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This is only Aria's POV... sorry you have to wait & see what X thinks about her.
This is where it all starts to change ...
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Recap chap 7:
He walked me to my room and hesitated at the door. I hadn't wanted to do this, but I knew I had no choice. There was no looking back, my future depended on it.
“Xavier, can you come in? I wanted to talk to you.” I asked with hopeful eyes.
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Chapter 8: Dodged a Bullet
Arianna POV
"Xavier, can you come in? I wanted to talk to you."I asked.
He looked hopeful, which set my mind at ease. He followed me into my room and perched himself comfortably on the window seat. I settled myself on the bed nervously. I decided to start with small talk in an effort to gather the nerve to ask the really important question.
"I had a nice time today, thank you. I didn't realize how much I missed him." That was a good start, honesty was the best policy.
"It was my pleasure Aria. I enjoy your father's company..." He hesitated, hesitation was bad.
"And yours." Hesitation was good. Who knew? I was mesmerized by his eyes, probably lingered a little too long. He hadn't seemed nervous. It was time for something a little more intense. I broke the silence.
"I wanted to ask something. It's difficult for me." I gazed out the window. I hadn't wanted to see what his eyes may have revealed.
"Is there something going on between you and Selene?" I blurted nervously. Only to be answered by silence. Hesitation WAS bad. I felt like I could have cried. Why had I let myself be so vulnerable?
When a semblance of courage returned, I looked for him by the window but he was gone. I felt the soft mattress depress with his weight. I knew he was next to me. So close, yet so far away.
"It's okay, you don't have to answer. It's none of my business." I whispered. Despair washed over me.
"You're right. It's none of your business." His voice was calm and steady.
"But I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine." I nodded. It was the only gesture I could muster. He closed his eyes and sighed reluctantly. When he opened them, they were like a stormy ocean of emotion. I wanted him to lie to me. Please lie to me.
"Yes, it's true, and I'm sorry." His voice was husky, heavy with pain and regret. Honesty sucked! It was definitely not the best policy.
"I have feelings, rather, had feelings for her. I'm not going to lie to you. But that's over now. I don't feel that way about her anymore." I saw that it pained him to be so honest, so sincere. I breathed a sigh of relief and reached for his hand. It was cool and strong, as I expected. He gripped mine in return.
"So, it's over now. Does she know that it's over?" I inquired.
"Not exactly, but I'm going to tell her." His guilt penetrated the room.
"Why?" I asked with trepidation. Why now? What had changed?
"Don't you want me to tell her? I thought you wanted..." He seemed confused.
"That's not what I mean. I mean why now? What has changed?" I asked before I realized I wasn't certain if I could have stomached the answer. It was too late to worry now.
"You. You are what changed... I decided to fight for you too." He responded softly.
The silence was deafening. I hadn't noticed that during our conversation, our bodies drifted closer to each other. We were face to face, inches apart. His sweet cool breath engulfed me, made it hard to think.
We had a moment, a very intense moment. I hoped he would lean closer still, but he backed away, shook his head a little, eyes fixed on the carpet.
"It's time for you to answer my question." Oh shit. That was it, the question I dreaded.
"Is there something going on between you and ..." I closed my eyes in an effort to hide from the question. Please don't say it, don't ask about Ronan.I couldn't have lied to his face.
"Are you in love with Zander?" He blurted. I was shocked, caught off guard by his question. What th ehel was he talking about?
"What? NO. It's not like that, No. He's my friend, like a brother to me. There is nothing between us, nothing more than friendship." Sweet relief, I dodged a bullet that time.
"It's just that you I saw you in the garden. He kissed you, you were holding hands. I thought that... I'm glad I don't have to kill him now. He's a good servant, a great assistant. It would have been a waste..." He trailed off, flustered and nervous.
I threw my arms around him and held him with as much force as I could muster. He held me with equal force. Before I knew what had happened, his lips were on mine. They were eager, hungry. Our tongues danced an intricate ballet in our mouths. His kiss was ice exploding in my mouth. Our lips moved until I gasped for breath. I pulled back and rested my head on his shoulder.
He stroked my back gently, lovingly. The sensation of his cool hands made me shiver. It wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite. We sat in silence, held each other, breathed together. As the minutes passed, I'd grown more excited. I wanted his touch, my body screamed for it. I sensed his had as well, so I wasn't hurt when he pulled away.
I held his hand and led him to the door. He knew he had to leave. We'd come so far, too far to have thrown it away. Before he left, I wanted to put everything in the open, lay it all out for him. But I couldn't have hurt him, I just couldn't have.
"I'll talk to Selene, let her down easy. It may get rough for you, she doesn't like rejection."
"It's okay, I can take it. I'm stronger than you think." He had no idea how much I had already endured.
"I care about you Aria, more than I've ever cared about anyone." He pressed his lips to mine. He was so vulnerable in that moment.
"I care about you too, more than you know, and more than is good for me. I can't stand to be away from you." That was all I was willing to give up. The one shred of honesty I found in the treasure trove of pain and desire that was my heart.
"And I can't even THINK about you with someone else." His tone was serious, heart attack serious. If he had found out about Ronan, it would have been disastrous.
"I'll give Zander a pass this time, but don't let it happen again," He declared while he walked away.
"Or I'll rip his arms off." He smirked half heatedly, but I knew he was serious.
I closed the door. My face was colored in shame. The time had come to make a choice, but the line was still blurry.
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