Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
But I’ll survive.
I’ve survived worse.
When we’ve finished eating and another Friends episode starts, exhaustion washes over me. I lean my head back on the sofa and close my eyes.
“You should sleep,” my dad says from beside me.
“Yeah…” I agree. “But…will you stay with me for a while?”
I open my eyes and glance over at him. His stare meets mine, eyes softening on me.
“Of course I will. I’ll stay as long as you want.”
I’m in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, when I hear a knock on the front door.
I spit out into the sink and call, “Dad, can you get that?”
“Yep,” is his response from the kitchen where he’s making us breakfast.
Dad stayed last night. He slept on the sofa. He knew I didn’t want to be alone and insisted on staying, which I really appreciated.
I managed to get a bit of sleep. In between thoughts of Ares, our fight, and the tears I shed silently into my pillow, I had a few restless hours.
I rinse off my toothbrush and step out of the bathroom, heading for the living room.
I come to a stop when I see Ares standing there with my dad. The breath rushes from my body. I wasn’t expecting to see him.
I look awful. I’m wearing sweats, and I haven’t brushed my hair yet.
Not that he’s faring much better. He looks awful. Like he’s not slept at all. Unshaven with dark rings under his eyes.
“Hi,” he says low, his voice gravelly.
My skin breaks out in goose bumps.
I wrap my arms over myself as our eyes connect. Ares’s eyes are somber and soulful, piercing deep into my already-fragile emotions.
“I was just about to head out,” my dad says, getting his jacket and keys. He walks over to me and kisses me on the forehead. “I’ll call you later.”
He gives Ares a sturdy pat on the shoulder as he passes. Then, he’s gone, and I’m alone with Ares.
“What are you doing here?” I ask. My voice sounds as rough as his.
“Ari, I…” He drives a hand through his disheveled hair. Gripping the strands, he shakes his head and exhales a soft, painful-sounding breath. “I’m sorry, babe. So very fucking sorry.”
He knows the truth. Someone told him.
A flash of anger runs through me. My eyes go to the door and then back to him.
“Did…my dad tell you?” The words are like rocks in my mouth.
He shakes his head. “No. I saw…Luke.”
“Luke?”
“He came to my place late last night.”
“How…did he know where you lived?”
“Money can buy you a lot of things in this city. And, apparently, my address is one of them.”
“Oh.”
“He came to give me a piece of his mind. And I’m glad he did. Because everything he said was right. It should’ve been me with you yesterday at the hospital. It should’ve been me listening to you when you were telling me the truth…believing you because you’d never given me a reason not to trust you. But because I’m so used to distrusting people, I…” He breaks off and blows out another breath. “I let down the one person I shouldn’t have.”
I wrap my arms tighter around myself. “I don’t know what to say,” I whisper softly.
“Tell me you’ll forgive me.”
I stare into his eyes, his endless eyes that desperately search mine.
And I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Ares. But I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
He steps up to me, hands curling around my upper arms. The feel of his hands on me…it’s like he’s burning me.
“I just let my own bullshit cloud my judgment. I made a mistake, and I’m so fucking sorry.”
“I was drugged. Do you get that? I was drugged. I was pleading with you to believe me, and you wouldn’t listen! You dismissed me. Yelled at me. You didn’t listen to a word I’d said to you. You once asked me for the truth, full disclosure, and I promised you that…and I have never broken that promise.”
“Neither have I.”
“No. But you’ve let me down. The only reason you’re here right now is because Luke told you the truth!” I stab a finger at the ground. “Not because you suddenly realized I was telling the truth. Not because you got over your initial anger and saw that I would never lie to you. No, you’re here because Luke told you what had happened. And I have no doubt in my mind that you wouldn’t be standing here right now if he hadn’t.” Tears are running down my cheeks now, showing my pain and frustration.
The guilt that sweeps through his eyes tells me everything I need to know. That I’m right. That he wouldn’t have come. That he would never have believed what I had told him.
“You need to leave.”
Panic flashes through his eyes. “Ari, please. I’ve fucked up, and I’m so sorry, babe. I hate that you’re crying because of me.” He lifts a hand to my face and cups my cheek, brushing away my tears with his thumb. His eyes plead with mine. “Please, Ari. Just give me a chance to make this right.”