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Aria may have looked fragile, but in order to have accomplished what she had, she was so much stronger than she appeared. She was definitely stronger than he was. Even her decision to leave everything and come to Serenity showed strength. He realized now that it was that quiet strength that had drawn him to her.
Gareth approached Janessa. “Is Aria around?”
“She’s upstairs in her room.”
“Thanks.”
Gareth didn’t want to have this conversation with an audience of his siblings, so he headed up the stairs to the second floor. Hopefully Aria would be willing to sit with him on the landing and listen to his apology.
Outside her door, he paused to pray that God would guide his words, and that he would accept whatever her response was with grace. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so nervous. Even going into important exams, he hadn’t had a case of nerves this bad. He’d always been fine when taking those tests, confident in what he knew.
But with this situation, he had no confidence in himself. Which was why he needed God’s help.
When there was no response to his knock, he tried again. Still, no answer. With a frown, he went back down to the kitchen to find Janessa.
“Back so soon?” Janessa asked when he approached her.
“She didn’t answer the door.”
“She didn’t?”
Gareth shook his head. “Would you mind going up with me and maybe opening the door to see if she’s okay?”
At Aria’s door a couple of minutes later, Janessa knocked firmly on the wood. Gareth stood off to the side, waiting to see if his sister got a response. When there was no answer, Janessa slowly opened the door and poked her head inside.
“Aria?” She went into the room, closing the door behind her.
Gareth walked over to stare out the large window that faced the front street. The sun was setting, casting the town in gray shadows, with splashes of light spilling from the windows of the houses and businesses. Normally, it would be a sight that calmed him, but not that day.
When the door to the bedroom swung open again, Gareth turned to face it. Janessa came out of the room with Aria following more slowly behind her, her face expressionless. Seeing her again filled Gareth with emotion, and he longed for the right to hold her in his arms again.
Janessa approached Gareth and gave him a hard look before muttering, “Don’t mess this up.”
“I won’t.” He hoped he could keep his word.
She gave Aria a quick hug before she went back down the stairs, leaving the two of them alone. Gareth’s heart was thumping so hard in his chest, he was sure that Aria could hear it.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Can I talk to you?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Aria sat on the loveseat in her room, an adult coloring book in her lap and an audiobook playing loudly in her earbuds. When Janessa had told her that Gareth would be coming for pizza, Aria had had no problem retreating to her room. When she’d decided to stay at the house, she’d accepted that there would be times like these.
So she’d pulled out the coloring book and colored pencils her mom had bought her one Christmas and settled down in her favorite chair in her bedroom, planning to keep her hands and her mind busy while Gareth was downstairs with his family.
When she sensed movement from the direction of her door, she looked over, surprised to see Janessa poke her head into the room. Pulling out one of her ear buds, she said, “What’s up?”
Janessa came into the room, then closed the door behind her. “Gareth wants to talk to you. Do you want to talk to him?”
Aria’s heart pounded at the question, and the anxiety that had calmed with her being tucked away in the safety of her room roared back to life. She scratched at her arm, then stopped when the pencil she held got in the way.
Despite her anxiety, Aria didn’t hesitate to agree because she needed to know what he wanted to talk about now that she’d made her decision to leave. Her insides were trembling as she set aside her coloring book and earbuds to follow Janessa out of the room.
As soon as her gaze landed on Gareth, Aria felt her heart clench, and sadness swept through her. She still loved him and longed for what they’d once had, so it was hard to see him, knowing that he’d soon be out of her life.
“Can I talk to you?” Gareth asked after Janessa had left them alone.
“Uh… sure.”
