Exposed
M
y body aches the second I try to roll over, every muscle sore, my head pounding from the hangover still clinging to me. The room is dim, with only the sound of Levy’s steady breathing beside me. He looks too peaceful to wake, so I slide carefully out of bed, leaving him tangled in the sheets.
After the way he fucked me for hours last night, I know he needs the rest.
The moment I step into the living room, and the wreckage from last night almost knocks the wind out of me from the sight of it all. Cups everywhere—on the tables, under the couch, even stacked in littlepyramidsby the TV. Empty pizza boxes and bottles line the counter, some still greasy and open. Glitter from someone’s costume sparkles across the floor like confetti, a faint haze from the fog machine still lingering in the air.
It’s not a total disaster, I know it’ll take hours for the three of us to get it back to normal. And by the three of us, I really mean me—for now. I start picking up cups, stacking them together as quietly as possible. It’s barely nine a.m., but I don’t know if Arina still has someone in her bed. The idea pulls a small smile out of me—she called it, and she got exactly what she wanted.
But my smile fades as another memory resurfaces—Arina in the backyard, talking with that girl I didn’t recognize. And the way they both looked at Levy and I—something is up. The more it replays in my head, the harder it digs under my skin.
I stare at the mess without really seeing it. Whatever that was… it didn’t look good. I need to get Arina alone today. I need to ask her what the hell that was all about. And I need to tell her—and Levy—about the shitstorm that went down with my mom.
But Levy can wait, Arina and I… have a whole lot more to unpack right now.
The trash bag rustles as I tie off the first one, already half full of cups and bottles. My head throbs, but the steady rhythm of cleaning distracts me enough to keep going. I bend down to grab another pile of wrappers when I hear a door creak open down the hall. A moment later, Arina walks in—still in her cheerleading top, hair a tangled mess, with her robe pulled halfway on. Behind her, a guy slips out of her room, avoiding eye contact as he straightens his shirt. He mumbles a goodbye and slides past me without waiting for a response, the front door clicking shut a second later.
Arina groans softly, padding into the living room barefoot. “God, my head,” she mutters, squinting against the morning light. She glances around at the mess, then drops onto the couch for a second before pushing herself back up. “Fine, okay. I’ll help.”
She starts gathering cups near the coffee table, and I can’t help but feel a small rush of relief. It’s early, but the house has already handed us a moment of privacy. No distractions. No Levy. Just us.
I glance at her, then back at the trash bag in my hand, my heart thumping a little harder, I realize this is my chance. “So…” I start carefully, letting the word stretch in the space between us until her eyes flicker to mine. “Last night—I saw you talking to that girl. What was that all about?”
“Also who’s the hottie that just left? Because he’s definitely not the same dude from earlier last night,” I add quickly, choosing a safer route, at least for now.
Once I tell her about my mom showing up last night, we’re both going to be annoyed—and I’m not ready to ruin the mood yet. She doesn’t answer right away. Tossing the stack of cups into the trash bag, she lets out a dreamy little sigh, her lips curving into a grin.
“Okay, so listen,” she says, brushing her messy hair out of her face. “That guy you just saw? Whew. The sex wasamazing.Or maybe it’s because I was drunk.Either was, he was fine fine. Tall, tattoos, andwayhotter than the other guy you saw me talking to.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “And let me just say, he didnotdisappoint either. His dick wasexactlywhat I needed. Girl, I’m still sore in all the right ways.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m already laughing, shaking my head as I tie off the trash. “You’re ridiculous, bitch. I can’t with you.”
“Ridiculously satisfied,” she teases, giving me a little wink. “Honestly, I can’t even believe I’ve never met him before. Like, thirty minutes into talking and boom—instant connection.”
She’s animated now, talking about their conversations, how funny he is, how he kept sneaking her drinks even after she said she was done. I listen, nodding, letting her have her moment. But the whole time, the question sits at the back of my throat, refusing to let me forget.
Finally, as her laughter fades into a soft sigh, I clear my throat. “I’m glad you had fun, girl. Really.” I pause, steadying my voice. “But… bitch you didn’t answer me. About that girl. What were you two talking about—and why were you both looking at us like that.”
Her smile slips from her face. Her fingers still around an empty bottle before she sets it down gently, her eyes flicking to mine with a heaviness that wasn’t there a moment ago. “Okay… so that girl? She knows Levy.”
My shoulders tense on instinct, but I hold it together and wait for her to proceed.
“She told me she used to work with him at his last job—the one he got fired from.” She pauses, gnawing at her bottom lip before continuing. “She said one day this pregnant girl named Maya came up there, going off on him—calling him a deadbeat father, a liar,anda cheater. Caused a whole scene in front of everybody. So the girl assumed they were together.”
The room grows heavier with every word, my heartbeat echoing in my ears.
Arina finally looks up at me, her expression apologetic. “So she sawyou twotogether last night, she got hella confused or whatever. Like, really confused. And I told her—no, that’s my best friend’s man. They’ve been together for months now, and he lives here.”
I just stare at her, the words crashing around in my head in a way that doesn’t add up. My throat burns, and when my voice comes out, it’s cracked and shaky. “He’s having a fucking baby?”
The trash bag falls from my hands and hits the floor. My back finds the wall behind me, my body searching for something solid, anything to hold me up. But the second I feel it, my knees give. I slide down the wall helpless.
“How did I not see any of it?” I manage, my voice rough. “The whole time we’ve been together—he’s out cheating and lying to my face while I’m killing myself trying to trust him after he’s already lied to me once.”
Her face softens instantly, the usual bite in her expression dissolving away. She moves toward me in an instant, lowering herself to the floor until she’s sitting right beside me, her shoulder touching mine, trying to hold me up with just her presence alone. Her eyes flicker over me, giving me a small, frustrated shake of her head. “You’ve just been blinded by love… and his dick.”
