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"You stop being a fucking idiot and you go get her."
My eyes widen and I pull my shoulders back as I stare at him. "She wants space from me."
"Fuck her space," he says as he picks up his fork again. "I know my sister. She doesn't want space, it's just what she does when her anxiety causes her to second-guess things. She withdraws and retreats when she really needs someone to be there. When you told her about good things not lasting, you solidified the doubts that were already circulating in her mind."
"I told her that I do want her," I explain to him, feeling a small spark of hope inside my chest as I play his words over in my head. There's a small twinge of guilt for me because I didn’t try harder to get her to understand what I was saying.
"You have to understand that Aria moves in survival mode when she gets stressed out. She specializes in self-preservation. If she has feelings for you, you are now a threat because you have the ability to hurt her." He runs a hand through his hair. "Are you in love with her?"
My throat clenches and I swallow roughly over the lump lodged there. "Yes."
"Did you tell her that?"
"No," I admit as I prop my elbows on the island and drop my head into my hands.
"Good," Austin says and I can hear the smile in his voice.
I lift my head at the sound and cock an eyebrow. "How is that good? Shouldn't I have told her how I feel about her?"
He laughs softly and shrugs. "I mean, yeah, probably, but this gives you something to work with when you go see her. It's something you didn't already tell her, so you're not trying to convince her that you meant those words. She hasn't heard them yet. If there's anything that can get someone's attention, it's admitting your feelings for them to them."
A part of me feels like this is a joke. "Are you being serious about this?"
"Yes," he assures me with a warm smile. "If there's anyone who I trust enough to be with my sister, it's you." He takes a breath and narrows his eyes on me. "If you break her heart, I will rip yours from your chest and feed it to you."
"That's extremely graphic," I tell him as I try not to imagine what that experience might be like.
He shrugs with indifference, as if the threat was completely normal. "You should know what you're getting yourself into."
"You have nothing to worry about. I have no intention of ever breaking her heart."
Austin Reed smiles at me, revealing his bright white teeth. "Then I think it's time to start planning."
"Planning what?"
"How you're going to get her back."
"She was never actually mine," I remind him with a sigh.
Austin laughs and shakes his head. "Trust me… she was. And I think she still is."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ARIA
Lying on the couch, I flip through the TV channels before settling on some home improvement show. My nose tickles and I reach for the box of tissues that is on my coffee table just before I sneeze. I don't know where this head cold came from, but I blame it on the stress I've been enduring. And of course this happens right before we have our most important competition coming up.
I should be on the ice practicing, but I feel like complete ass. I know I'll be a worthless partner to Leo and, if I'm being completely honest, I could use a day away from him right now.
My phone vibrates from where it's laying on the couch and I pick it up to look at the message that came through. It's Leo. I texted him a little while ago to tell him I wouldn't be there this morning. There was disappointment when he didn't respond at first.
Leo
Are you okay?
I roll onto my back, pulling the plush quilt up to my chin before I type out a response to him.
Aria
