Chapter 3
I leaned against the shoe cabinet by the entryway, arms crossed. "So, what do you really want?"
He pulled out a chair and sat down, the bag rustling.
"What I said earlier is true," Aaron said, unpacking the barbecue with quick hands and lining up the food on a paper plate. "I've heard everything Ryan says about you in the dorm more than once."
"So what? Are you here trying to be my white knight or something?" I shot back.
"Not really," he said, locking eyes with me. "Yeah, I can't stand his crap, but that's not the only reason I hit you up."
"Then what is it?"
"You're pretty." He sounded so casual, like he was talking about the weather.
I was caught off guard for a second.
"The first time Ryan brought you to the dorm, I was right there," Aaron said, taking a bite of the barbecue. "You had on a white shirt, your hair pulled back, and when you smiled, your eyes were shining."
He paused for a moment. "My heart skipped a beat, and then Ryan introduced you as his girlfriend."
"So you kept it to yourself all this time?" I asked.
"Not really," he said, setting the food down and wiping his fingers with a napkin. "I never found the right moment.
"Yesterday, he was on speakerphone with Tracy in the dorm, bragging about how you bought him another pair of shoes worth over one thousand last week. They laughed for like ten minutes."
His jaw tightened for a second. "I couldn't take it anymore."
The living room went quiet for a few seconds. The ribbon hanging from the AC vent swayed gently in the airflow.
I walked over, sat down across from him, and grabbed a piece of food. "Do you know what you're doing right now?"
"What am I doing?"
"Taking advantage of someone when she's vulnerable."
He didn't deny it.
"I am." He nodded, eyes locked on mine. "Call it swooping in, taking advantage, kicking you when you're down, whatever you want. I'll admit to all of it. But at least I truly love you."
"You're twenty-two. What do you know about love?" I shot back.
"Ryan is twenty-two, too," he fired back. "He fooled you for a year and a half, and you never noticed. Does age really matter?"
His words stung.
He realized he'd hit a nerve and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh."
"It's fine," I said, chewing on the beef, the chili powder burning my tongue and the spicy kick shooting up my nose. "You're right."
I was indeed fooled by Ryan. For a year and a half, every moment of it had been an act. Not only had I failed to notice, but I'd enjoyed every second of it.
"Is he always talking about me like that when you guys are in the dorm?" I asked.
Aaron paused for a moment.
"It's not only talk," he said, tapping his fingers on the table. "He shows Tracy your texts, and they make fun of you together.
"When you send him a goodnight text, he takes a screenshot and sends it to Tracy, and she sends back a puke emoji."
The food slipped from my hand.
He glanced at me. "Want to hear more?"
"Go on," I said.
"Last month, for his birthday, you gave him that watch. He flipped it on a resale site for 9 thousand and spent the cash on a bag for Tracy."
My nails dug into my palm.
"He brags to his friends that you're the easiest woman he's ever met. He says all he has to do is act innocent, and you'll buy him anything."
The AC hummed in the background. I stared at the grease stain on the table, silent for a long time.
"Eva," Aaron said, his voice dropping a little.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"What are you going to do?"
I looked up. "What do you think?"
He leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretching out under the table, almost touching my feet.
He said, "If I were you, I'd make him beg for me to come back, and then shut the door right in his face."
"You sure know your way around this," I said.
"Picked it up after living with him for three years," Aaron replied, smirking. "Do the opposite of whatever he pulls on you."
I picked up my phone and scrolled through my chat with Ryan. The last thing he sent was, "I love you the most, Eva."
I turned the screen toward Aaron.
He glanced at it and snorted. "He has an entire folder of those emojis. They're organized by category. 'For acting cute', 'for asking for money', and 'for making up after a fight'."
I fell silent.
"It's true. I took screenshots. Want to see?" he said.
"You took screenshots?" I asked.
"I always keep receipts," he said, totally unfazed.
I looked at the guy who was six years younger than me and, for the first time, thought that maybe someone his age could be reliable.
Of course, he could also be another disaster waiting to happen.
"Alright," I said, setting my phone down. "I'm not making a move for now. You keep an eye on him for me."
"No problem."
"But I've got one condition."
"Go ahead."
"You said your abs are harder than his, and that you're stronger." I stood up and looked down at him. "I haven't tested that myself yet."
He froze for a second. Then he lifted his T-shirt.
He did get solid abs. Every muscle was sharply defined beneath the light, casting shadows across his stomach. A narrow line of muscle ran down from his chest toward his waist.
"Hard enough for you?" he asked.
I reached out and poked it.
It was rock solid.
"Hell yeah," I said.