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“So, when are you moving?” Aria asked her once they were settled on the comfy chairs in their favorite café with cups of steaming coffee warming their hands.
“In a couple of weeks, since Nate has that conference in Europe next week, and he doesn’t want me to do everything by myself.”
“That’s great, Nura, I am so happy for you.”
And she truly was, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but be just a bit jealous of her.
Even though she tried to keep distance and all the regulars at the club knew that she was not interested in any sort of a relationship, a small part of Aria still desired someone like Nate; someone who would love and care for her.
But Aria knew that that was probably never going to happen even if she somehow managed to get over her fears and let someone in. She was sure that nobody would want her for long after learning just how much of damaged goods she was.
After parting ways with Nura, Aria went to her first class of the day at the local community college where she was studying to be a nurse. That had not been her first choice of career since, once upon a time, she wanted to be a pediatrician, but that was, like a lot of things in her life, a long-lost dream.
The day flew by and the last lecture finally ended. Aria had just started packing her things, desperate to get home and bury herself under a pile of warm blankets with her favorite book keeping her company when she felt a light pat on her shoulder.
She closed her eyes and sighed inaudibly, not even needing to turn around to know whom it was.
As soon as she turned, she saw a tall, blond boy smiling down at her with his hand still on Aria’s shoulder, which he was now squeezing lightly, making the brunette wholly uncomfortable.
“Hi, sweet cheeks!” the boy said, making her roll her eyes at the stupid nickname.
“Brian, I told you not to call me that.” she barely managed not to whine out, feeling already fed up with him after mere seconds in his presence, while she tried to discreetly move away from his grasp.
“I think it’s cute, just like you are, but fine, I’ll stop. Anyway, my friend is having this party tonight, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me?”
Aria sighed once again; not at all surprised by Brian’s question since this was probably the tenth time that he had asked her out. She kept making excuses to try to gently let it known that she was not at all interested because she didn’t want to hurt Brian’s feelings and flat out reject him, and also because confrontations were never really her forte, but the guy seemed unable to take the hint.
“I am sorry Brian, but I have to work tonight.” she said and turned around, making her way out of there as quickly as possible without being too obvious about it, lest Brian decided to run after her which would not surprise her in the least.
She wasn’t exactly sure why, since Brian was seemingly an okay, good-natured guy, but there was just something about him that always made Aria’s skin crawl.
Maybe she was just being her usual paranoid self and Brian was genuinely interested in her, but she wasn’t even remotely ready to take the chance to find out.
You could never be too careful with people and Aria had learned that particular lesson the hard way.
She was so lost in thoughts that she failed to pay attention to her surroundings which resulted in her running into a man, the impact making him lose hold of the cup of coffee in his hand which then fell and spilled on the concrete ground beneath their feet.
She winced and prepared herself for getting yelled at, the apology already at the tip of her tongue.
“I am so sorry Sir, it was my fault, I wasn’t looking…” but when she looked up at the man that she had bumped into, the words died in her throat as her eyes connected with the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen.
A work of art
Will sighed, stretching his back before getting up and making his way into the bathroom to clean himself up, leaving the girl spent in bed.
He took a look at the mirror, his eyes meeting with a familiar handsome face.
He was dangerously close to forties, not that he minded since age was just a number in his book and, after all, he didn’t look a day over thirty.
No, he looked fine, but what did draw his attention were the bags under his eyes and the hollow look in them that he was sure only he could see.
None of his supposed friends saw it and certainly not the blond currently laid out in his bed.
Not that it mattered, he thought, since the girl was just another one in a long line of blonds and brunettes that have passed through this house, writhing and moaning underneath William’s skillful hands for one night, never more, and then forgotten came morning, as if they were never there.
He splashed some water over his heated face, washing the sweat off of it and pretending, for just a second that he could also do that with his morose thoughts.
He filled a glass with water and brought it back to the room and then sat beside the sleeping girl.
