Page 60 of Tainted Rose

“The pool’s heated. You sure you don’t want to go for a swim?” Xander wriggles his brows at me before reaching out to finger the strap of my bikini peeking out from under the dress and jacket I’d thrown on over it.

“Maybe in a little bit.”

“Could I talk to you for a second?” My brow furrows at the intrusion, and I turn toward the familiar voice, assuming Aria wants to talk to Xander. Instead, though, her eyes are locked on me.

“Oh. Um.”

“Xander says I have to come completely clean with you.”

I swivel to look at him. He shrugs. “I thought it would be a good thing. The two of you are in my life. I was hoping we could clear the air between you.”

Looking back at the supposed Queen of the Roses, I bring my drink to my mouth for a sip and gulp down my nerves. I never know what I’m going to get when I talk to Aria, but I’m assuming if this conversation was suggested by Xander then she knows better than to fuck with me.

Side by side, we wander over to one of the benches off toward a remote corner of Mrs. Danbrook’s garden, I assume for some privacy. Go figure. Aria probably doesn’t want to get caught being nice. I have an internal chuckle at the thought of it.

Aria sighs as she sits down on the bench, which faces away from the house. She pats the seat next to her. I’m not going to lie, she still makes me nervous. I take a quick sip of my drink and sit down sideways facing her profile, setting my drink on the ground out of range of my feet.

She side-eyes me. “So, like I said, Xander and I were talking earlier today, and he says I have to make amends with you if we ever want to be friends—or whatever.” She shrugs.

My brows lift to my hairline as my lips twist in confusion. “You want to be friends. With me.” I’m so knocked off balance I don’t even state it as a question.

“You heard Xander. If we’re both going to be in his life, we could try to get along.” She huffs. “I guess that means you two are pretty serious.” I don’t miss the little eye roll she gives.

Quietly, I say, “We’re in love, so yeah.”

Her head whips around, eyes boring into mine. “Hurt him and I hurt you, got it?”

I try to suppress a laugh, realizing she’s dead serious. “Got it.”

“Fine, then. I stole your clothes from the locker room and left you that dumb T-shirt that one day. And wrote the note on the mirror. I put your number in the boys bathroom. I took your homework and the bracelet. But that’s it.”

“That’s it?” I scoff.

“Fuck. Okay, maybe I messed with you a bit by inviting you to that party and letting you think I was Xander. And I tagged you in those staged Instagram photos.” She scowls. “I was also pretty bitchy when we spoke in the bathroom.”

“You know what, it’s fine. I prefer having things out in the open. I’m done with secrets and lies. Speaking of, Xander says you weren’t the one texting me about my scholarship and my dad. But did you disconnect the wires from my truck’s battery and follow me when I walked home the other night?”

“No, I wouldn’t even know how to do that. And I didn’t hang out outside your shower a second time or leave you that creepy note at your house, either.”

“Who told you about all that?”

She looks at me like I’m stupid, which bodes really well for our new friendship. “Xander has been grilling me about everything to make sure it wasn’t me. He’s worried. Can you blame him? I’ve never been able to lie to his face, so he asked me straight up. I’ll tell you exactly what I told him. It wasn’t me. I fucking swear it.”

A laugh bursts from my lips. “You’re very blunt, aren’t you?”

She lifts a shoulder and flips her blonde hair back. “I don’t see the point in beating around the bush when you can go straight for the jugular.”

I nod. “I get that. I actually appreciate that. It’s refreshing.” I hold out my hand to her. “Pretty sure I’d rather be friends than enemies.”

She begrudgingly takes my hand. “We can be friends, I suppose.” She offers a small smile to me as she stands. “I’ll see you around, ScarJo.”

As she walks away, I reach down to grab my drink. What the hell? I swear I left it right at my feet. I shift, glancing around and spot it at the side of the bench. Fucking weird. Beau must have made his punch more potent than last time. I tilt the cup to my lips, taking another sip.

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