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Mom reminded me that school would start in four days.
“Thanks, Mom. You always know how to ruin a morning,” I grumbled.
Mom gave a mischievous grin and ran off to work, leaving me a few bills so I could enjoy myself. I spent a couple of hours in the library and then ran full speed to work.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Lari.”
“Oh, hi, Aria! Come over here for a minute.”
I nodded and walked up to him.
Mr. Lari explained all the little details to me — how and with whom to talk, showed me the dishes, and briefly went over the ingredients of each.
“And yes, Aria, just call me Lari.”
I smiled and nodded.
And here was my first customer. I took a deep breath and headed straight to the table. Not alone, even. Hooray! Wait. I knew it — right at this table, at this exact time, an unexpected —but less pleasant — meeting awaited me. Blaine. And some unknown girl. Damn. Another one of Blaine’s girls? How does he even manage to charm them? What makes them fall for him?
I gathered my thoughts, composed myself, and walked over to them more quickly.
“Hello, are you ready to order?”
Blaine looked up.
“Aria? Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Hello to you too, Blaine.”
I looked at the girl.
“What will your lady be having?”
“Two fresh juices, a muffin, rustic fries, a vegetable salad, a Coca-Cola, and orange juice,” the girl said, placing the order.
I repeated it back, and when they nodded, I asked,
“May I take the menu?”
Blaine handed it to me, and, either by accident — or more likely on purpose — brushed my wrist. We both knew it wasn’t an accident.
When all the dishes were finished, they just kept sitting there, and it started to irritate me. I pretended not to notice them, but inside I was getting angry. I had been working for three hours already, and unfortunately, they had been sitting there for two and a half. The other tables had already been served again.
Luckily, I didn’t have to be bored — Ian walked into the café.
He came up to me and gently kissed my neck. I turned and hugged him. Immediately, I felt Blaine’s gaze on me.
“Are you almost done?” Ian asked, wrapping his strong arm around my waist.
“Yes, in a moment. I just need to serve your brother. Why? Do you have plans?”
“Yeah, I want to take you to a very fun place.”
Blaine raised his hand, signaling that he wanted to pay. He immediately got up and left with his girlfriend, who had been furiously talking to him all evening, while he pretended to be very interested. What I was sure of, though, was that he had been watching me the entire evening — at least, that’s what my instincts were telling me. Opening the receipt, I started entering the total into the computer and was pleasantly surprised to see that he had left a two-hundred-dollar tip. Did he do it to try and buy me off, or as a way of thanking me for noticing him all evening?!
Ian took my hand and led me to his car. Opening the door for me, he helped me into the passenger seat. Very gentlemanly.
“Where are we going?”
“Home,” he replied concisely.
“Okay. Is this your fun place?”
I didn’t take my eyes off him.
“You’ll understand. What? Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, glancing first at my lips, then into my eyes, and then back at the road.
“Nothing… It’s just that you’re so cute when you drive.”
He squeezed my hand tightly but kept his eyes on the road. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his satisfied smirk.
The lights were on at home — Blaine must have already been there.
“Close your eyes,” Ian whispered.
I obeyed.
He carefully guided me inside, his hands resting gently on my waist, giving me a sense of warmth and protection. We walked up to the second floor and continued straight for what felt like forever.
“Open,” his voice sounded very close, and his lips brushed against my neck.
I opened my eyes. In front of me was a table set with a pristine white tablecloth, candles, a vase of soft pink bush roses, plenty of food beautifully arranged on plates, and two bottles of wine and champagne. The atmosphere felt magical, and pleasant, melodic music played softly in the background.
“No one has ever done anything like this for me… It’s amazing, Ian,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.
He smiled and helped me sit down.
“Champagne or wine?”
“Wine.”
Ian poured the wine into my glass, then looked at me with a gentle smile.
“Aria, I’d like to know more about you. Tell me about yourself.”
“What exactly do you want to know? I don’t even know where to start… Let’s do this: question for a question. You ask me, I ask you. You first.”
“What do you want to become?” he asked, pouring wine into his own glass.
I paused, wondering if there was a hidden meaning in that question. But I decided to be honest.
