Chapter 13 13
Aria’s POV
I didn’t rush.
That was the first mistake.
I took my time getting ready, like time itself owed me something.
Like if I moved slow enough, the world would wait for me to catch up.
My room smelled like perfume and heat, hairspray hanging in the air like fog.
The mirror reflected the usual me.
I was back again.
I hoped.
Perfect hair, flawless makeup, my lips glossy and shining.
I looked good.
No.
I looked dangerous.
And I needed to.
I layered confidence over my skin the way I layered makeup, brushing it on, thick enough to hide the cracks underneath.
My lashes were long, dramatic.
My eyeliner was sharp.
My clothes hugged me in all the right places. Sweet seduction.
If I was going to be seen, I was going to be unforgettable.
Behind me, Kylie groaned as she bent to pick up clothes from the floor.
“Your room is a disaster, Aria” she muttered, tossing a shirt into a pile. “You live like a broken celebrity.”
I rolled my eyes and then smirked slightly, watching her through the mirror. “ Well, that’s because I am one.”
She rolled her eyes.
I caught it.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me, Kylie?” I said and picked up my compact powder mirror, throwing it, slightly missing her causing the mirror to hit the wall and shatter.
She gasped.
“Sorry”
“Know your place. Don't think you're better than me just because you've seen me cry for the first..time..ever, okay?!”
“Okay..okay fine, I said I'm sorry”
“She's sorry” Tasha added.
Kylie frowned a bit but kept cleaning.
Tasha sat on my bed scrolling through her phone, occasionally glancing up to comment on my outfit.
“You’re going to kill him,” she said. “Like… actually kill him.”
Good.
That was the point.
When they finished, my room looked spotless. Spotless. New. Just like Aria.
Like nothing bad had ever happened inside it. Like I hadn’t cried myself dry in that same bed less than a day ago.
I grabbed my bag, took one last look at myself, and stood tall.
We stepped out together, the three of us walking down the path toward campus like some kind of performance.
Heads turned. Whispers followed. I felt eyes on me, the way I always did but today, I welcomed them.
I needed to be seen.
I needed him to see me.
And then I saw him.
Jaxon.
He stood near the fountain, hands in his pockets as he went though his phone.
My heart lurched so hard it almost hurt.
He looked the same, too calm, too composed, too damn handsome and at peace for someone who had wrecked my sleep without even trying.
My friends slowed.
Then stopped.
“Well,” Kylie said lightly, nudging me. “There he is.”
Tasha smirked. “Guess this is where we leave you.”
They didn’t wait for my response.
“Good luck, Aria,” Kylie added, squeezing my arm. “Don’t kill him.”
And just like that, they walked away.
Left me standing there.
Alone.
My pulse roared in my ears as I approached him.
Every step felt a little bit heavier than the last.
He turned when he sensed my footsteps, and for a moment, just one, I thought I saw relief flash across his face.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Hey,” I replied.
Silence stretched between us. Thick. Awkward.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
Here it comes.
Tasha said it, my looks would do the trick.
No girl was more beautiful than I was.
“I’ve just… I’ve been busy,” he continued. “Things have been complicated. I didn’t mean to be distant.”
I watched his face as he spoke. His mouth said the right words, but his eyes kept drifting past me. Over my shoulder. To the crowd. Like he was waiting for something. Or someone.
Not me.
My chest tightened.
“It’s fine,” I said, forcing a smile. “I get it.”
But I didn’t.
Because while he was standing in front of me, part of him wasn’t here at all.
And I knew exactly where it was.
People walked by us, whispering. I caught fragments.
“Did you see her last night…” “That girl is unreal…” “Lyra, right?”
The name slid under my skin like a blade.
I felt it then. I felt the shift.
The way his body tensed ever so slightly when he heard it too.
The way his jaw tightened.
The way his attention slipped, just for a second.
That was all it took.
Jealousy bloomed hot and ugly in my chest. God!
I stepped closer.
Too close.
I rose onto my toes and pressed my lips to his.
For a moment, I thought he might kiss me back.
But his lips were stiff.
Unresponsive.
His hands didn’t move.
He didn’t melt into my waist as usual.
He didn’t kiss me the way he used to.
I pulled back, my heart sinking so fast it felt like it dropped out of my body.
Before I could say anything, his phone rang.
The sound felt wicked and invasive, disregarding my crying heart.
He glanced at the screen and sighed. “I have class,” he said quickly. “I..I should go.”
“W-wait, when are we going to see again?” those words felt like needles in my throat coming out of my mouth instead of his.
And the girls who passed by gave me the weirdest look that made me want to scream and drag their hair.
Ugh!
A whole me!
Aria!
“I should text you” he said and ran off.
Just like that.
No apology.
No explanation.
No hesitation.
He walked away.
I stood there, frozen, watching his back disappear into the crowd.
Something inside me cracked.
Quietly.
Dangerously.
The whispers around me grew louder. The stares sharper. Lyra’s name floated through the air again, like a curse I couldn’t escape.
I clenched my fists.
My nails dug into my palms.
So that’s how it was.
He could look for her.
Chase her.
Leave me standing here like I meant
nothing.
My eyes landed on my reflection in the fountain water. Waste of effort and confidence.
Fine.
If she was the reason I was losing him….
Then she was the problem.
And problems?
Problems get handled.
I lifted my head, eyes burning, my heart racing with something dark and determined.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.