“I have no idea.”
Aria filled him in on everything that Wayne had told her.
By the time she finished, they were pulling up outside of his house. “Where are your parents?”
“It’s date night, and I was waiting for your call or text. Come on.”
They walked into the house, and neither of them lingered, going straight up to his room. She was wearing a black dress as her mother had asked her to wear it for dinner. Removing her jacket, she held out her arms. “What do you think?”
“I think your parents, and Wayne’s, are a piece of work. It’s not unusual in our families though.”
“I know. It’s just surreal that before I was much more than a few days old, it was decided that I was going to be with Wayne. It’s not happening,” she said.
“Do you really think I’d let something like that happen?”
She watched as he went to his drawers, and pulled out a long shirt, and a pair of sweatpants.
“Go and get cleaned up. I’ll call our back up, and let them know what is going on.”
“Thank you.” Before she left, she went toward him, placing a hand on his chest, and going up to her toes, she pressed a kiss against his lips. “You’re too good for me.”
“We’re perfect for each other.”
Licking her lips, she entered his bathroom, and took a quick glance in the mirror. This was her last day as a seventeen year old, and right now, she felt like her world was crashing down around her. An arranged marriage. Weren’t they illegal?
After a quick shower, and changing into Eli’s clothes, she entered his bedroom to find him flicking through the channels.
“You look so cute,” he said, patting the bed beside him.
“What did the others say?” she asked.
“They’re pissed, obviously. It explains why Wayne has been acting so smug. He knew what was going to happen long before you.”
“I don’t get it. He hates me. I’m surprised he’s not tried to fight this long before now.”
“Yeah, he’s a complete asshole. I bet it pissed him off when he learned the truth.”
“I know I am.” Licking her lips, she stared up at Eli, even as her heart started to race. There was nowhere else she wanted to be but with him. “There is no one else in the world for me but you, Eli.”
Chapter Seven
Eli was going to take great pleasure in tearing that little bastard apart. From the moment school started, he’d known Wayne had been hiding something. He should have known it was going to be something like this. There was no way he was letting anyone else have Aria. She was his, and he would fight with everything that he was to have her. He didn’t care what their parents had organized at birth. No one, and he meant no one, was ever taking Aria away from him.
“Wayne probably thinks he’s won something right now. It’s why he’s been goading me. He thinks he can take you away from me.”
She started laughing, and that laughter soon died as she looked at him. “This has happened twice in one night.”
“What has?”
“Me thinking someone was joking. I laughed at Wayne when he told me the truth about our parents’ deal.”
“Do you think he’s lying?”
“No. The way he said it, and everything my father’s been doing, it all matches up. As much as I hate to admit it, he’s telling the truth. What I’m laughing at is Wayne thinking I’d be with anyone but you, Eli. I belong to you.” She folded her arms beneath her breasts, and eased down on the bed so that he could face her. They both rested their heads on their hands.
“Do you mean that?” he asked.
“Yeah, I do. I wish I could make all of this go away.”