Rush (Gods #2)(18)

       
           



       

"Ass," I grumble.

He chuckles. "And that's the reason you asked me to be your sponsor."

"Because you're an ass."

"Because I'm truthful."

I look at him and smile for the first time since the argument with my dad. "True that."





Luke pulls the car to a stop outside my building. I stare up at it, knowing what is waiting up there for me.

An empty apartment.

"Thanks for the lift and the save," I tell him as I take my seat belt off.

"Anytime. Do you want me to come up and keep you company for a while?" he asks.

"Yes." My response is so quick and eager; it's laughable. And he does  chuckle. "God, I'm pathetic, aren't I?" I groan. "I'm a grown woman,  afraid to be alone in case I succumb to the urge and run to the nearest  bar and drink myself into a coma."

"You're not pathetic, Ari. You're human. And a brave one for admitting that you're afraid."

"Thanks." I give him a sad smile.

"I've been there, remember? Hell, I'm still there. I know what it feels  like. And, also, I can't let you go to another bar, looking like that."  He gestures to my face, grinning.

"Jerk." I chuckle.

"Come on," he says, taking off his seat belt and turning off the engine. "You can make me a coffee."

Luke follows me up the steps to my building and to my apartment. I unlock my front door, letting us in.

I kick off my shoes and go to the kitchen to turn the kettle on.

"You mind if I just take a quick shower and clean up?" I gesture to the mess that is me.

"Course not. Go ahead. Actually, are you hungry? I skipped lunch, and I'm starving."

"I could eat. What are you thinking?"

"Chinese."

"Sounds good to me. There's Chinese takeout just on the corner of my block."

"Perfect. You go take your shower, and I'll go grab us some food. Anything specific?"

"Chow mein."

"Egg rolls?"

"One for me."

"Got it." He heads for the door.

"You want some money?" I ask him.

He gives me a look that tells me it's a definite no.

"Okay. Well, take my keys with you in case I'm still in the shower when  you get back." I throw them over to him, and he catches them.

"Back soon."

I turn down the hall to the bathroom as I hear the front door bang shut.  I close the bathroom door and turn on the shower to let it heat up.

I catch sight of myself in the bathroom mirror.

God, what a mess I am.

And I don't just mean the state of my face.

I turn away from the mirror and strip off my clothes. I climb in the shower and put my head under the spray.

The feel of the hot water is just what I need to help clear my mind of my problems.

The only bad thing is, they'll all still be there after this shower is done.

I turn my face to the stream, and I wash the makeup off my face. Then, I  shampoo my hair before combing conditioner through it, followed by  soaping my body clean with my favorite raspberry-scented body wash, and  then I rinse off.

I'm conscious not to be too long in the shower, as I don't want to be in  my towel when Luke gets back, and I didn't bring any clothes into the  bathroom with me.

I turn off the shower and wring the excess water from my hair. I grab a towel from the rail and cover my body with it.

I've just opened the bathroom door when I hear a knock at the door.

Is that Luke already? But he took my keys with him, so why is he knocking?

Men. I give a mental eye roll.

"Use my keys," I holler. "I just got out of the shower."

No answer. But another knock.

Christ.

I tighten up my towel as I walk over to the door and swing it open. "You  didn't lose my ke-" The words die on my tongue at the sight of Ares  standing in front of me.

"Hey," he says. His eyes do a leisurely rake up and down my towel-clad  body, causing goose bumps to break out everywhere on me, before settling  back on my face. "I didn't lose what?"

"Uh, what?" I stutter in shock that he's here.

"You said, ‘You didn't lose my … ' something. What was it I must have lost?"

"Uh … " Apparently, this is now nine-tenths of my vocabulary. "Nothing. I, uh, thought you were someone else."

"Oh." His eyes dim. "Are you expecting someone?"

"What? No! No, of course not." My eyes dart to the stairwell.

Why am I lying to him?

