Twenty-Four
Ari found Paris in the games room, taking grinning selfies. The second Ari walked in, the phone and the smile dropped. ‘Well?’ she asked desperately.
‘I’ve found the perfect DJ,’ Ari assured her. ‘You’re going to love him. He has a great vibe. He did my friend Jenna’s wedding in Turks and Caicos. The floor was never empty.’
‘Oh, thank god!’ Paris said, relief washing over her features. ‘I knew you would fix it. You were always so good like that. You knew everyone.’
Ari forced herself to smile. ‘Yeah, I guess I did.’
‘That time when that B-list actor dropped out of that fundraiser, you found me someone better with a day’s notice. I knew then…’ She paused. ‘Anyway, different time.’
Ari could feel the manipulation seeping through Paris’s words, but she didn’t care. She needed to know what Paris had meant. ‘You knew what?’
‘That you and I would end up dating, that’s all,’ she said casually.
‘Because I could help you?’ Ari asked, a bitter taste filling her mouth.
Paris’s smile tightened ever so slightly. ‘More that you were resourceful. It’s an attractive quality.’
‘Resourceful,’ Ari repeated, nodding to herself, feeling the sting of the truth. That’s all she had ever been to Paris. A means to an end.
‘You know, I’m so glad you came,’ Paris said, trying for sincerity. ‘I wasn’t sure you would.’
‘Why not? All that was years ago,’ Ari replied, forcing a lightness she didn’t feel.
‘Well, I’m so glad to hear you’ve finally moved on,’ Paris smiled.
That rubbed Ari wrong. ‘Moved on? Me?’
Paris shrugged, a smug smile playing on her lips. ‘I know it was rough for you. Everything that happened.’
Ari’s annoyance grew. ‘Not sure what you mean by “everything.”’
Paris offered a condescending smile. ‘I didn’t want to end it, you know. You didn’t leave me a choice. But now I think we can both see it was the right call.’
The disbelief surged in Ari. ‘You ended it?’
Paris’s eyes narrowed, her confident facade beginning to crack. ‘Let’s not dwell on the bad times. It’s unhealthy.’
‘That’s not what happened,’ Ari replied, her tone filled with an anger she’d promised herself she’d never give Paris again. ‘So don’t think you can gaslight me.’
Paris rolled her eyes. ‘Gaslight? Wow, that word is really getting its moment, isn’t it?’ She chuckled lightly, but it fell flat. ‘I never wanted to hurt you, but I had to think of myself. I’m glad you’ve found someone who appreciates you. Just like I have. Cal takes me as I am.’
‘You never wanted to hurt me?’ Ari echoed, shocked by the audacity. She had never forgotten Paris’s little ways but reliving them was another story. ‘You made it clear that your lies were more important than our relationship. Do you think I wanted to spend years being made a fool? Never really knowing what you wanted out of me?’
A heavy silence hung between them.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,’ Ari said, angry with herself.
Paris laughed at her. ‘No, this is on me. I shouldn’t have asked you for a favour. I forgot how you get when you think you’re owed.’
‘You can’t make this about a DJ, Paris,’ Ari shot back, her heart racing. ‘It’s about damage.’
‘What damage?’ Paris asked, a challenge lacing her voice.
Jesus, was this coming out? Here and now? That was no good. Ari wasn’t handling this right at all.
‘Say it,’ Paris said, her smile turning nasty. ‘What did I take from you?’
Ari realised that Paris wanted to be accused. The woman lived for these moments. She loved to have you say what she’d done wrong and then turn things around so much that you walked away feeling like you were the criminal. It was Paris’s idea of a good time.
But Ari was past the point of knowing a good idea from what she simply wanted to do. Which was to say it aloud. Call her a thief to her face.
‘Paris—’
Just then, the door swung open, and Nancy burst in, her presence a sudden interruption to the charged atmosphere. ‘There you two are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!’
Ari turned, momentarily distracted from the confrontation. ‘Nancy, now is not—’
‘No, no, it’s fine,’ Paris interjected, her tone shifting as she plastered on a bright smile. ‘I was just catching up with Ari. But we’re done now. Aren’t we, darling?’
Ari shot Paris a glare, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. ‘If you say so, Paris.’
Paris nodded. ‘Yes. I think so.’ And she walked off.
‘I heard you yelling from down the hall,’ Nancy said. ‘I thought it best not to let it get too far.’
Ari nodded, her blood boiling. ‘Good call.’ She took a deep, ragged breath, collecting herself. ‘I think I just need to go back to the room for a moment,’ she said, already walking away.