When I got home, I was immediately welcomed with the warmth from the burning fire in the fireplace. It felt amazing on my freezing skin that had started to make my joints ache. I instantly felt my eyes become heavy as the heat licked my cold face and a yawn escaped from me. As I stood in front of the fireplace, basking in the warmth, I realized that it was eerily quiet in the house. 

It was unusual for this hour. My parents usually go to bed later. They must be home since there was a fire burning in the fireplace. 

Strange… Maybe they decided to go to bed early?

Putting the fire out, I then head to my room. This is when I noticed a note that was left on the coffee table. 

‘We had to an urgent call that we needed to go take care of. Not sure when we will be back. Don’t wait up and have pleasant dreams.

Love, Mom and Dad”

Well, that’s unusual… I thought to myself, placing the note back down. Since I now knew that I was home alone, I decided to walk through the house, making sure the doors were locked. Then I headed to my bedroom to relax.

After putting on my pajamas, I felt the exhaustion from the day. I turn on the TV and try to keep my eyes open, which was no easy task at this point. Just as I was about to start dozing off, I heard a knocking sound on my window. I look in that direction, I just about jumped out of my skin when I see Aiden’s face staring back at me.

Geez… I’m up now...

Opening the window, I helped climb in before asking, “How long have you been out there?” I questioned, quickly shutting the cold out. It probably wasn’t a good idea to allow a stranger into my room late at night, but there was something trusting about him.

“Not too long,” he replied with his charmingly perfect smile as he removed his snow-covered coat and beanie.

My face started to feel hot again as I began to feel overwhelmingly embarrassed. “Did… Did you see me undress?” 

He gave me a sly smile, growing my mortification.

Aiden grabbed my hands, leading me to the bed. We sat next to each other. But it wasn’t awkward in the least. I felt unusually comfortable and safe around him. Every time he touched me, there was some type of electric shock feeling that spread throughout my entire body, causing goosebumps to form on my skin. There was also something else that I found peculiar; there was this sensation in my gut that made me want to pull him closer. 

Making this revelation made my heart race, I became extremely nervous, and my mouth became dry as I looked into his astonishing eyes. Clearing my throat, I began, “So how did you know where I live?” I questioned trying to break the silence.

“I didn’t,” he stated with a smile while adding, “I followed you.”

“That’s not creepy…” I replied sarcastically.

“I know it sounds creepy, but I promise I’m not a creep.” He responded with the most beautiful laugh I ever heard.

“Then how did you know where I was? You couldn’t have been following me all day.”

“You don’t realize how long I’ve been searching for you, Ember.”

I looked at him in confusion as I waited for him to elaborate.

He laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling before grabbing my arm and saying, “Lay down with me, my love.”

Something inside me said that it was safe to lay down next to him. It couldn’t hurt, right? Maybe he would finally answer some of my questions without giving me riddles to solve. As I lay down next to him, his arm wrapped around me, and he pulled me closer so my head was resting on his chest. My heart began beating faster as I listened to his calm heartbeat. Being this close to a person and having them touch me made me nervous and excited because it’s something that I thought I could never experience. 

Even though I didn’t want this to end, there were still many questions that I needed to have answered. Propping myself up, I looked at him, wanting to stare into his eyes but he had them closed as if he was savoring the moment. 

I examined his relaxed face. Aiden had high cheekbones and a medium-sized nose that was proportionate with the rest of his face. There was a little scar that started just above his right eyebrow and ran through it, leaving a tiny bald patch on his brow. After a few minutes of quietly studying his face, I worked up the nerve to begin, “How is it that you make everything – everyone quiet when you are around me?”

Without opening his eyes, he stated indifferently, “I create a barrier around myself and extend it to include you. It also makes it easier to pinpoint on what, or who, you want to listen to.”

“Wait… You’re telepathic too?” I asked in surprise.

“Of course, my love.”

I smiled when he called me his love. “Why do you call me that?”

“Call you what?”

“My love.”

Aiden opened his eyes to look at me. “Because you are.” A pinch of sadness could be seen in his eyes. “Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“It probably should…” I started. “But oddly enough, it doesn’t.”

He let out a sigh as if he had been holding his breath.

“How do you know that I am your love though? How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend I’m deeply in love with right now?”

Aiden smiled and brushed my cheek with his thumb. “Are you suggesting I have competition?”

I smiled back at him. “Maybe you do.” 

“I know that you aren’t in a relationship with anyone because your mind is like an open book, which is something that we need to work on.” He paused for a moment, deciding on what or how to word something. “It’s not easy for people like us to have a relationship with ‘normal people’... And maybe I did peek into your mind on purpose just a little bit.” He chuckled.

“Wow… Now I know how Sara feels.”

Still smiling, he continued, “I didn’t do that to find out anything too private. However, we really do need to work on creating a lock for your mind. Anyone like me would be able to gather any information from you quickly and easily.” 

“And you plan on teaching me how to create this lock and barrier?” 

“Yes.”

I couldn’t help but feel relief. Aiden could teach me how to be ‘normal.’ 

“The barrier, I will need to teach you soon. As for everything else, I cannot go into all the details right now,” he continued, brushing some hair behind my ear with his fingers.

I felt extremely sleepy again, trying to keep myself awake in his presence.

“When I was six years old, I started to have dreams. Dreams of a beautiful girl with brunette hair and the most vibrant blue eyes I had ever seen. After several dreams, I realized they weren’t dreams. They were memories.”

I looked up at him in confusion, the sleepiness disappearing. “Memories?”

He shook his head. “You haven’t had any?”

“No… Only nightmares with my shadow man.”

Aiden’s face contorted when I called Lucien ‘my shadow man.’ “It’s different every time…” He stated more to himself than to me, but I couldn’t help but break his train of thought.

“What do you mean it’s different every time? What are you talking about?” I was starting to become more frustrated. Everything he was saying became more and more cryptic. Anything I questioned Aiden about just led to more and more questions.

He stared back at me with patience and kindness. “It is nothing to concern yourself with right now, my love,” Aiden replied, grabbing me closer. “Let’s enjoy the moment we have together right now.”