Page 55 of Give Me a Reason

I had to address what happened. Otherwise, it would always be between us.

“It wasn’t a onetime thing for me.” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say, but I needed her to know that it meant something to me.

Aria’s back stiffened. “You mean what happened at the bar?”

At my nod, she stood abruptly, fluffing the pillows behind me, and then grabbed the tray from the nightstand. “I don’t see how anything between us is possible. I’m friends with Ireland now. She’s my roommate, and she’s important to me. Paisley is too.”

“I know that.” But what about us? How could we ignore this attraction between us and what happened?

“Nothing can happen,” she reiterated with a stubborn set of her jaw.

“Do you want it to?” There was something off about her declaration. Either she really didn’t want to do it again, or she was just telling herself that.

She looked away from me. “It doesn’t matter what I want. I was—we were impulsive that night. We didn’t think about the consequences.”

“Who cares what anyone else thinks?” I got that she didn’t want to upset my sister, but I was fairly sure she’d be happy for us, as long as I didn’t hurt Aria.

“Gia has that rule about coworkers sleeping together.”

I barked out a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?

Her face flushed. “She’s serious about it.”

“Yet she somehow overlooked Abby sleeping with Nick, who was the best man at one of our weddings, and Everly and Harrison.”

“The rules were created after Abby and Nick hooked up, and Everly and Harrison had been friends for years.”

“Gia’s rules are ridiculous, and you know it,” I said, desperate to get her to see it my way.

“I need this job. I don’t want anything to get in the way. Especially now that I’m living with Ireland.”

“Is she charging you rent?” I’d be surprised if she was.

She set the tray on the nightstand and paced the room. “She’s supposed to. But she won’t tell me how much she pays or what the utilities are.”

There was a reason for that. Ireland didn’t want to charge her. If she did, I knew it would be far less than fifty percent. Ireland didn’t see her apartment, but we’d talked about Aria’s living situation. She wanted to help her.

Aria shook her head. “You can’t possibly understand.”

I sighed. “I know this job is important to you, and you need money to help your family.”

“So you understand that I can’t do anything that would jeopardize my job, no matter how silly the rules are.”

I wanted to reach out to touch her, but I felt so weak, and I suspected she wouldn’t appreciate it. “I get that.”

“Thank you.” Then she picked up the tray as if to go.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you want something else.”

Her shoulders were stiff. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”

“It should, though. Your wants and desires should come first.”

“That’s selfish. I’ve never been like that.”

“Maybe it’s time you were.” This had nothing to do with us. I had a feeling she never put herself first. She worried about her parents and her sister. She tried to make a better life for them, but what about what she wanted?

If I wanted her, and I did, I needed to go about this a different way. I needed to be her friend.

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