Chapter 8
8
Aria
F or the tenth time, Aria glanced down at where she could still feel the heat from Daniel’s touch. The strange thing was that she hadn’t felt scared. The breath that had been stolen from her lungs had been related to an entirely different emotion.
She hadn’t felt scared . That was the first thing she’d noticed. Perhaps it was because there wasn’t any menace in his touch. He’d merely wanted to stop her from leaving.
It was a fluke.
It had to be.
As Aria stood beside him at the sink, washing the dishes they’d used, she tried to make sense of it all and came up blank. Surely if he’d been upset, he would have triggered the memories she had from her childhood.
His hand brushed against hers when he took the dish she held out to him. Daniel visibly stiffened, and a twinge of embarrassment prickled at her. She should have never told him about her father. Now he wasn’t going to see her as anyone but a victim.
Sure, he’d told her that he thought she was strong, but that didn’t mean that was how he felt. It could be a consolation sort of comment. She’d heard them before. Why would he be any different?
Aria glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Bubbles clung to her skin, crackling and popping, but they weren’t nearly enough of a distraction to pull her thoughts away from the way Daniel had reacted when she’d told him of her past.
It was more than just being upset for her.
She’d seen that reaction in people she knew as well.
This was different.
Had he dealt with abuse first-hand as well?
The question was on the tip of her tongue, but then his fingertips grazed hers again and she noted how her touch had affected him. Her cheeks flushed hot, and she let a sigh burst from her chest. “You don’t have to treat me like a piece of crystal. I’m not going to break.”
He eyed her, his shoulders tensed.
There was pain in those blue eyes. He was harboring secrets of his own.
The difference between the two of them was that she refused to drag that sort of information out of him. He could keep his secrets as long as they weren’t the sort that hurt others.
Aria couldn’t help but feel they were similar in certain ways. While she hid behind an outgoing and happy alter ego, he did his hiding behind grim expressions and tight lips. Was it possible that he felt the connection she could sense growing between them?
She caught him watching her, his brows furrowed. Cornered by his scrutiny, she let out a laugh. “Sheesh. You’re too serious.”
“And maybe you aren’t serious enough.” His words dug at her, making her stomach churn.
Snatching a hand towel, she smirked at him. After drying her hands, she threw it in his face. He grunted, catching it as it fell into his hands. “You’re serious enough for the both of us.”
“It’s okay to be upset sometimes.”
“I’m not upset,” she brushed him off, moving toward the smaller living room rather than the door like she’d insisted she’d be doing only twenty minutes ago. “I have no reason to be upset.” Aria could feel his eyes drilling into the back of her skull. It unnerved her more than she cared to admit. There was no way he’d get her to say she was terrified that her father would be released. Or that her manipulative ex was somehow involved in the whole mess.
Daniel didn’t need her life story. He didn’t need another reason to pity her.
Plopping down on the couch, she reached for the only book Daniel had brought here. This time, there were two pages sticking out of it. Curiosity got the better of her, and she plucked them both free. The first was the beautiful house she’d seen before. When she slipped it under the second, she gasped.
The second picture was even more detailed than the first. It was larger—as if it was meant to be built for a big family. Everything from the shingles on the roof to the light sconces on either side of the door had been added.
Daniel’s presence moved closer, and the cushion beside her dipped as he took a seat next to her. She glanced at him, turning the picture so he could see what she was staring at. “This is beautiful. You have a real eye for this sort of thing. I can’t believe you never went to school for it.”
He shrugged.
Aria shook her head. “Don’t you get it? This is… so good.”
A corner of his mouth quirked upward. “You’re the first person who’s really seen any of my drawings.”
She nearly dropped the picture with that confession. “Your family?—”
Slowly, he shook his head. “They know I’m interested in architecture, but… this?” He gestured toward the picture. “I don’t know that they’d care.”
Aria scoffed. “I doubt that.” She turned back to the picture and traced over the porch swing. “It almost looks like your house—just upgraded.”
“There are parts of my house in that picture, yes.”
She smiled. “Well, one day when I decide to settle down, I’ll reach out to you to help me design something.”
“I don’t have the certifications?—”
An unladylike snort burst from her. “You don’t need a certification to design a concept.” Then she grinned at him. “Besides, I’m probably not going to have the money for something this lovely. But it’s a nice dream.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then he inched closer to her. “Do you have other dreams?”
Aria placed the picture back on the table and picked up the book, flipping through it absentmindedly. She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know that I have any.”
“Everyone has dreams,” he insisted.
She shook her head. “Not me.”