“I’d like to become a writer or a journalist. Now it’s my turn. Are you proud of your work?”
“Hm… If you mean medicine, then yes. I like my job. It allows me to learn a lot about different fields.”
He looked me in the eyes.
“Have you ever had a boyfriend? Why did you break up?”
“That’s two questions,” I teased, smiling. “Yes, I did. We… weren’t compatible. Now I have the same question for you.”
Ian paused for a second, then, narrowing his eyes slightly, answered:
“I had a girlfriend. She cheated on me with Blaine.”
“Ian, how could that happen?” I took his hand and sipped my wine. Deep down, I wasn’t entirely surprised.
“I already told you, my brother is a womanizer,” he replied with a faint smirk. “But let’s not dwell on that — it’s unpleasant enough to talk about. What was your boyfriend’s name?”
If he only knew that it was unpleasant for me too.
“Colin. And your girlfriend?”
“Darina,” Ian answered curtly.
I rolled my eyes.
“Ian, maybe this isn’t the best time to talk about exes. How about we switch to other questions and change the music?”
The U.S. national anthem started playing, and I realized this was hardly the kind of music for a date.
“Of course.”
He pulled out his phone and selected a melodic, slightly lingering tune.
“Or… forget the questions. Will you dance with me?”
I smiled and held out my hand.
We moved to the rhythm of the music, slowly, almost melting into each other. I felt his gentle touches, strong arms, warm breath. When I looked into his eyes, something inside me stirred — there was a spark in his gaze, something inexplicable, amazing, magnetic. He leaned closer to me, and I leaned closer to him.
Silence. Peace. No Blaine. Just the two of us.
Ian leaned over, and I closed my eyes, feeling our lips melt into a deep kiss. His lips were hot, soft, too sexy. His fingers slid down my back, and then he pressed me against the wall.
I felt him remove his gray T-shirt, his strong hands sliding down my hips. Passion overwhelmed us. He picked me up and carried me to the couch.
I reflexively removed my T-shirt, though I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to sleep with him now, especially after everything that had happened to me. Thoughts of sex always seemed to vanish. But inside, I was drawn to him like a magnet.
Our naked bodies touched, Ian covered me with his chest and continued kissing, touching my face, my body, and…
“Who wants tea?” — someone’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Blaine came home. Again. And once more, he ruined everything. Why does he always do this?”
“Blaine!” Ian and I shouted at the same time.
“I’m not looking,” he said, covering his eyes with his hand. “Yes, I put the kettle on.” He stepped into the room, still shielding his eyes. “I don’t know what you two were up to, but it smells like mischief in here.” He smirked and headed toward his own room.
A click echoed as the door closed, and Ian’s voice followed:
“Sorry about my brother. He’s a reckless idiot.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, starting to put my T-shirt back on.
We hadn’t touched the food, but our glasses were already empty. Alcohol clearly affected me more than I thought. Probably should have expected that.
“Already dressed?” Blaine appeared again, this time striding in like he owned the place. “Bro, Darina’s looking for you. She says she wants to talk.”
“Blaine!” Ian shouted, clearly annoyed.
“What?” Blaine raised his eyebrows, spreading his arms in mock innocence. “Aria, you’ll be studying with me. Looks like we’re going to be stuck together everywhere now,” he added with a playful grin, hugging me and offering a cookie.
“Where did you get that idea?” I accepted the cookie and noticed Ian slipping away with his phone.
“Everyone says we’ve got a new girl, and when we went into the principal’s office, we saw your name on a pile of papers.”
“Are you serious?!” I asked anxiously.
“Want some tea?” Blaine asked calmly, taking chocolate and strawberries from our table, pretending nothing embarrassed him.
“Yeah,” I nodded, not knowing whether to be thrilled or annoyed — this person was going to irritate me for at least a few semesters, maybe longer.
“Go ahead.”
Ian came in, out of breath, worried, clearly not himself. He sat beside me and took my hand.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes,” I smiled, and he kissed my temple. “What did I miss?”
“I’m going to be studying with your brother.”
Ian immediately turned his gaze to Blaine. They stared at each other in silence for about two minutes, and I decided to break it.
“Am I missing something?”
