Chapter 22
Aria
Itake a deep breath and walk through the front doors of the hospital. That damn article has my hackles up and I can’t shake the tension.
Ms. Cunningham was unavailable for comments.
Yeah, right. They never even reached out.
Unfortunately, they were also careful not to say anything outright that would let me sue them for libel.
The only claims they made were factually true.
Then again, a trashy publication like that probably knows exactly where the line is so they don’t get sued.
I nod to Ted behind the check-in desk and raise my visitor badge. The older man gives me a wide smile and a wink and I do my best to force a laugh and grin.
“Another visit, Miss Aria?” Ted calls out, stroking a hand down his white beard, something I have noticed is a habit of his.
“You know it, Mr. Ted,” I answer, holding up the bag of food and coffees from Karma, “Speaking of, I brought you a coffee! Flavor of the day: chocolate and hazelnut.” After a round of thank-yous, I depart and head toward the elevators.
Despite the setting and circumstances, I am looking forward to seeing Lucy. My daily visits, bringing coffee or food or anything she needs, have been the only thing getting me through the scandal with Jacob and those…I shudder at the violation I feel with the pictures and videos having been leaked.
I knew he took them, of course. I didn’t mind at the time; if he looked back and reminisced, then I had one less disappointing, orgasm-less fuck.
He was happy, I was happy, and I never thought anyone else would ever see the pictures and videos.
I know that Jacob has denied that he’s the one to share them, and I never thought he would be capable of doing so, but…
I never thought he would get me fired either.
I try to shake the thought from my head and set my things on a table by the elevators so I can pull out my phone to text Lucy that I am here. Instead, I find a text from my sister.
Lala: I could just make him disappear. Just say the word.
I shake my head and let out an undignified snort.
Aria: Ha ha. Just check it out and see if you can find out who posted the pics?
Lala: You got it. I’ll let you know once I find something.
I smile at the exchange, a much more genuine smile than the one I gave Ted.
Lila has always been good with computers, so I knew she would be willing to at least try and look into it.
Though her offer to make him disappear fills me with both warmth and concern.
Mostly because I don’t think she’s joking.
I tap over to my message thread with Lucy and begin to type out a message letting her know I am here. Before I hit send, I hear an elevator door open and the customary elevator voice: “Ground floor. Visitor Check-In.”
I glance up automatically and am pleasantly surprised to see Lucy walking out of the elevator. I lift a hand to greet her and her attention is certainly pulled my way. But the look on her face isn’t happy or relieved, she looks…angry?
“Lucy, what—?”
She holds a hand up, making the words dry up in my mouth.
She grabs my arm and marches me to a private visitor lounge, the food forgotten on the table.
After pulling me into the room, she lets go of my arm and closes the door behind us.
She turns toward me, fire sparking in her eyes, and I hold my hands up on instinct.
Though, I can’t control the fact that my panties are likely ruined.
I open my mouth to ask what the fuck is going on again, but she simply raises an eyebrow. I close my mouth.
“I was having a fine morning,” she begins in a tone that would be friendly if there weren’t an undercurrent of tension running through it, “Mama Betty is having a good day. Awake, not in too much pain; a great day considering everything. And then do you know what happened?” I don’t even try to answer.
“I get a text message from several people with a link to a very interesting article. Do you know which article that was, Aria?”
I wince. “Lu—”
“No.” She doesn’t yell or snap. “I know you know exactly what article I am talking about. I also know that it is full of shit. And if you thought I would believe any different, I am going to be very offended. So—” She shifts and crosses her arms. “—why the hell didn’t you tell me? Didn’t you think I would want to know?”
“This is my shit to deal with,” I say with an intensity that matches hers, and take a step toward her, “Mine. You have your own set of problems you’re dealing with, so why would I add to that?”
“I would believe that,” she replies in a low tone, “except you clearly understand the concept of sharing burdens. You have been here every single day. Bringing me whatever I need. Whenever I need it. You sat on the phone with me and let me cry just so I wouldn’t have to cry alone.
So why wouldn’t you let me do the same thing for you? ”
“Because your focus should be here!” The words burst out of me far more loudly than I intend. I take a breath and try again in a more even tone, “Ms. Betty is your focus, as she should be. She is your family. With all that on your plate, why would you care about my problems?”
“Because I love you!”
We both freeze at her outburst. As close as we are, I see her eyes shift from upset to uncertain before she seems to make a decision. She briefly closes her eyes before reopening them and meeting mine.
“I love you, Cherry,” she says deliberately.
“I don’t know how it fucking happened, but it did.
You are my best friend, but I don’t want you like a best friend.
You are the best part of my day every single day.
Your laugh, your smile, your intelligence, your empathy…
you amaze me with every little thing you do and are.
I am so thankful to have you around me, and I don’t expect you to feel the same but—”
I surge forward, cutting her off. I crash our lips together in a kiss that is as sudden and explosive as her declaration was.
Her gasp is enough to allow me to slip my tongue into her mouth and coax her into a response.
The groan she lets out goes straight to my core.
She brings her hands up to my back, fisting her hands in the back of my shirt and holding me close to her with a desperation I’m not used to from her.
My hands come up to cradle her face with a gentleness that is counter to the intensity of our kiss and it throws her off long enough for me to pull my face back enough to meet her gaze. The vulnerability and lust swirling in her eyes give me the courage to bare my own soul to her.
“I love you too, Princess. I have for a while. I have been falling since the first time you kissed me outside of that restaurant. I tried to fight it, tell myself that it didn’t make sense, that we didn’t make sense, but I was lying to myself.
I may not know everything, but I do know that I have never been surer of anything in my entire life.
Is it fast? Sure. Was the way we met unconventional?
Undoubtedly. But that doesn’t make this any less real.
” I stroke my thumb across her cheek, wiping away a tear that had slipped free.
I don’t know how long we stand there. It’s like time has stopped as we hold each other, allowing the shift in our relationship to settle and permeate our dynamic.
Eventually, she slides her hands up my back to settle on the back of my neck.
With a gentle pressure, she guides my face back to hers and initiates a more languid but no less passionate kiss, shifting her energy to something far more controlled and focused.
Her tongue sweeps across my bottom lip and my breath catches.
She nips, and a little whimper escapes my throat.
I feel rather than see the smile that spreads across her face at my responses.
“Sweet Cherry,” she purrs, and I feel my face erupt in a deep blush. “You still made me worry about you. I don’t like worrying about not knowing what’s going on with you. You’re not going to keep something like that from me again, right?” I shake my head. “Good girl.”
My breath catches again and Lucy gives a little chuckle that tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing to me. And, god help me, that makes me even wetter.
“Since you caused this stress, maybe you’d like to help fix the problem, pretty girl. Get on your knees.”
My brain short circuits at her words and my mouth pops open. Her hands shift enough for her to tangle her fingers in my hair and she gives a slight tug, causing another little moan to escape my lips.
“On your knees, Cherry.”