He frowned and that look of concern returned.
Aria ignored it. “I can’t believe you’re self-taught. Think about how far you could go if you’d get whatever certification you need.”
“Aria,” he said gruffly, drawing her attention.
She stiffened and stared at him, the pages of the book snapping shut. “What?”
“We’ve already discussed why my dreams aren’t a possibility. I want to know about yours.”
Aria sighed. “You’re really pushy when you want to be, you know that?”
“And you talk too much for your own good while at the same time not talking nearly enough about what’s important.”
Laughter almost escaped her. Did he actually say that? Based on the way the corners of his mouth quirked upward, he was far too amused by his comeback.
She gave him a look. “Well, I dropped out of college when my father was arrested. My mom needed me home—to deal with everything. You can imagine that afterward, my life basically fell off the tracks.”
“You never went back?”
Aria fidgeted, fighting hard to keep up her witty banter. “Nothing worth going back to. I didn’t have a degree lined up. I bounced around from job to job. I do some freelance writing here and there. Blog posts, articles—you know, that sort of thing. It’s nice that I don’t have to feel…” She mulled over her words. “Trapped in one place.”
She would never admit that she’d been escaping Georgia because being in that state where her father was incarcerated was too close. Then there was her escape from Cayden.
Daniel was wrong.
Aria wasn’t strong. She was a coward.
Still, she smiled through the painful thoughts.
Shortly after she’d come here, Cayden had demanded she return—that their broken relationship wasn’t actually over.
His attention had slipped away, but now that he was supporting her father, she wouldn’t be surprised if he started calling again.
At some point her smile must have slipped.
A soft touch landed on her knee and she jerked to her feet, a gasp tearing from her throat. She stared down at Daniel with wide eyes. Once again, that look of concern and pity filled his face.
And guilt.
Yikes! She didn’t want him to look at her like that.
What way do you want him to look at you?
The question slipped past her defenses unbidden. She didn’t have an answer for it. Her face flushed and she paced a few feet away. Hadn’t she just told him that she was okay with him touching her?
The first time had been more drastic, and this? Well, this reaction was embarrassing. What had the difference been?
“Aria?” he whispered as he stood.
The searing heat in her face intensified. She didn’t want to have this conversation. Not right now. Not when she had to figure out why she’d been fine one second and so jumpy the next.
She shook her head, her smile returning but feeling more foreign than ever. “I’m fine.” She darted around the back of the couch so she wouldn’t brush past him. “Really, I’m fine. Just a little anxious.” She stopped at the door, noting he hadn’t followed her. Turning, she gave him a sharp look. “And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
He hovered where he’d gotten up from the couch. He almost looked forlorn—like he wanted to come to her, hold her even—but he couldn’t.
That knowledge did something strange to her.
Warmth and nerves churned in her stomach. Her legs went numb and her skin prickled with a strange sort of tingling sensation. Daniel had to be the biggest, strongest man she’d ever met, and he looked more lost than she’d felt during her whole life. It was unsettling.
Aria gnawed on her lower lip, her hand wrapping around the doorknob.
Tonight, he hadn’t offered to take her back to the main house. He didn’t demand that she talk to him.
No demands whatsoever.
Why did it hurt so much?
She took in a deep breath, promising she’d reset herself the second she was out of his suffocating gaze. Flashing him a smile, she turned the knob. “Goodnight, Daniel. See you tomorrow.”
With that, she slipped out of the small cabin. Bolting, her legs moved faster than she had the strength for. She needed to get back to the house. She needed to clear her head.
The connections they’d made tonight were probably a huge mistake. She should have kept her distance. Now everything was going to be strained and difficult.
Aria slowed her pace and laced her fingers behind her back. Her breathing was charged and heavy. She’d been through worse. She could continue to smile and be the same Aria he was used to. No matter what it took, she’d be sure to make him forget what she’d said.
They might understand each other a little better, but not fully. That was more than enough.
She made it to the house, and the front door opened before she could reach it. Roman exited with his phone to his ear.
“Yeah, she’s back.”
Aria froze, her hand on the railing before she climbed the first step.
“Uh-huh. Yeah. No problem, Daniel.” He hung up, then tossed one more look in Aria’s direction. “Hey,” he said before he turned to head back inside.
She charged after him. “Did Daniel seriously call you to check that I made it back?” Aria followed Roman’s retreating form.
He glanced over his shoulder toward her. “Yeah. So?”
She could have said a million different things as to why Daniel had no right or reason to check in on her. But she kept those things to herself. Instead, she muttered, “He’s so weird.” Then she headed up to her room.