Page 25 of Flawless Aria

I’ve never been so confused as I am in this moment. Do I propose for real or would that be like a slap in the face?

“I’ll call you as soon as I send it to Silas. Maybe we can grab a bite to eat or something.” Why have the roles reversed? Am I being punished because I can’t tell her how I really feel? That I’m in love with her and I’d be honored for her to be my wife? Would that push her further away or would she admit she’s in love with me too?

Maybe if I leave, I’ll have time to gather my thoughts. Then the next time we get together, I’ll have the right words. Right now, I’m angry that she assumes our friendship would be over if we break up. That will never happen, and I’ve told her time and time again.

“I’ll let you get back to work. On one condition.” I won’t leave until she acknowledges that I’m leaving. When she forces herself to look at me, I continue. “Promise me that you’ll call me as soon as you hit send. If you don’t, I’ll go to my parents’ house to tell them it was all a farce. Your choice, Aria. And remember, we always hurt the ones we love most.”

ARIA

I haven’t stopped ballingsince he left. I’m so confused and I have Macy and Jax to thank for that. It’s like they’re both ganging up on me. I’m not the bad guy here. No one is. What started off as a publicity stunt has snowballed into so much more. Do I want to get married? Not really. Until I think of Jax playing tag with our children in the backyard. Or one of them sitting on his lap, while he teaches them how to play the drums. It’s too easy to get lost in a dream so I need to focus.

Knowing this article needs to be finished, I do a quick edit, then hit send. How ironic that this article is about finding love in all the strangest places. No names were mentioned, but it’s about two friends who find love when all is lost. Care to take a guess who I had in mind when writing the article? I think it’s one of the best articles I’ve ever written, but I’ll let Silas be the judge of that.

Now I have a decision to make. Do I call him? Or wait and see if he follows through with his threats? How bad would it be if he told them it was all a lie? That it was fake right out of the gate? Bad. So bad for all of us. Especially since we’ve never lied to our folks before. Well, I know I haven’t. I can’t speak for Jax, but I do know him well enough to know that if he did, it was one of those tiny white lies that didn’t hurt anyone.

I’d never throw him under the bus. If we decide to tell them the truth, then we do it together.

Since I left my phone on the charger, I walk into the kitchen to grab it. Funny how I never got tongue tied around him before, until we slept together. Now I regret everything that comes out of my mouth. It’s either too much or not enough. And the fact that I’ve turned into a royal bitch doesn’t help either. He doesn’t deserve it since he’s been nothing but kind. He always has been.

This is where I’d normally text an apology, but knowing he’s old-school I call him instead. It’s nice that he wants to hear someone’s voice. It is more personal, and I find myself doing it more often than I used to. Kudos to you, Jax. You can teach an old dog new tricks.

“Hey, I take it you finished your article.” Oh, yeah but I’ll let him read it. I’m curious to know if he’ll recognize the couple.

“I did. Just in the nick of time. You want to grab dinner or something?” I hear the chuckle the second he heard ‘or something’. Typical guy.

“I’ve been cooking up a storm since I got home. Bring dessert and come on over.” Good to know his threat was bogus.

“What you cooking so I know what kind to bring?” Subtle, but a hint nonetheless.

“Does it matter? You can never go wrong with any dessert.” True, and apparently, he won’t tell me what he’s cooking. “Think comfort food ala Jax.” I laugh. What a difference a few hours can make!

“I’m all about comfort food. See you in a few.” I end the call and now I’m on a mission to find the perfect dessert with comfort in mind.

Not long after, I knock on his door with a grocery bag full of goodies. I think I did good, but if I had more time, I could have made him some whoopie pies. I’m sure he’s going to love these simple desserts. It will be a blast from the past.

He steals my breath when he opens the door. Wearing a tight pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, his hair a tousled mess. Oh, and he’s barefoot. He’s got the sexiest toes I’ve ever encountered.

“What you hiding in that little bag of yours? Can I peek?” I slap his hand as he reaches out to grab it.

“No, you can’t. If you eat all your dinner, then you’ll find out.” I’m smiling. Really smiling, and it feels like it’s been ages. Feels wonderful.

The second I walk inside the house, my stomach growls. Dinner will be my first meal of the day. Unless you count copious amounts of coffee as a meal. Told you I needed to get that damn article finished. The ones closest to your heart are always the hardest ones to put down on paper.

“It smells like meatloaf and taters in here.” Now it’s his turn to laugh. It’s a joke between both families since leftover mashed was always turned into homemade tater tots the next day.

“I don’t know if we’ll have any leftovers, but if we do, we can always bring them to your Mom’s so she can whip some up.” She’s a southern girl and loves to cook!

Opening the fridge, I slide the dish of banana pudding inside before he gets too nosy. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I whipped it up before leaving. And I also have the fixings for s’mores and Rice Krispies treats. Some of his favs.

“Not sure if I want to pop over to Mom’s anytime soon.” And just like that, the mood has turned somber again. Stupid me for opening my mouth.

“Duly noted. Everything’s ready, so I’ll plate it up and we can dig in.” He reaches up to grab some bowls and I stop him.

“Don’t dirty any dishes. Let’s scoop what we want, and if there are leftovers you can put them away later.”

“Sounds perfect. Dig in.” Oh, and I do. One big scoop of mashed, a thick slice of juicy meatloaf, and tons of green beans. Jax makes his with bacon and they’re to die for.

Between mouthfuls, I say, “This is comfort food at its finest. Thank you.” I’d forgotten all about the biscuits until he set a warm buttered one next to my plate.