Chapter 144: Nothing would’ve happened!”

HELENA The warmth of his body made it hard to think clearly, but the panic in my chest was still louder than anything else. 'You leaving already?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. I froze, my heart jumping into my throat. 'I, uh… I wasn't going to wake you," I stammered. His arm stayed around me as he chuckled softly. 'Helena, it's not like I haven't seen you this close before." I could hear the grin in his voice, and I bit my lip to keep from responding. I knew that if I said anything, it would just give him more ammunition to tease me with. But of course, Aaron wasn't the type to need much to work with. 'Feeling shy now?" he teased, finally letting go of me. I sat up, ready to bolt, but I could already feel his eyes on me. 'No, I'm not shy," I mumbled, though I could feel my face betraying me with how hot my cheeks were getting. 'Right," Aaron said, drawing the word out slowly as he propped himself up on his elbow, watching me with a mischievous grin. 'You always turn that shade of red when you're totally not embarrassed, right?" I shot him a glare, but it was weak at best, and his grin only widened. 'Why are you smiling like that?" 'Just thinking," he said, his voice low and playful, 'about how cute you looked last night, trying to hide." I groaned, covering my face with my hands. 'Don't remind me." 'Oh, I have to. That was the best part of my night." He sat up fully now, leaning closer to me. 'Watching you dash out of the room like a startled deer? Priceless." 'I wasn't *that* bad," I muttered, but Aaron raised an eyebrow. 'You practically ran into the door before you even opened it," he teased, folding his arms as he leaned back against the headboard. I only just realized he was shirtless. I swallowed, trying to remove my eyes from the dashing sight. 'If I hadn't chased after you, you probably would've spent the night hiding under your bed." He added, smirking further. 'That is *not* true!" I shot back, crossing my arms in defense. 'Mm-hmm," he said, his voice filled with amusement. 'You would've been shivering in a corner, praying Quincy didn't come knocking. Admit it." I glared at him, but the laugh he was holding back finally burst out, and despite myself, I started to giggle too. 'Okay, fine," I said, throwing my hands up. 'Maybe I overreacted a little." 'A little?" Aaron grinned, shaking his head. 'You could've won a gold medal with how fast you sprinted out of there." I groaned again, this time burying my face in my hands. 'I'll never live this down, will I?" 'Not a chance," Aaron said, laughter still in his voice. 'But don't worry. I'll make sure Quincy doesn't tease you too much." I peeked at him between my fingers. 'You're going to tease me more than he ever could." 'True." His smile softened as he reached out to ruffle my hair. 'But I'll be nicer about it." I swatted his hand away, but I couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto my face. His teasing was relentless, but it was the kind of teasing that made me feel lighter, less awkward about the whole situation. It wasn't so bad being the target of his jokes. Until he said, 'You know, I'm starting to think you ran off because you were nervous being alone with me." I blinked at him, my mouth falling open. 'What?!" Aaron shrugged, his grin widening. 'You bolted the moment Quincy walked in. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scared of what might've happened if he hadn't interrupted us." My face went from warm to scorching in an instant. 'Th-That's not—!" 'Yeah, yeah, sure." Aaron's eyes sparkled with amusement. 'Totally not it." 'You're insufferable," I muttered, grabbing one of the pillows and smacking him with it. He laughed, catching the pillow easily. 'I'm just saying, maybe Quincy did you a favor. Who knows what you might've done?" My jaw dropped again. 'Aaron!" 'What?" He looked way too innocent, though his eyes told a different story. 'I mean, you were pretty close." I stared at him, trying to find a good retort, but my brain was short-circuiting under the weight of his teasing and the blush that wouldn't leave my face. 'Nothing would've happened!" I finally managed to sputter. Aaron raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying every second of this. 'You sure about that?" 'Positive," I snapped, standing up from the bed in a desperate attempt to regain some dignity. 'I—I wasn't even thinking about that!" 'You sure about *that*?" he asked, his grin never faltering. He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand, as if waiting for me to give in. I could feel the blush spreading all the way down my neck. 'I'm leaving," I muttered, turning toward the door. 'Oh, come on," Aaron called after me, the laughter in his voice impossible to miss. 'Don't be shy now, Helena. I'll make sure Quincy doesn't walk in next time." My hand was on the doorknob, and I paused, glancing back at him. 'There's not going to be a next time," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. Aaron's grin turned almost predatory. 'We'll see about that." I practically bolted out of the room before he could say anything else, the sound of his laughter following me down the hall. My heart was racing, and I could feel the heat still burning on my cheeks. Why did I ever think waking up in his bed was a good idea? I wasn't sure I'd survive another round of his teasing. As I rounded the corner and headed back to my own room, a smile tugged at my lips despite myself. Aaron might have been impossible, but somehow, he made running out of his room in a panic almost… fun. Almost.