Page 129 of 7+Us Makes Nine

Jessica laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m so amazed that our little Ari is growing up! I know you’ve never done anything like that before. I imagine this Gio dude must have been quite the hunk, huh? He had to be in order to bring out that side in you! Girl, don’t even worry about it though. Guys like that get the best of all of us.”

In spite of myself, I couldn’t help but laugh. Soon, Jessica, Angela, and I were all laughing hysterically. At that moment, I no longer regretted that they were there. I guess I had needed a proper girls’ night, after all, more than I had realized.

I reached for my pizza, some of my appetite returning. The tomato sauce had cooled, making the pizza far more enjoyable.

“All right, Jess. What are we watching?” Angela asked.

“I was looking for something with hot guys in it. You know, to take Ari’s mind off Prince Charming who turned out to be a toad.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Angela said.

* * *

After watching a movie about male strippers, I had to admit I was in a much better mood than I had started out in. With our bellies full of pizza, we were more than ready to dance off the calories that we’d acquired.

“You need to look extra good tonight,” Angela said, grinning widely as she searched through my closet.

“Let’s go for it,” I said, feeling reckless.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Jessica said, clapping her hands together.

The next hour was spent with the three of us priming ourselves to perfection. We curled our hair, painted our nails, and changed clothes about a dozen times before we were each satisfied with our outfits. When it was all said, and done, I was wearing a short red dress with silver accents, with earrings and heels to match. Angela had settled on a pair of skinny jeans and a halter top that showed off her slender waistline, and Jessica wore a black party dress that twirled when she danced, along with a bright green belt at the waist that brought out the color in her eyes.

Before leaving, we stood in the mirror, admiring ourselves and taking at least a dozen selfies.

“All right, ladies,” Jessica said. “Let’s go break some hearts, shall we?”

And with that, we made our way downstairs and out the door, laughing and ready to dance the night away. As I locked up the house, I just hoped that by the end of the night, I would be left saying, “Giovanni who?”

We piled into Angela’s car, me sitting in the passenger’s seat while Jessica sat in the back. Once our seatbelts were buckled, Angela cranked the full radio volume, getting us pumped up for the night.

When we were on the road, I put down the window, enjoying the feel of the wind in my hair and face.

“Girl, raise that window back up!” Jessica said from the backseat. “You’re going to mess up our hair!”

I burst out laughing.

When we pulled into the club, we felt like a trio of superstars. All eyes were on us from the second we stepped inside. The dance floor was packed, and the music was loud. Jessica and Angela each grabbed one of my hands, and we squeezed our way onto the floor.

While I was tempted to glance around, I forced myself not to because Gio was still in the back of my mind. I had to remind myself that starting tonight, he was no longer a part of the equation. He was my past, and I had to leave him there.

I knew that most women had had their hearts broken before. I wasn’t the first and certainly wouldn’t be the last. And now that I had entered the world of men, there would undoubtedly be others. On a positive note, if I had to thank Giovanni for anything, it was for making me wiser and better able handle situations like this in the future.

Smiling, I began to sway my hips to the beat, while Angela and Jessica danced alongside me, cheering me on. After a while, Jessica nudged Angela in the arm and wink. She then nodded her head in my direction—or at something just passed me, rather.

Suddenly, I felt a presence and knew someone was behind me. My heart skipping a beat, I slowly turned around.

I released the breath I’d been holding upon seeing that it wasn’t Giovanni. It was another handsome man though. He was tall with broad shoulders, short shaggy hair, and bright brown eyes. He smiled and held his hand out to me.

“Can I dance with you?” he asked.

I took his hand and grinned. “Sure.”

“What’s your name?”

“Arianna.”

“Nice to meet you, Arianna. I’m Brad.”

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