I Love You More Than I'm Afraid (Our Forevers #2), Rebel Hart [best adventure books to read .txt] 📗

I giggled. “Tristan said you would say that.”

“Did he really?”

“Uh huh. Honestly, if you want this released more than you care about that being released, I’ll just do it.”

She frowned. “Do you think it’s obvious in the video that I just tripped?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe.”

She handed my phone back to me. “Yeah. Let’s just leave these videos to our individual entertainment.”

I slipped it into my purse. “You got it.” I was pretty happy with how the conversation had gone and kind of wanted to leave it there, but there was one final thing I just had to ask, even if it made things turn sour. “Hey… Can I ask you something really personal?”

“Sure?” she said. “I can’t promise an answer, but you can ask.”

“Are you… attracted to Arden? You know, sexually or anything like that? Like if there were no Tristan and no me, maybe a little booze involved or… I don’t know. Would you sleep with her?”

Aria’s gaze narrowed as if she was trying to find the root of my question. “Well. I love Arden a lot. I identify as straight, but objectively speaking, if I wasn’t in a relationship and she wasn’t in love with someone else, and if all the circumstances were right and it wouldn’t risk our friendship, I can’t say for a hundred percent certain that I wouldn’t do it. I honestly don’t know. She’s so incredible, but I don’t need to tell you that.” Then she tilted her head. “Did that answer your question?”

I sighed. “Not really.”

“Then just ask me what you really want to ask me,” she said.

“Do you have feelings for Arden?” I said.

She shook her head immediately. “Nope.”

“None?”

“None,” she repeated. “I’m crazy about her, platonically speaking, but no. There’s nothing romantic between us at all.”

“Well, if I were to ask her that same question about you, her answer would be definitely yes.”

Aria shook her head at me. “I think you’re overestimating Arden and my relationship. I mean, yeah, maybe if we were just two single women who were attracted to each other, but I think that could be said about just about anyone. You don’t need to speak in hypotheticals when you have real facts. You aren’t even really wondering if Arden has feelings for me, you want a confirmation that she has feelings for you.”

She had me pegged. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Didn’t she tell you that she loves you?”

“She did.”

“You don’t believe her?”

“I do.”

“Then what are we talking about?” Aria said. “Do you just look for reasons not to believe what people are telling you?”

“Maybe because so many people are just telling me what I want to hear.”

“Has Arden ever done that?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“If you’re looking for an outsider’s validation, then let me be that for you. Arden loves you. I see it in all the glances she’s stolen at you when she thinks no one is looking, and the way she mutters your name in her sleep at night. She’s told me all about how you guys used to play house and how she always dreamed of doing that for real. Arden loves you, Hannah. There’s no doubt about it in my mind.”

“I needed to hear that.”

“Glad I could say it,” Aria said. “So what are you going to do?”

23

Arden

“Arden, can you use your key and get the door?” Tristan asked.

“Yep!”

Tristan and Serene were helping Aria out of the car and I rushed ahead to the front door to unlock it with the key that Serene had presented to me as a graduation gift. Once the door was open, I rushed in and secured Hazelnut, Aria’s dog, I ran back outside and popped Serene’s trunk in order to unload the bag of get-well gifts Aria had received over the course of her three-day stay in the hospital. Tristan scooped Aria up in his arms as I closed the trunk and together we all loaded Aria and her things inside.

“Bed or couch?” Tristan asked.

“You don’t have to carry me all the way up the stairs,” Aria grumbled.

“That’s not what I asked you,” Tristan hit back.

“I think bed, sweetie,” Serene said, tapping Tristan’s back. “She still needs more rest and she’ll be more comfortable up there.”

Aria rolled her eyes, but Tristan was already on his way up the stairs, carrying Aria as if it wasn’t an issue, which for him it probably wasn’t.

“Arden, I want my dog,” Aria yelled.

“I’m on it,” I said, collecting Hazelnut from her kennel and shooing her up the stairs.

Tristan carried Aria into her room and laid her gently on her bed before turning his attention to fluffing her pillows and trying to help her take her jacket off. “Tristan,” she barked. “I can take my own jacket off. I have a concussion, not broken arms.”

“I’m just trying to help, Aria,” he whined back.

“I know, I’m sorry, I’ve just had people fawning over me nonstop for three days. I hate feeling helpless.”

“Aria.” Serene turned into the room with a pill bottle and water in her hands. “You can take more pain meds, baby. I got you some water too. Here, open up.”

Aria reached out her hands. “I can do it myself, mom.” Tristan had moved on to Aria’s feet and was helping prop her ankle, which we’d learned got sprained, though we were unsure how that happened. The doctors suspected maybe someone tripped over it. “What are you doing?”

“The doctor said to keep your ankle elevated,” he responded.

“It’s off the ground,” Aria said.

Tristan put his hands on his hips. “That’s not what he meant and you know it.”

“Aria,” her mom called her attention back. “The meds. I’m right here, just say ahh.”

“Enough!” Aria snapped. “If you aren’t my dog or my best friend, I want you out of my room!”

Tristan really didn’t like that. “Baby. I’m sorry, I just wanna take care of you.”

“Don’t try to butter me up with your cute face and puppy dog eyes. Get out,” she barked and I had