Chapter 32 Ari
Ari
When Ari and Drew stepped outside, the sky was clear.
Their surroundings were bathed in moonlight.
The early-evening clouds had left behind a fresh white blanket of snow, and although they were in the center of the Village, it was surprisingly quiet.
All she could hear were the gentle sounds of her and Drew’s footsteps crunching in the snow as they slowly walked along the pavement.
This time he gave her his scarf without question, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her, sweet and slow.
Sometimes Ari could feel herself forming a memory in real time.
Experiencing a moment knowing she’d return to it in the future.
So, she focused on all the details she knew she would one day remember.
The warm streetlamps that lit up the path, the stars bright enough to map out constellations, the trees dusted with a light layer of snow.
She knew that one day, she’d get lost in a daydream and remember the song playing in the lobby as they walked into Drew’s hotel.
Her mind would latch on to the longing glances exchanged as they rode the elevator and the tension in the air as they walked across the landing.
The sound of Drew’s door clicking shut and the quiet rustle of coats and scarves coming off.
It looked just how she imagined Drew’s hotel room would look.
It was clean and cozy. There were cameras, hard drives, and freshly printed film photos laid out on his desk.
A wardrobe full of sweaters bearing his university logo.
Polaroids scattered across the top of his dresser.
Most of the photos were of the athletes he’d been assigned to, but she noticed a set of photos of an older couple.
The woman had Drew’s eyes, and the man had his smile.
Ari realized they were probably his grandparents.
Drew had been in the Village for only a week but he’d somehow already made the place feel like home.
“And here’s what I took on New Year’s,” Drew said as he walked over to his desk and picked up an envelope labeled FOR ARI.
Ari approached him, moving closer until they were only a few inches apart.
He handed her the envelope, and she pulled out three photographs.
The memory of that night came back to her with startling clarity.
The photos were dimly lit, but she could see every detail.
First a frame of her looking out at the London skyline, her hair blowing in the wind as her silhouette broke up a sea of city lights.
She was surrounded by skyscrapers and distant cars speeding across a bridge, but she looked serene.
She turned to the next photo. This time, she could see the faraway look on her face.
An expression filled with both wonder and worry as she stared out at the last night of the year.
In the third photo, she was directly facing Drew.
Her face was lit up by the fairy lights on the roof, and her expression was one of amusement and curiosity as she looked beyond the lens and up at the man holding the camera.
He’d somehow managed to capture her exactly as she’d felt that night: a little bit lost and overwhelmed but hopeful too.
“You’re good at this,” she said as she landed on the final photo.
“You’re easy to photograph.”
“In what way?”
“You’re beautiful,” he said with a shrug. Ari rolled her eyes, while trying to hold back a smile.
“Does that line actually work?”
“I don’t know. Is it working on you?”
She paused. “Only time will tell.”
“What’s your line?” he asked.
“I don’t need one,” she said, taking his Polaroid camera from his desk, switching it on, and taking a photo before he could figure out what was happening.
Capturing him in the low hotel light, his eyes bright as he looked past the lens and over at her.
They stood in silence for a few moments as the photo developed, then she gave the camera back to him.
The image showed the stunned expression on his face, and the smile curving up his lips.
As she watched him looking down at it, she gently stroked his cheek and spoke softly.
“See, look at you. You’re already falling. Don’t blame yourself. I just have that effect on people,” she said, making him laugh.
Then he paused, stood back, and took a Polaroid of her. When it came out, she took the photo from his hands and slid it into his blazer pocket before she could look at it. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“Something to remember me by,” she said quietly, letting her hand linger on the chest of his blazer. Things got quiet again. Neither of them was laughing anymore. Instead, they were standing in the tension. Waiting to see who would break it.
“We’re not strangers anymore. And we will see each other again,” Drew said as they locked eyes.
“So, this would objectively be a bad idea,” she agreed as he stepped closer.
“Exactly,” he said, gently taking the photos from her hand and placing them on the dresser.
He walked back over to her until their faces were inches apart.
Then he gently ran a finger across her arm, stroking her bare skin.
There were those goosebumps again. He traced her skin from her wrist up her arm, to her elbow and higher up, until he reached her shoulder.
It felt like every single nerve in her body stood on end.
Something about the gentleness of his touch felt electrifying.
“It probably won’t work out,” she said quietly.
“And we both already know how it could end,” he said, breaking eye contact to lean forward and kiss her shoulder, neck, and the tender area under her jaw.
His hand snaked around her waist, sending a pulse of desire down her body. In response, she placed her hands on his shoulders, first over his blazer and then sliding underneath to slowly ease it off, not looking down as it hit the floor.
“I broke a rule,” she said plainly.
“Which one?” he whispered.
They were face-to-face. She could hear her heart beating and feel his beneath her hands.
Time stood still for a moment as they looked into each other’s eyes.
It all felt so vivid. The taste of the drink she’d left behind.
The distant sound of the music played in the lobby.
The touch of his hands. The smell of his cologne.
“I lied,” she said quietly. “I don’t regret a single thing I said or did on New Year’s.”
“Me neither … except I do wish I’d kissed you sooner,” he said, his voice low and raspy.
“Well, don’t make the same mistake tw—” she said, but before she could finish her sentence, he cupped her chin, looked into her eyes, and took the breath right out of her.
The world went silent as she closed her eyes and felt their lips brush.
It was so gentle that she could have mistaken it for not happening.
But the tingle on her lips let her know it was real.
They pulled back for a second as if giving each other one last chance to change their minds.
But then, like gravity, their lips collided. This time, there was no hesitation.
His hand, which was already wrapped around her waist, pulled her closer as she gripped on to his shoulders and leaned into the kiss.
She used the palm of her hand to caress his face, his neck, and the fabric of his shirt.
He ran a finger down the bare back of her dress and sent a lightning bolt of heat down her spine.
She put her hands in his hair and sighed as he eased one of the stiff straps of her dress to the side and began to place a quick hot trail of kisses across her neck, shoulders, and the smooth skin above the neckline of her dress.
She was ready to ease the other strap off, take the whole thing off.
But instead, he went back up, took her face into his hands again, and kissed her with a kind of passion that made her legs weak.
But then his hands were holding her up, his fingers firm against her back, tracing lines up and down her skin as she wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed at the small, intense ripples of pleasure she felt with each touch.
Her hands found their way down his chest, clutched at the hem of his shirt, and slowly eased it up and off.
She looked straight into his eyes as she traced each muscle across his chest, noticing which parts he was sensitive to.
Using the tips of her nails to gently graze his skin until he shook his head, used one arm to lift her under the knees, and laid her on the bed.
He kissed her deep and slow. Each nerve ending across her skin seemed to respond to him as all the unnecessary fabric left their skin.
They became a tangle of smooth curves, moving limbs, and desire.
Words whispered between two bodies making sense of each other in the dark.
It felt like holding a hand up to a flame.
A wave of heat strong enough to melt the ice outside and ensure that, by the time the sun came up, neither of them would be the same.