And just as quickly, that guilt turned into irritation. “Shouldn’t you be pleased, seeing as you were the one who told me to move on as soon as possible?”
“That isnotwhat I—”
“Hey!” Liana threw an arm around Arielle’s neck, pulling her close. “Time for s’mores! And Judah, I hear Brielle’s looking for you.”
“Then I guess I’ll go find her.” Judah smiled tightly. “I’ll see you two later.”
“Sounds good!” Liana said cheerfully, steering Ari toward the table of graham crackers, marshmallows, and Hershey bars.
He watched them go. But Arielle never turned back.
As soon as the girls were out of Judah’s eyeline, Liana yanked Ari down to the grass.
“Hey!” she protested. “I thought we were getting s’mores!”
“How long has something been going on between you and Judah Klein, exactly?”
Crap crap crap crap crap.“There’s nothing going on between me and Judah Klein.”
“Oh, don’t insult my intelligence. I heard the two of you, and what’s more important, Isawyou. That was not the tension of two people fighting because he was a jerk to you at a wedding a billion years ago. What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing’s going on.” Arielle sighed and hoisted herself up to get them cans of seltzer from the drinks table. She handed one to Liana and cracked hers open as she took a seat next to her. “He has a girlfriend, as you know.”
“But somethingwasgoing on at some point?”
She stared at the surface of the can, listening to the bubbles float to the surface. “Does it matter?”
“Does it—Arielle Rose Becker, since when do you keep secrets from me? Especially about guys?”
Ari exhaled sharply. “Since the guy was Judah Klein, okay? He’s singing under your chuppah. Do you really want to think about where that mouth has been?”
Liana blinked. Once. Twice. “I’m sorry, are you telling me you have hookedupwith Judah Klein?”
“Actually, if you recall, I wasn’t telling you anything.” Ari took a long drink, then rested the can against her forehead. In truth, she wasn’t quite sure why she was resisting telling Liana. Theydidn’tkeep secrets, especially where guys were concerned. But Judah was different. It didn’t feel like fun gossip. It felt like…
Well, it didn’t matter what it felt like. In the end, it was little more than a fun week over a month ago. That it somehow loomed larger—that it somehow felt likeeverything—was a problem she’d take to her grave.
“Ari.”
Oh, crap. When had that tear even formed? She quickly swiped it away and was horrified when another simply rolled down her other cheek instead. Suddenly, she found herself swept into a hug, and after a few seconds of remaining still as stone, she finally let herself melt into it.
A few minutes, a couple of tissues, and two of the promised s’mores later, Arielle finally relented. “It really wasn’t planned,” she said grumpily, eyes fixed on the bonfire. “One second, we were arguing at Aleah’s wedding; the next, we were kissing. I probably never would’ve even thought about it again if he hadn’t come to that meal at Akiva’s apartment right before his party.”
“Liar.”
She was, indeed, a liar. “Shut up and let me have this.”
Liana grinned as she swiped a graham cracker crumb from her lips. “Fine.”
“Anyway, it was a long wedding, and we were both stuck there until the end, and there may have been some more making out.”
“Sure. May have been.”
Arielle narrowed her eyes. “Listen, Miss ‘I’m in a functional relationship that’s actually going somewhere’—don’t judge me.”
“I am not judging!” Liana insisted, holding up her hands. “I would never judge. I just cannot imagine Judah Klein making out with… anybody. He doesn’t seem like the type to, well, enjoy himself. Ever.”
“Right? And it’s not like I didn’t think the same thing. Honestly, the only reason that first kiss even happened is that neither of us really made the first move. It just sort of… happened. Like magnets.”
