Chapter 6

"I've tried every focus spell I can think of, but I can't stop thinking about him. I know I should be focusing on my training. I know how important it is that I'm ready when the time comes, but I just can't stop. I know you'd be disappointed in me if you were here, but I really am trying. I just don't know what to do." Hayley ran her fingers through her hair and breathed a sigh of frustration. No matter how much she told herself she needed to concentrate, she just couldn't. All she could think about was Aidan.

Before this English project, it had been easy to categorize him as just another dumb jock; a cocky rich kid who only cared about his next score, both on the field and between his sheets. He gave her more than enough ammo to reinforce the theory. Almost every conversation she overheard him having was either about rugby or it was sickeningly flirtatious banter (and it really galled her to admit how often she caught herself listening for the sound of his voice in the hallways or the dining hall). But even then she'd been attracted to him, and hated herself for it. But now that she'd spent more time with him, she was starting to realize that there was more to him than what she'd originally thought. When he talked about something other than sports or when he wasn't trying to talk a girl out of her panties, he was actually kind of sweet, and smart, and funny, and... Dammit, there I go again thinking about him! What is wrong with me?

"Sorry. I didn't mean to invade your privacy." Hayley jumped at the sound of his voice. She hadn't heard him coming. It's almost as if she'd conjured him with her thoughts. Albeit, if she could conjure him with her thoughts, she would see him a lot more often. They stared at each other in silence, neither knowing what to say. "Look, I know how much you hate my company. I'll just go..."

"I don't hate your company, I just--" Hayley looked away, not knowing what to say. "I don't hate your company."

Aidan examined her closely, trying to decide whether or not he should just turn around and go back the way he'd come. But eventually he just gave up. He couldn't tell anything from her expression. He didn't know what made him think he would be able to. He never could.

He wasn't sure he was up to the effort of spending time with Hayley. He was starting to think it might be more trouble than it was worth. But he was tired. He wasn't sure how long he'd been running and he could honestly use the rest. Anyway, it wasn't like Hayley owned the spot. He could sit wherever he damn well pleased. But that didn't stop him from asking her if it was okay. No need to be rude, especially not to people who tended to look at you like they wanted to tear out your insides. Not that he was scared of Hayley, he just ... there was just no need to be rude.

"Do you mind if I sit down." She wasn't sure if she was in the mind-state to be her usual mean self. She was feeling a little too fragile at the moment to be around anyone, let alone him. But once he was around, it was hard for her to make herself tell him to leave. Hayley looked up at him, not sure how to answer, biting her bottom lip as she thought and unconsciously drawing Aidan's eyes to her mouth. Aidan noticed that she tended to do that when she was thinking hard about something, and every time she did, he imagined what it would be like to replace her teeth with his own. Not to bite too hard, mind you. Just a little nibble, maybe. Then I can soothe the slight pain with my tongue ... Fuck, what am I thinking? I should probably turn around and go back. Aidan shifted his weight from his right foot to his left, waiting for her answer. He was almost ready to just turn back and leave when he heard her mumble, "Whatever."

Aidan sat down beside her, careful not to get too close. They sat next to each other in silence, neither knowing what to say. Aidan soon realized that he'd sat down a little closer to her than he'd intended; almost but not quite touching. Every once in a while the wind picked up a bit and Aidan could feel Hayley's hair brush against his skin. He'd never been this close to her before. Whenever they worked on their project, they were always yards apart. Aidan could feel the heat coming from her body. The temperature had dropped drastically since he'd started his run, but he couldn't feel anything other than her hair on his skin.

Why does she have to smell so good? He didn't know what it was about this girl that drove him crazy with wanting her. The cynic in him told him he wanted her so much only because she was so dead set against him having her. It had been a long time since he'd had a girl reject him.

He wasn't quite the indiscriminate slut Hayley thought he was, but he was a red-blooded teenage male with the ability to know exactly what every girl wanted. Well, almost every girl. But his sense of honor wouldn't allow him to take advantage of that ability and he did his best to avoid invading people's privacy. For the most part. Besides, he would feel like a complete slimeball loser if the only reason he got any girls was because he used his powers to manipulate them. He wasn't the type to lie to a girl and tell her what she wanted to hear just to get laid. Nevertheless, he didn't mind so much being able to know, without a doubt, when a girl was interested in him and when she wasn't. Or knowing the perfect gift for Christmas, a birthday, or an anniversary. Or knowing when an argument had started because of PMS and not something he'd actually done wrong.

Still, there was a part of him, the part that he usually liked to ignore, that told him that his desire for Hayley had very little to do with the fact that she didn't seem to want him back. There were plenty of girls who weren't into him, but he'd never felt an overwhelming urge to pursue any of them. Part of her allure, he knew, was the fact that he couldn't read her the way he could others. But Aidan knew that a large part was something else entirely. Something inexplicable. There was just something about her that made it impossible for him to stop thinking about her. No matter how hard he tried.

"So, I heard you talking to someone when I was running over here. Were you on the phone or something?" Aidan broke the silence, hoping it would help clear his mind of her. Hayley blushed, embarrassed to be caught talking to someone who wasn't really there. As if he doesn't already think I'm weird enough.

"No, I was just, umm..." Hayley tried to think of a way to explain who'd she'd been talking to without making herself sound crazy. She couldn't. Might as well tell the truth. Couldn't hurt. "I was talking to my grandmother. I do that sometimes when I'm trying to work through something in my head." She turned away from him and watched the water splash delicately over the rocks, hoping he couldn't see the blush staining her cheeks.

"Oh. Is she coming to visit for parents' weekend?" Apparently, Aidan hadn't noticed that Hayley had said she hadn't been on the phone. Hayley gave a dry laugh. This boy really knows how to stick his foot in his mouth. She wasn't even mad at him this time. Without looking at him, she told him, "She died at the beginning of the summer." Aidan didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything.

Hayley was surprised that Aidan didn't respond with the usual "I'm sorry." That's what everyone else did. And it's not that she thought they weren't sincere. She was just ... a little tired of hearing it. She'd heard it more than enough after her parents' death. She liked that he didn't say anything. She didn't want him to be like everybody else.

He sat there silently watching the water, waiting for her to speak. He hated that he'd put his foot in his mouth around her again. And not just because he liked knowing exactly what to say. He genuinely regretted that he'd said something to cause her more grief when she seemed to have had more than enough in her life already.

He glanced at her, trying to decipher her mood, not knowing whether he should say something or not. He wanted to make her feel better, but didn't want to risk saying something that would make things worse. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She sat with her knees bent, her arms draped over them. She laid her head on her arms, her hair spilling softly down the side, the tips brushing the sand.