Aria comesout of my bathroom with an unfolded piece of paper in her hands, her eyes full of tears.
She read it. She read my note. Her hands shake and her lips hang open. “I don’t know what to say.”
My stomach bottoms out. “You don’t need to say anything.” I swallow on a scratchy throat, clogged by the fire’s smoke and all the things she deserves to hear. “Is it okay if I say a few more things?”
Her deep green eyes flash up to mine and her chin trembles. There are a few paces between us, and I can’t tell if she wants me to hold her or not. “Yeah.”
“I know I hurt you. I excused myself for years, saying it was just high school kid behavior, but I know it’s bigger than that. I wasn’t a good friend to you,” my voice grows froggier. “Or a good . . . more than friend. Because you were more than my friend.”
I meet her eyes and it’s hard to read her expression. I go on. “What I did impacted your whole life. How you see the world. How you feel about yourself.”
A tear streaks down her cheek and I hate, hate, hate that I’ve hurt her enough that admitting its damage makes her cry.
“It wasn’t fair of me to deny your feelings the other day. I was embarrassed, but it’s no excuse.”
She nods and swallows, swiping her cheek with the back of her hand.
“But if you’ll give me a chance, I’d love to get to know who you are now and to show you who I’ve become. To earn your trust again. Because I like to think I’m a better man today than I was then.”
She starts to cry harder and holds up the pages in her hand. “Did you mean it?”
“Every word.”
Ari’s face crumples deeper and she reaches for me. I hug her to me, cupping her head in my palm and kissing the top of her head. I can’t believe I let her go. That I treated her so poorly. And that I’m so lucky she’s back now. I sniff as a little tear escapes my eye.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“I’m so sorry, Aria.”
“I’m sorry too. I’ve been mean this week.” She holds me back by my upper arms, patting my chest. With a smile, she lifts her finger to my cheek and wipes the tear there.
“I kinda deserved it.”
She shakes her head. “Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt. Even boys who act like big babies when they know better.”
We both laugh and I admire her sparkling eyes. I stroke her cheek with my thumb and flash back to our kiss in the woods. Now doesn’t feel like the right time to kiss her again. I mean, “kiss and make up” is a thing, but . . . I don’t know. She needs to know I didn’t apologize just to get physical.
She smiles and pulls me close again. “I want to get to know you now.”
“I’d love that,” I breathe into her hair. “You’re so cool.”
She laughs. “You are too, buddy.”
I wrestle her a little in our hug and she giggles. “Come on. I need to shower so I don’t stink. Why don’t you go get in my bed? Get some rest.”
I guide her to my bedroom by her lower back, stepping in with her to get some clothes for after my shower. She sits on my bed, brushing her hand over the comforter. “Soft sheets. The feral frat boy grew up.”
I stick my tongue out. “Someone told me that tends to happen with the passage of time.”
She laughs, sliding her legs under the sheets. “Go shower. I’ll be here.”
SIXTEEN
ARIA
The mattress dipsafter Brodie lifts the sheets on his side of the bed. Templeton’s collar jangles as he jumps up after Brodie.
Templeton shakes, his collar making even more commotion. Brodie shushes him.
