Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina) novel Chapter 154

Spilling

“Aiden.” His name leaves my mouth like a plea and an apology all at once. My fingers tremble as I set my hands on the floor.

He exhales sharply, like he’s been holding it in too long. “You lied to me.”

There’s no accusation in his voice. Just the wound, just the pain. It makes my chest ache in a way that feels permanent, like I’ve done the unforgiveable.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

He shakes his head, a hollow laugh escaping. “The thing is, I know that.”

I shake my head. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, that’s the last thing I wanted. And I thought I was protecting you from the pain.”

He looks down at his hands, then back at me, his gaze piercing. “I understand your. reasoning, but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough sometimes. I felt like an idiot.”

My, voice cracks. “No. I was the idiot. I was scared. I didn’t know how you’d react. I didn’t know if you’d hate me.”

His eyebrows pull together, eyes narrowing like I’ve said something completely offensive. “I’ve never given you a reason to think I’d hate you.”

“I know,” I breathe. “They’re my insecurities.”

He runs a hand over his face, scrubbing at his jaw like he can rub the hurt out.

The guilt is a physical thing inside me now, twisting and clawing. My throat is tight as I try to form words that don’t feel like enough. “There’s no justifiable excuse. I was lost when I moved here. Everything felt like it was falling apart. And then you came along, and you made me feel normal. Safe. Like I wasn’t broken.”

His eyes soften for a second before they harden again. “And Jake made you feel that way,

too.”

I nod slowly. “And Zaid.”

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Spilling

His chest rises, then falls. Controlled. But I can see the war going on inside him, in his clenched jaw, the way his fingers twitch like he’s holding something back.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks again. His voice is gentler this time, but no less pained.

“Because I was afraid you’d make me choose, and I didn’t know if I could,” I say, barely above a whisper.

His gaze darkens, unreadable. “And if I had made you choose… who would you have picked?”

I blink at him, my throat closing in on itself. The truth is raw and ugly, but I won’t lie. Not now. “No one. I wouldn’t have picked anyone.”

For a moment, he just stares at me. Like he’s trying to translate something he doesn’t understand. Then he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“So it’s all of us,” he says slowly, “or none of us.”

I nod. “Yeah.”

We sit in silence after that. It’s heavy. But it’s honest.

I shift closer to him, my palms scraping lightly against the wood floor. I crawl into his

space slowly, carefully, like I’m waiting for him to push me away.

He doesn’t.

His legs part slightly, and I sit on him, straddling and placing my hands gently on his

cheeks. My heart hammers in my chest, but I hold his gaze.

“My feelings for Jake, and for Zaid, they don’t take away from what I feel for you. What I

have with you is different. You’re different from them.”

Aiden’s eyes close for a moment, like he’s absorbing my words.

When he opens them again, he looks so tired. But he cups my cheek with his hand, his thumb brushing softly over my skin.

Tears sting my eyes. “What do you need from me? What can I do so that you feel like you

can trust me?”

He studies me, like he’s searching for something he hasn’t quite found yet. “Time? I just, I don’t want to find out about any more lies. I don’t think I could take it. Zaid was one hit and Jake was another.”

He nods, slowly. His hand slides from my cheek to the back of my neck, fingers threading through my hair. “Okay.”

Then he leans in. His lips brush against mine, light as a breath. My eyes flutter closed, and I press into him, tasting the hesitation, the uncertainty, but also the need. The kiss deepens gradually, and the tentative gives way to hunger.

His jaw is clenching, breathing hard. “You were so sexy earlier, but I want you to myself.”

care.