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Elliot shook his head. “Nothing? That looked like a whole lot of kissing to me.”

“Oh, that. Well, that’s because…” My mouth felt like it was filled with cotton balls. I couldn’t seem to spit the words out.

“Because we’re dating,” Aiden said.

Elliot’s mouth opened with surprise, and I was stunned into silence. I stared at Aiden, unsure what to say. I’d been overthinking everything this morning, and I hadn’t even been certain if Aiden would want to kiss me again. The idea he wanted to date me wasn’t something I’d dared to consider. But he made it sound so simple. Like it was obvious.

“You want to date me?” I murmured to Aiden.

He smiled shyly at me. “If that’s okay with you…”

He was being so sweet, and I really wished we were alone. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t believe he wanted to date me. Aiden didn’t date anyone. Ever. From the look on his face though, I knew he was being sincere. Aiden really wanted to go out with me.

I didn’t get a chance to respond to him because Elliot interrupted. “My brother, MJ, really?”

I kept looking into Aiden’s eyes as I slowly started to nod. “Yes, your brother and I are dating.”

Aiden’s cautious smile grew, and he squeezed my hand. “Really?”

“Really.” I’d felt so uncertain coming downstairs this morning, but Aiden had thoroughly pushed those worries away. I was probably going to regret this decision, as Aiden was bound to break my heart, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. The feelings I had for him couldn’t be ignored, and if he felt the same, then I’d be stupid not to give us a chance.

Elliot let out a laugh, and I turned to him. “Ha! I knew this was going to happen. I should have taken that bet with Seth.”

Aiden scowled at his little brother. “What bet with Seth?”

“He bet me you wouldn’t have the guts to tell Clary that youloveher. I told him that he clearly didn’t know you because you totally would.” Elliot approached the counter and stole a piece of toast from Aiden’s plate. Aiden was too distracted to notice though.

“And when exactly were you talking to my best friend?” he asked.

“Well, Mom forced me to go outside and ride my bike yesterday to get some fresh air. I saw him in his driveway playing ball, and we talked.” Elliot was speaking with his mouth full of bread, and his words were barely audible.

“All about me, clearly,” Aiden replied. “Remind me I need to kill my best friend when we get out of lockdown.”

Elliot swallowed his mouthful of food before he responded. “Will do,” he said. He was looking between the two of us and slowly started to smile. “What’s Mom going to say?” There was an evil glint in Elliot’s eyes as he realized he’d hit on an awkward topic. He was expecting there to be trouble if his mom found out about Aiden and me, and it seemed he couldn’t wait to witness it.

I looked at Aiden, and he appeared just as unsure as I was. Would his mom freak out if she knew we were dating while living under the same roof? And what about my parents? They had enough to worry about right now without adding their teenage daughter and her new boyfriend to the list. Knowing my mom, she’d be excited rather than worried. But, then again, Mom’s priorities in life were completely out of whack.

The thought of telling my parents about our relationship was a total buzzkill. Aiden and I had literally just started dating, and I wasn’t ready to share that with them. Things were different, thanks to the pandemic though, and I knew if I wanted to be with him that we had to be honest with our families. We couldn’t hide this for the whole of lockdown, and I had to hope our parents would accept it.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Aiden said to me. “My mom loves you.”

“I’m more worried about my dad,” I replied.

“I’m worried about missing the show,” Elliot added, as he stole another piece of toast from Aiden’s plate.

“Hey, that was my last piece.”

“Yeah, well, consider it payment for my silence until you tell Mom.”

“Tell Mom what?”

Of course, Jade chose that moment to enter the room. It seemed like she was only just returning from her night shift. She still had her keys in her hand and was dressed in the same clothes she’d been wearing last night. Her eyes were tired, and I felt a flash of guilt. Now didn’t feel like the right time to talk to Aiden’s mom about us. She looked like she needed sleep more than anything.

“Mom, you’re home,” Aiden said. “How was work?”

“It was fine,” she said, giving him a tired smile.

“Do you want me to make you some coffee?”