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Janessa laughed. “No. He doesn’t seem to have a physical type. You’re his type, personality-wise. He’s always liked quiet, more introverted women. High maintenance or extremely extroverted women are not his thing.”
Would wanting a significant other to support her through something like she’d gone through be considered high maintenance? Tim had made it seem like it was. “Well, pretty sure I’ve got the quiet and introverted part down pat.”
“I know that from personal experience,” she said with a wink. “You would have thought I was suggesting torture when I’d try to encourage you to socialize.”
“Sometimes itwastorture,” Aria said. “I found some of the people around us to be incredibly juvenile. Not you, though. I respected that you knew when to work hard and when you could let loose. Some of the people at school seemed to only be there for the parties. Since I’d worked so hard to get scholarships, I couldn’t afford to mess around.”
“I understood that, but I also thought it was important that you take the time to relax occasionally. That’s why I only dragged you out once in a while and not all the time.”
Aria traced a pattern over the smooth surface of the counter with her fingertips, keeping her gaze lowered. “Will your parents care if we’re dating?”
“If they had concerns, they would have voiced them to Gareth,” Janessa said. “But ultimately, they will leave the decision up to him. We’re adults now, and while they might not agree with all our decisions, they still support us. They just don’t bail us out of the consequences that might come from any bad decisions we make.”
Aria looked up at her friend. “Would Gareth tell me if your parents had concerns?”
“Probably. If you asked him. He wouldn’t lie if you came right out and asked him. However, he probably wouldn’t volunteer the information unless he felt that you needed to know.”
Aria wasn’t sure she had the nerve to ask him. At least not yet. Maybe if they kept dating, and things were more solid between them.
The front door opened, and soon Skylar appeared in the doorway. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and a baggy sweatshirt with the high school logo on it.
“You made it just under the wire,” Janessa said, straightening up from the counter. “Even Aria beat you home.”
Skylar wrinkled her nose. “The important part was that you said be home by ten, and here I am.”
Charli joined them in the kitchen a couple of minutes later, and Aria listened as the three sisters discussed the plan for the next day. Skylar didn’t look thrilled to have to be staying with her sisters while her parents were away, but she didn’t argue with them.
After a bit, Aria excused herself and went up to her room, eager for a few minutes alone to think over her evening with Gareth.
Ever since everything had gone wrong in her life, Aria hadn’t really asked God for much.
When Tim had broken things off, she’d asked God to make him reconsider. That had been a solid no. Not only had he not been willing to reconsider, he’d refused to even talk to her again.
Then it had felt like God had turned a deaf ear when she’d pleaded for healing for her mom, and her reaction had been to make some terrible decisions.
When the situation had arisen with her job, she’d prayed that they would be lenient with her, considering the circumstances, but they’d still fired her.
As she sat on her bed then, her heart full of emotion and her mind set on Gareth, Aria sent up a prayer, begging God to allow them to build a relationship together. Tears fell as she pleaded for something that had become so important to her.
Maybe… hopefully… God would grant her one more thing, in addition to the new job and a safe place to live.
Or maybe she was being selfish in asking God for something more, and Gareth wasn’t meant to be hers.
Aria’s heart hurt at that prospect, but she had to prepare herself, because there was just as much chance that their relationship would crash and burn as that it would succeed.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Friday afternoon couldn’t come soon enough for Aria. Though her date with Gareth wasn’t until Saturday, she was looking forward to spending some time with him later at the game.
“So, I suppose you’ll be going to the ball game tonight.”
Aria looked up from her computer to find Nora standing next to the desk, her expression impossible to read.
“Yes, I think so,” Aria said, though she really didn’t want to give Nora any insight into her plans.
“I suppose you go so that you can get close to Gareth.”
That comment struck close enough to the truth that Aria couldn’t exactly deny it, but that wasn’t the whole truth. “I go because Janessa invites me. I don’t have any friends here yet aside from her and Charli, so I enjoy hanging out with them.”
