Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Arriana: Is that his choice to make? I get why he’d have a problem with it, but I’m not a little kid anymore. I can make my own decisions.
She adds an angry emoji. The world’s gone to shit, but somehow, she makes me smile.
Me: I was thinking the same thing, but I will not disrespect him in his home by sneaking around behind his back. If we can somehow find a way through this mess, save Lucy, and force the mob to back off, maybe we’ll figure out how to prove to your dad that I’m not the monster he thinks I am.
CHAPTER 19
ARRIANA
Itext as Mom drives us through the snow-covered forest.
Me: What are you doing for the rest of the day?
Nico: Sitting outside your house, making sure nobody’s sneaking around. Mostly, I’m thinking. But no matter how hard I think, I can’t figure out how to get Lucy away from Dominic without causing him to retaliate. If her well-being didn’t matter to me, I’d have to respect what she did. In one move, she placated him. She forced him to back off. Made him think he’s the winner.
Me: But he’s going to hurt her,
Nico: Yes.
I stare at the confirmation, my head aching, my nerves feeling sharp and on edge. It’s only been a day since I saw Nico, but it feels like much longer. I want him to hold me, to put my cheek against his hard, muscled chest, to hear and feel his heartbeat pounding against me.
Me: I wish we could forget about all this crap for a while. Even though it’s selfish to think or say, it’s true. I wish we had a chance just to be, you know?
Nico: What would that look like for us, Arria?
Me: Maybe we could go on a date. Go to a nice restaurant and talk about nothing important, the lenses I use for my camera or your workout routine. I don’t know. Something light. Something that doesn’t constantly feel like we have the weight of the world bearing down on us. Afterward, we could take a walk and snap some photos. Be together.
Nico: That sounds like heaven right now. For the record, my workout routine is simple. I go crazy on myself, then collapse in a heap.
Me: ‘Go crazy’ on yourself, hmm? Are we still talking about working out?
Nico: That’s the sort of stuff you need to get out of your head for tonight, my angel.
He adds an angel emoji.
The world might have fallen apart, but our world, made of words, emojis, and touchscreens, suddenly feels fuller and brighter. It makes me smile when I know I should do anything but.
Me: I think that’s the first ever time you’ve used an emoji with me. I must be rubbing off on you.
Nico: It’s the first time I’ve used one, full stop. You’re teaching this ancient dog new tricks.
Me: You’re not VERY OLD, you jackoff. By the way, I love the ‘angel’ nickname.
Nico: It’s true. When you text me, I feel like I’m speaking with an angel. I’m not so fond of my nickname, though. Jackoff…
Me: Don’t call yourself old, then.
Nico: I’m almost twice your age, Arria.
Me: I hate to remind you again, but I’m a fully grown woman capable of making my own decisions. I don’t need Dad telling me who I can and cannot care about, and I don’t need you using your age as an excuse. We’ve got enough roadblocks without adding that one.
Nico: That’s the truth.
“You’re smiling,” Mom mutters, almost like an accusation.
I tuck my phone away. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” she says, breathlessly. “It’s nice to see you smile. It’s nice to see you able to forget, just for a little while.”
“I haven’t forgotten about Aunt Lucy,” I tell her.
“You don’t need to sound defensive. Really, I mean it. When we lived in California, I always secretly hoped for you to find some friendly boy and smile like that as you texted him. I’d see other girls in cafes, at the library, wherever, and I’d think, Why doesn’t my Arria let herself experience that happiness?”
“You just didn’t expect it to be with your brother-in-law.” I sigh.
“He’s not exactly appropriate, is he?”
I shake my head. Mom doesn’t seem as outright hostile to the idea as Dad, but it’s not like she’s all for it, either. “No, not really.”
“Not,” Mom says quietly. “His age. His relationship with the family. That you, little lady, seemed all eager to go traveling before you got wrapped up in this. But I have to be honest; seeing you smile like that feels like a dream come true.”
Mom’s voice cracks. Her eyes glimmer.
“Mom, pull over.”
She pulls up at the side of the road and cries. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. She gasps and clings tightly to me.