Run, Girl (If You Can)

"Looks like you can follow directions after all. Good. Come with me," Aaron said once he emerged with his tray, grabbing Keeley's hand again.

She kept her hood up. Aaron was far too conspicuous sitting outside of the cafeteria but she didn't want to be dragged down with him.

As she halfheartedly picked at her lunch, he reached out and flipped the hood off.

"Hey! I was using that!" she protested as she pulled it back down.

"You look like you're about to rob a convenience store," he said flatly.

That was rich coming from him since he did the exact same thing to eavesdrop on her the other day.

Keeley pulled the drawstrings even tighter so her face barely poked out. "You said I had to eat lunch with you; you don't get to dictate what I wear."

He sighed. "Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

Was he serious? She was not in charge of carrying the conversation if he wanted to talk.

"I don't want to talk about anything. I don't even want to be here. If you say something, I will respond to it and that's all you're getting from me," she said dully.

It had been less than ten minutes and she was exhausted.

Annoyance briefly clouded his gaze. "Why do you have to make things so difficult?"

"I could ask you the same question."

He drummed his fingers on the table impatiently.

"Touché. Alright then. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be?"

One of the most cliché icebreakers in existence. This was the man who eventually ended up on the cover of Forbes magazine?!

If this was his best effort at conversation, she must have truly been blind to ever like him in the first place. But it wasn't too personal a question so she didn't mind answering it.

"Europe. I heard that they do cruises that hit a bunch of different countries in the Mediterranean so I'd either pick that or going to England and the cluster of countries around France. What about you?"

"I've already been to several of those countries. Technically speaking, I can go anywhere I want so rather than having a place I'd like to visit, I care more about who I travel with," he said nonchalantly.

Keeley frowned. She only asked because it was standard to return a question like that with the same question.

The Aaron she knew was a workaholic. In all their time together, the only real vacation they ever went on was their honeymoon to the Caribbean.

She didn't think he liked to travel—even the rare business trips he went on were entirely professional. He certainly hadn't wanted to travel with her.

She had to admit a vague sense of curiosity towards whoever inspired him to want to get out there and do something fun. They must be better than she was.

It stung slightly before she reminded herself that she didn't care. Aaron could do whatever he wanted as long as it didn't involve her.

"Good for you," she said eventually, not knowing how else to respond.

The atmosphere was so awkward she could hardly breathe yet he appeared perfectly at ease.

She wished she could crack his head open and see what possessed him to want to spend time with her. This whole thing was baffling.

"If you really wanted to go to Europe I could take you."

Keeley's mouth dropped open. She must be hallucinating. There was no way he just offered to take her to Europe. He knew how much she wanted to go but never took her in her first life. Why on earth would he offer now when they weren't even friends?

"Are you insane?!"

"There's nothing insane about a mutually beneficial proposition," Aaron said simply, folding his hands on the table as if he were making a business deal.

"Mutually beneficial?"

"Sure. You would get to go on your dream vacation and I wouldn't be bored. The last time I went, my parents didn't want to do anything but take a handful of pictures to brag about later and go shopping. It was all for show."

That was actually a pretty sad way to spend a vacation but she wouldn't be swayed.

"It wouldn't be appropriate."

"It's perfectly normal to take your girlfriend with you on vacation."

"I am NOT your girlfriend."

"Not yet."

The way he said it was oddly threatening. She had to nip this in the bud before his ideas got any weirder.

"Not ever," she retorted firmly. "I don't know what game you're playing with me but I want no part of it."

Aaron reached out and lifted her chin so she was forced to meet his gaze. His face was deadly serious. "This isn't a game."

She swatted his hand away. "Of course it is. Don't be ridiculous. I don't know what you want from me but—"

He cut her off by moving to the chair closest to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I want you to stop being so resistant."

Keeley's heart thudded in her ears. If she didn't know any better, she would think he actually wanted her affection. Impossible. He was the one who pushed her away. He never wanted her in the first place.

If she hadn't pestered him so much when they first met, they never would have been together at all.

Aaron got used to her, nothing more. Once the novelty wore off he changed his mind and left her to wither away.

She tried standing up to get away but that resulted in her landing on his lap, trapped in his grip.

"That isn't going to happen. Please let me go."

"Nope. Your lunch periods are mine for the next month."

"This is not within reason!" she said angrily.

If this was how things were going to be, it might be better to screw it all and let him say what he wanted. No, that wasn't true. She still had Lacy to contend with.

"Aren't you worried people might get the wrong idea? Like, I don't know, Lacy Knighton?"

Aaron's embrace tightened and his detached tone surprised her. It was as if he didn't care at all.

"What about Lacy Knighton?"

"Isn't she supposed to be the future Mrs. Hale? She's already been giving me a hard time because of you. She'll kill me if she sees this."

He flinched at the word 'kill.' "Don't exaggerate. She can't do anything to me."

Keeley wanted to cry. She didn't care if Lacy did anything to Aaron! She cared what that nutcase was going to do to her!