Both of their eyes shifted to me. Blaine spoke first:
“Tell her.”
I stared at Ian.
“Tell her what?”
Ian scratched the back of his head, then said:
“Uh… how do you feel about coming to our place for the weekend? We’re going to a country house. My uncle doesn’t mind. What do you say?”
“Sounds like a good idea, I’d love to,” I said happily.
Ian smiled and took a sip of his tea.
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Blaine said, setting his tea on the table and heading to the door. I heard the click of high heels. A girl. Probably another one of Blaine’s flings.
“Ian, it’s for you,” Blaine said with a playful smirk, taking back his mug of tea.
What?! For Ian?! Leaving me alone with Blaine, Ian went into the living room.
“Blaine, be honest. What did you mean by ‘tell her’? ” I asked.
“Ian did tell you after all,” Blaine said, finishing his strong tea while trying not to look me in the eyes.
“Blaine, you didn’t mean that. You really think I’m stupid enough to fall for that?”
He looked shocked by my enthusiasm.
“You should go to Ian,” I said, leaving the kitchen.
Why does Blaine always show up at the most intimate moments and speak in riddles?!
I walked into the living room and saw a gorgeous girl with long, thick hair, wearing black leather leggings and a bare midriff. Her black hair was perfectly styled. Her appearance was flawless.
Ian spoke and greeted me, taking my hand.
“Aria, this is Darina. And this is my girlfriend, Aria.”
We shook hands. So that’s what Blaine meant. They were chatting animatedly about something, and Ian didn’t even notice me. There was nothing for me to do here, so I went back to the kitchen to grab my purse and saw Blaine coming down.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes.”
“But I hear the voice of his ex, so Ian isn’t going anywhere.”
“Bye, Blaine,” I said curtly. I stepped out of his house and immediately noticed the lake. I stopped, remembering that day. It looked so vast. The darkness outside was almost frightening.
“I don’t think it’s safe for a girl to walk here alone in this dark,” Blaine said, catching up to me and offering his jacket. I stared at him for a long moment.
“Maybe you should take the jacket,” Blaine extended his hand with it.
“Thanks.”
“How was your first day at work?”
“Thanks, it was good,” I exhaled, then added, “Why are you always with a new girl? What’s wrong with just one?”
“No one’s ever asked me that before,” Blaine smiled. “Today you called that girl my lady, but we’re just classmates. Kate and I get along well, but nothing more.”
“I don’t think she just had dinner with you as a friend tonight. She likes you,” I said, lightly nudging his shoulder with my fist. He stepped back to the side.
“Maybe.”
“Hey — are you hitting me?” Blaine smirked. “I’ll tell my brother you’re flirting with me.”
“What?! Me? Pfft, no way. Don’t even dream of it. Only in your fantasies.”
“Oh, come on. Even if I were the last man on Earth, you’d still sleep with me for the sake of future generations.”
“What?! Blaine! Go to hell!”
We both laughed.
At home it was strangely quiet — no one was there.
“Thanks for walking me home.”
He smiled back at me and left immediately.
Mom had left a note saying she’d be back in the morning — they’d gone away with Ian’s and Blaine’s uncle. I was alone all night. It was… unsettling. Almost scary.
The doorbell rang.
My heart started pounding; I grabbed the meat knife. The bell rang a second time. I crept toward the door and saw the handle begin to twitch. I yanked the door open and thrust the knife out in front of me.
“Aria, hey… what are you doing?”
Blaine raised both hands, as if surrendering.
“Aria, give me the knife,” he said, gently taking it from me and pulling me into a one-armed hug. He whispered in my ear, “It’s okay.”
Those crazy words I’d already heard twice.
I wrapped my arms around him and whispered,
“Blaine, please… stay with me.”
I pressed my face into his warm chest and felt his breath.
“Okay.”
I made us some cocoa while Blaine was in my room.
“Why haven’t you picked the wallpaper yet?” he asked, taking the mug of hot cocoa from me.
“I don’t know… I want something unusual. White walls just don’t work for me, but my imagination isn’t coming up with anything.”
“Try painting over this dull room with colors. Imagine how you’d like your life to be — any bright shade will do. It’ll be unusual.” He nudged me and made a satisfied little grin.
