Jersey

Two

Scarlett's POV

My eyes are wide as I stare at him, "Ares.." I murmur, "Please tell me you're joking." He sighs, and leans back into the booth, looking away from me. His jaw is clenched, a tick pulsing as he grinds his teeth. "Why would I be joking right now? About that?" His voice is hard, as he looks back at me, "is it really crazy to think I could like you?"

I drop my head into my hands, "Can we just.. Not talk about this right now? Can we eat, then talk when we get back into the truck?" My head is pounding from his confession, he's my best friend. What the hell is he thinking? But, he lets out a sigh, "Yeah we can do that. But, Scarlett, I really meant it when I told you I don't want this to ruin anything between us."

This is not what I was expecting to come from his mouth, I love him. I do, but in that way? It's never occurred to me that we would ever be anything but friends. We've been there for eachother all our lives. Wouldn't this have been something he felt in high school, or something? Finally, I look up at him, "I know, I know. We'll talk about this later, okay? I need to process this." He nods in understanding, but he won't meet my gaze anymore.

Thankfully, Hazel walks over with our food and drinks. Noticing the tension, and Aphrodite alerting my racing heart, she sets the food down, "Everything okay?" She murmurs. Sighing softly, I nod, "Yeah, everythings fine. Ares and I just have something to talk about later." Recognition flashes across her face, and I frown at her, "You knew about this?"

"Um, yeah," she smiles apologetically, "but you would have wanted me to keep it to myself if the roles were reversed." She explains softly, "I'm going to ring you guys out, so you can just go whenever you're ready. Just take Aphro back to our dorm, okay?" Nodding, I look to Aphrodite, petting her as a reward for alerting my heart rate. I can't even be mad at Hazel, she's right. She would keep the same secret for me, "Yeah. I'll see you at home. Thanks." I say softly.

She walks away, forcing me to look back at Ares. His expression is stormy as he digs into his food. My heart aches as he avoids me, making me swallow back my emotions and focus on my own food.

-

Our dinner drags by, neither of us talking to each other. We finish our food, Ares grabbing Aphrodite's leash and walking outside. "Stay here, I'll bring the truck around," he speaks, gruffly before walking into the rain, the dog trailing after him.

Sighing, I lean against one of the pillars watching him walk rather than his typical jog. Why would he suddenly have feelings for me? His usual bright blue eyes were so dim, almost gray, giving away just how upset he actually is. This isn't how I want to see him, so upset. His happiness means too much to me, but reality tells me this isn't something I can jump into out of my feeling of dread.

Our parents used to tease us, saying we'd be married one day. We've been attached at the hip since before we could walk. All I know is I don't want to be the one to break his heart. Maybe this is just a fluke, maybe he'll realize how absurd this is. If we were to do this, and break up, it would destroy our friendship.

Groaning, I pull at the end of my hoodie sleeves in stress. Before I can dive too deep into my thoughts, Ares pulls his truck to the side of the diner, letting me hop in. Noticing the seat warmers already on, I just lean back into it, "When did you realize you had feelings for me?" My voice comes out softly.

Ares takes a deep breath, as if expecting me to get angry with him, "Since junior year of college," he murmurs, my brows furrowing. "Ares, we're seniors. You didn't think to tell me that earlier? You've had feelings for me this entire time, and pretended everything was normal." My tone is accusatory, but I can't help it. This is insane.

He groans, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel as he grips it tighter, "what was I supposed to do, Scar? I thought over time my feelings would go away. I didn't want to mention it, just for them to go away." I swallow, my throat suddenly tight, "You should've mentioned it, that's not something you should've kept from me."

"I know," he sighs, "I know, but I didn't want it to turn into something and hurt either of us if it had a chance of going away." His voice sounds almost pained, my heart hurting for him all over again. He glances at me, "Don't look at me like that, like you feel bad for me."

"I don't feel bad for you, I'm just trying to understand why you didn't just come talk to me. We're not supposed to keep secrets, Ares." My voice is shaky, I don't understand it. We've always talked about everything.

"Scarlett," he begins, gentler than before, "What if I told you, then my feelings fizzled out because it was a moment of being unsure? You could've gotten attached, and it would've broken your heart. I was protecting the both of us. But, I can't deny it anymore. The feelings haven't gone away."

My throat tightens once more, and I take a shaky breath, "I can't give you an answer right now. Not the one you want, I need to process this. Please just give me that time." I plead softly, hugging my own waist. To find some type of comfort in this moment.

"I can do that, Scar. What about this? We can make a deal." He proposes as he steps out of his truck after parking. Walking around and opening the passenger door, he helps me out. I take Aphrodite's leash into my hand, turning to look at him with a pleading gaze, "I-I don't know what I want, Ares. Please, don't make this complicated." I beg, my eyes welling in tears.

He sighs, and looks down at me, "Alright, I won't. The choice is yours, if you decide that this is what you want.. Then you'll be in the front row of the season kick off, wearing my jersey." Then, he gets back into his truck without giving me a chance to respond.