“Shut up.” Jeremiah shook his head. “You need us and you know it.”

I did. I knew my friends wouldn’t go easy on me. They’d always pushed me to better myself and all of us were constantly pushing the limits of what we could do. With their help, I knew I could bring something to the tournament that the judges wouldn’t be expecting.

“Yeah,” I nodded, “you’re right. I do need you guys.” I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the sun.

“Huh,” Jeremiah mused, “you didn’t argue with me. That’s a first.”

I shook my head and ignored his comment as I paddled out to catch a wave.

The first of many.

***

Ari giggled and licked at her top lip, swiping away a drop of vanilla ice cream.

I shoved a spoonful of my own chocolate ice cream into my mouth, just watching her.

I didn’t know what we were to each other, but I knew it was more than roommates. The last week she’d opened up a lot. There were no moments where she cowered into herself, and I had a feeling that was because my behavior had been much more mellow. I felt bad for that—that I’d been the cause of distress to her. She also hadn’t had any of her sassy moments, and I kind of missed my Tiger, but the peace between us was worth it. I’d never intended to tell her the truth, but in the spur of the moment it had felt right that she was the first one that I told. Gut instinct told me she knew a thing or two about being hurt by the ones you love.

“You owe me a truth today.” I leaned across the counter while she sat on one of the stools. She swiveled it back and forth, nibbling on her bottom lip.

“You go first,” she begged.

“No,” I shook my head, “you. I always go first.”

She frowned and sucked another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. “Uh…” She pondered, her nose crinkling with thought. I don’t know why, but I always found the scrunching of her nose cute. “I haven’t had a birthday party in almost five years.”

My spoon clanked against the glass bowl. “What?” I shook my head. I couldn’t possibly have heard her right. “Can you repeat that?”

“I haven’t had a birthday party in almost five years,” she repeated softly, dropping her eyes to the counter.

I leaned forward, lifting her chin slightly with my fingers. “That’s a damn shame. Everyone deserves a birthday party.”

She shrugged and stirred her ice cream. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is to me,” I said firmly. “Why didn’t your parents throw you a party?”

“They weren’t around,” she said evasively and stared at a spot on the wall to her left.

“Where were they?” I demanded, getting heated. What kind of life did this girl have? Had she been living on her own on the streets for that long before Ollie and Talia found her? Almost as soon as I had that thought, I dismissed it. She had too much of an innocent naivety to have been living on the streets for over four years.

“One truth, Liam,” she said softly, almost forlornly. “That’s all you get.”

My teeth snapped together, trying to keep from asking her a million and one questions. The last thing I wanted to do was push her away.

“Fine.” I sighed, glaring down at my ice cream. I’d only eaten a few bites of it, but I didn’t want any more. I put the bowl in the sink and turned around, crossing my arms over my chest. “Truth: I fell for a girl that broke my heart, and I never thought I’d be okay again, but then I met another girl, and she needed my help so I gave it…albeit reluctantly. Then, I got to know that girl, and she began to heal the parts of me that were broken. And I thought maybe I could heal her too, but, Ari?” I stepped up to her and clasped her cheeks in my hands. “I can’t do that if you won’t let me be there for you.”

I kissed her forehead and let my hands fall before walking away and leaving her to herself in the kitchen.

I pretended not to hear her cry.

But I heard it, and still I walked away. I didn’t know what else to do. The ball was in her court.

Ari

“Training, huh? For what?” I asked Liam as I followed him out onto the beach. Ollie, Brady, and Jeremiah were a few feet behind us.

“There’s a tournament in Hawaii at the end of August. I qualified.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

Tags: Micalea Smeltzer Us Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net