“You’re right! I just got an amazing idea in my head! Thank you for that!”
“If you need help, I’m always ready,” he said, looking pleased — but teasing me a little at the same time.
“There you go!” I grabbed a pillow and whacked him on the head with it.
“Hey! Wait!” he shouted, and I paused. Expecting him to protest, he grabbed a pillow himself and started hitting me with it. Laughter, shouting, and a pillow fight — something new.
“Okay, stop, I’m tired,” I panted through my laughter, a satisfied smile on my face. Blaine sat down on the floor and took a sip of his now-cool cocoa.
“Why are you sitting on the floor?”
“It’s way more comfortable here.”
I followed his lead, sitting down and leaning my back against the bed.
“What happened with your ex?”
I hadn’t expected Blaine to ask that question.
“I’m not ready to talk about that.”
He looked at me, studying my face closely.
The doorbell rang. I took a deep breath.
“I’ll get it,” Blaine’s voice said.
A familiar voice entered my head, and then Ian ran into the room. He dropped to his knees, cupped my face in his hands, and said,
“Aria, are you okay? Blaine said…”
“Yes,” I replied.
He hugged me. I noticed Blaine grabbing his jacket, getting ready to leave. He smiled and walked out of the room. I stood up and said,
“Thanks, Blaine.”
He smiled back at me. I closed the door and returned to the room. Ian took my hands.
“Aria, I’m sorry. We talked about that trip we both have to attend. Don’t ever leave like that again, okay? I was worried.”
“It’s okay,” I said with a smile, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
We sat on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, and Ian held me close.
“How was your first day at work?”
“Pretty good. And yours?”
“Wonderful.” He kissed my forehead, and we fell back onto the bed.
“I want to paint the walls with colors, Ian. Will you come with me and help pick them out?”
“Sure.”
“Ian, what did Blaine mean today when he said ‘tell her’?”
Ian studied my expression carefully.
“Darina decided again that we could be together. I explained to her over the phone that nothing can happen between us, because my heart belongs only to you. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? We haven’t known each other long, but it feels like I’ve known you forever.”
I leaned toward him and kissed him. Giggling, we fell asleep in the same position.
Sunlight streamed insistently into my room, and I woke up squinting from the brightness. Ian wasn’t beside me, but the smell in the air was incredible. Apparently, Mom had decided to surprise me with a delicious breakfast early in the morning.
I went to the kitchen and saw Ian at the stove, wearing Mom’s apron. That apron suited him way better than her. I laughed when I realized what he was up to. On the pan was a heart-shaped fried egg.
“Aria, go back to bed. You weren’t supposed to wake up this early,” he giggled.
I started laughing, and Ian took my hand, pulling me into his arms. I went willingly — this was my favorite place in the whole world.
I sent Mom a text:
“Mom, I’m at Ian’s. Where are you? Why are you taking so long to come back?”
The reply came instantly:
“We’re still held up. Ren said they’ll take you out of town for the weekend. Pack some warm clothes. Kisses.”
I quickly ran to the shower, and then we had breakfast. I put on light makeup and slipped into my go-to jeans and a pale scarlet blouse. When we got home, I immediately smelled something divine. Blaine was cooking — apparently, it ran in the family. I noticed a girl.
“Kate, right? Hi, I’m Aria.”
“Hi, you’re new here.”
We shook hands.
“Brother, what are you up to here?” Ian asked.
“Making a pie, but sorry, none for you,” Blaine greeted him with a sly smile.
“Then I’ll take yours,” Ian whispered, quietly approaching from behind and wrapping his arms around Blaine’s waist.
“Hey, what are you doing?!” Blaine shouted, laughing.
“Can’t remember the last time you cooked,” Ian added.
“Shut up,” Blaine said with a smile, grabbing plates and serving each of us a slice of pie.
“Aria, why did you move here?” Kate asked, and I immediately caught Blaine’s gaze.
I just shrugged.
“Felt like a change of scenery… to think about the future.”
From Blaine’s expression, I could tell he didn’t believe me.
“How’s the pie?” Blaine broke the silence.
“Edible… but could be better,” Ian teased him.
