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The same relief washing over Aria’s features fills my chest.
“We shouldn’t have hidden our relationship,” Aria replies.
Kennedy’s eyes dart to me before she focuses on Aria again. “You’re lucky to have Forest. I wish you both only the best.”
“Thank you,” Aria murmurs.
Kennedy’s eyes come back to me. “How do you feel?”
“Much better, thanks. The pain has decreased a lot over the past week.” With my right hand, I reach for Aria’s thigh under the table. She instantly places her hand over mine, giving me a squeeze.
“Great, with that settled, I’ll leave you to enjoy your meal.”
I wait until Kennedy walks away from us, then I lean into Aria, and I press a kiss to her temple. “Are you okay?”
She nods and turns a smile to me. “I really appreciate the apology.”
“Good, feed me now,” I mutter, and it draws a chuckle from Aria.
She pushes my plate closer to me and hands me a fork. “Feed yourself. I’m hungry too.” And then she digs into her food.
I pop a piece of steak into my mouth, and we keep stealing glances as we eat.
“Tale as old as time, tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong,” Carla croons as she impersonates Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast. Then she grins at us as she plops down in a chair. “The two of you are so stinking cute together.”
“If you’re going to quote Beauty and the Beast all day long, I might just throw myself off of a building,” Noah mutters as he takes a seat on the opposite side of the table from Carla.
Carla lets out a sigh as she reaches for the menu, then again mutters Mrs. Potts words from Beaty and the Beast, “Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly.”
Noah lets out a chuckle while shaking his head. “Not gonna happen.”
Carla sets down her menu and stares at Noah until he meets her eyes. “Just you wait, Noah West. It’s only a matter of time.”
If there’s one thing I love about my cousin, it’s that she never backs down and she fights for what she wants.
My eyes move to Noah and seeing the heat simmering in his gaze as he stares at her, I have to agree with Carla, it’s only a matter of time before they’re a couple. Noah never stood a chance, to begin with.
Carla picks up a menu and then says, “I’m going to have the salmon salad again. Fallon got me hooked on it.” She gestures for a waiter, and after placing her order, she glances at Noah, “And he’ll have a cheeseburger and shoestring fries. Extra cheese.”
Noah leans back in the chair and stares at Carla. “What if I was in the mood for something else?”
“You had pizza yesterday, which means today is burger day,” she mutters as she pulls her phone out of her bag and begins to check something on it.
“It should be creepy, you know that about me,” Noah grumbles under his breath.
Carla’s head snaps up, and she grins at him. “But it isn’t, is it? My point exactly.”
I shake my head as I continue with my meal. Aria watches them for a couple of seconds longer, then she turns her attention to me and widens her eyes as if to ask, ‘Do you see what I see?’
I nod and whisper. “Yep, seeing it too.”
ARIA
Forest and I have managed to catch up with all our work, so I have spare time again. I got Professor Neels’ permission to work on a new series of paintings after class.
Staring at the canvas, I remember the devastation the earthquake caused and how all the people got together to help those in need.
Wanting to show the human spirit, I lift the brush to the canvas, and I begin to paint the man looking down at me through the hole. I wish I could’ve met with him again to tell him how thankful I am.
I’m almost done with the outline when Forest walks into the classroom. He’s carrying a holder with two beverages in it, and he sets it down on my work station before he grabs a stool to sit next to me.
His eyes drift over the canvas, then he asks, “What are you working on?”
“A series of paintings of the earthquake. This one is of when the man looked down at me through the hole they made.”
“Yeah?” Forest’s gaze meets mine. “I think that’s a great idea.” He leans closer to me and presses a kiss to my mouth. “It will help you process what happened, but I’m here whenever you need to talk about it.”
“Same goes for you,” I say, then I ask, “Can you give me ten minutes to finish up?”
“Take your time. I love watching you work.” He grabs a beverage and takes a sip.
