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There was a quiet pause. "Is this a bad time?"
He could hear the other voice in the background, and suddenly he knew with certainty both who it
was and why she had called then. He sighed. "Hey," he said softly, pausing for a moment as he sat up
completely and slid his feet to the floor, letting the cold dormitory floor ground and wake him at the
same time as jolts of cold assaulted his feet. "Sorry, just, you woke me up."
"Ask him." He could hear Caroline's voice in the background. "Ask the perv what he--"
"Shh," said Sarah, the sound of it muffled. Then clearly, "Didn't mean to wake you up."
"He went to the gym training," said Aidan flatly, trying to cut off Caroline's machinations before
they twisted Sarah's view.
"But he was there?"
"I was in his room. But yeah."
"Why?"
"He needed to figure things out."
"He needed you for that?" asked Sarah.
"You would prefer he was with Andrew?" asked Aidan. "Learning to be closeted and afraid and
have sex quietly and secretly while entertaining three girlfriends on the side?"
"Wasn't he doing that at the party?" asked Sarah accusingly.
Aidan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Caroline was still muttering at Sarah.
"Steven needed someone he could trust, Sarah. I think he knew Andrew was a mistake," said Aidan.
"Did you sleep with him?"
"I had sex with him, if that's what you're asking. Probably not how you think, but it was intimate."
Aidan paused for a moment. "I'm not doing this, Sarah, not over the phone. Not with Caroline
whispering how evil I am across the room. You and me, and we can talk, like we used to. You can give
me that much at least."
He could hear Caroline's shouts through the receiver. She really did not like him one bit.
Finally, there was a curt exclamation from Sarah and a soft voice. "Fine. But now. At the circle."
"Just you, Sarah. Caroline can damn well mind her own business."
"All right," said Sarah. The shriek from the other end of the line was deafening.
Aidan hung up and got dressed quickly, leaving both a note and a voice mail for Steven, and then he
pulled his coat on and headed out to the stone circle at the edge of campus. Outside it was bitterly
cold, the wind picking up and rushing through the body as though attempting to flash freeze him. The
weather didn't keep him from reaching the circle, and once he got there, the large standing stones gave
some modest protection from the frigid winds. He sat quietly on the altar and waited.
He didn't have to wait long before Sarah arrived. Her blond hair gleamed in the early morning light,
and her pale face was tinged red from the cold. She walked up to the circle, waving away Caroline who
had walked with her. "I didn't want to walk alone."
"She can wait well outside the circle then."
"Come on, Aidan."
"She has made her mind up. I need to know that you are hearing me, and not what she wants you to
think."
"She's my friend!"
"So am I," said Aidan. "And she hates me."
"Why would she--"
"Really, I hate you, likely that!" said Caroline.
"Fine. I came here ready to talk to you, Sarah. This was your choice." Aidan stood up and began to
walk away.
"Wait."
"Sarah!" shouted Caroline.
"Caroline will go," said Sarah, walking up behind him and grasping his arm gently. "We need to
talk, Aidan. You know it."
"Sarah?" asked Caroline.
"I mean it, Carol," said Sarah firmly. "I need to talk to him."
"What if he--"
"He's one of my best friends, Caroline. I'll be fine."
"But he slept with Steven!"
"Yes, I did."
"See!" shrieked Caroline. "He even admits it!"
"I'd already told her that. Now get out," he said, pointing outside the circle, "or I'll leave myself."
"Please, don't," said Sarah, looking pointedly at Caroline. "I need to talk to him. Go, please."
Caroline shot Aidan a look of pure hatred and stomped out of the circle.
"Another hundred yards at least," Aidan shouted when she stopped just outside the circle.
"Sarah?"
"Just do it, Carol."
Once she was gone, Aidan walked back to the altar and sat down, patting the space beside him.
Sarah looked at him and hesitated a moment, finally sliding in next to him and sighing.
"I was in love with him, you know."
"I know," said Aidan softly, kicking his feet against the hard stone.
"So, did you fuck?"
The word sounded so foreign coming out of Sarah that Aidan couldn't help but laugh. When he
finally stopped, he took a long breath. "It wasn't like that."
"Okay," said Sarah softly. "What was it like?"
"He said that you'd talked," said Aidan. "Did you?"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah."
"It made him feel dirty. Andrew blowing him. It shouldn't. He shouldn't have to try to work it out
while feeling dirty about it, Sarah."
"I broke up with him," said Sarah.
"I know," said Aidan, setting a hand on hers. "I'm sorry."
"You warned me," she said, wiping at her eyes. "That he'd cheat. I just didn't think it'd be... Were
there signs?"
Aidan swallowed. "Yes."
She turned to him. "You knew?"
"I told him it wasn't fair to you, Sarah."
"You were with him already?"
Aidan shook his head. "No. No, I wasn't. But the teasing and joking around about it got worse, and
there was too much honesty there," said Aidan. He closed his eyes and rolled his lips into his mouth.
"I'm not describing this well. Steven hinted, Sarah, that it was more than a joke."
"And you told him no."
"I did," said Aidan.
"Why?" asked Sarah. "I know you like him. You always thought he was hot, even when you were
trying to convince me that it was only skin deep."
"He was always hot. Blond hair, blue eyes, that jawline and cheekbones -- just gorgeous. I know
you know how hot he is."
"I know," said Sarah. "You didn't say why."
"Why I said no? He was with you."
"So what changed?"
Aidan watched as their feet swayed idly above the ground. "I'm just helping him."
"You had sex with him."
Aidan sighed softly. "Yeah, I did."
"To help him figure things out?"
Aidan nodded mutely.
"Do you think it helped him?"
"I think it did, yeah."
Sarah shook her head, brushing blond hair back behind her ear. "You're not the type to change your
mind like that. How'd he convince you?"
"I knew he'd talked to you. He wouldn't have known what you'd say."
"And?" asked Sarah.
"I accused him of just wanting to fuck me."
"Does he?"
"Well, yeah," said Aidan with a smile. He hesitated. "Sorry."
"It's okay. Aidan, is he gay?"
"I think so, yeah."
"He had sex with you?" asked Sarah.
"Not the way you think. What we did was intimate, but it wasn't... He didn't fuck me, Sarah."
"Did you want him to?" asked Sarah quietly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I did," said Aidan, turning to look at her. "He's beautiful, Sarah."
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