Page 38 of Hunt for the Roses
I inwardly roll my eyes as I turn my head forward, only to be greeted with Kate walking up to our chairs. “Helllooooo,” Kate greets.
“Hey, Kate, why don’t you lay off the Claws,” Trent suggests as he walks back up to his chair.
“No, it’s mine.” She frowns as she hugs the can in her hand.
My lips tip up at the corner, only to tip down when I look over to where Aria and Kate had been sitting. “Where did Aria go?” I ask Kate.
She shrugs. “I don’t know, somewhere down there, I think,” Kate responds as she slurs her words and points to her left.
“Shit. I’ll be right back,” I say as I get up from my seat. I walk in the direction Kate pointed to, and that’s when I see Aria stepping into the water. It’s pitch dark out, and she’s completely drunk, so I start jogging in her direction and yell out to her.
“Ari!” I quickly rip my sneakers and socks off to jog into the water, splashes of water crashing against my legs as I do, and when I reach Aria, I pull her arm back. “Come on, this isn’t safe.” But my words don’t have the effect I want them to have, and she aggressively jerks her arm away to step further into the water. I waste no time getting in front of her and tugging both her arms down at her sides. “Ari, this isn’t fucking funny. You’re drunk.”
Aria’s looking off to the side, unmoving, and there are a few moments of silence before she speaks. “We always spent Fourth of July here.”
I bring my hands up to cup her face so she can look up at me. “Ari, listen to me. We can talk about this, but you need to get out of the water.” We’ve been pulled in a little more by the current, and the waves are crashing against us in higher places. The lower half of my hoodie is starting to stick to me, and because Ari is shorter, 90 percent of her romper is soaking wet.
As if a switch turns on inside her, Aria’s back to being aggressive. “Leave me alone!” she yells as she pushes past me, but I don’t let her get far when I scoop her up with one arm around her stomach, and hold her backside against my side. I carry her back to the dry sand, and when I put her down, Aria shifts around trying to balance herself on her feet. I place my hands on her shoulders to help her stay steady, and once Aria finds proper footing, she’s standing in front of me as she hugs her arms across her stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she breathily chants.
I immediately bring Aria in for a hug as my arms cross behind her shoulders and kiss the top of her head. I hold her for a few silent seconds, resting my chin on the top of her head as I stare out at the beach behind us, and figure my actions speak louder than words at this point. When I release her, my palm rests on the back of her neck and my thumb subconsciously draws lazy circles on her skin there in an attempt to continue comforting her.
“What are you doing?” Aria whispers.
As if her words physically burn me, I release Aria to interlock my hands behind my head and take one step back from her. I don’t say anything as Aria looks off in the distance somewhere.
“I haven’t been touched or been with anyonesince,” she whispers.
What. The. Fuck.
Aria’s confession pulls my eyes gradually downward, and I notice the way her delicate curves are painted against the wet fabric of her romper. Against my better judgment, I’m unable to tear my eyes away, and I swallow a nervous gulp as I drink her in.Her nipples are now standing taunt behind the soaked white material, and her breathing is becoming shallower with every heave of her chest. Seeing how affected Aria is by a simple touch, my body instantly springs to attention, and I’m turned on just the same. As fucking shameful as I feel to admit it, it wouldn’t take much for me to cut the moral thread that’s holding me back from touching her in every way I shouldn’t.
But that’s not even the worst part.
What’s even more alarming is that I’msatisfiedto know Aria hasn’t been intimate with anyone since Kyle. I feel relieved, but the relief isn’t because Aria’s remained “loyal” to Kyle. The more I focus on Aria’s innocence, the more I realize how much I don’t want her to fool around with just any random guy. The idea frustrates me, and I don’t have a single rational reason as to why it does.
As if Aria is mine to claim.
As if she has some unspoken duty to remain loyal tome.
Meof all people.
The truths Aria’s revealing to me tonight are making my mind twist with unfamiliar emotions, spinning them into a cyclone of thrill and defeat. I swallow as I stare at Aria for several more seconds, and then tip my head to the side as I change the course of this discussion for good.
“Come on, let’s get you dry and home.” I wrap one arm around Aria’s shoulders as her arm snakes around my back, and I walk us safely back to our homes.
Sunday, July 3, 2022
My eyes are difficult to pry open as the sunlight from my bedroom window starts flooding in and hitting my face. I don’t have a terrible hangover with a pounding headache or anything, but the struggle is real. I remember chugging hard seltzers on the beach with Kate, dancing to Cyndi Lauper, and after Dane gave me my fourth drink, last night’s events started to become hazy.
I hear my phone vibrate from my nightstand, and I grunt as I shift my body to see who’s calling me. Dane’s calling at 11:45 am.
Wow, I overslept.
“Hello?” I answer groggily.
“Been at your front door for the past five minutes. Should I send a SWAT team?” Dane says.
“Coming down now,” I grumble and then hang up the phone.
