Read Online The Heart-Shaped Emblor (The Ewlishash Series) by Alaina Ewing - Free Book Online
Authors: Alaina Ewing
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my frozen lips.
“Aislinn.” He leaned toward my ear. “You have nothing to worry about. Jaden wounded me more than you could possibly imagine. I have no intentions of going back to her.”
Just hearing this made me feel a tiny bit better. But there were still things bothering me. One, I didn’t know what had happened between them, why they never said anything about their dating.
Two, was Jaden doing all of this to hurt me? By showing me how much they had in common? Did she want to make me feel betrayed like she felt betrayed?
Or could there be a third reason for her behavior? One that troubled me more than the other two combined. Had Jaden started out just wanting revenge, but in kissing Cooper, actually decided that she wanted him back? Were these reminders of how much they had in common not for me, but for him ?
The images, paintings, and drawings she had selected all seemed to tie in together. They were different sides to the same story, and they were very intimate. It seemed to me that she wanted Cooper to remember some specific times. Maybe times they shared something special. My gut told me I had reason to be worried, despite what Cooper said.
“Cooper?” I hesitated. “I hadn’t planned on asking you this, but I need to know what happened between you two? How serious were you, and why didn’t you want me to know that you dated?”
Cooper squeezed his pop can into oblivion. “I don’t want anyone to hear me.” He looked around the hall under his heavy eyelids.
“So talk quietly.”
“Jaden and I have known one another since childhood. Our parents have been friends for many years. We dated for a while, a long while, until she freaked out on me. To make a long story short, we were about to have sex for the first time when she suddenly jumped up and started hitting me. She acted like I’d tried to rape her. It doesn’t make any sense. She dumped me after that. We’ve barely spoken since.”
“Did you love her?” I asked solemnly.
“Yes,” he admitted under his breath. “But not anymore. I never did anything to hurt her and didn’t deserve what she did to me. She even betrayed you. She told me about you having a crush on me for years and how you can dream about the future. Jaden can’t be trusted. That’s all I know.”
A rock hit me in the pit of my stomach. Not only had Jaden betrayed me by kissing Cooper, but she had also told him my secret. All of which made it harder when I realized he might still have feelings for her.
“What if she had been raped? Would you have let things go?”
“What do you mean?” Cooper’s demeanor hardened and he sat up straighter, anger vivid in his eyes.
“I don’t know how to say this, Cooper. I’m not even supposed to say this, but you need to know. Jaden was raped. As far as I can tell, it took place in her parents’ bed. Jaden and I became friends because I saw her trying to commit suicide in a dream, and I went to her. I can’t say why she never told me about dating you, or why she didn’t tell you about the rape. But I can guarantee you that Jaden has definitely been a victim of a violent crime.”
“Well.” Cooper got up, and an unrecognizable look crossed his face. He seemed enraged. “None of this matters now. She let me think I hurt her. How could she?”
I got up too. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He kissed my forehead, but was emotionally miles away. “Thank you for telling me. All this time, I’ve been ashamed because she made me think I did something terrible to her. This has haunted me for a year now. Sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, but it was too humiliating.”
I didn’t say anything. Part of me already regretted telling him. What would happen now?
“I need to get going.” His gaze grew in intensity. “I have some things I need to take care of, and my throat feels scratchy.”
“Okay,” I murmured, afraid to let my fears come forth. “See you tomorrow.”
“If I’m not sick.”
As I watched
“Aislinn.” He leaned toward my ear. “You have nothing to worry about. Jaden wounded me more than you could possibly imagine. I have no intentions of going back to her.”
Just hearing this made me feel a tiny bit better. But there were still things bothering me. One, I didn’t know what had happened between them, why they never said anything about their dating.
Two, was Jaden doing all of this to hurt me? By showing me how much they had in common? Did she want to make me feel betrayed like she felt betrayed?
Or could there be a third reason for her behavior? One that troubled me more than the other two combined. Had Jaden started out just wanting revenge, but in kissing Cooper, actually decided that she wanted him back? Were these reminders of how much they had in common not for me, but for him ?
The images, paintings, and drawings she had selected all seemed to tie in together. They were different sides to the same story, and they were very intimate. It seemed to me that she wanted Cooper to remember some specific times. Maybe times they shared something special. My gut told me I had reason to be worried, despite what Cooper said.
“Cooper?” I hesitated. “I hadn’t planned on asking you this, but I need to know what happened between you two? How serious were you, and why didn’t you want me to know that you dated?”
Cooper squeezed his pop can into oblivion. “I don’t want anyone to hear me.” He looked around the hall under his heavy eyelids.
“So talk quietly.”
“Jaden and I have known one another since childhood. Our parents have been friends for many years. We dated for a while, a long while, until she freaked out on me. To make a long story short, we were about to have sex for the first time when she suddenly jumped up and started hitting me. She acted like I’d tried to rape her. It doesn’t make any sense. She dumped me after that. We’ve barely spoken since.”
“Did you love her?” I asked solemnly.
“Yes,” he admitted under his breath. “But not anymore. I never did anything to hurt her and didn’t deserve what she did to me. She even betrayed you. She told me about you having a crush on me for years and how you can dream about the future. Jaden can’t be trusted. That’s all I know.”
A rock hit me in the pit of my stomach. Not only had Jaden betrayed me by kissing Cooper, but she had also told him my secret. All of which made it harder when I realized he might still have feelings for her.
“What if she had been raped? Would you have let things go?”
“What do you mean?” Cooper’s demeanor hardened and he sat up straighter, anger vivid in his eyes.
“I don’t know how to say this, Cooper. I’m not even supposed to say this, but you need to know. Jaden was raped. As far as I can tell, it took place in her parents’ bed. Jaden and I became friends because I saw her trying to commit suicide in a dream, and I went to her. I can’t say why she never told me about dating you, or why she didn’t tell you about the rape. But I can guarantee you that Jaden has definitely been a victim of a violent crime.”
“Well.” Cooper got up, and an unrecognizable look crossed his face. He seemed enraged. “None of this matters now. She let me think I hurt her. How could she?”
I got up too. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He kissed my forehead, but was emotionally miles away. “Thank you for telling me. All this time, I’ve been ashamed because she made me think I did something terrible to her. This has haunted me for a year now. Sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, but it was too humiliating.”
I didn’t say anything. Part of me already regretted telling him. What would happen now?
“I need to get going.” His gaze grew in intensity. “I have some things I need to take care of, and my throat feels scratchy.”
“Okay,” I murmured, afraid to let my fears come forth. “See you tomorrow.”
“If I’m not sick.”
As I watched
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