Page 64 of The Sweetest Revenge

She shoved at my chest, but I didn't let her go. "You don't know that."

"True." I traced my thumb along my bottom lip, watching her eyes track the movement. "But it doesn't matter. You're not into him."

"I'm not into you either." Ariella's voice wavered on the last word as she bit down on the corner of her lip. Some things never change.

"Liar." The grin spread across my face as her pupils dilated. I leaned closer, close enough to see the pulse jumping in her throat. "Tell me something, did you go home and touch yourself that night?"

Her hands slammed into my chest. I let the impact separate us this time, but not before catching the way her breath quickened. "You can say whatever you want, Ariella, but I did you a favor."

"Whatever, Zaiden." The words came out as a hiss between clenched teeth. She wrapped her arms around herself, shoulders hunching against the night air—or maybe against the truth. "Can we just get this over with so I can go home?"

"Tell me why you're scared of the dark."

She shook her head.

"No."

"Okay," I crossed my arms over my chest. "Then tell me this: Do you feel safe from the dark when you're with me?"

"I'm not answering that." She sidestepped around me and started walking forward.

I spun around, a huge smile spreading across my face. "Isn't that odd?" I followed behind her. "The person you hate most in this world is also the one person you feel safe with."

She stopped whipping around and shoving her finger into my chest. "You're a massive dick, and I do hate you, but," her hand dropped to her side, "I know you won't let anyone else hurt me." She was right. It didn't matter what I said about her or did to her. If anyone else even looked at her wrong, I would kill them. "So yes, I feel safe from the darkness with you, but I do not trust you, and I know I'm not safe from you."

"And why are you scared of the dark?"

She blew out a heavy sigh. "It's stupid."

"Tell me anyway."

"There's absolutely no reason," she said. "It's a completely irrational fear, but it doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that I can't control it. I guess it's kind of like someone who's scared of heights. I'm scared of the dark."

Something about her answer relaxed me, knowing that something traumatizing didn't happen to her to cause her fears.

"You weren't safe when I wanted revenge. I don't want revenge anymore." I wanted her the same way I wanted her before Kacie died. I guess I never really stopped wanting her, except I wasn't sure she'd ever forgive me.

I shifted to remove my jacket. "Here." I held it out. "You're cold. Wear this."

"I would rather eat my own toes for dinner."

"It's just a jacket, Ariella, not a marriage proposal."

"We both know what wearing that letterman's jacket means."

I huffed out a laugh. "What does it mean?"

She shook her head, ignoring my question. "Can we please find this car so we can get out of here?" She twisted back around and started walking again. "Where is this guy at?"

"The car's over this way." I slipped my hand into hers, and for the first time, she didn't fight me. I led her through a pile of stacked cars. On the other side was Kacie's, or, technically, my mom's car.

The hood slammed against the frame with a metallic crack that echoed through the junkyard, but it didn't click closed because of the damage. Kevin's flashlight beam swept over us. "Bout time you get here." The light lingered on Ariella. "Who's that?"

My shoulder angled slightly between them. "This is Ariella. She was Kacie's best friend."

Ariella raised her hand in a small wave, but her other hand squeezed mine a little tighter.

Kevin stood by the car's crumpled front end, his fingers tracing the damaged metal. He wiped his hands on his oil-covered white shirt, leaving more dark smudges. "Can't be one hundred percent sure because of the damage and the amount of time it's been sitting here, but—" His jaw tightened. "If I had to put a bet on whether or not it was or wasn't. I'd bet my entire pot on it was."

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