"Well, he sounds like a real … catch."
I let out a laugh. "I honestly don't know what he's doing here. I haven't seen him since that night."
"Let me see you to your apartment." He takes off his seat belt.
"No, it's fine. Kyle's harmless. But thank you. And thank you for the ride home."
He's staring at me, saying nothing. His jaw is tight. He looks like he's angry with me, and I don't know what I've done now to piss him off.
And, honestly, I don't want to know.
It was surprisingly not a bad night-once the movie got going, and he stopped talking. I don't want it to be spoiled.
Although I have a feeling that Kyle is going to ruin it for me when I get out of this truck and go over there.
"Well, I'll see you," I say to Ares. I retrieve my bag from the floor, hang it on my shoulder, and open the truck door.
"You gonna be able to get out okay?" He doesn't sound like he's being sarcastic for once but actually asking a genuine question.
I glance over at him. "I'll be fine. But, if I break my ankle on the way down, I'm suing. Just so you know."
I grin, and he chuckles softly.
I shift my butt to the edge of the seat. Holding on to the door with one hand, I jump down, landing steadily on the sidewalk.
"See? Easy," I tell him with flair before shutting the door of his truck.
I cross the street, walking toward my building. As I get closer, I make my footfalls a little heavier, so Kyle will hear me.
And he does. His head comes up. The moment he spots me, he stands up. Then, I spot the bottle of beer on the step beside him.
He's been drinking.
Of course he's been drinking.
"What are you doing here?" I say to him as I approach, coming to a stop at the bottom of the steps.
My eyes take him in for the first time in almost seven months.
He looks the same-but also different.
It's like I'm seeing him through fresh eyes, which I guess I am. His once-spiky blond hair is now overgrown and looks like it hasn't been washed for days. Dark circles ring his eyes. His cheeks are hollow. His clothes look disheveled.
Is that how I used to look? A mess.
Kyle comes down the steps to me. I see the sway in his movements, telling me that he's had a lot more than one beer. He stops on the bottom step, standing before me.
The smell of beer on his breath instantly hits me and throws me back to another time.
A bad time.
I take a step back, and he notices, a dark frown crossing his face.
I wrap my arms over my chest. "What are you doing here?" I repeat, more forcefully this time.
"I came to see you. I've been waiting for over an hour. Where have you been?"
"Out."
"Okay," he says when he realizes I'm not going to elaborate. "I tried to call you after that night. But I kept getting your voicemail. Then, it said the number had been disconnected."
"I changed my number."
"To keep me away?"
"That was one of the reasons."
His shoulders slump. "I, um … heard you went to rehab."
"I did. But you didn't come here to talk about my time in rehab. So, what is it you want?"
His eyes lift to me. "I miss you."
Oh, hell no.
"And it took you almost seven months to realize that?"
"I haven't just realized. I've never gotten over you. I've only just found the courage to come see you."
"Sure, Kyle. And does Cherry know you're here? I'm assuming you guys are dating. I'd hope so after I found her with her mouth around your cock."
He winces. "It was a stupid mistake, babe. She'd been hounding me for months, trying to get with me. I resisted, but that night, I was … I don't know." He pushes his hand into his hair. "I loved you. I love you."
"Funny way of showing it. And you know what, Kyle? I don't believe you. I think Cherry saw sense and dumped you, and for some reason, you thought it'd be a good idea to come and see me because you figured I'd be dumb enough to take you back. Well, news flash: I'm sober now, meaning I'm not as stupid as I used to be."
"Come on, Arianna Banana."
"Don't call me that."
"You used to love it when I called you that."
"Nope. I always hated it. I just didn't want to hurt your feelings at the time, so I pretended to like it. Guess what? I don't give two shits about your feelings anymore."
"You're being a bitch." He steps close, getting in my face, but I refuse to move or show any signs of weakness. He's not huge by guy standards-five-ten-but he's still a hell of a lot taller than me. "What? You think you're better than me now because you're all sober and shit and working for your daddy?"
How does he know I work for my dad?
"No," I say, staring up into his face. "I've always been better than you. You're a loser, and I was an idiot to ever think you weren't."
I go to move past him, but he grabs hold of my arm, stopping me.
"Let me go," I firmly tell him.
He ignores me. His grip on my arm increases. "We're not finished here, Arianna."
"Yes, we are! Now, let me go!" I yell, hating the tremble I hear in my voice.
A second later, I see a shadow to my right, and then Kyle is moving, being pulled away from me and tossed backward where he stumbles on the lower step, falling on his ass.
Ares.
And I've never been so relieved to see him.
"Are you okay?" he asks, his face lit with anger.
"Yeah." I swallow. "Yes, I'm fine."
His eyes move to Kyle, who's just scrambled up to his feet.
"I know who you are." Kyle points a finger at him. "You're that quarterback … Kincaid … who plays for her dad's team." Kyle looks past Ares to me. "You with this prick, Ari? Hooking up with Daddy's players now? Being the good girl?"
"Shut up, Kyle."
"You seriously want this guy over me?"
"Are you fucking deaf, dickhead? She told you to shut up," Ares barks at him.
"Ari … please … I know I messed up, but I love you. So fucking much. I didn't press charges when you smashed up my car. The cops wanted me to, but I didn't. I wouldn't. I told your dad when he came to see me-"
"I'm sorry, what?" I step around Ares to stand in front of Kyle.
"Your dad. He came to give me money to fix my car up."
"And you took it?"
He looks sheepish. "I needed to fix my car up."
"So, that's why you didn't press charges. Because my dad paid you not to."
Kyle says nothing.
"How much did he give you?"
Still nothing.
"How much?" I yell.
"Ten grand."
I almost choke. "And that's all gone now, right? That's why you're back here, sitting outside my apartment. You need more money."
"No." He lunges toward me, grabbing me again. "I need you! I love you."
"Get your fucking hands off her." Ares shoves him back away from me and advances on him, looming over him. "You don't put your hands on a woman ever, dick face. And especially not her. If I hear you've come near Ari again, they'll be finding parts of you all over the city."
Kyle tries to straighten up, lifting his chin, acting like he's not afraid, but I know him better than that. "You threatening me, quarterback?"
Ares looks at me and lifts his shoulders. "Did you hear me threaten him, Ari?"
"Nope." I shake my head, staring back at Kyle.
"You're a fucking bitch," Kyle spits at me. "And you, quarterback, you'll get what's coming to you."
"What did you call her?" Ares takes a menacing step forward, his foot stomping on the ground, and Kyle takes off running.
It would be almost comedic, if it wasn't so pathetic.
"Wow." Ares barks out a laugh. "He can really run for a guy who's half-cut."
"Impressive, isn't it?" I say as we watch Kyle leg it around the corner of my block. "Well, I think you scared him off."
"Fucking pussy," Ares grinds out. "He's got no problem picking on a woman half his size, but he runs like Usain fucking Bolt when a guy fronts him."
"Honestly, I think he was more half of your size than me being half of his."
Ares's eyes come down to me, the look in them softer than I've ever seen before, and he chuckles. "You actually used to date that prick?"
"Yeah." I sigh. "But I was drunk for all of the relationship, if that counts for anything." I lift my hands, palms up, giving a loose smile, and surprisingly, he laughs again.
"Come on, I'll see you up to your apartment."
"You don't need to. He's gone."
"I know I don't need to. I want to, okay? So, I'm walking you up, and then you can invite me in for a coffee."