I woke up at 2 am to an empty bed that was covered in bloodstains. And not gonna lie... that was a terrifying way to wake up. The last memory I had was watching Aiden sleep, his face relaxed, oblivious to the world as I dipped into my large supply of bandaids.

It felt weird peeling off his bloody shirt to inspect the wounds. His back and arms were covered in blood. Walking into the bathroom, I picked up a washcloth and dapped at the blood, relieved when I saw how shallow the cuts were.

Ignoring how amazing his toned, muscular back looked, but taking a mental picture of it because it was breathtaking, I focused on covering every possible scratch with bandaids. He stirred slightly as I ran my fingers along the curve of his back inspecting the scratches. His skin was hot below my fingertips.

I kept moving, not wanting to sit gawking like some drooling freak. After finishing up, I spotted his suitcase and found a large t-shirt. Poking him, Aiden groaned. "Sit up Aiden," I urged. After several mutters of protest, He sat up and I helped him put on his shirt, then he fell over, falling back to sleep.

But now, Aiden was gone. And I was staring at an empty bed covered in blood.

"Aiden!" I gasped connecting the dots. Where'd he go?

I scrambled from the bed and looked around the dim room, alarm bells going off. "Aiden?" I called tentatively. I slowly moved towards the front door, fully intent on bursting Tate's door down and demanding to know where Aiden was. Something clearly had to be wrong if he had vanished into thin air. He said he had no intention of leaving me alone.

Light peaked out from under the bathroom door. "Aiden?" The silence that followed scared me. Did he pass out in the bathroom?

Tentatively, my hand covering my eyes, I pushed the door open, not sure what I was expecting to find. I could hear the shower running and tried to back out of the room. But the exit didn't quite go as planned. I accidentally knocked the door shut with my butt, trapping me for a long awkward pause in the bathroom with a most likely naked Aiden.

OH MY GOSH... GET OUT. Or look— nope. Get out. Stay? Turning, I tried to find the door handle, one hand still up to my eyes.

"Um... Laliana?" Aiden's voice echoed through the bathroom.

"I'm so sorry. I'm just trying to find the door handle. I didn't know you were in here. I haven't seen anything. I promise. I have my eyes closed. I'm leaving." I babbled in a panic.

He started to laugh. "You can open your eyes."

"Uh...." Was the only word I seemed capable of as I continued to blindly reach for the door handle.

"I'm not in the shower Summers."

I stopped. "Oh." Lower my hand I turned and nearly threw my hand up again.

Aiden stood next to the sink, shirtless. Hello hotness my whole body responded.

But when I saw the bloody towel in his hands, the heat that had risen inside turned to ice. He read the shock on my face. "I'm fine," he insisted as he reached for one of the countless bandaids on the sink.

"Just have to change these out."

Something snapped in my brain. The blatant lie shattered what little calm I had. I shook my head wildly. "How are you standing!?! You should be getting a blood transfusion!"

Aiden placed a bandaid on his shoulder, eyes on his reflection in the mirror for precision. "I have plenty left."

I walked into the bedroom, dragging a chair back to the bathroom. "Sit." Aiden raised a brow. "Sit before you pass out."

Relenting, he sat backward in the chair, as I took over, working to replace all of the bandaids on his back. "We should really get you to a doctor," I muttered. I looked up at him in the mirror's reflection. "When you are off duty, go."

He began to protest. "Aiden, you were in a river with open wounds. It's not worth dying over an infection." His jaw tensed but he didn't respond.

"Stubborn," I muttered with a grin.

Aiden rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry I got blood on your bed."

I looked away, remembering the kiss we shared before he collapsed. "It's fine."

"I don't..." He rubbed his temples. "I can't remember how I got on your bed. I fell asleep at the edge of the bed... I guess I crawled or something."

My breath hitched. He doesn't remember? He doesn't remember kissing me.

He looked up at me in the reflection, his eyes unreadable. "Sorry. I hope I didn't wake you."

I looked down, focusing on the last bandaid, pushing down my tears as I placed it over the wound. "No. No, you were fine," I lied.

He had been right. He knew that I would remember a kiss from him, but I guess the same didn't go for him.

...

I knocked on Tate's door at seven am, unable to sleep. Aiden had fallen asleep on the floor next to the bed, completely exhausted. I was thankful for how heavily he slept. I didn't want his eyes watching me, and how disappointed and hurt I felt.

He was half-dead Laliana. It's okay that he didn't remember kissing you. But the words felt empty in my chest. The truth was, I felt hollow. Like the entire thing was a figment of my imagination. Something I had made up like the stories I wrote.

You aren't that creative girl. That was real.

Tate answered the door, fully dressed and nothing like his normal self. The formal smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Good Morning Miss Summers."

"Err... Good Morning Mr. Dalton," I responded, imitating his strange tone.

"What can I help you with?" He slipped out into the hall and closed the door behind him.

"Dude, what is with you?" I laughed.

Tate groaned looking irritated. "Just dealing with some red tape." He ushered us down the hall and around the corner. "You okay? Aiden was a freaking mess when you both showed up here last night."

I ignored the part of me that wanted to burst into tears. "He's passed out on the ground. Can you make him go to a doctor this morning? I don't think he will unless you are on duty."

Tate hesitated. "Yeah... about that. Things are about to get complicated." He looked over my shoulder, down the hallway we had just come from. "After what happened last night, you are getting more security. And I mean A LOT more. Aiden's not guarding you anymore."

I took a step back, staring up at Tate in disbelief. "What?"

Tate ran his fingers through his hair. "You'll still see him since he's your 'very not real' and 'totally fake' boyfriend," he said with exaggerated quotation marks. "But you both will have guards with you wherever you go from now on."

The sudden change made me feel trapped and small. "What about you?"

Tate smiled. "I am still guarding you. Can't get rid of this handsome guy that easily," he said with an easy punch to my arm.

I snorted. "I feel so much safer now."

He grinned. "You are so welcome." Then crossing his arms he took me in with a curious expression. "But seriously, why are you awake and itching to get going at seven in the morning? I thought you were anti morning."

I tugged on a hair strand. "I'm just..." What am I supposed to say? Aiden kissed me and then forgot that he kissed me. And it makes me want to run away for a bit.

The idea that Aiden wasn't my bodyguard anymore was strange. He was a fake boyfriend in front of the world, but did that mean I wouldn't spend any time alone with him anymore? "I'm just ready to put this place behind me."

"You mean a near death experience doesn't make you want to hang out here? I'm shocked!" Tate replied, placing his hand over his heart in mock shock. "You hungry?"

I nodded, comforted in the familiarity that was Tate's constant state of hunger.

"Good because the other guards are debriefing in my room and I really don't feel like listening to them talk anymore. Not when I have to deal with them AND you at the same time from now on."

I shot him a look, causing him to snort. "Besides, they have an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet downstairs and I am determined to consume everything. Want to inhale all their food like a vacuum cleaner?"

I laughed. "Heck yeah. Let's do it."

---

Have you ever told someone you liked them and then wanted to take it back?