Page 158 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

“So I, uh—”

The vibration of my cell phone cut through the air.

“Sorry, just a second.” I dug it out of my purse and frowned.

Aaron: Can we talk? I’m outside. In the pool house.

When I glanced up at Eli, he gave me a small smile. “You should go to him. We can talk another time.”

“I… are you sure? I don’t want to be rude.”

“It can wait, I promise.”

“Okay.” I glanced back at the bathroom. “Can you wait for Sofia and tell her I went to find Aaron?”

“Sure thing, and Poppy, I’m glad the two of you are working it out.”

“You’re a good guy, Eli. The best. You’re going to make some girl really happy one day.”

Something flashed in his eyes, but then he was waving me off. “Go, he’s waiting.”

With a small nod, I made my way back through the house and slipped out of the patio doors. The cool fall air licked my skin but I was too nervous to notice. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach, a heady sensation combined with the small amount of liquor coursing through my veins.

Aaron wanted to talk.

Maybe do more than talk.

It felt like I’d waited for this moment my entire life. And now it was here, and I was a shivering, uncertain mess.

The party thinned as I took the path around the Farises’ patio to the pool house located on the far side of their yard. Bathed in a soft amber glow it beckoned me like a star in the night.

Aaron was in there.

He was—

The door opened and Zara’s voice filled the air. I ducked behind the foliage and held my breath.

What the hell was she doing here?

“Oh my God, Madi, it was amazing. I totally gave him the ride of his life.” She laughed, like nails on a chalkboard, the sound shredded my insides.

No.

No!

“Yeah,” she chuckled again, her voice growing closer. I pressed further against the wall wishing I could evaporate. “Can you believe he was a virgin? I mean when the guys told me I didn’t believe it. But it kind of made sense. When we fooled around he was always so hesitant, you know.”

Zara walked straight past me, chatting to Madison, completely unaware that every single word spewing from her mouth was another knife in my heart.

He’d slept with her.

Aaron had sex with her.

Bile clawed up my throat, and I clapped a hand over my mouth.

How could he?

After everything… Every glance and touch and dance tonight.

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