talk. But I'm ready to forgive him for how he's been treating me - especially now that he's making the effort to apologize.

The door slides open and he comes up the few stairs between us.

"Thank you." He nods, passing right by me.

I look after him, dazed. When he stops and turns back, my heart is in my throat.

"I didn't mean to tell you what to do."

"It's okay."

"And just so you know, I did defend you. But I can't deny what was said. I'm sorry it happened in the first place. I shouldn't have told them about you."

"Well, if you hadn't, Jake would've never heard about me. I'd never have gone to Detroit."

"Well, I'm still sorry."

"I am too."

And just like that - he's gone. I hear his door slam and blink the tears off my lashes as I make my way back up to my room. I should have known to not expect much. Whatever's happening in his head has nothing to do with me. He made that very clear this afternoon.

I should forget that he's here and pretend like nothing is happening. At least he apologized for his highhandedness earlier. The tears dry up soon enough and I stop sniffling when Danatha arrives and slips into bed.

I spend a lot of time thinking about Aden and how he's sleeping right next door. I remember the night we spent in each other's arms back in Cleveland and immediately want to cry. It's not fair. We're so close and I can't be near him? No.

I move off my bed, making sure to not wake Danatha, and head into the hallway.

Checking that the door is open, I turn the handle and peek through the gap I created. Total inactivity pervades the room. He's asleep. He can sleep. Wow. Good for him. I step out, shutting the door and sneaking away from it. The devastation weighs me down though, locking my feet in the hallway.

I feel my throat closing and my eyes prickling when a door sounds behind me.

"What are you doing here?"

I spin to find Aden's haunting eyes on mine. I gasp, feeling off-kilter instantly.
I guess I could lie but what would be the point?

"I was looking for you."

"What for?"

"Don't make me say it." I plead.

He sighs as his shoulders slump, defeated. I watch as he walks towards me. When his hands go on my upper arms, I'm singed. I need him badly.

My hands travel down and circle his waist. But Aden bulks. His hands clinch my wrists and slam my arms onto the wall behind me, trapping me into having no access to his body.

"Go back to bed." He commands as he steps away from me, releasing my arms which fall limp to my sides.

"I can't.

"Aden, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but I miss you and I can't sleep knowing you're a few feet from me when you could be in my arms. I'm asking you to come to bed with me."

When he opens his mouth, I step forward, placing two fingers on his lips.

"And before you say no, don't."

He picks up my fingers from his lips and observes them until his gaze comes back to my face. He nods once, taking a deep breath and pulling me to my room and onto his body when he lies back on the bed.

I tell him to send a message to Callisto and ask him to come get him in the morning before security figures out he's missing. He obliges, sending the text and kissing my forehead goodnight.

Most of the night, his hand runs up and down my lower back as I play with the thin hairs sticking out of the slit in his t-shirt. The warmth of his body lulls me to sleep.

I wake up to the door opening in the darkness. The bedside lamp goes on as Danatha sits up, rubbing her eyes in confusion. I gently coax Aden out of his sleep and move off him, so he can go with Callisto. As soon as they're gone, I face Danatha who I know has been staring at me ever since Callisto entered the room.

"Are you okay?"

I nod. I think she can tell I'm not ready to talk about anything so she lets me be and goes off into the bathroom. After my own shower, Danatha offers to braid my hair since I helped her tie back hers.

I expect her to interrogate me, but she does no such thing. Instead, we're invited to go have breakfast downstairs while the guys shower after their morning workout.

I know our flight is at ten o'clock, but I can't help eating slowly, hoping for the guys to come lumbering down the stairs. Fifteen minutes after we've finished eating, the guys show up, one by one - all except Aden. I don't see him anywhere.

I stare down at my palms. I know he can't be mad, but I have no idea why he would be avoiding me at this point. Maybe it's really not about me, like he said.

I settle down and let Danatha have her last laughs with Jude before we carry our things to the cab. I sigh, climbing in and waiting for Danatha to come in. Once she's in her seat, I lie back, expecting for us to pull away at any moment.

Only then does my door open, and I swiftly tumble sideways into Aden's arms. He straightens me and urges me out of the cab. I hop out and slam into his torso. I don't even get to react because his lips find mine and right there, in the middle of the busy L.A. street, he kisses me.

His lips slide against mine and it's the most comforting sensation. He stops then, so he can pull me and rush me back into the hotel, out to the sundeck near the pool. Once we're close to a corner, he scoops me up in his arms and smashes his lips onto mine.

I am in heaven. He crushes me against the wall and grinds into me until I am lost. I writhe in his arms, making him hum into my lips. One of my arms goes around Aden's neck while the other hand strokes his cheek, pressing my body even closer to his so that I can feel the delicious curves of his male physique.

His lips glide over mine in smooth, languid and overwhelmingly sensual waves. I surrender to the inevitable fluidity with which I find myself unconsciously moving with. It's the way his hands are sliding up my back and down my waist that commands my body to fluctuate against his with varying pressure.

When my lips finally leave his, he sways forward and tries to drag air into his lungs for a few seconds.

"What? Why?"

I struggle to formulate a legitimate question. He hangs his forehead against mine.

"You confound my mind too much."

"I'm not responsible for-"

"Yes, you are."

He snatches my lips once again and lifts my thighs so that they circle his waist while he kisses me some more. I want to protest, but he feels so good. The strength of his arms circling me, the lustful care of his lips and the intoxicating lemon-like scent of him amount to an excruciating dose of dopamine.

"Seriously? You had the whole of yesterday to do that, Arrington! Don't make them late. Those tickets were expensive." yells Jude from behind Aden.

I gasp, jumping off him. Shit, I have a flight to catch. Aden spins angrily and goes up to Jude.

"You know damn well I can refund you as well as buy them new tickets in a second. Don't even fucking start with me, mate." he dismisses, disappearing into the foyer.

I run after him, ignoring Jude.

"Aden." He stops and turns to me. "What about us?"

"What about us?!" he echoes, practically slapping me with his words. I can't believe this.

"I don't-"

"Go home, McKenzie."

I immediately tear up, incredulous. I've had enough. He doesn't want me; he's never wanted me. He only wanted to use me - except his plan backfired. And now that he's realising we're over for good, he's taking what he feels entitled to. Oh, but we'll see about that!

"You know what? I don't confound your mind. It's your mind that is confounding your heart. And I wouldn't care because that's not my baby, but I..." I stop, struggling to remain coherent. "The feelings I have for you... And because you can't get your shit together, you're making both of us suffer."

He stares at me before pulling at my arm and attempting to kiss me again. But I shove him off instantly.

"Let go!"

"There's no Paps in here, dude. Let Dr Frankenstein go catch the fucking flight. There's still time." says Jude in the background.

He lets Jude call me that? How many names have they given me? And why is Aden okay with it?

"You don't speak on her, got it?!"

He steps to Jude, who in turn bypasses him and goes outside, flipping him the bird as he exits.

"But you can treat me any kind of way, right?"

"I-"

"Don't! Save it for the next girl who gives a fuck."

"There's no other girl." he grits as I start backing away, laughing hysterically and lifting my arms in bewilderment.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not the one. If I was, I wouldn't have to keep begging you to stay with me."

When I get into the cab, I can't stop laughing.

"What happened?" frowns Danatha.

"We kissed." I giggle.

"Oh, Kay. Finally! I'm so happy for-"

"Don't be. He still doesn't want me back."

Finally, the humour fades and I hold in my breath. I'm not ready for whatever avalanche of emotion is coming next. I want to be enraged - not in tears.

"Hey-"

"Danny, don't."

Not now. Not Yet.