Because you're a flaky drunk and your sponsor just had to come and  rescue you from a bar and he is still here because you can't be trusted  to be alone.                       
       
           



       

Ares's eyes follow mine over his shoulder to the stairs and then come back to me. He gives me a suspicious look.

Crap.

"How did you get in my building?" I ask, my voice sounding unnaturally high.

"The main door was open. The security in your building sucks balls, Jailbird."

I suck my lip into my mouth and nod my head in agreement.

Then, there's an awkward, weird pause between us.

I shift on my feet, holding on to my towel. "So … what are you doing here?" God, that sounded way harsher than I meant it to.

Discomfort flashes through his eyes, and I want to slap myself.

"Oh, yeah. I didn't get your text until I got back to the city. My cell  battery had died, so I had to charge it in my truck on the way home.  Anyway, I thought I'd swing by and check to make sure you were doing  okay. And … I brought you this." He holds out a takeout soup container  that I didn't even realize he was holding until now. "It's soup," he  tells me, sounding awkward, which is weird for him because he's never  anything but confident. "Chicken noodle." He scratches his cheek. "And  soup helps when you're sick, right? So, I brought you … soup."

"That's, uh … really … nice … thank you." I still haven't taken the soup from  him though. I'm just standing here, staring at it, like it's going to  sprout wings and fly away.

"I-" I start, but Luke's cheerful voice cuts me off, "Hey."

Ares's eyes snap around to Luke, and the look on his face … it's awful.

Confusion quickly morphs to understanding and then turns to anger and disappointment.

It all hits me like a punch to my solar plexus.

I feel winded. And sick.

Luke is, of course, completely oblivious to the fact that I canceled my  evening with Ares, telling him I was unwell because I was a complete and  utter coward since I didn't want to tell Ares the truth about my  meltdown and that Luke had had to come and save me from a bar that I was  sitting in, staring at a glass of wine, like the alcoholic I am.

Now, Ares is here, being sweet and bringing me soup and being a really  good friend, and Luke is here with Chinese food. And Ares is going to  think that I blew him off for Luke and lied to him about it.

Which I did.

But, if I tell him the truth … why Luke is here … Ares will be disgusted  with me. He'll remember that I'm everything that he despises, and he  won't want to be my friend anymore.

And I don't want to lose him.

And, also, I'm still only wearing a frigging towel in front of both of them.

Sweet Jesus, please take the wheel.

"Hey, man." Luke stops in front of Ares, who is standing next to me, and  smiles at him. "I'm Luke." He holds his hand out to Ares to shake his.

Ares stares down at Luke's hand like it's covered in shit.

For a moment, I think he isn't going to shake his hand, but then he does.

He takes Luke's hand and shakes it. "Ares," he says, voice deep and rough. Shivers fly over my skin at the sound.

"The football player, right?" Luke smiles. "Well, it is good to meet  you, man. Ari, I'll take this through to the kitchen and dish it up."  Then, Luke walks past me and into my apartment, leaving me standing here  with Ares.

Who I daren't look at.

I risk a glance up at him, and his face is like stone. Eyes the bluest I've ever seen them. Jaw set like granite.

"I-"

"I guess you won't be needing this," he says in a voice that's colder  than a polar bear's ass. He steps away from me, taking the soup with  him.

"Ares-"

He cuts me off with a hollow laugh and a shake of his head, like this is  what he was expecting all along … for me to let him down. "God, I'm such a  fucking idiot," he says low.

"No." The panic in my voice is palpable. "You don't understand-"

"Save it," he snaps. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say."  His eyes go over my head and assumedly to Luke. Then, they come back to  me, cold and hard. "Enjoy your evening," he adds bitterly. Then, he's  gone, striding down the hall, jogging down the stairs and out of sight.

And I stand here, my heart beating a painful rhythm in my chest, eyes staring at the empty space where he just was.

Shit.

I've messed up bad.

He thinks I lied to him.