Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Probably before my mom died.
“So, you guys have another brother?” I say to Missy. “The boxer. Zeus, right?”
“Yep. Zeus is our big brother. And there’s also my twin brother, Lo,” Missy tells me.
“Wow. You have a twin. So cool.”
“Not as cool as you’d think. He’s like a menstrual cycle—”
“For fuck’s sake!” Ares groans.
She rolls her eyes at him, and I laugh.
“A menstrual cycle?” I cough out.
“Yep. He’s like this thing I have, and I wouldn’t function right without him, but he gives me serious cramps.”
My eyes are watering with laughter by this point. I can’t think of the last time I laughed this hard. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I laughed for real.
I wipe at my eyes, my laughter dying down.
“What about you, Arianna? Any brothers or sisters?” Missy asks me.
“No. No brothers or sisters. And call me Ari. Everybody does,” I say. Well, people who actually call me by my given name.
“An only child. I’ve always thought that would be incredibly lonely,” she says, sounding genuinely concerned for me.
You have no idea.
“It was okay.” I shrug. “It meant I didn’t have to share any of my stuff.”
“Well, I was reading this article the other day, and it said that only children are overachievers, and they tend to be leaders.”
“Yeah, and they’re also selfish and spoiled.”
“Ares Kincaid!” Missy cries out. “Ari is not spoiled.”
My cheeks are hot with embarrassment.
“I never said she was. But you don’t even know her to make that assumption,” he tosses back at her before his eyes shift to mine. And those judging eyes of his are saying, But I know you. I know who you are. A worthless drunk.
I want to tell him that he doesn’t know a thing about me, but what would be the point? He’s already made his mind up about me.
“I’ve seen enough to know that she’s a sweet person,” Missy says, smiling kindly at me.
I try to return her smile, but it feels off.
Ares stares at her, his eyes softening in that way only a sibling’s can. Then, he wraps an arm around her neck, pulling her to him, and presses an affectionate kiss to her forehead.
She pushes him away, feigning irritation, but I can tell she secretly loves it.
I know I would if I had a brother who cared for me like he clearly does her.
“Ignore my brother. He’s being a butthead today.” She turns back to me. Elbow on the table, she rests her chin in her hand. “Tell me about you,” she says to me.
“Uh…there’s not really much to tell,” I say around a spoonful of salted caramel gelato, trying to cool my heated face down.
She is so bright and positive, like a ray of sun, and her positivity is infectious, unlike her asshole brother.
I’m sitting here, trying to soak up as much of her zeal as I can. I really don’t want to bring down the mood with tales of my miserable existence.
“Sure there is!” She rings out a laugh. “Okay, I’ll ask questions. Are you from New York?”
“Nope.” I shake my head.
“Didn’t think so. You don’t sound like a native.”
“I’m from Atlanta originally,” I tell her. “But we moved around a bit with my dad’s job, so I’ve lived in quite a few places. My accent is a bit of a mixed bag.”
“Best place you’ve lived?” she asks.
“Here.” I smile.
I jolt when I hear Ares’s voice talk in my direction. “Makes sense. There are a lot of bars in New York. Plenty of places to party.” The dig is blatant and cruel.
My eyes flash up to his. His are on me. Steady and hard and judgmental.
My face burns with humiliation. I dig my spoon into my gelato, staring down at it.
“Speaking of bars,” Missy says, obviously unaware of the tension between us, “we’re going to check out this new club tonight. Ares got VIP tickets. You should come with us.”
Shit.
“Oh. Um…”
“If you don’t have plans already, that is.”
I could say I have plans. I should say that. But I don’t want to lie to Missy. She’s being so nice to me. And it’s not like Ares won’t tell her anyway after we’ve left here.
Honestly, I’m half-expecting him to say it now and beat me to it.
But I won’t give him the satisfaction.
I am who I am, and I shouldn’t be ashamed of that.
I’m sober now, and that’s what matters.
I look up at Missy and try to smile, but I’m not sure that I pull it off. “Bars aren’t my scene anymore. I’m in recovery. Six months sober. But I really do appreciate you inviting me.”
“Oh,” she says, her bright eyes dimming a little as they move to Ares, who’s surprisingly staring at me.
When she looks back to me, the expression on her brow…it’s like she’s just figured something out.
That I’m a mess. A loser. And definitely not the kind of person she wants to befriend.