Page 14 of After the Storm

It doesn’t take a genius to know it’s a loaded question, and I absolutely know what he means by it. I just can’t tell if it’s surprise or irritation that’s lacing his words. Now my eyebrows are in my hair.

“What? No. We’re just friends. He’s been really good to me since that night,” I explain, letting my hands fall to my lap.

He hums a displeased sound from deep in his throat. “Okay. Well… good. I’m glad you’ve had someone to talk to, even if it is my brother and not me.” He sighs dramatically. He’s fully fucking with me now. “You know, even thoughI’vebeen a really good friend to you since middle school. Some might even say your bestest and most favorite friend in the history of forever. But I guess mybrotheris a good substitute, too. That’s fine, that’s cool.”

I roll my eyes.“It’s not like that, and you know it. You, Ares Wyatt Dawkins, are irreplaceable,” I tease, reaching over to tweak his cheek. “It’s just been nice to hang out with someone that I don’t have to fit back into my old self with, you know? He doesn’t really know her.” I shrug and he nods. I can see the sympathy on his face as soon as he processes the words.

We all often give Ares a hard time, but he’s not stupid. He knows that this past month has been hard on me, and he knows that I know how I’ve responded to the situation with Tyler isn’t totally fair, especially not to him and Ravyn. But he’s given me nothing but the grace and patience to figure this out and I can’t thank him enough.

“Yeah, I guess I get that. But Audi, no one’s expecting you to fit back into some old mold of yourself. However you fit in, it doesn’t really matter. We’re just happy you’re back with us,” he says and the statement fills my heart to the brim.

When I moved here in the fifth grade, Ares was immediately my best friend the second I got seated next to him on my first day. Since he was already best friends with Ravyn, it was the best two for one deal anyone could have asked for.

Every chapter of life we’ve gone through, we’ve been in each other’s corners. I don’t know why I thought this time would be any different, but it feels good to hear it nonetheless. As I look out the windshield, I notice that we’re only a couple of minutes out from Ravyn’s house.

“Do you mind not mentioning this to Ravyn? The Roman stuff? You know how she is.” I groan just thinking about her reaction. She’s a little over the top about everything. Nothing is ever half-assed with Ravyn. She’s all or nothing.

Ares laughs, shaking his head. “Yeah, no problem.”

We pull into her driveway a few moments later. Ravyn’s standing there with the biggest smile plastered over her face and a big duffle bag in hand. She mouths ‘Sleepover!’before running to the car, yanking open the backdoor and climbing in.

No sooner than her ass hits the seat, Ares must’ve seen the bus we passed earlier come back around because he wastes no time throwing my ass right the fuck under it.

“AUDRA SPENT THE NIGHT WITH ROMAN LAST NIGHT!”

I snap my head in his direction, glaring at him with my hands thrown in the air.

“Really?” I half yell.This motherfucker.

“What? No way! You’re banging Roman?” she asks, leaning her body between me and Ares from the backseat. I drag my hands down my face in defeat, groaning.

“I’m not ‘banging’ anybody.”

“I’m supposed to believe you’re having innocent sleepovers with face masks and fuzzy slippers? God, Audra. I’m gay, not blind. I know what he looks like.” Her face still holds that shit eating grin.

“Gross, Ray,” Ares says, turning back to her.

“I’m not sleeping with him,” I exclaim as they both start laughing their asses off. I groan, throwing myself back in my seat.

“Then whatareyou doing with him?” Ravyn questions, finally putting an end to the laughter.

“Oh my God! We’rejustfriends. I’ve been hanging out with him.” They both nod their heads before locking eyes and bursting into laughter again.

“I hate you guys,” I grumble.

“You loveeeee us,” they sing in unison. I want to roll my eyes and say they’re wrong, but I can’t because this is the normalcy I’ve been craving, even if it is annoying as hell.

We grab a pizza on the way to Ares’ house and dig in as soon as we arrive. Our movie night is slightly ruined by the fact none of us can stop talking to save our lives, but it feels good. It feels normal.

When they’re both distracted in a conversation about some travel influencer Ravyn’s obsessed with, I pull out my phone and text Roman like I planned to earlier.

Audra

Hey, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for earlier. I was kind of an ass.

I feel a slight weight off my chest, but I don’t think it’ll be entirely lifted until I know he isn’t mad at me. I tell myself it could be hours before he gets back to me and that I can’t babysit my phone all night, but then it vibrates in my hand.

Roman

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