Aflame - Scarlet Love Series by Talita Lawrence

Author:Talita Lawrence [Lawrence, Talita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

Austin

“Why didn’t you say anything to me? I would’ve believed you.”

I was livid. Not at Aria, but at Geneva. Because it seemed that she didn’t just almost break me, but she also broke Aria. Most of all, she broke Aria and me, together. And that was unforgivable.

“Because it was the truth,” she whispered, completely avoiding my gaze.

“What was the truth? That you...” Then it slammed into me. She had been in love with me in high school. And I had no fucking idea at all.

“Ar, did you like me back then?” I asked gently. I needed to know. It made all the difference in the world, and it would explain everything.

She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. I smiled, prying her hands off her cheeks.

“I wish you’d said something. I wish I knew. But most of all, I wish you’d told me about Geneva back then. I’ve wasted so much time on her—time I should’ve spent with you.”

Because I gave her all of my firsts. And it should’ve been you.

Ar gasped, and then she finally looked at me. Her eyes were still marred with tears, but there was something else in there, too.

“She didn’t deserve you,” Ar whispered.

We looked at each other wordlessly, the atmosphere thick with emotion.

“She was a huge mistake. I wish I’d known—wish I didn’t waste ten years of my life on her,” I said bitterly.

“I suspect that she sent those pictures of me to the tabloids as payback. I gave her hell when she tried to mess with me yesterday.”

I knew Ar would’ve outclassed her times a hundred.

“That’s my girl.” I reached out to wipe a tear off her cheek.

We kept looking at each other with building intensity.

“You’re beautiful, Ar. You’re so incredibly beautiful now, but you were beautiful back then, too.” I tried to find the right words, while a demure smile curved around her lips.

“And I guarantee, two days from now, no one will even remember these photos. Not that it’s anything to be ashamed of, because, let’s be honest, we all have a couple of high school photos we wish didn’t exist.” I tried to make her feel better, but all I could think about was how fucking much I wanted to kiss her again. She was sitting so close to me...

“Except for you, because you’ve always shone, Austin,” she said softly.

I smiled at her, flattered that she thought that highly of me.

“Don’t you remember when I wore braces when I was thirteen? Shit—if those photos ever surfaced, teenage girls the world over would rip my poster off their walls.” I tried to make a joke to make her smile.

Aria laughed out loudly. “I remember. But you’ve always stood out regardless,” she insisted.

I shook my head at her, pulling her in closer to me, leaning in slowly.

“Did you watch the interview on television last night?” I asked.

“I saw the performance…you were great, Austin. You gave so much of yourself on that stage that I felt every word inside here.” She smiled while placing her hand on her heart.

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