The Girl He Craves novel (Sophie and Aiden)

Chapter 8

Aiden’s POV

I watch Sophie scramble to get out of the room quickly as soon as Grandfather dismisses her. I’m left staring at her back, fighting the urge to look lower. She always had a pretty perky ass.

“Aiden, Sergio won’t like that you’re constantly getting into trouble. You’re going to inherit the company one day. One bad thing on your record and that’s it. You’re done,” Grandfather warned, drawing my attention as he rose from his seat.

Sergio was my mother’s dad and the CEO and chairman of Harrington Co., a very well-known multi-billion dollar business around the world. Since Mom didn’t want to inherit the business, it will be passed down to me.

Mom and Sergio were not really on good terms, especially when Mom married Dad, who was of lower class. Since then, their relationship had been strained, and not many people knew that we were related at all.

“When have I ever done a bad thing, Grandfather?” I asked, lifting my brow and crossing my arms over my chest.

He raised a brow, looking so much like his son, who was my father. But I suppose I should say his son looked so much like him.

“You’ve been in more trouble this week than you’ve been in previous weeks before, Aiden. When are you going to stop teasing the girl and tell her how you feel about her?” He sighed, walking around the desk and coming to stand just before me.

I looked away. “I don’t look at her in any way.”

“I’m your grandfather, Aiden. I also know love when I see it. Quit teasing her and just tell her before it’s too late. She won’t be here forever, nor will she wait for you to man up,” he warned.

My jaw ticked. I hate it when he read straight through me. It made it impossible to hide things from him.

“I can’t. She hates me,” I grumbled.

Sophie Bell hates my guts, always has. There was no way confessing I liked her would change her perspective on me. To her, I was a spoiled brat who was way too ugly and obnoxious. At least that’s what I remember her saying when I was about to approach her.

Grandfather snorted, clearly amused. “She hates you enough to have sex with you?”

I winced, turning away from him completely. “That was different. You heard her anyway; it was a mistake.”

“But it wasn’t for you, Aiden. It’s easier to let out your emotions than to have them build up. You can’t tease her for the rest of her life. You two are seniors, only a few months until you might not see each other again,” he advised.

His words had my heart throbbing painfully. I didn’t want to think about not seeing her again in a few months.

“I can’t,” I snapped, walking away.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Why not?” he asked behind me. I stopped and sighed. Looking at him over my shoulder, I confessed, “Because I don’t want to get hurt.”

Seven years ago

I peeked behind the pillar, my eyes falling on the pretty new girl. I smiled. Sophie Bell. Even her name was pretty. She was so cute sitting alone and playing with the blades of grass. I should introduce myself or at least say hi.

My heart started to slam in my chest as I got ready to move away from the pillar and make my way to her. But I stopped quickly when another girl, who I recognized as Mila, ran over to her. The two seemed to know each other as they began to chat.

Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to introduce myself now. It would save me from stuttering by having someone else there. Maybe I wouldn’t make a fool out of myself.

Letting out a breath, I started making my way over to the two girls. But I stopped when I was within hearing range.

“I think you have an admirer, Sophie,” Mila giggled.

“What? No, I don’t,” Sophie shyly squirmed and tried to use picking the grass as a distraction.

“Of course you do! Aiden Xavier couldn’t keep his eyes off you the entire class. He literally looked like he was already planning the wedding,” Mila laughed.

I felt my heart start to pound when I heard my name being mentioned.

“The boy with blue eyes, brown shaggy hair, who sat behind me?” Sophie asked shyly. Their backs were facing me, so I wasn’t sure what her face portrayed. Was she blushing? Did she look annoyed? Was she passive?

Eavesdropping wasn’t really my thing, but I wanted to hear more of Sophie’s sweet voice, especially when she was talking about me.

“Oh my God. Do you have a crush on Aiden Xavier?”

I felt my heart start to pound even faster in my chest, and my palms began to sweat.

“What! No!” Sophie denied, which made my heart pang in hurt.

“Then why are you blushing?!” Mila teased and playfully shouldered her.

“I don’t like him, okay? He’s ugly and creepy. Besides, he looks dumb,” Sophie rushed out in one breath.

I staggered back, feeling my throat hurt.

“And he also looks like a spoiled brat. I don’t like spoiled, obnoxious brats,” she continued.

“Whoa!” Mila laughed. “All of that by just staring at him for the first time?”

Sophie shrugged. “I’m a good judge of character. I don’t have to speak to a person to know them. One look and I can already tell. Aiden isn’t my type.”

Mila continued to laugh, but Sophie remained silent.

Sophie’s words hurt me. So much so that I felt tears brim in my eyes.

“Well, it’s probably a good thing you don’t. Most of the girls in our grade have a huge crush on him; you’d have a lot of competition,” Mila giggled.

Sophie took a while to answer. “I don’t see what they see in him, but I don’t care. I don’t like him,” Sophie shrugged, and I thought I’d heard enough.

I turned around to leave and grit my teeth in anger when the two started to laugh. They were laughing at me, I was sure.

I should’ve known a pretty face was only but a mask. I picked up my pace, my footsteps turning into sprints.

“Hey dude, come check this out!” Ryland shouted to grab my attention when he caught a glimpse of me.

I shook my head, unable to speak as I made my way to the bathroom. Never had I ever felt so much pain and anger before.

“Aiden,” his voice called out, freezing my hand on the door handle.

“Yes?” I sighed, not really in the mood to hear him lecture me again about confessing my feelings for Sophie.

“Keep your bodily fluids to yourself and not in the library or any part of the school. Do you hear me?” he said sternly.

I nodded, embarrassed that he had seen me in this kind of position. He’d probably run his mouth to my parents the second he meets up with them.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I left the office in search of Sophie. I wouldn’t confess to her because that would only get me hurt by her a second time. I didn’t want her to straight up say she didn’t want me in front of my face.

The bell rang, signaling another lesson. Shit. She’s probably on her way to calculus. We weren’t in the same classes. I just needed to see if she was okay. She did leave the office in quite a hurry.

I plopped down on the chair, my heart racing swiftly in my chest. This cannot be happening to me right now. No. I did not just get served with detention.

I planted my elbows on the desk and dug my hands into my hair. I didn’t pay any mind to the students who were giving me weird stares as they quickly started to fill the room.

“We meet again, pretty girl.” I lifted my head, my eyes connecting with Carson’s smiling face. I envied his joy, his happiness. Because right now, I was not happy at all.

I was angry. Frustrated. Annoyed. At him. At Aiden Xavier. He’s the cause of this. He shouldn’t have come into the library. He should’ve never kissed me.

Carson's brows furrowed as he made his way over to me. “Well, this wasn’t the reaction I was expecting,” he joked and settled himself on the chair beside mine.

I straightened in the seat and removed my elbows from the desk while trying to smile. “You have calculus too?” That was a very stupid question, but I was hoping he’d engage me in a conversation to pull me out of my thoughts about my pending detention.

He smiled at me with a curved smile. “So we’re going to skip the part where I ask you what’s going on with you?”

I sucked my lower lip into my mouth and fought off a smile. “Yes, we’re going to skip that question.”

I really didn’t want to tell him why I was serving detention.

Carson nodded and then his eyes swept to the door. His expression changed and his brows furrowed. “Uh, why is this guy giving me the death stare?”

Following his gaze, my heart pounded wildly in my chest. There stood Aiden, with anger in his eyes, staring.