My Life In Pieces (Book #1)

Chapter 21

I set Ari down on his bed and told him to wait while I went to Elle's room to get my bag. I stopped by their washroom as they like to call it on my way back to Ari's room. I grabbed a washcloth and wet it with cold water. I walked back into Ari's room and shut the door.
His knuckles were bloody and swollen. I wasn't sure whose blood there was more of on his hand, his or Tyler's. I used the washcloth to wipe his hand clean and then wrapped it around his knuckles to help with the swelling.

Ari remained silent and refused to make eye contact. I was okay with that for the moment. I went into his closet to change. I found a long t-shirt of his and put it on over my bra and panties.
I grabbed a pair of sleep shorts out of my bag and put them on too. My boobs hurt from my underwire so I decided to slip it off. The t-shirt was baggy enough Ari might not notice.
There was a mirror on the door so I grabbed a wet wipe out of my bag and wiped my face off as best as I could. I walked out of the closet to Ari taking his shirt off.

This was new territory for us. I saw the muscles in Ari's shoulder blades pulse. He looked like he worked out, but I wondered when since it wasn't in Gym. He'd already taken his shoes and socks off while I was in the closet.

Ari disappeared into the closet for a minute and came back out in only a pair of basketball shorts.

He looked down at me and shrugged, "I usually sleep in less. Is this okay for you or do I need to get a shirt on?"

"No that's fine. I stole your shirt anyways." I quipped though I knew he owned plenty more.

Ari stepped back to look and take me in. He seemed to just notice what I was wearing. Or not wearing.

"It looks a lot better on you."

I blushed and he moved silently to peel back the covers of his queen sized bed and climbed in. Ari lifted the covers inviting me to join him under the blanket.

I tried not to show how nervous I was as he tucked in the covers around us. Ari was being polite and 'keeping some room for Jesus' as Jordan would have said.

"Have you ever slept in a bed with a guy?"

I deflected his question with a question, wanting to know his answer first, "Have you slept in a bed with a girl?"

I wasn't expecting this talk to come up so soon.

The light from Ari's window lit up his face enough for me to see it. He had a small smirk on his face. "Yeah I have."

"Other than your sisters?"

That made him laugh, "Yes little Harrison, Emily wasn't my sister."

Emily? I hadn't heard that name before.

Ari seemed to read my mind, "She was my girlfriend last year. We dated for six months, ending after Spring Break when I realized I needed someone who could use their mouth for conversation as well as they used it for... other stuff. "

Other stuff?

I wondered how far 'other stuff' meant? Patrick and I made it as far as third base and somehow I had been feeling embarrassed by that lately. Like I had done something wrong. It was hard trying to feel comfortable in my own skin, much less talk about what I had done in the sheets already.

I realized Ari was still waiting on my response to the question and seemed to be gauging my response to his answer.

"Yeah, I've spent the night in a bed with a guy. My ex step brother Patrick."

I wasn't sure how Ari would react to that.

He chuckled, "Oh come on that doesn't count. I mean have you slept with a guy where stuff actually happened?"