Aria

"So you're not trying to seduce Aria and get in her pants?" Scarlett asks. 

Leo releases a frustrated sigh. "For the last time, Scarlett," he replies, exasperation filling his voice. "I didn't even know who Aria was until about a week ago, okay? I'm not trying to get in her pants or anything like that. We've just become good friends."

From where I'm standing, I can see half of Scarlett's face and the back of Leo's head, and I watch as Scarlett raises a sculpted eyebrow. "With all this technology, how am I supposed to believe that you had no idea who Aria Madden was?"

Leo extracts his flip-phone from his pocket and shakes it in front of Scarlett's face. "This is why. I'm absent when it comes to social media and I've never cared much about the news or anything like that. For the love of God, Scarlett. I know men get a bad rap for befriending women but cut me some slack. I'm definitely not one of those men. I swear, I'm not trying to take advantage of Aria. She's become a good friend. That's it, that's all."

Those words sting a little, but I shove that feeling aside. Things are...complicated between Leo and I at the moment. I think we're both having difficulty figuring out where we stand. 

For the past five minutes, I've been eavesdropping on the two of them. Because of our age difference, I think Scarlett has always felt the need to protect me in some respect. I knew, the second she agreed to stay and make soap with me, Leon, Tenille, and Eliza, that her motives were something much deeper than risking getting a chemical burn from the lye. And, as I'm watching the scene before me unfold, I know I was right. Scarlett was right – I am a shit liar. She clearly knew I had feelings for someone, and she definitely intended for this period of questioning to happen. 

While I do feel bad for Leo – Scarlett's personality can be as fiery as her red hair – it warms my heart to know someone, other than my family, cares about me enough to make sure I'm not falling for the wrong guy. 

"Okay," Scarlet says, a hint of unease in her voice. She points at Leo. "Don't think you're getting off this easily, though, Leo. I'm watching you and I will definitely inform Lauren about this friendship." She gets to her feet, brushing the nonexistent dust from the thighs of her jeans. She then reaches down to pick up her small bag of lavender soap. The majority of them are deformed and have chunks of lavender in them, but Eliza, who was brave enough to test one, told Scarlett that they were fine. "Anway," she continues. "I'm going to get going. I actually, um, had a lot more fun than I thought I would. It was nice meeting all of you."

Leo, although he seems very uncomfortable with the concept of a goodbye hug, stands up and hugs Scarlett. I almost laugh at the comical look of shock on Scarlett's face, but I bite my lip. If they hear me, they're going to know I was listening in on their conversation. Speaking of listening in on their conversation, I quickly turn around and rush back to the kitchen, making myself look busy. 

As I'm searching the cupboards for a glass, I hear a knock on the countertop. I turn around and see Scarlett standing on the outskirts of the tile floor, not surprisingly. "Hey," I say, my voice coming out a pitch higher than usual.

Scarlett presses her lips together in a flat line as if she's trying to prevent herself from smiling. "I'm going to head out," she replies. "Do you want a ride home?"

I shake my head. "Nah. Dad's going to pick me up. The building adjacent to the house is where we're having the anniversary party for my aunt and uncle, and he wants to see it. He, uh, also wants to talk to Leo for some reason."

For the second time tonight, Scarlett cocks an eyebrow. "Your dad wants to talk to Leo."

I shrug because it's all I can do. I don't know why my dad is interested in talking to him, and I'm hoping he doesn't do the same thing Scarlett has done to him tonight.

"O-kay," Scarlett says. "Well, I'll see you around, then, Aria."

I smile at her despite the fact that I feel like her little sister rather than her best friend at this very moment. I don't know why I feel so guilty – it's not like I'm lying to her about anything. 

"Oh," Scarlett adds, lowering her voice. "Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep this one close," she winks. "He's a sweetheart."

Before I can say anything, Scarlett turns around and exits the kitchen, saying her goodbyes to Tenille and Eliza, who are at the dining room table, arguing over what to make for dinner tonight. A small smile creeps its way onto my face. In some way, Tenille and Eliza remind me a little of myself and Scarlett: stupid arguments that mean nothing, endless banter, and strong, unconditional love for each other. I'm glad that Eliza had such good people around her after everything went sideways. I'm glad she had Leo, despite the circumstances. 

The last cupboard I open is the one that contains the glasses – go figure – and I grab one, filling it with water from the pitcher on the countertop. It's filled with lemons and limes, giving off a strong citrus scent as I pour it. And when I'm done with that, I head back into the living room and join Leo.

"Sorry for taking so long," I say, crossing my legs on the loveseat. "I couldn't find the glasses."

Leo looks at me with concern in his eyes. "You could have asked me." He pauses and then shakes his head. "No, I could have told you. That was my fault. Sorry. I –"

I reach out and clamp a hand down over his mouth, raising my eyebrows in amusement. "Leo, shut up. It's fine. I did have to search the kitchen up and down, but think of it as a lesson: now I know where everything is for next time."

His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows. "Next time?"

I nudge him with my elbow, a devilish grin on my face. "Come on, buddy. Use your common sense. Your mom and Tenille have grown on me. I don't think I"m going to be able to resist spending time with them. They're funny together."

Leo rolls his eyes, but there's a smile on his face as he does so. 

"Hey," I say. "Can I ask you something?"

Leo nods.

"Are Tenille and Kit married? There are a bunch of pictures of them together, but I didn't see any wedding pictures."

"They're not married," Leo replies, subconsciously tracing the leathery pattern of the loveseat. "Yet."

"Yet?"

