Chapter 33

Aria's POV I woke up to my phone buzzing on the nightstand. Grabbing it with sleepy fingers, my heart skipped when I saw Aiden's message: Coming home tomorrow? Three simple words that somehow made everything inside me flutter. I stared at the screen, fingers hovering over the keyboard. What should I say? Was I ready to go back after our fight? I stared at the message, typing and deleting responses for fifteen minutes before finally calling Lillian. "What would you do?" I asked without bothering with a greeting. "Wait, slow down. What are we talking about?" Lillian's voice was thick with sleep. "Aiden texted me. He wants to know if I'm coming home tomorrow." "Oh?" Now she sounded fully awake. "What did you say?" "Nothing yet! That's why I'm calling you at—" I glanced at the clock, "—six in the morning." Lillian laughed. "Make him sweat a little. Don't answer right away." "But what if he thinks—" "Trust me," Lillian cut me off. "Let him wonder. You rushed back last time after your fight,