Mint to Be

Chapter Seventeen: Bonding?

"A snake can never have too many sweaters."

I let out a yelp, and nearly tumbled down another flight of stairs, but Aiden grabbed my arm just in time to steady me.

The stairs lead down to a dark room.

I gulped nervously. "Um, I don't really like basements... or dark spaces... or you..."

He smiled mockingly, "Afraid of ghosts?"

Then he slammed the door shut, making me jump. All light suddenly disappeared, and I felt my heart rate speed up.

I need to get out of here.

Aiden spoke.

"You, sweetheart, are going to stay down here until I think I can trust you to keep your mouth shut. You need to learn fast that you can't just do any darned thing you want around here. Maybe I can't kill you because of Miles, but I sure as heck can make you wish I could. So have fun down here. Think of me."

Then he turned and left.

Or tried to.

The door wouldn't open.

He jiggled the knob, and then the whole thing fell right off.

I pointed and laughed, "Haha, BITCH!"

Aiden cursed. "Aw man, now it's awkward."

He pushed, banged, and kicked, but it remained closed.

"Darn," He gritted his teeth. "Stupid door!"

That's when I realized something. We were trapped.

"Can't you just yell?" I asked, panicking.

"No, why do you think I put you in here?" He groaned. "It's nearly soundproof."

"Oh no," I said. "No, no, no."

My heartbeat accelerated and I found myself gasping for air. I was hyperventilating.

How embarrassing.

Aiden squinted in the dark, studying my face. "Are you ok?"

I shook my head rapidly, my throat feeling like it was closing up, only I knew it wasn't. It was all in my head.

Aiden quickly found another switch, and as light filled my vision, I felt my breathing almost immediately return to normal.

I took deep breaths, until my heart rate eventually slowed, and Aiden gave me a concerned look.

I hobbled down the flight of stairs, using the railing for support.

He followed closely behind until I reached the basement.

It was decent sized, with wood floors and was built like a living room.

I collapsed into a couch and closed my eyes.

I heard Aiden sit down across from me.

"What was that?" He asked. Hard, but not mean.

I shook my head, waiting until I was sure my breath was normal and wasn't sounding like an old man. Then I said without opening my eyes, "I don't like the dark."

"Yeah, I got that," He said, not unkindly. "But why?"

I took a deep breath. "When I was little I was afraid of the dark, and whenever I would go to sleep my mom would comfort me. And when that didn't work I'd get chocolate. But then she died and the chocolate I ate was discontinued! What a world!"

It was quiet, and I finally opened my eyes. Aiden was staring at his hands. "My dad died."

"Sucks," I said. Then I realized how insensitive that was, and I quickly corrected myself. "I'm sorry."

A quick smiled danced across the edges of his mouth involuntarily. "It's fine."

Wow. He's never almost smiled at me before.

"Do you have other family?" I asked.

He nodded, "Miles."

Oh. Whaaaaaat?

"Oh," I said. They didn't look that similar. At ALL.

"We're twins actually," He said, smiling crookedly at me. Really??

I almost said, 'me too', but then I remembered that Caroline had no twin. She just had a bunch of beefy brothers.

"Are there any other fears I should know about?" Aiden asked me.

I thought. "I guess I don't like axe-murderers. Or lions. Or tigers. Or wolves. Or giants. Or asparagus. Or other things that could eat me."

He froze for a second, his eyes fearful, and then laughed naturally, as if nothing had happened. "So pretty much common sense?"

I nodded. "You?"

"I'm personally not a fan of clowns," He admitted. "Also, not to be weird or anything, but cats freak me out. They are terrifying."

I couldn't help the surprised laugh that escaped from my lips. "Cats??"

"Yeah, they are evil. With their claws and teeth," He shivered.

I shook my head in amusement. "Cats."

"Whatever," He said. "I'm not afraid of much, but cats are definitely one."

There it is again. The word I hate.

"You say that a lot," I told him.

"I know," He waved it off.

I smiled, surprised at myself. We were finally having a moment. Maybe I could use him after all.

Too bad we were spending it locked in a basement.