Chapter 148 Dark And Intense

• Now he just needed to know him well enough to intervene. “Sure,” he said breezily. “I like doing that stuff. I mean, formals? They’re mostly for chicks, as far as I can see, but I don’t hate them. They’re marginally less likely to turn into drunken brawls than normal parties are, so that’s a plus. And skiing? Yeah, I think I’ll always enjoy skiing. And I get along well with my parents, so it’ll be good to spend some time with them. But the thing I’m really, really, really looking forward to over the break? Is spending more time with you. Nonlibrary time, if at all possible. I’d love to
• cook for you. Seriously. I’m, like, mentally planning menus as we speak. And, Cade? The thing is—” He stopped walking and tugged on Cade’s hand until he turned and they were facing each other. “The thing is, I don’t really like cooking all that much. The part that makes me happy about it is the for you part. You know? I’d also like to do laundry for you and learn more about chemistry so we can have better conversations for you, and do pretty much any other stupid, mundane task in the world, as long as there’s a for you attached to it.”
• Aiden saw Cade struggling with it. He saw how much he wanted to believe, to embrace it and enjoy it and let it all happen. And he also saw the fear. The stupid, bewildering fear that made Aiden’s heart break on Cade’s behalf. What had made Cade that afraid to be loved? Aiden wanted to destroy it. He wanted to torture it first.