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“Don’t lie to me, Aria,” Dion adds, softer this time, as if he can see the swirling thoughts in my head. I feel the weight of his eyes on me, the scrutiny suffocating. It’s as though I’m under a microscope, my every flaw magnified for him to see.
I turn my body to face him, finally meeting his gaze, and what I find, a mix of anger and despair—longing—makes my breath hitch.
“I needed you, Dion. Not anybody else,” A knot tightens in my stomach, my palms growing clammy. I could say more, so much more.
“When do you need me, Aria? It seems like you only called me because you needed saving.”
I can see the urgency in his eyes, sense the blazing fire inside his body. My heart races and heat creeps up my neck.
I always need you, Dion. I open my mouth to say the words out loud, but the ringing of my phone interrupts the moment.
We look at each other, realization dawning on Dion’s face. His lips form a straight line as his jaw tenses.
We both know exactly who is calling me.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The tension in the car thickens and Dion looks like a kettle ready to explode.
We still don’t take our eyes off each other as the phone continues to ring in my clutch.
My breathing goes ragged as Dion’s gaze pierces into me, and I find myself wishing for the ground to swallow me whole.
“Answer it.”
“No,” I reply breathlessly.
“Answer it, Aria,” Dion repeats in a no-bullshit tone. I can feel the fire burning within him.
My phone is still ringing.
The sound is deafening, but I can’t hear anything other than the tension bubbling inside me.
I want to take my phone and throw it out the window, but I can’t move, my body frozen from Dion’s penetrating gaze.
My hands go back to my hem. I breathe in and out, my rib cage expanding with each breath, and I notice Dion glancing at my chest before forcing himself to look away. He’s not going to let this go, and if I don’t answer the call, I’m going to pay for it later. Fuck.
I swallow the nervous lump in my throat and shut my eyes tight, trying to temporarily sober up.
“Hello.”
“Aria.” The hairs at the back of my neck rise. “Where are you?” Andrew’s voice is low, but I don’t miss the underlying anger in his tone.
“I’m home,” I say hesitantly.
Just then, Dion slides over to my side in one swift movement, his thigh grazing my bare leg, and I’m not sure if it’s to offer me comfort or to torture me. My body stills when he brings his nose to my ear.
A deep breath sounds through the speaker. “I’ve been calling you all night.”
I bite my bottom lip, hard enough to hurt. Anything to sober the fuck up before this conversation turns to shit. “I’m sorry. I was watching a movie, and my phone was on silent.”
I can feel and hear Dion’s warm and heavy breathing in my ear. Goosebumps erupt all over my body.
If Andrew doesn’t believe my bullshit, he doesn’t make it known.
“Text me in the morning.” He hangs up.
I exhale a pent-up breath, the tension slowly leaving my body. That was close.
