70. Aarya
Aarya
“Hurry up with the popcorn. It’s on!”
Kourtney, Celeste and I huddle together on the couch while Cassidy scurries over with two overflowing bowls of freshly popped popcorn.
The Goldfinches are at a press conference today, and there’s a lot for the players to discuss.
Not only are they in the middle of an undefeated season, but the world recently found out that defenseman Jason Stamos is in a polyamorous relationship with Kourtney and Celeste.
And as of the other night, people also found out that Alexander Krum has been hiding a secret girlfriend.
But the biggest bomb about to drop at this press conference revolves around a curly-haired little girl.
Today’s the day Giuliana steps into the spotlight.
My stomach has been in knots all morning for Alexander.
Seeing him the way he was the other night when he showed up at the gallery, shaking and anxiety-ridden, was so unlike the calm, composed man he usually is.
It breaks my heart to see all the hard work he put into hiding Giuliana go to shit all because of his spiteful grandfather and his conniving lawyer.
Giuliana is too innocent to be caught in the crossfire of this situation, and Alexander doesn’t deserve to have this choice stripped from him.
But I truly believe that taking control and being the one to announce this news will help Alexander in the long run.
Cassidy turns up the volume on the TV as the boys take their seats along the panel. The hockey questions start, but all I can focus on is Alexander in a suit.
Damn, that man is attractive.
Memories of his kiss flash through my mind for the gazillionth time today.
It was so unlike him, so impulsive. There was no reason for him to kiss me.
No one watching to catch it on camera. He did it because he wanted to.
Because he couldn’t stand not kissing me. It was intoxicating and I want more.
But I can’t have more.
Alexander made it clear that we have to keep things platonic.
While I don’t understand how sex would lead to love, I do understand him wanting to set boundaries where Giuliana is concerned.
After a year, this will all be over. I’ll go back to my life, and they’ll go back to theirs.
The last thing I want is that little girl thinking I’m going to be her new mommy, only to rip it away from her in the end.
Celeste’s fingers snap in front of my face. “You good, Aarya?”
My head snaps up as I blink back to the present moment. “What? I’m here.”
She snickers. “You were thinking about that kiss again, weren’t you?”
I rub my temples. “It’s like my brain is stuck on a loop.”
“A good kiss will do that to you,” Kourtney says, smiling at Celeste. “Do you remember ours?”
Celeste beams. “I’ll never forget it. I was shocked as shit that the girl I’d been in love with all throughout high school was actually kissing me.”
“And now look at you.” Cassidy heaves a dreamy sigh. “Together forever with Jason, after all three of you were best friends in high school.”
“Having sex on a porn website,” I add.
Kourtney’s cheeks redden like it always does when we bring up the new website she built.
We’ve been friends for over a year now, and she’s the last person I’d ever peg for creating a porn-infused dating app.
I’m more surprised about this than I am about the three of them being together—I saw that shit coming from a mile away, with all the flirting and stolen glances.
“Have you thought about making an account on the site?” Celeste asks.
I scrunch my nose. “I’m pretty much down for anything when it comes to sex, but posting it on the internet for anyone to see? I’m not sure if that’s my kind of kink.”
“You don’t have to post it publicly.” Cassidy shovels a handful of popcorn into her mouth. “You can see who you match up with first and then send private messages to them.”
“That wouldn’t be very proper for an almost-married woman like myself, now would it?” I roll my eyes. “I’m stuck in the world of celibacy for the next year.”
“Listen!” Celeste gestures to the press conference on the screen. “They just asked Krum Cake about his new girlfriend.”
Confident and composed as always, Alexander graces the cameras with a smile. “Aarya and I have been dating for the last six months. We met through mutual friends, and we wanted to keep things private while we got to know each other.”
“How serious are things between you?” a reporter asks.
Providing them with the answer we rehearsed, he folds his hands on the table in front of him and says, “Very. We both want the same things in life, and we make each other very happy.”
“Tell us about her,” someone else calls out.
“She’s beautiful, as you all saw from the pictures.
But she’s also incredibly smart, creative, and ambitious.
She has a big heart, and a fierce independence about her that I love.
” Alexander’s smile widens as he looks head-on into one of the cameras.
“She’s everything I’ve ever wanted to find in a woman. ”
My body heats as I shift on the couch, suddenly feeling stifled in Cassidy’s enormous apartment.
