Chapter 24 Aria
Aria
When Griffin’s hurried text about running off to practice comes through, Aria is in the process of typing out a message to invite him over to see the studio.
Only once she hit Send on that text about their “arrangement” did she realize her misstep—that might suggest there was nothing between the two of them beyond the scheduled events.
Even if she’s been pushing away a heart flutter here or there around him—okay, more than here or there—it’s undeniable that they’re actual friends at this point.
Even if the formal appearances are orchestrated by the publicity teams, the fun that happens between them is genuine.
Aria truly and wholeheartedly likes Griffin.
She replies first to his hasty message.
Aria: Oops! Sorry to keep you.
Aria takes her time with the next message, knowing he won’t get it until he’s back at his locker. She types and edits, and eventually she hits Send.
Aria: Would you want to come see the studio this week?
When we were chatting on the field—a moment now so rudely broadcast online—you mentioned you’d like to see more about the process.
Honestly, it can really help to have fresh, positive energy in the space, so perhaps you’ll even lend some inspiration. Let me know.
Aria slips into some exercise wear and bundles a coat over the top. She pulls on long socks before donning her tennis shoes and pressing her earbuds into her ears. She pushes out of her front door to take a walk around the property.
The leaves are ablaze in a fall mix of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns, and the cold air feels good against her face.
Like it’s waking her up to the world. She puts on a podcast about mindfulness and meditation and heads for the short trail that loops the wooded part of her land.
She’s always looking for respite from the bright lights, the sequins, the heavy makeup—a place or a moment where she can simply be.
Sometimes these walks even bring moments of musical inspiration as well.
When Aria returns to the house an hour later, she warms up with a shower and gets dressed in her most comfortable jeans and a sweater.
Bailey is in the kitchen blending a smoothie when Aria enters the room.
“I invited Griffin over,” Aria says, pulling open the fridge. “He’s at practice, so he won’t reply until later.”
Bailey keeps her hands planted firmly on the blender but looks over her shoulder at her sister. “Yeah? What’s it for this time?”
It’s not that Aria has been hiding things from Bailey. The depth of her friendship with Griffin is all over the internet for anyone with a Wi-Fi signal to see. But she also hasn’t yet divulged the rest.
“Just . . . because.”
“What? Like, you’re actually friends? I get that he’s a good guy under the football pads, but you’re not a friendship person like that.”
Aria emerges from the fridge with a juice in hand and swats playfully at Bailey. “Hey, now! Remember all the weirdness I endured over the years at the hands of ‘friends’? Maybe you could be happy that I actually found a friend I can trust.”
Bailey sighs. “Fair.”
Many of the friends Aria had before she hit it big fell away when she started to edge truly into the public eye.
Maybe it was jealousy or difficulty in relating to her new lifestyle, but not one of those relationships endured.
There were also the new friends Aria made around the same time, and all of those turned out to be people less interested in her and more interested in the doors her fame could open for them.
Once Aria was in the public eye—and from such a young age—it became difficult to trust others.
She was friends with some other Hollywood types—a few actresses, another singer, and a model—but all of them eventually moved to LA.
Generally they saw each other at award shows or fashion events—when Aria summoned the energy to make it to them.
“There’s something about Griffin that’s different.
” Aria leans onto the counter, the bottle pressed between her palms. “He knows the fame game, so he’s obviously not a grifter.
But he’s also a regular person. There’s none of the fake bravado or the one-upping or the ‘too cool’ attitude.
He’s kind, and we laugh together. Besides you, he’s the only person I’ve been able to let my guard down around. ”
Bailey gasps in mock horror. “Aria Wilder took off her armor with a stranger?” She puts the back of her hand to her forehead as if she’s a Victorian woman on the verge of fainting.
Aria grins. Bailey might be joking, but she’s not off the mark. What’s worked for Aria so far in life has been keeping her walls up, her circle close, and her heart off-limits to anyone but Bailey—and her parents, who have floated to the edges of her life.
“He’s trustworthy.”
“If you say it, I believe it.” Bailey flips the switch on the blender, and it churns loudly for a moment before she shuts it off and removes the pitcher. She turns her back to Aria and reaches for a glass inside the cabinet. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Shoot.” Aria senses what this question will be, and frankly, at this point she wants to discuss it too.
“Are there feelings feelings in the mix here? Half the internet is already talking about how it’s a budding romance, even though the PR spin is ‘best friends this, best friends that.’ Everyone knows that friendship is the basis for great romance.”
Aria pulls a smile, then releases it. “Realistically? No. How would it even work?”
Bailey shrugs. “Your schedules are lining up pretty okay for these publicity deals.”
“You know I hate all this stuff.”
“Refusing to be vulnerable might take away the chance of being hurt, but it also takes away the possibility that you might eventually get what your heart desires.”
Aria has been burned in love just as she was burned in friendship.
One ex turned out to be using her in an attempt to launch his own country music career.
Another was a fellow celebrity who got prickly as soon as her fame began to outpace his.
So far all life had taught Aria Wilder about love is that it wasn’t made for people like her.
Even if her love ballads made claims otherwise.
Aria closes her eyes to make saying it easier.
“At the shoot the other day, he went to bat so I didn’t have to drink the ghastly sports drink.
He grabbed my hand on the field, and it was like my insides lit up like a Christmas tree.
” Aria’s chest swells as she puts herself mentally back in his presence, that comforting force, strong and gentle at once. “Obviously, he’s a hunk.”
“People’s sexiest guy, right?”
“Runner-up, I think.”
Bailey barks a laugh. “Right. That changes everything.”
“I’m not sure he feels the same. I think he’s just genuinely kind and attentive to everyone.
He does all these sweet gentlemanly things like he’s from another century.
You can tell he was raised to keep others in mind.
Honestly, I think I’ve just been so starved of genuinely good people—aside from you—for so long that my brain is making it into something it’s not. ”
“So he’s perfect, is what you’re saying?”
Aria bites her lip. In many ways, Griffin Hayes is perfect.
In many ways, Griffin is the type of person Aria wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to have in her life.
Someone who might be a beast on the football field, massive in physical stature, but in person, one-on-one, entirely nonthreatening.
Someone interested in knowing the details of who she is beyond the stage.
Then again, this whole connection started through their publicists, so Aria won’t get ahead of herself.
“He might be, Bails. But for now, he’s become a good friend, and I know better than to let that slip away.”
“You’d better let me get in on the hang then—if it’s friends only.”
Aria feels a prickle of possessiveness. “If he says yes, then you can join us for a couple minutes.”
Her phone that’s tucked into her jeans back pocket buzzes, and Aria slips it into her hand. Her heart picks up at the sight of Griffin’s name, and she rushes to read the message.
Griffin: A backstage look at your recording studio? Heck yes. Sign me up for the audio tour if there’s one as well. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.
Bailey peeks over Aria’s shoulder and eyes the text. “Oh my gosh.” She grabs Aria’s shoulders and shakes. “You’re holding out on me! He’s so into you.”
Aria turns the phone over, face down onto the counter. “He’s into learning more about music. Let’s not get carried away.”
Bailey pours the thick smoothie into the glass, then shoots her sister a look. “Whatever you say.”
As she glides out of the room, Aria is wondering the same, though. Is it possible the sparks she’s feeling are happening on Griffin’s end too? Surely that would be too good to be true.