"They're getting married this summer," he elaborates. "I think things were just too crazy and they didn't have the time to. They were too busy living life and raising Clara."

I frown, trying to recall the pictures in the hallway. "Is she that strawberry-blonde girl that's in all the pictures?"

Leo nods. "Clara is my cousin. Not biologically, of course, but we're all so close we just consider each other family." He looks down at his hands and begins picking at his thumbnail. "It's just what happens when someone close to you dies; you all want to offer each other support and a shoulder to cry on until you can adapt to the pain. It's rare for the ties to stay strong after peopled move on, but I'm happy these ties have stayed this strong. I don't know what I'd do without them. I don't know what my mom would have done without them."

Feeling the need to comfort him, I wrap my arms around his torso and rest my cheek against his shoulder. I feel the muscles in his body tense, but only for a moment. When he relaxes, he rests his head against mine, taking a deep breath.

"What about your mom's parents?" I ask. "Weren't they there for her?"

A small chuckle escapes his lips. "My grandparents are a special kind of hell, Aria."

I frown in confusion. "What do you mean?"

He sighs. "They were there for my mom, but only for a small amount of time. They went through a nasty divorce when my mom was a kid and instead of being the type of parents that can co-parent, they were the type that wanted to outplay the other, be the likeable parent. They never really took my mom's wants and needs into account."

In another universe, I try to picture what it would be like to have parents like that, but it's nearly impossible for me to do so. While my parents are a driven pair and want to see us succeed, they always make sure Jax and I are okay with what's going on. They make sure we're comfortable and not overstressed. "Wow," I say. "I can't imagine what that's like."

"Me neither," he replies. 

"I love your mom," I add softly, replaying how she helped me and tended to the small chemical burn I got from the lye that splashed onto my skin. "She's so sweet."

"Speaking of my mon..." he trails off, turning to me. Gently, he takes my arm in his calloused hands and peels back the small patch of gauze that's covering the burn. He takes a moment to inspect it before asking: "How's the arm?"

"Fine," I reply, staring at him instead of the burn. "I can hardly feel it."

Leo nods in agreement. "It should be okay," he murmurs. "Just keep an eye on it for infections. At least it was only a small drop that got on you."

"Well," I laugh. "It would have been worse had you not stopped Scarlett from adding water to the lye."

A small smile finds its way onto his lips. "Cut her some slack, Aria. She was nervous."

I snort. "Scarlett Morton, nervous? Have pigs started to fly?"

Leo tilts his head towards the window, streaks of golden sunlight painting his face and making his already-tanned skin look a couple of shades darker. "I don't see any outside," he replies, his tone nothing but serious. "But I'll keep an eye out and let you know."

Playfully, I flick his ear. "Okay, smartass."

He grabs my wrist with lightning-fast reflexes. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not nice to call people names?"

"No," I grin. "My mother actually encourages me to call people names if needed. And, Leo, I believe I had every right to call you a smartass."

It's beautiful to watch Leo smile the way he does, the left corner of his mouth quirked up a little higher than the right corner. Two perfectly placed dimples bracketing the smile. A shimmer of pure, real happiness in his eyes.

I glance at his hand. He's still holding my wrist, gently stroking the sensitive skin on the underside with his thumb. His touch is gentle enough that it tickles, causing shivers to work their way down my spine and across nearly every nerve in my body. I always used to wonder why I had never had any luck with men in my life, but now I'm beginning to think that maybe this was the reason. Maybe the world threw undesirable men at me to save me for Leo. Maybe he's the one I'm supposed to be with. 

"Aria..." he murmurs, his eyes focused entirely on my lips.

"Yeah?" I reply, my heartbeat picking up. 

"How...how would you feel if...if I kissed you?" He's trying to tear his gaze away from my lips, but it's as if they possess some kind of magnetism. 

Slowly, tenderly, I slide my hands up to his shoulders, ignoring the bandage that's practically hanging from my arm. "I think," I whisper. "I'd like that very much."

I'm expecting him to smile, to display some kind of content feeling, but he doesn't. Instead, he gets this focused, determined look on his face as he slides his hand up my arm, to my shoulder, to my face, and then leans forward.

The moment he kisses me, the world falls away. It sounds so cliché, but it's the honest truth. It's slow and soft and comforting in ways I never thought to be possible. And as his palm rests just below my ear, his thumb softly caressing my cheekbone, I can't stop the burning feeling of want and need from spreading through my body. I can't seem to figure out what to do with my hands: I run them down his spine, over his shoulders, down his arms, to his torso. And when he pulls me closer, so close that I can feel his heart pounding against my chest, I grip his hips, digging my nails into them. 

I'm tempted – so tempted to move my hands a little lower, to slip them beneath his shorts, but I resist. I resist because this is a kiss. We haven't made anything official yet, let alone discussed anything more extreme than kissing one another. It's hard to beat out my stubbornness of wanting to do more, but I force myself to listen and keep my hands where they are. 

I never want this kiss to end, but it does, of course. We part, but not too far away from each other – my nose is brushing against his. I'm still too taken aback by the kiss to say anything or even react for that matter. All I want to do is kiss him again. His kisses – they feel like both my salvation and my torment. An addictive drug I know I should stop before I become hooked. 

But the thing is, he's snagged my heart like a fish hook, right beneath the ribs. 

"Leo," I say, finally finding my voice. "Do you want to go out on a date with me?"

He releases a shaky laugh, running an equally as shaky hand through his hair. "Aria," he says, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I've been wanting to ask that for a few days now."