Page 27 of Aria

She’d nodded. “I’ll always be in danger. He follows me.” Swallowing, she’d swayed on my lap before tapping a finger to her temple. “In here.”

“Listen, are you actually in danger? Is this a cry for help?”

“He… he tried to kill me, Noah.” Chelsie had leaned in close, whispering the next words right against my ear. “He wrapped his fingers around my throat like the Grim Reaper and asked if I wanted to know what it felt like to take my last breath.”

We’d locked eyes when she’d inched back. My chest had hummed with warning, with genuine concern as we stared at each other. I’d swallowed. “Are you okay?”

“No. I’m a disease, remember? That’s not okay at all…” She’d nearly toppled over before I caught her, forcing her fluttering eyes back on mine. “I’m sleepy…”

“Chelsie, hey,” I’d urged, cupping the side of her face with my palm. It was an intimate gesture, but it was an intimate moment—it had felt like apivotalmoment. “Where is this Ian guy? Does he live nearby?”

She’d lazily shaken her head. “He’s in jail. He raped some poor girl because the police never took me seriously and refused to arrest him.” Sighing, she’d clung to me, her forehead falling forward and knocking with mine. “He was a monster, but I thought I loved him… I guess that makes me a monster, too.”

“You’re not a monster.”

“You don’t like me because you can see the truth. I’m broken. Unlovable.”

Shit—I really had been a dick to her, and for what?

Guilt washed over me as I’d chewed on my cheek. “I didn’t know you. I didn’t know any of this, and I’m sorry for being an ass when you clearly didn’t deserve it.”

It had been as candid as I’d ever been, and Chelsie must have sensed it, even in her inebriated state. She’d let a smile slip, her head swiveling side to side, her long hair curtaining us. Her breath had grazed my lips as she’d whispered, “You smell good.”

I’d stiffened in more ways than one.

“I think I might puke.”

Blinking though the rapid subject changes, I’d reached for a water bottle on the little nightstand. “Here, drink some water.”

Chelsie had chuckled. “Water Girl.”

And then she’d passed out cold, falling limp and weightless against my chest, until I’d placed her into the bed and snagged an extra blanket for my accommodations on the floor.

I didn’t think I’d ever forget that moment.

Luckily for Chelsie, she would never remember it.

I sat beside her now, repeating the horror stories she had confessed to me, noting that same damaged look in her eyes. When I noticed her picking at a sofa pillow, I stopped to ask if she was okay. "We don't have to talk anymore.” I set my glass down on the coffee table, finding her eyes. "That's basically all I know."

Chelsie forced a small smile, clutching the pillow to her chest. "Thanks for being so cool about this, Noah. I feel like I've come a long way, but I'll never truly be… you know,free. It will always be this black cloud hovering over me."

"It’ll always be a part of you,” I acknowledged. “But use it to shape you into an even stronger person.” I wasn’t any good at this pep-talk shit, but I tried to be thoughtful with my words.

Chelsie’s gaze lowered to her lap. "I'm afraid if Devon even gives me another chance, I'm just going to keep screwing up. Who would want to date a nutjob like me?Nobody wants to deal with that kind of baggage. Especially a guy who could get any girl he wanted."

"Stop undermining yourself.That's your first problem," I said, firm in my delivery. "From what I see, you're an amazing girl with a lot of great qualities. And I won’t lie… I noticed you waiting tables long before Devon set his sights on you."

Yikes.Had I gone too far?

Her head popped up, her nose crinkling at the confession. "Huh? I thought you hated me from the beginning.”

"I neverhatedyou. I was just being an asshole because that's what I do. You’re smoking hot, even sitting here in your sweatpants."

Double yikes.I needed to stop talking.

Chelsie inched the pillow up to her chin, trying to hide her pink cheeks. "Um… thanks.”

The doorbell rang, breaking through the tension that had developed between us.

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