Page 73 of After the Storm

Now, I kind of wish he’d just yell at me. At least he’d be talking to me. It sounds stupid, but this is the longest we’ve ever gone without speaking. The fear that he might never talk to me again is still there.

I’ve got about five minutes until I clock out of work at the rescue, and I’ve decided against my best judgment that I’m going to show up at Ares’ house and demand he speak to me. I’m tired of moping around, crying about our friendship. I’m the one who fucked up, so I’m the one who’s going to make it right. Maryanne makes her way over to my desk and drops a stack of papers on the corner.

“These don’t have a strict deadline, just whenever you can get to them between your daily tasks. You’re out of here in just a couple of minutes, right?” she asks.

“I’ll get them done as soon as possible. And yes, I’m about done,” I confirm.

“You headed to go see that gorgeous boy who keeps bringing you lunch?” she asks, wiggling her brows.

“Roman. His name is Roman.” I laugh.

“And he’s the best friend’s brother, yeah?”

“Yeah. Except the brother knows now and won’t talk to me.” I sigh.

“You think he has feelings for you too? Jealous?” she asks. I shake my head.

“No. Everyone kind of found out before him by accident. I think he’s just hurt because now it seems as though we were keeping it from him and only him.,” I explain.

“Mmm. I could see how that might sting. Just make sure he knows that his brother is filling a different spot in your life. That his spot is still reserved for him, you know?”

“Yeah, thanks. I will.” I check the time on my phone. “That’s actually where I’m headed now. To go try to fix this.”

“Good luck, sugar. A friend like that is never lost, he just might need time,” she says with a comforting rub at the top of my back.

* * *

When I pullinto their driveway, I can see that Allison and Ken are home and Roman is home. I walk up the steps of the front porch and take a deep breath before knocking on the door. I make a mental promise to myself that I will not lose my edge. That I will not cry, and I won’t let him talk to me however he wants.

The handle of the door shifts slightly before the door swings open. It’s Roman on the other side with a big, goofy grin plastered on his face. I don’t miss the irony that this whole thing started months ago with me showing up here looking for Ares and getting Roman instead.

“Hi baby, what’re you doing here?” he asks, smiling ear to ear. Planting a kiss on my lips. Unfortunately, I have to be the one to kill that smile and tell him I’m not here for him.

“I’m here for Ares, actually.” His smile falters for a second, but quickly returns.

“You guys made up then?” he asks. I shake my head.

“Nope. That’s what I’m here for.” I shrug, walking past him into the foyer.

“Oh. Right,” he says, thinking for a moment. “I should warn mom,” he says, nodding to himself. I shake my head, rolling my eyes at the drama.

“You do that. I’m going to go talk to Ares.” He nods and makes his way to the back deck where Allison and Ken must have their friends.

I walk up to Ares’ bedroom door, which is closed, and I consider barging in, but I decide not to add any flames to this fire. So I do the respectful thing and knock on his bedroom door. All I hear on the other side of the door is shuffling and then a quick “Who is it?” from Ares.

“Audra. I just want to talk,” I call through the door.

“I don’t want to talk right now,” he says.

“If you don’t let me come in, I’m coming in anyways.”

“I’m not ready to talk yet,” he says. Nope, we are talking today. I grab the handle and push the door open. Ares and Katrina sit on his bed. He’s in nothing but his boxers, and she’s fully dressed in one of her fancy dresses and heels. He looks like he’s been caught in the act, and she looks like it’s a normal Friday I walked in on.

I tuck my tongue into my cheek to bite back a laugh. If we weren’t fighting right now, I’d be hysterically laughing at him. He groans and throws his hand over his face.

“Hi, Audi,” Katrina says, smiling her normal model smile and waving at me. If I wasn’t so focused on getting Ares to talk to me, I’d be so damn proud of him for having her in his bed.

“Hi, Katrina,” I say back. The words come out unsteady, still fighting a laugh.

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