Page 76 of Fractured Fate

He didn’t know if the parking garage had assigned parking. He would need to ask Charlotte to use her reserved space before he ended up being towed.

Crossing the street, he came to an abrupt halt.

Noah was walking toward the front entrance, glancing around before grabbing the door handle. When his eyes met Aiden’s, his brows lifted and he released the handle, changing direction toward the sidewalk.

“Why are you here?” Aiden didn’t mean to sound gruff, but every time he ran into Noah, he felt agitated. The guy’s mere presence set Aiden on edge.

“Whoa, now. I come in peace, big guy.” Noah held both hands up in a placating gesture, and Aiden noticed the notebook in his left hand. “She left this in class today. Thought she might want it.”

Aiden crossed his arms, his feet placed in line with his shoulders as he stared Noah down. He came all the way to Charlotte’s apartment to deliver a notebook? Doubtful. Aiden didn’t call him on it, though. He didn’t have time to deal with one of Charlotte’s admirers—even if his interest was suspicious.

“I’ll give it to her,” he said, holding his hand out.

“What? I can’t even visit?” Noah’s grin was lazy, taunting. “You’re not even her boyfriend, and you’re throwing your weight around like she’s yours.”

Aiden pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek for a beat of silence before saying in a low tone, “She’s not yours. You know the rules.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun,” Noah taunted.

Aiden’s hand shot out so fast it startled them both, gripping Noah by the front of his shirt and jerking him forward until they were nose to nose. He could smell the coffee on Noah’s breath. Charlotte would hate that. She hated coffee.

“Off. Limits,” he snarled, a deep rumble vibrating in his chest.

Noah’s eyes narrowed at the sound.

“I mean it. Touch one hair on her head and I will end you.”

Aiden stopped short of demanding he never speak to Charlotte again. Though he wanted to with every fiber of his being. They were classmates and needed to work together. Not to mention she seemed to like the guy, so it might hurt her if Noah ghosted her.

Noah shoved him back, and he stumbled a few steps before righting himself.

“You know you can’t have her either. The rules apply to you too. You can’t have anything more than a little fun or you’ll expose us all.”

Aiden knew that. Knew it, and hated it, with every fiber of his being. The more time passed around the red-haired girl, the more he wished there wasn’t a divide between them. That species didn’t matter.

The depressing reality made his anger settle, and he schooled his expression to keep Noah from seeing how the words affected him.

“She’s my friend. There’s nothing to worry about.”

He wasn’t lying. It didn’t matter if his mind flirted with the idea of something meaningful beyond what a friendship provided. Like Noah said, if he tried, it would expose their secret. He wouldn’t put that on Charlotte.

“Then there’s nothing wrong with me being her friend, either.”

“It better stay that way,” he sneered.

“Don’t worry. I know when I’m not wanted. I’m not so desperate to continue trying when she made it clear she wasn’t interested.”

The way Noah was grinning, the asshole only meant to provoke him. Noah had already decided not to pursue Charlotte and had goaded him into acting rash.

It made anger bubble back to the surface, but he wouldn’t let it control him. Jealousy made him want to lay Noah out on the sidewalk, but Noah’s taunts were a product of his own jealousy. Aiden had what he didn’t. Even if neither of them could have what they wanted with Charlotte, they both could have her friendship.

He knew as well as Noah did who had the stronger bond.

When Noah left, Aiden pulled his cell phone from his pocket and swiped the screen, placing a call to Lukas. He needed someone to talk to about everything.

“Hey,” Lukas said.

Nothing more, nothing less. Always the Chatty Kathy, as his mother once described him in jest. The thought made him smile.