Chapter 114

We were in the midst of making dinner, our usual Friday ritual, but there was an uneasiness in the air that I couldn't ignore. Aria,

usually so chatty and animated in the kitchen, was unusually quiet, her eyes focused on chopping vegetables with a distant look

in her eyes.

She'd been a little distant since last week. She’d avoid eye contact and even headed. to work earlier than usual. Her avoidance

made me uneasy.

“Aria,” I said tentatively, “is something on your mind?”

Aria’s knife faltered for a moment before she resumed chopping, her shoulders tense. She seemed hesitant, as if she were

debating whether to share her thoughts.

Finally, she let out a deep sigh and looked at me with a mixture of regret and guilt. “Don’t hate me.”

My heart sank. The serious tone in Aria’s voice was like a storm cloud on a previously sunny day. I put down my spatula and

turned to face her.

“What happened?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in warning.

Aria met my gaze, her eyes filled with remorse. “I... I confronted Timothy.”

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Timothy’s name. Aria had promised not to interfere, to let me handle my own

heartache. I had hoped that I could heal in my own time.

“Why would you do that, Aria?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. “I told you I could handle it.”

Aria’s shoulders slumped, and she looked down at the vegetables, as if they held. the answers she needed. “I know.”

I let out a long sigh and set the spatula aside, watching as the beef sizzled in its pan. The grease around it bubbled and popped,

with the occasional drop landing on my arm. Somehow, the sting of it didn’t make me shift. away.

“I just couldn’t stand seeing you in pain,” Aria continued. “I thought maybe I could make him see what he’s missing, but it was a

mistake.”

I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Aria, despite my frustration. She

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had acted out of love and concern for me, even if it had been misguided. “What happened when you confronted him, Aria?”

Aria hesitated before confessing, “I talked to him about Stella.”

Stella, the name that had haunted my thoughts and my dreams. The woman who had taken Timothy away, even though he had

never been mine to begin with.

I pretended not to care, to brush it off like it was inconsequential. But inside, my heart was breaking all over again. “Perfect. I’m

sure he had a lot to say.”

Aria’s eyes bore into mine, as if she could see through my facade. She knew me better than anyone, and she could sense the

pain that lay beneath my words. But she didn’t press the matter further.

“You know, Evie,” she said, her voice infused with a desperate hope, “maybe it’s time for you to move on as well. Get out there,

meet new people, have some fun.”

I shook my head, the thought of moving on still too painful to bear. “I’m good.”

Aria raised an eyebrow, her concern wiping away any of the humor in her expression. “But it helped last time, didn’t it? It won’t

take you long to find some other mysterious hottie.”

I sighed and gave her a look. “There’s something I need to tell you, Aria. Something I should have said a long time ago.”

Aria looked puzzled, her eyes narrowing. “What is it, Evie?”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I spoke. “I never had that one-night stand.”

Aria’s eyes widened and she began to stutter. “What do you mean, Evie?”

I wiped away a tear that had escaped down my cheek, my voice barely above a whisper. “I lied, Aria. I made up the whole story

about the one-night stand so you and Lucas would stop worrying about me.”

Aria sat in stunned silence for a moment before she finally spoke, her voice filled with compassion. “Evie, why would you have to

lie? We were just worried about you.”

“I know.” I couldn’t bring myself to meet her eyes as the embarrassment returned ten-fold. “But I thought it would work...until it

didn’t, so now I feel like a failure.”

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Aria reached out and pulled me into a comforting hug, her arms wrapping around me like a shield. “Evie, you're not a failure. We

love you, and we just want you to be happy.”

I clung to Aria, grateful for her understanding and support. “I know, Aria. You shouldn’t have to babysit me though.”

Aria held me tightly, as if she could protect me from all the pain in the world. “If you’re in pain, we're going to take care of you as

much as you need us to. There’s no shame in that.”

As we sat on the couch, wrapped in each other’s arms, my tears grew heavy and I started to cry. Aria smoothed by hair down for

a couple of minutes. After a while, she pulled away and patted my arms.

“How about we have a girls’ night in? We can watch some dumb rom-—coms, eat junk food, and just forget about it all.”

I managed a weak smile. “That sounds nice.”

We transformed our living room into a cozy movie night haven, with blankets, pillows, and an array of snacks scattered across

the coffee table. Aria had gone all out, picking out an assortment of romantic comedies for our viewing pleasure.

We settled onto the couch, our feet tucked under us, and the first movie began to play on the screen. I tried to lose myself in the

light-hearted banter of the characters, the quirky meet-cutes, and the promise of happily—ever—afters. But despite Aria’s best

intentions, my heart remained heavy.

As the second movie started, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. It was a story about forbidden love, a tale of two

people who were meant to be together but couldn’t be. The ache in my chest grew with each passing scene, and I found myself

unable to hold back the tears that welled up in my eyes.

Aria must have noticed my distress, for she turned to me with concern in her eyes. “Evie, are you okay?”

I sniffled, wiping away a tear with the back of my hand. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just... this movie. It’s hitting a little too close to home.”

Aria reached out and took my hand, her touch a comforting presence. “Maybe rom—coms weren't the best idea. They usually

help.”

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I managed a watery smile. “It’s not your fault, Aria. You were just trying to make me feel better.”

“You wanna turn it off?”

“No, it’s fine,” I shook my head and wiped my face with my sleeve. “Maybe I'll desensitize myself,, or something.”

Aria nodded and turned her attention back to the movie, but her grip on my hand. didn’t waver. As the story unfolded on the

screen, I couldn't help but let my thoughts drift to Timothy and Stella.

It felt like I'd lost a chance at something. No matter how hard I tried to push him away, it didn’t stop him from breaking through

the barriers that I'd set up. of course, he got to drift away whenever he pleased, and I was left with a broken wall.

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