Page 41 of Queen Rose

Micah’s eyes pop open wide. “Well, hot damn. Who else can I kiss? I’ve got a laundry list of things this girl says are for special nights only, and if kissing all of you motherfuckers gets me more, I’ll do it. I’ll kiss every fucking one of you.” He swings his finger around, pointing at all of us.

Xander sits back down, splashing water everywhere. “Glad to entertain you all.”

Scarlett grabs his chin and steers his mouth to hers. She goes right for it, stroking her tongue into his mouth. It doesn’t take him more than a split-second to respond to her, and they openly make out right in front of all of us.

I whisper to Aria, “That’s pretty hot.”

She smiles, her gaze swinging to meet mine. “He loves her. A lot. They’re really happy.”

When we look over at them, they are easing apart. Scarlett aims a naughty wink in Micah’s direction. “Mm, spearmint.”

Xander mutters, “Fuck. Who chews gum while they’re drinking, anyway?” He shakes his head, shuddering.

Aria laughs. “Apparently, your new boyfriend. Okay, Xander, hopefully that was a good warm-up for you. Nate is the only one who hasn’t gotten in on this game.”

Their eyes meet, and I swear they have an entire conversation in the blink of an eye. The laughter and fun takes a back seat to whatever has been on Xander’s mind. I’d noticed he’d been mostly quiet while we’ve been playing, but now—I get the sense that the game is about to take an awkward turn. So much for the fun. Maybe I should take a dare. Might be safer.

With his jaw rigid, Xander focuses on me. “You’re new, so you don’t get the option, it’s truth. Because we’re all honest and pretty open with each other around here. And because we know all sorts of shit about each other, we’re loyal. We protect each other.”

Beside me Aria huffs out an exasperated sigh. “Xander, that’s all true. But don’t be a dick about it. We’ve been having fun. You’re going to ruin it.”

I grit my teeth. I’m almost positive I know where this is going. “Shoot. Ask me whatever you want. I’ll tell you the truth.” I was wrong. This is where the game goes off the rails.

“Xander, don’t. I mean it.” The look she’s giving him would scare most people. Not Xander, though. He just stares right back at her, those dark eyes boring into hers.

Beside him, Scarlett is practically clawing at his arm, trying to get his attention. “Xander, come on. She’s right.”

I firmly grasp Aria’s thigh under the water. “It’s fine. Go ahead.”

“Aria asked me not to go digging. And I haven’t said a word all damn day. I’ve held back. But I wanna know what the fuck happened with your scholarship. We’ve all heard it’s something to do with theft. And I can’t say I want Aria anywhere near that.”

I note that everyone is now beyond uncomfortable. They’re distressed and anxious. A few are unable to even look at me. Great.

He continues, “So… I assume it can’t have been that crazy if you only got community service. But seeing as how you’re dating my friend I feel like maybe we should be at least aware of whatever happened.”

“Xander,” Aria hisses low. “What the fuck?” She swivels in the seat to face me. “Nate, you don’t have to answer that.”

My tongue darts out to wet my lip as I stare at Xander. After several uncomfortable seconds, I shake my head. “No. You know what? I’ll answer. Because I don’t know what you think I’ve done, and I’d rather it be out in the open than constantly setting off this whole protective thing you have going on.”

Xander sits back, cocking a brow at me, his lips tightly pressed together. “Well, go ahead, then.”

“I’m the sole provider for my mom and my two younger siblings, other than the child support we receive from Becca and Brandon’s father. My mom has cancer and can no longer work.” I can already tell Xander feels like a shit for making me do this. But I’m not going to stop. We’re going to get this all out in the open because he clearly has issues where his friend is concerned. I sigh, running a hand through my hair as Aria clutches at my thigh. “One week, we came up short when my mom needed some medication. That shit’s pretty expensive. She’s—” I swallow hard and blink a few times before I can continue. “She’s dying, and there was no way I wasn’t getting those meds for her. But that meant I had to figure out how to feed my brother and sister with no money left over.” I run my free hand over my cheek and allow my gaze to drift over everyone. They’re quiet. On the edge of their hot tub seats, waiting for me to finish. I blow out a harsh breath, and Aria grasps my leg more tightly. “I went to a convenience store and took food without paying for it. Period.” I pause, gritting my teeth as my eyes dart around the hot tub, taking in everyone’s responses. “Becca and Brandon had already eaten part of what I took and were in bed when the cops showed up. The store owner had video footage of me walking out with the food I hadn’t paid for. So unless you’ve been in my shoes, you couldn’t possibly understand. I would do anything for them.”

Looking around at the group, they seem mostly surprised by my honest words. Whether it’s because I actually admitted to what I’d done or why I’d had to do it, I have no idea. But fuck it. Now they know and can think whatever they want. They don’t have to be my friend just because I’m dating Aria. And if me stealing fucking food for some little kids puts me out of their friend circle, then so be it. I can’t change what I did. I won’t apologize for who I am.

My gaze finally falls back on Xander, and I put my hand over Aria’s on my thigh. “And to be clear, just like I did what I had to for them, I would do anything for Aria. Anything.”

Xander’s face is drawn and a little pale. “Sorry, man. I wasn’t expecting that—” He stops, his eyes flicking momentarily to Aria.

Her voice shakes with anger. “Xander, I told you everything was fine. Nate shouldn’t have had to tell you anything because I already knew. And I respect the hell out of him for doing what he had to do for his family. Bottom line, he made a choice, and he’s already paid for it more than enough. If I’d thought you needed to know, I would have told you.” Aria’s face is pinched and angrier than I’ve ever seen it, and Xander’s jaw is twitching so hard, I bet it’ll be sore tomorrow. The tension between them is off the charts.

He rasps, “If you’d be more upfront with me about everything, I wouldn’t have to do shit like that, Aria. I thought—”

“I don’t care what you thought. What Nate’s done isn’t a problem. And it wasn’t any of your business.” She holds her free hand, palm out, to stop him from saying anything else. Her voice is low but carries a terrifying amount of determination. “It’s time I stopped relying on you to protect me. I have to deal with things on my own.” She shudders out a reedy, unsteady breath. “Xander, I need to stand on my own two feet. I need to learn how to not depend on you. I appreciate your friendship more than you know, but you deserve to be happy with Scarlett and not worry so much about me.”

One glance around the hot tub reveals several tear-streaked female faces and a whole lot of uncomfortable guys, jaws held rigid, as they all stare at Aria, taking in her quiet outburst.

Shit.I know she and Xander are close. But I hadn’t realized she felt like this.

“Aria, I don’t look at it that way. Not at all. You’ve been my person all this time. That’s never going to change. You can’t tell me not to care about you. You can’t make me stop looking out for you. Besides, if you won’t let me in anymore, you have—" His gaze moves around the circle, finally landing on me. “All these people who only want the best for you. You aren’t alone. I don’t know how many times I have to express that to you. Stop fighting me and let me be there for you. Let all of us support you however you need us to.” His voice hitches. “Please.”

Tears run openly down Aria’s face. She makes no move to wipe them away. “I c-can’t.” She stares straight at him. “You can’t know.”

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