I’m running and before I know where I’m going I get there. Margot’s house. I pound my fist on the door over and over until it opens and Arden is standing on the other side, looking pissed at first but then immediately concerned.
“Danika? What’s wrong?”
He pulls me inside and wraps his arms around me. He holds me and I cry into his grey shirt until Margot comes around the corner.
“Dani?” I reach for her, feeling a bit of reluctance in Arden’s arms to let me go but he does and I collapse onto her instead. My best friend. Through sobs I tell her what happened and she drags me up to her room where I spend the rest of the night sobbing against her chest.
One thing that I kept thinking was, at least she’s not in pain anymore.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Danika
Myfavoritewaytothink is with a mop in my hand. By the time I finish organizing that overstuffed filing cabinet that is my brain, the floors are shining just the way Miss Hannigan likes it.
The rest of the day is spent studying, refusing to meet Nico and the happy couple for anatomy group study, and anxiously waiting for Arden to come home.
I thought a lot about what he said. And a lot about what he did. I even wrote down some of my ideas in my notebook. And by some, I mean I filled up five pages front and back.
As I was sitting on my bed writing up a storm, I glanced over toward that picture of grandma and me. What would she say about this whole situation? Would she be supportive of my feelings for Arden or would she tell me to cut and run?
You are very special, Danika. You are destined for greatness.
“Miss you, Grandma,” I say, smoothing out a corner that had folded over.
I looked down at my page and thought long and hard about the whole thing. Is defending my honor really a good enough reason to be violent? What if one day, he takes his anger out on me? It always starts as an “accident.” He didn’t mean it. It was a mistake.
That’s what my dad used to say for the first couple of years. Then it became more like, “that’s what you get” and “see what happens?”
But, with all that being said, Arden and I aren’t in a relationship, not a real one anyway. We were on our way home last night with every intention to fuck each other’s brains out, not picking out wedding china. Why am I thinking about this so hard? We aren’t signing a marriage license, we’re swapping bodily fluids. Nothing so serious about that.
I’ve had sex with plenty of men before. And enjoyed it. And having shared those kisses with Arden, I know he would give me a run for my money in the bedroom. So, why not just do that? Why not just give into the carnal desire of it all? It would be highly convenient, for both of us.
Horny? Head next door to your friendly neighborhood hook up buddy.
We can do that. We can give each other pleasure without attaching any relationship strings to do.Ican do it. I just need to keep my head on straight. And remember…
Arden is the boy I’ve always wanted and the man I can never have.
I am so resolved in this decision that by the time Arden gets home, I’ve slipped on my favorite black lingerie set under my robe.
Arden’s keys jingle in the door and my heart drops to my ass. Oh my god, I’m about to lay myself out on a platter for my best friend’s brother. What if he’s still mad about before? What if he rejects me? What if he ignores me?
I have no time to really consider these questions because he enters the apartment and sees me standing right by the kitchen counter.
“Hi,” he says, his eyes wide in surprise.
I open my mouth to speak but decide to let my very expensive silk set speak for itself. Pulling the robe string, it opens, giving Arden a gorgeous display of the girls.
He looks at my body, then my eyes, then my body.
“Brat…” Dropping his keys on the counter, he steps toward me. “What is this?”
“I don’t see why we can’t enjoy the benefits of thispretendrelationship,” I say, dropping the robe entirely. Arden pulls in a breath, his eyes not leaving mine but it seems a struggle.
“I thought we were going to talk.”
“We are,” I say, taking the step he’s afraid to take. Pressing our chests together, I look up at him. “Later.”