“I might.”
“You’re eighteen.”
“So? Nothing states I can’t spank a girl.”
Once inside Mary’s bedroom, he closed the door, flicking on the lock.
“This was supposed to be girls only night.”
“Yeah? Well, guess what, I can’t deal with this,” he said.
“Deal with what?”
“This thing that is happening to us.”
“Oh, so now you want to break up?” she asked, casually. She didn’t lose her temper, or start shouting.
He frowned. “No, I don’t.”
“You sure you haven’t gotten bored, and want to play with someone else?” She winked at him, smiling.
“What the hell is this?” he asked.
“You always move on when you decide that it’s too much, or you’re not getting what you want. This is no different.”
“I’m not here to move on, and I’m not here because I’m bored. I want to settle this problem between us. We both know you’re different with me, Aria. What changed?”
She stopped, and stared at him. “We’re not just friends anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because you changed that when you admitted you had feelings for me. You wanted us to be more than just friends.”
“You don’t think we can be both.”
“I know what you were like with other girls. I even know your chat up lines, and your rejection lines. I helped you tell them to fuck off!”
“They mean nothing to me,” he said. “They never did. I went for them because I didn’t realize what I really wanted.”
“What did you really want?”
“You!”
She paused, and he watched as she took a deep breath.
“That’s right, Aria. All this time. You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted. Even before I went away, I’d wake up and I’d wonder if you had a good night’s sleep. Just seeing you smile, made me happy. I was fucking crazy about you, and because that scared me, I went looking for something elsewhere.”
“Why were you scared?” she asked.
“You’re one of my best friends. The one constant that has always been there.”
“What about Chris and Branson—”
“And Mary and Rachel. They’re all my friends, but they’re not like you. They don’t make me want to be a better person, and they certainly don’t make me want to smash a guy’s face in for name calling. It has always, and will always be, about you, Aria.” With each word he spoke, he took a step toward her. “This isn’t about boredom. This is about facing your problems head on, and telling me how you feel. We can make this work. We’re going to make it work, and at the end of it, you’re going to look me in the eye, and tell me I was right all along.”
She laughed. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“I know you, Aria. You can admit defeat.”