Unveiling Destiny

Chapter 13: Aria

I lead Aria into the restaurant, pressing my hand into her lower back, incapable of not initiating physical contact with this addictive woman.

After pulling her seat out for her, we both sit at the table, looking at the menus.

"Want to split a bottle of wine?" I ask.

"Sure, that sounds great!" Aria responds. "But I definitely need food if we're drinking."

The waiter comes by and we put in our order. A comfortable silence settles over us for a moment, both of us drinking each other in, before I finally speak.

"Aria, I need you to be honest. Are you trying to kill me with your outfit? You're gorgeous in anything, but this," I gesture at her clothes, "is sexy as hell. It's not like anything I've seen you wear before."

She gives me a small smile. "My closet is all over the place. But a lot of it I haven't worn in a long time." She pauses for a moment, looking down and picking at her nails. "Ethan didn't like it when I wore anything too revealing. Nothing too tight, or too short, or too sexy. I've slowly been bringing some of my 'forbidden' pieces back out. Tonight seemed like a good time to bring back a couple of my favorites."

I drag my hand across my mouth, staring at her. Her shitbag ex controlled what she wore too? The more I find out about this guy, the more I want to cave his face in.

"Not to be too blunt, but your ex-boyfriend seems like he was not only a gigantic asswipe, but also a massively insecure coward."

She hums in response as the waiter shows up with our wine and two glasses.

Once we're situated, Aria grabs her glass of wine and fixes me with a hesitant gaze.

"Fiancé."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"My ex-fiancé," she responds quietly, her eyes turned down again.

"Oh! I'm sorry Aria, I didn't know."

She was engaged to this dick? No wonder she has so many walls up.

"It's okay." She pauses. "I mean, it's definitely not okay. What he did was not okay. But at least I didn't marry him, right?"

"Do you mind me asking what made you call it off?" I ask tentatively, wondering if she's ready to share more.

Aria nods, taking a deep breath. "I finally got proof of him cheating on me that I couldn't deny. Before that, I kept talking myself into less than logical reasons of why he wouldn't respond to my texts, wouldn't come home, and wouldn't sleep in our bed when he did." She shrugs, like it's no big deal.

As for me? I'm gut punched. I know the excuses. I know the feeling of reality sucker punching you in the face. But at least I wasn't engaged to be married. That's a whole different level of hurt.

"Aria, I'm so sorry he did that to you. But you dodged a bullet. I hope you believe that," I say, pouring sincerity into every word.

"I'm starting to." She looks at me over the top of her wine glass, smiling slightly as if I'm the one who's made her begin to believe.

I hope to God that's true.

Interrupting us again, the waiter delivers our entrees, and we eat, drink, and talk over the meal like we've known each other for years. Before I know it, our plates are clean, the wine bottle is empty, and the check is on the table. Aria reaches for her purse and pulls out her card. The second it hits the table, though, I push it back to her.

"I've got this one," I say.

"When you asked me out to The Barrel didn't you say how, since you asked me out, you were paying? Well, I asked you out, so it's only logical that this one's on me." With a smug look on her face, she pushes the card back as if she's already won the argument.