I set Ari down on his bed and told him to wait while I went to Elle's room to get my bag. I stopped by their washroom as they like to call it on my way back to Ari's room. I grabbed a washcloth and wet it with cold water. I walked back into Ari's room and shut the door.
His knuckles were bloody and swollen. I wasn't sure whose blood there was more of on his hand, his or Tyler's. I used the washcloth to wipe his hand clean and then wrapped it around his knuckles to help with the swelling.
Ari remained silent and refused to make eye contact. I was okay with that for the moment. I went into his closet to change. I found a long t-shirt of his and put it on over my bra and panties.
I grabbed a pair of sleep shorts out of my bag and put them on too. My boobs hurt from my underwire so I decided to slip it off. The t-shirt was baggy enough Ari might not notice.
There was a mirror on the door so I grabbed a wet wipe out of my bag and wiped my face off as best as I could. I walked out of the closet to Ari taking his shirt off.
This was new territory for us. I saw the muscles in Ari's shoulder blades pulse. He looked like he worked out, but I wondered when since it wasn't in Gym. He'd already taken his shoes and socks off while I was in the closet.
Ari disappeared into the closet for a minute and came back out in only a pair of basketball shorts.
He looked down at me and shrugged, "I usually sleep in less. Is this okay for you or do I need to get a shirt on?"
"No that's fine. I stole your shirt anyways." I quipped though I knew he owned plenty more.
Ari stepped back to look and take me in. He seemed to just notice what I was wearing. Or not wearing.
"It looks a lot better on you."
I blushed and he moved silently to peel back the covers of his queen sized bed and climbed in. Ari lifted the covers inviting me to join him under the blanket.
I tried not to show how nervous I was as he tucked in the covers around us. Ari was being polite and 'keeping some room for Jesus' as Jordan would have said.
"Have you ever slept in a bed with a guy?"
I deflected his question with a question, wanting to know his answer first, "Have you slept in a bed with a girl?"
I wasn't expecting this talk to come up so soon.
The light from Ari's window lit up his face enough for me to see it. He had a small smirk on his face. "Yeah I have."
"Other than your sisters?"
That made him laugh, "Yes little Harrison, Emily wasn't my sister."
Emily? I hadn't heard that name before.
Ari seemed to read my mind, "She was my girlfriend last year. We dated for six months, ending after Spring Break when I realized I needed someone who could use their mouth for conversation as well as they used it for... other stuff. "
Other stuff?
I wondered how far 'other stuff' meant? Patrick and I made it as far as third base and somehow I had been feeling embarrassed by that lately. Like I had done something wrong. It was hard trying to feel comfortable in my own skin, much less talk about what I had done in the sheets already.
I realized Ari was still waiting on my response to the question and seemed to be gauging my response to his answer.
"Yeah, I've spent the night in a bed with a guy. My ex step brother Patrick."
I wasn't sure how Ari would react to that.
He chuckled, "Oh come on that doesn't count. I mean have you slept with a guy where stuff actually happened?"
I rolled my eyes, "Stuff happened."
Ari shot up into a sitting position and looked down at me, "With your step brother? How old is he?" Ari looked nauseous. I would be too if he said something happened between him and Elle.
I sat up so that we were looking at each other eye level. "Nothing happened until after our parents were divorced. He's seventeen. I was just really angry this summer and Patrick was there and it just kind of numbed the pain out a bit."
"Okay Marsha. What kind of stuff were you and Greg doing?" Ari started laughing.
"Ew. We weren't the damn Brady Bunch Ari, gross. Patrick lived with his dad a lot of the time. I didn't really ever see him like that. Yuck!"
Ari was still laughing as he rolled on top of me. I felt our breathing both become jagged. He leaned down and kissed me, hard. I felt Ari's hand slowly slide up my thigh. It stopped right under my butt and he pulled my leg up so that my legs spread apart and could easily wrap around him.