The girls squeal, but Kourtney notices the look on my face. “You okay?”
I nod, forcing a laugh. “Yeah, that just wasn’t something we rehearsed.”
Celeste and Cassidy exchange glances, while I reach forward and chug the glass of water sitting on the coffee table in front of us.
“There’s also something else I’d like to talk about today,” Alexander continues. “Something I’ve been keeping from everyone—aside from my smoking hot girlfriend.”
The press room erupts in laughter before falling eerily quiet, waiting to hear the next piece of juicy news.
“I have a daughter.”
There’s an audible gasp from everyone in that room, and my heart leaps into my throat. Cassidy reaches out and clasps my hand, giving me a supportive squeeze.
“Her name is Giuliana, and she’s four-years-old.” The questions start, but Alexander holds up his hand to silence them. It’s shaking, and I wish like hell I could be there to soothe his nerves.
“For a long time, I didn’t want her in the spotlight.
I still don’t, honestly. But I also don’t want to hide the most important part of my life from the world anymore.
I want to be able to take her to my games, and take her out of the house without worrying about who’s going to see us together.
I want her life to be normal—or as normal as it can be with a professional athlete for a father.
“I won’t discuss her mother, so you can hold those questions.
She’s not in the picture, and that’s all you need to know.
” Alexander gazes around the room as the cameras click.
“I chose this lifestyle, and I know the media comes with the territory. But Giuliana is only a child, and all that I ask is that you respect her privacy.”
McKinley leans over and pats Alexander on the back. “And anyone who doesn’t respect his wishes has to answer to the team.”
The guys laugh, and the spotlight shifts to Jason as he clears his throat. “Since we’re coming clean with our secrets, I have one of my own I’d like to talk about today.”
The girls and I watch as Jason professes his love for both Kourtney and Celeste, also taking the heat off Alexander’s news for a while.
He looks so calm sitting there listening to Jason, but I know deep down, he’s feeling anything but calm.
The memory of his panic attack twists my stomach, and I hate that I won’t be there for him when the conference is over.
I can’t begin to unpack why I care at all, so I shoot him a quick text, knowing he’ll read it as soon as he gets out of there.
Me: Deep breaths, Big Man. I’m proud of you.
We spend the rest of the afternoon celebrating Jason, Celeste, and Kourtney’s polyamorous relationship being outed to the world.
But my mind keeps pulling me back to Giuliana.
Her life is going to be so different now, her sheltered little world about to triple in size. I feel a responsibility to help her maintain any semblance of normalcy. To protect her.
My mother never protected me from the cold realities of the world.
She made sure I knew from a young age that my father deceived her, and didn’t want me.
I didn’t have the luxury of living in a happy bubble.
If there’s anything I can do to shield Giuliana from pain and disappointment, then I’m going to do it.
Even if it means perpetuating her foolish notion that fairy tales and princesses are real.
I rise from the couch. “I have to go.”
Three pairs of eyes snap up to me. “Where are you going?”
“I want to be there when Alex gets back.”
For some reason, the thought of him in that big house by himself, panicking after he puts Giuliana to sleep, really bothers me. He’s been nothing but sweet and kind to me, and he’s in a shitty situation. He deserves a little kindness too.
Cassidy shoots up from the couch and rushes me, wrapping me in a bear hug. “I love you, Aarya.”
I shove her off me. “Eww. Stop. Don’t make this into something bigger than it is.”
She nods, swiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “Okay, I won’t.”
I scrunch my nose. “You’re such a freak.”
After we make a quick stop, I ask my security detail to take me to Alexander’s house.
It’s weird having a bodyguard follow me everywhere I go, but Eddie barely speaks, and I don’t mind not having to pay for an Uber.
I pause before stepping outside. Maybe Alexander wants to be alone. Maybe showing up here unannounced wasn’t the best idea.
“You okay?” Eddie asks.
Yeah, just trying to muster the courage to get out of the car.
“I’m fine. Sorry. Thanks for the ride.”
I hoist the bags out of the car and carry them to the gate before pressing the button on the keypad.
A woman’s voice comes through the speaker. “Hi, can I help you?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m... I’m Aarya. Alexander’s, uh, friend.” I glance at the camera pointed in my direction. “I know he isn’t home yet, but I was hoping—”