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“Aria?” Ryan said, pulling me back to reality.
“Sorry.” I blinked. “Zoned out.”
“I noticed.” He gave me a worried look. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just… a little nervous.”
“About tonight?”
I nodded bashfully.
“We don’t have to. You know that, right?”
“Yes, but it’s what I want. Trust me.”
He was such a nice guy; the only good-looking guy at school who wasn’t an arrogant douchebag—which was a rarity. Had I never met Noah, I would have dated Ryan and made our relationship official.
Determined to destroy my “purity,” I gave my virtue the middle finger. There was nothing innocent about me. It seemed so foolish to hold on to my chastity. I could have pretended tobe like Anastasia Steele fromFifty Shades of Grey. She stayed celibate for like twenty-one… twenty-three years of her life? And then she gave her virginity away like it was nothing to notorious billionaire Christian Grey: a guy she had known for what seemed like two days or a week. He’d served her up with some creepy BDSM contract prior to Ana dropping her panties.
Desperate?
I realized I was practically doing the same thing, except Ryan wasn’t a billionaire; there was no contract; I had known him for much longer than a week; and he didn’t have a “red room of pain.” (Not that I knew of, anyway.)
Hypocrite much, Aria?
Maybe that’s what happens when you fall in love. You lose your mind. Nothing and no one else matters. The entire world could be against you, but as long as you and your love are tuned into each other, committed, and loyal… everything else fades away.
Love is madness.
“Are you ready to leave?” Ryan asked.
“Yes. I’d much rather party with you,alone.” I smirked seductively as he led me away from the dance floor.
We said our goodbyes to our friends and headed for the staircase. Jessica knew about my plans with Ryan. She was supportive of my decision because she thought we were compatible. If I had told her I was moving back to New York, she would have advised me not to have sex with him that night. I hated not having anyone to talk to about Noah. I mean, who could I confide in? My best friends? My mother? I guess fate had never been in my favor since the second I was born. I must have truly been an abomination. Mom should have aborted me; it would have spared everyone from so much hurt and broken dreams.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I took one last look at the beautiful banquet hall. This venue was better than whatever crappy prom I would have had at my old high school.
“Let’s go pop that bottle of Dom Pérignon,” Ryan said, escorting me out.
??
Wasting no time, we went straight to the front desk to get our room keys. While Ryan was busy checking in, I told him I needed to call my uncle, since I was worried about him disappearing.
“We’re all finished here.”
“You head upstairs. I’ll be right with you,” I said.
“No, problem. Don’t rush. Actually…” He paused. “Take your time.”
“Why? What’s up?”
“You’ll find out soon.” He grinned, heading for the elevators.
“No crazy surprises, please!”
“Just trust me.”
Once Ryan disappeared, I sat on a cream sofa in the lobby and gave Evan a call. But he wasn’t picking up, so I texted him.
