Page 101 of Hunt for the Roses
Don’t we deserve just a little more time?
Even if our story wasn’t meant to be permanent, I know it wasn’t meant to be this abrupt. Like our story is slipping between my fingers as soon as our hands wrapped securely around it. Because once Aria takes this next step, there’s a great chance it’s a step backwards for the both of us, and we’ll have to start from square one. That is if Aria even decides she wants to refight all of the battles that have led us to this point.
I exhale an exhausted breath as I run both my hands through my hair, and mutter to myself. “Fuck.”
Before I can change my mind, I throw on a black pullover hoodie and khaki shorts with white sneakers. Then I find myself heading out the door to greet my Mustang, and I’m driving over to Aria’s dad’s restaurant.
* * *
“Ari!” I yell as I get out of my car and jog toward her in the parking lot.
Aria turns around with two boxes in her arms and furrows her brows when she realizes I’m the one approaching her. “Wha-” Aria starts.
“Let me,” I breathe as I take both boxes from her and set them on the ground. Then I inhale as I take a quick glance around me, making sure the coast is clear. I’m not sure where her family is yet, but Ireallydon’t need them sneaking up on us unexpectedly. Once I realize we’re free of possible bystanders, I cup the sides of Aria’s face as I shake my head. “Don’t tell them today,” I say.
Aria draws her brows together. “Why? What’s going on?”
I blow out a small breath before looking into the depths of her light brown hues, needing her to understand what I’m saying without me having to speak it. “I just…I need more time with you,” I say.
Aria pulls away slightly and shakes her head in my palms. “They don’t have to understand. It’s you and me. That’s all that matters.”
I lick my lips, knowing that deep down, Aria doesn’t mean what she’s saying. Deep in my heart, I know her family’s opinion will matter, and in order for her to be absolutely happy in our relationship, she needs their support. And the painful truth is, if she can’t be happy in our relationship, I am of no purpose to her. If I can’t make her smile and laugh and live, I refuse to be the reason she lives a shallow life. Aria doesn’t just deserve the world, she deserves the whole goddamn universe. And even though I won’t let go of her hand without a bloody fight, I’m not ready for our worlds to crash and burn just yet.
Not now.
Not today.
Not when we just said “I love you” to each other less than twenty-four hours ago.
Instead of agreeing with her, I just reiterate what I said earlier, driving my point harder. “Can we just havetodayat least? That’s all I’m asking.”
Aria swallows thickly as she reads my pleading eyes. “Okay,” she whispers, and then slides her hands under my arms and up my back to embrace me in a hug. I sink into her by resting my lips on the top of her head, and close my eyes to take her in. Inhaling her scent and letting it float through my veins so that my blood can be marked by her.
So that she can consume me when she’s not around.
Because if my days are counted with Aria against my own will, at least I could make the most of every single second with her.
“We probably should head in before someone sees,” Aria whispers.
It takes a few seconds until I reluctantly open my eyes, and as we pull away from one another, I grab the two boxes from the ground so we can make our way toward the restaurant. When we head through the front entrance, Helen and Ronnie are taking supplies out of boxes, and setting them on the bar and tables around them. When I set the boxes I’m carrying on the floor, Helen is the first one to see us, and she walks up to me to give me a big hug.
“Dane! Thanks so much for coming,” she says.
“It’s no trouble at all,” I say as I hug her back, and then Ronnie comes up to bring me in for a handshake-hug.
“Dad’s not here?” Aria asks.
“He’s at the bank finalizing the payment plan on the loan for the restaurant,” Helen responds.
“So what can I do?” I ask.
Helen is the first to speak. “If you don’t mind, we have boxes of glassware to stock behind the bar. The boxes are out on the terrace because I thought they were the string lights for the pergola.”
I smile at her explanation before walking to the back of the restaurant to grab the appropriate boxes to bring back inside. When I set the boxes down on the bar and start opening one, I’m looking over every couple minutes to watch what Aria’s doing. She’s taking out lantern centerpieces, making sure each works properly after being lugged around in a cramped box, and Aria’s apparently interested in what I’m doing because I catch her glancing over at me from time to time. When we lock eyes, we just smirk before going back to focusing on what we’re supposed to be doing.
“I just finished taking inventory of the silverware, let me give you a hand,” Ronnie says as he approaches me behind the bar, and he doesn’t waste any time before he starts taking glasses out of the boxes and stocking them onto the shelves. “So what’s new?” Ronnie asks.
“Not much. How about you? How’s Cheryl?” I respond.
