Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina) novel Chapter 81

Just Mine

I nod, confirming that I do want to be with the both of them.

Aiden swallows thickly, and he grabs his coffee, walking out of the shop. I blink and watch him for a minute before I am up and after him.

“Aiden.”

He looks over his shoulder at me, but says nothing, continuing to his car. Exasperated, I

follow.

The car ride is silent. His grip on the steering wheel is tight and his jaw clenched.

1 glance at him every chance I get, trying not to make it super obvious that I’m trying to read his expression to get some kind of understanding of what he is feeling.

Still, the silence stretches.

When we pull into the driveway and head inside, he doesn’t stop in the living room or the

kitchen.

When I freeze, not knowing what to do, he grabs my hand and pulls me with him straight

down the hall.

When I realize he is walking to Zaid’s room, my heart nearly beats out of my chest. My steps falter and my nerves fray. “Aiden, stop!”

His hold on me tightens.

“What are you doing?” I hiss.

He doesn’t answer, pushing open Zaid’s door without knocking.

gray

Zaid is on his bed, leaning against the headboard in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. A book rests open in his hands, his head snapping up at our entrance. His dark eyes narrow at Aiden before flickering to me, his expression unreadable.

“What’s going on?” he asks, suspicious of Aiden’s hold on me and I am so sure he can see me trembling.

1/5

Just Mine

I’m frozen in the doorway, my gaze drawn to the scars that line the left side of his torso. They’re jagged, pale against his skin. I had forgotten what they looked like, but they bring back the memories of when he showed them to me after he saved me from a panic attack.

My chest tightens.

“Get up,” Aiden says, his voice firm as he pushes me further into the room, closing the door behind him.

Zaid quirks a brow and closes his book, setting it aside. “What’s going on?”

Aiden lets out a breath, his hands gripping my shoulders as he looks at Zaid. “Kiss her.”

My eyes widen, and I whip my head around to gape at him. “What?”

Zaid’s jaw tightens, his gaze darting between us. He looks like a wounded animal, wary

and uncertain. “Aiden.”

Aiden’s hands drop from my shoulders, his expression hardening as he steps closer to Zaid. “I need to see if I can handle it.”

Zaid’s brows knit in confusion. “Handle what?”

Aiden sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Alina has feelings for you.”

Zaid stiffens, his eyes locking onto mine. I can’t breathe, the words hanging in the air like a bomb about to go off. I’d wanted to be the one to tell him, not like this.

Before I can say anything, Aiden keeps going. “But she has feelings for me, too. So if this is going to work, I need to know I can deal with it.”

Zaid recoils. He blinks at Aiden, then at me, then back at Aiden. “If what is going to work,

Aiden?”

His voice cracks slightly and I wrap my hand around my throat, finding it increasingly

hard to breathe.

Aiden doesn’t respond, just nudges me toward Zaid again. My feet feel like they’re stuck to the floor, but we end up so close, I can feel Zaid’s breath on my forehead.

“If what is going to work, Aiden?” He repeats the words.

Zaid seems to think over his words, and my cheeks turn so hot I think I might faint. He looks down at me, his eyes questioning everything his brother is saying.

For a moment, I think he’s going to push me away, disgusted by the idea.

But Zaid reaches out, his hands gentle as they find my face. His fingers are warm, his

Or more.

The world falls away. There’s no Aiden, no Jake, no confusion, no scars. Just Zaid,

Aiden clears his throat, breaking the spell. Zaid straightens, his hands falling away as he