“Alright, you know what?” Blaine grabbed a huge half of the strawberry pie and flung it at his brother’s head. Blaine doesn’t miss. Squeals, shouts, and a chase ensued.
“Come here!” Ian ran after Blaine. I started laughing. Kate almost fell off her chair. We watched Ian emerge from the pie while Blaine was covered in cream. We all laughed, and then Kate and I realized they were coming toward us.
“Oh, no!” Kate yelled, and we ran from the boys. Ian grabbed my hand. I struggled at first, but soon gave in, and he kissed me. I was covered in pie. The laughter only brought back good memories.
“Let’s go to a café instead,” Ian laughed. Everyone eagerly agreed.
“Guys, it’s my shift now — I can serve you,” I admitted.
Blaine was driving, Ian sat beside him, and Kate and I chatted about everything under the sun. She told me a bit about how Blaine had to blush twice and Ian had laughed until he couldn’t breathe.
The guys ordered their meals, and I even had about twenty minutes to sit with them. For the full three hours I worked, they stayed in the café — though Ian nearly collided with a guy who was staring at me. Later, we all went to the mall to stock up on food for the trip out of town.
“Hey, who wants to ride in the cart?” Blaine asked with a mischievous grin, rolling a cart over to me.
“What? Me? Blaine!” I exclaimed in surprise.
“Blaine, she’s not going,” Ian said.
“Why not?” I protested, waving my arms, and climbed into the cart.
“Blaine, be careful,” Ian warned.
Blaine pushed the cart full speed, carrying me from the canned goods aisle all the way to the liquor section in another wing of the store. The wind tossed my hair in every direction, and I even managed to scream a little — but soon we were told off. Blaine would stop the cart by the tastiest shelves, handing me everything he could grab. The cart quickly filled up, and I had to hold some things in my hands because there was no more space.
When we reached the checkout, Blaine began unloading all the groceries.
“Scanning your girlfriend too?” the cashier joked.
“She’s priceless,” Blaine added, then shifted his gaze to his brother, who had just approached. Ian and Kate placed their groceries on the counter.
“You feeling okay?” Ian asked, lifting me out of the cart.
“Absolutely,” I said.
Blaine drove carefully, and I even liked how he kept his speed down — just the way I prefer it.
“Aria, where would you like to live?” Kate asked succinctly.
I looked at Kate, then through the rearview mirror, Blaine’s eyes met mine.
“I’d like to live by the sea. It’s the best place, in my opinion: to hear its roar day and night, breathe in its scent, walk along the shore and gaze into the distance. And to realize that far beneath the surface, so much is happening that we’ll never see or know. It’s like some great secret begins just beyond your doorstep… and you watch it all from a house that’s warm, dry, and cozy. Simply put, I want to live somewhere where no one can ever hurt me.”
Kate stared at my face with wide eyes, and Blaine watched me warily as well.
“What do you mean by ‘where no one can ever hurt you’? ” Ian asked, his voice tense, never taking his eyes off me.
“All this fuss isn’t for me. Anyone — even someone you care about — can hurt you. I don’t want that pain.”
“Know this: we’re always with you! And we’ll never let you go!” Kate exclaimed, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. Ian held me even tighter.
“What about the rest of you?!” Kate lightly shoved Ian in mock indignation.
“To build my own cozy home, where my family will live, and friends can come for the weekend. I’d like it to be abroad… even outdoors is fine,” Ian confessed.
“Kate, what about you?”
“I don’t have any specific wishes. I just want everyone to live with enough, in love, caring for each other and their family. I’ll agree with Ian — we should spend time together at least once a month. Blaine, your turn; you’re the only one who hasn’t opened up yet.”
“We’re here,” Blaine said, looking at all of us, and got out of the car.
“Has he always been such a jerk?” Kate muttered.
“Yeah,” Ian chuckled.
The guys carried six bags of groceries we’d picked up at the store into the house. We made it just in time, as heavy rain started pouring. Slush, dampness, everything felt miserable. Kate and I got to work unpacking and preparing food. Kate was heating popcorn in the microwave while I chopped ingredients for a Greek salad. The guys unloaded the rest of the groceries and parked the car.