"Do you like me touching you like this?"
I nodded yes.
"Good. I won't go further than your thigh though, Gorgeous. Not until you tell me to Baby."
I was comfortable with that. I smiled and started leaning up to kiss him. Ari lowered my thigh and shifted his weight off of me. I curled up into his side and he cradled me in his arms.
Even with the chaos around us, we fell asleep. I felt someone else climb onto the foot of the bed in the middle of night. I sleepily opened my eyes to see Elle curling in a ball. I had two pillows under me so I handed one to her. She smiled a thank you and I shifted the covers over so she could crawl under them. I curled my legs up under me so she had room enough to be comfortable too.
In the morning I was the first one awake. I laid in-between Ari and Elle, listening to them sleep. It was a professional development day so no school for kids.
Dad would be at work so I was not expected home anytime soon. Around nine he woke up. Elle was still out of it. I looked down at the floor and found a passed out Aaron. Those two really were inseparable. Well until there was only one spot on a bed then Aaron was kicked to the floor it seemed.
I turned and faced Ari. He looked somehow older than he did yesterday. We still hadn't spoken about what the hell came over him last night. I scooted as close as I could up to his ear so I could talk without waking anyone.
"Are you okay Ari?"
I felt him shrug, "not really."
"I'm so sorry about last night."
Now he looked puzzled, "Why? You didn't do anything wrong."
"Yeah, but the fight was about me, or a song about me anyways. I hate that. I feel like I am causing trouble for you. I don't like that."
He smiled and kissed my nose.
"Gorgeous, you're what keeps me out of more trouble."
I smiled but I wasn't sure what that meant. We laid there until Elle and Aaron woke up. We all went downstairs together. Brenna was nowhere in sight, thankfully. Jake was eating some cereal at the table. Mr. and Mrs. Munro were in their pajamas and seemed happy enough to see us.
I wasn't sure how much they knew about the incident between Tyler and Ari or any of last night in general. I sat between Elle and Ari at the table. We were all almost done when Mr. Munro cleared his throat and got everyone's attention.
"So we heard that there was a fight between Ari and Tyler last night."
Ari looked at his dad, "Yeah, he and Brenna wrote a song about Alex and I lost it."
"You know we don't condone fighting Ari."
"I know Dad, I'm sorry." Ari answered in a soft voice. He kept his eyes on the floor.
"Your mother and I have already decided on your punishment.
I am going to tell you it now since it will affect others here."
We all braced ourselves for the worst. "You are grounded for the rest of the week. No video games, no phone, and if Alex comes over to see Elle you have to go to another room. You can't have visitors until this weekend."
I almost laughed but managed to keep my composure. It was already Tuesday and I could see him all day almost at school. We were all starting to talk again when Mr. Munro stopped us again.
"I am not quite done. Just thought you should know we are fair parents. We have grounded Brenna as well. It was wrong for her to work on music that she knew could hurt other people, even if she thought it would help someone else. So she is not allowed to play her show this weekend."
I really fought a smile now. That meant actual money lost for her and Tyler. I was pleased. Since Ari was technically now grounded from me I had to go get my things and Elle walked with me over to my house. We were making lunch when I heard a knock at the back door. I opened it and found Ari. Jake waved hello from his Jeep in the driveway.
Such a good big brother.
I waved back and let Ari come in.
"Jake told my parents I was going to practice with him."
"You're the best!" I called out to Jake.
Aaron stuck his head out the window of the Jeep, "Tell Elle I'm here!"
I called back into the house "Elle! Aaron is outside with Jake."
She was already headed towards the door, "I know he just texted. Have fun you two."
Ari helped me finish making lunch. This was the first time he had been in my house. There was no way I was letting Ari in my room so we curled up on a couch I had never really sat on either and watch TV after we ate.
Aaron came by a few hours later to get Ari and I was alone for the first time in days. I fell asleep on the couch out of exhaustion.