Page 102 of Hunt for the Roses
“Can’t complain. We started renovating our bathroom last week, so that’s about as exciting as it has been this summer,” Ronnie says.
I chuckle. “Hey, at least you’re prioritizing the house. Can’t say that about many people.”
Ronnie just laughs, and then stands up as he takes the boxes we’ve emptied with him. “Are the rest of the boxes still on the terrace?”
I furrow my brows. “I only saw these two there.”
Ronnie looks confused, then walks to the back to check the patio. When he comes back inside, he directs his statement at Aria and Helen. “We’re missing a few boxes of glassware.”
Aria and her mom look up from their tasks, and then Helen’s eyes flash. “Oh, no! I must have left them at the house. I have to go back and get them.”
“Don’t be silly, you can get them later in the week,” Ronnie reassures.
Helen sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. “I can’t believe I did that.”
Aria chimes in. “Mom, it’s drinking glasses that can be stocked in two minutes. I think we can manage to fit that in the schedule some time within the next two weeks.” Then Aria looks and points over at Ronnie and me at the bar. “I don’t see them drained from a brutal job of stocking glasses,” she jokes.
Aria has a curl to her lips as she looks back at her mom, and Helen gives Aria a deadpan stare. “You always like to poke fun, don’t you?”
“Alright we know you aren’t letting this go, so what can Dane and I do to help so that you’re less stressed?” Ronnie asks.
Helen points to the sliding back doors as she looks at Ronnie and I. “Lights. Pergola.”
We playfully salute her as we make our way to the outside deck, and I hear Aria suggest taking out the linens to set up the tables inside.
When I start unloading one of the boxes on an outside table, Ronnie comes beside me to help unravel the light string. “Didn’t have anything better to do today, huh?” Ronnie jokes.
“I wouldn’t exactly consider this cruel labor. I’m honestly happy to help,” I say as I focus on the task at hand. “Gotta say, the interior designer who was hired knows what they’re doing. This place looks phenomenal.”
Ronnie turns to climb up one of the step stools he set up by the pergola. “Yeah, my dad did effective research on that part,” Ronnie replies as he scopes out the layout of the hooks under the pergola.
I walk behind him with a string of lights in my hand. “Are we taking opposite sides?”
“Yeah, that’s probably best. I’ll take this first beam.”
“Sounds good,” I say as I lift my step stool to the other end of the pergola. Once I climb up, I busy myself with linking the string of the lights in the mounted hooks, and the only sound that fills the patio is the shuffling of our wires, tapping of the Edison bulbs against the wood, and the sliding of the step stools across the wooden planks of the deck.
But with each passing second, the silence mocks me. Ridiculing me for not taking advantage of this opportunity to be the bigger man and do the right thing by Aria and Aria’s family.
“How’s she been?” Ronnie’s voice interrupts the silence, slicing through it like a chainsaw.
I inhale and swallow as his words taunt me. “She’s good,” I breathe out, and I slightly shrug as my voice softens to a lower decibel. “At least I think so. “
Ronnie pauses his movements for a second and looks across to me, our step stools facing each other from opposite ends of the pergola. “Sorry, I feel like I’m always asking. I just worry about her.”
My jaw tightens with tension, and my tongue feels a little too big for my mouth right now. Like my throat is clogged, and I can’t find the right words to choose to escape my lips. So I cower and look upward to resume hooking the string lights in place. “Hey, I understand. She’s your sister.”
In my tunnel of vision, I notice Ronnie is also resuming hanging the string lights on his side. “I’m really glad she’s had you to be there for her. She looks almost as happy as she used to be.”
My hands slow their movements above me when I hear Ronnie’s voice, and my heart plummets into the pit of my stomach. Like the cushion it’s been resting on has been tossed aside, and my heart no longer has the necessary support to reside comfortably.
I decided that if mine and Aria’s relationship couldn’t be accepted, it would be selfish of me to keep her to myself in spite of that. But it turns outthisis selfish. Omitting information and keeping truths from Aria’s family. Ronnie trusted me enough to come to me and ask me to look after Aria, and all I have to show for it are lies upon more lies. Here he is constantly thanking me for befriending Aria, and supporting her in her time of need, when he has no clue I’ve stepped over a forbidden line with her.
That same line that’s a line of betrayal with him.
And let’s not forget that one word.
Almost.
