Page 66 of Furious
I lift my face to look at the sky and another drop of rain hits my forehead. It’s followed by another one, and another.
“I guess that’s our cue to leave.” Ares gets back on his feet, offering me his hand to help me up.
We work quickly to fold the blanket and clean up the food and the beer. “Come on,” Ares takes my hand as the rain falls faster and harder. “Let’s go before we get drenched.”
Running back to his jeep is pointless, because by the time we’re in the car, we’re both soaking wet.
This time Ares doesn’t offer to let me drive. He opens the passenger door for me and then gets behind the wheel.
“You ok, princess?” he asks. “You look a little cold over there.”
I look down my body, hugging my middle to conserve a little body heat. Thank fuck my dress is lined or the white fabric would have become see through.
“I’m fine. You?”
He runs a hand through his short blond hair. “I’m good. Let’s go home before we bump into someone we know. There were no flowers, so Heather hasn’t visited yet. I came here early because I know she plays golf with her dad every Saturday morning, but we don’t want to cut it too close. If she sees us, she’ll insist on tagging along and there’s only one person I want to spend my birthday with.”
“Let’s go.” I agree. “I already had one hell of a time explaining myself to her when she saw me kiss Chance.”
Ares merges back into the old, less frequented coastal road, but rather than following it up the hill toward our parents’ house, he drives in the opposite direction toward downtown Star Cove, where his apartment complex is located.
“What did you say to her?” he asks.
“I said it was a dare, and she believed me. But she was so mad when she thought I was cheating on Lev.”
He sighs. “I’m not surprised. Not many people know this, but the first year they were dating Atlas fucked up.”
“No way. They looked so in love.” I’m truly shocked.
“Look, I’m not justifying my brother’s actions. He shouldn’t have done it and he knew it. But at the beginning of their relationship, Heather’s parents were really strict with curfews and with how much time they allowed Heather to spend with Atlas. Heather was just fourteen when they started dating, so I don’t blame Kirk and Diane. But imagine how all those rules must have felt to a hot-blooded sixteen-year-old boy.”
I glare at my stepbrother. “You say you aren’t justifying him, but you sure sound like you are.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not. He fucked up, and he knew it. I just thought that they were way too young to get so serious. I wanted to party and fuck around, so I didn’t get into a relationship. It was as simple as that.”
“I respect that. And I respect Heather’s dislike of cheaters. I don’t condone it either. I’ve seen firsthand how my dad’s constant cheating hurt my mom and destroyed our family. But I didn’t feel like explaining my relationship with each of you to her. We all know what’s going on and that’s between us.”
Ares agrees with me. “That’s right. Besides, there’s going to be nothing to explain once you make your decision.”
His words weigh on me like a lead balloon. I need to tell him that I don’t know if I can ever choose, but this isn’t the right time. Ares asked me to be with him today, and I want to make his birthday as happy as it can be.
“It’s still raining.” He says, parking a short distance from his apartment building. “And I don’t have an umbrella like a complete dumb ass.”
“It’s ok.” I shrug, looking at my drenched dress. “We’re already wet. What’s a little more rain?”
He reaches out to tuck a lock of wet hair behind my ear. “Thank you for being so easygoing, princess. A lot of women I know would be in a foul mood about ruining their hair.”
“As long as you don’t make fun of me later when my hair is a tangled mess, I don’t care.” I say, missing his touch when he moves his hand away from my face. “I’m just relieved that we made it here without bumping into anyone we know. Especially Scott. Wait, he isn’t going to show up here to wish you a happy birthday, right?”
“No, he won’t. The past two years, this day has been about what we lost for all of us more than being about me. I coped with it by getting blackout drunk. Dad distracts himself with as much work as he can handle. Thank fuck Chance has Lev. Dad and I are assholes. We’ve been so wrapped up in our own misery that we left Chance to fend for himself.”
I don’t know what to say. “You heard Lev, they’re gonna hang out. But maybe you should check on him later. Just to let him know you’re thinking about him.”
Ares nods. “That’s an excellent idea, princess. But for now, we need to get out of this car and make a run for it. It doesn’t look like the rain is easing up. If anything, it’s raining harder than before.”
I was so wrapped up in our conversations that I hadn’t noticed that we’re in the middle of a legit torrential downpour. “Maybe we should wait a few minutes and see if it gets a little less like Noah’s Ark is about to come by?” I shudder, my wet dress stone cold against my skin.
“I doubt it.” He says. “When it rains like this, it can last for hours, maybe overnight. Remember that storm we had a few weeks ago? We have a lot of them in the fall. If you don’t want to get out in the rain, I can see if I can find an umbrella. I don’t know if I own one, to be honest. When I moved out of Dad’s house, I took with me just the bare minimum. He was so upset that I was going, so I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. If I can’t find an umbrella, I can get you a raincoat. The sheriff's department issued us some as part of our uniform.”
