The Stepfather

Chapter 6

I knock on Owen's apartment door, holding my high heels. He opens it and looks at me concerned. "Aria. Are you okay?" He asks, wiping my tear stained cheeks.

"No. Can I spend the night?" I ask, sniffling.

"Sure. You take the bed. I'll take the couch." He says.

I nod, walking past him. He sleeps on the couch like he promised.

I wake up the next morning to him gently shaking my arm. "Good morning." He says, handing me a cup of tea.

I sit up, taking the cup. "Thanks. What time is it?"

"Six. I wasn't sure if you wanted to go to school or not." He says.

"No. Can you just take me home?"

"Sure. Come on." He says.

When I get home, I see Ryan laying at the couch, still in his clothes from last night. I drop my heels onto the floor, then sit on the edge of the couch. He moves closer to the back of the couch and pulls me down. "What about my mom?" I ask.

He pulls the blanket over me, hugging me against his chest. "She's at work." He says.

His hand slides down my side to my leg and pulls my leg up on him. His thumb rubs small circles on my thigh as he looks at me. "You still look beautiful." He says.

He kisses the tip of my nose and I smile. "You're not that bad looking, either."

"You know, I never got a dance last night." He says with a small smile.

"Oh no." I frown.

"Just one dance." He says.

"Only one." I say.

"Okay." He nods.

He pushes the blankets aside and we get up. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me to the big area in front of the front door. He pulls me against him and holds my hand, placing his other hand on my side. "What about the music?" I ask, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"We don't need it. This is perfect." He says, as we begin slowly dancing.

A long moment passes and I smirk. "What?" He asks.

"I got more action from your brother while we danced." I chuckle.

He shakes his head. "I'm really sorry about whatever he did. He's a real asshole sometimes."

"It's fine. I enjoyed it." I say jokingly as I loosely wrap my arms around his neck.

He raises his eyebrows. "Really? 'Cause it didn't seem like it last night."

"You're right." I agree with a small smile.

"So where did you go?" He asks.

"Last night?" He nods. "I walked to Owen's."

He stops dancing. "Where'd you sleep?"

"On his bed. He slept on his couch." I say.

He relaxes a little. "Oh."

"Nothing happened. There was no skin contact, whatsoever." I promise.

"Good." He sighs. "Your mother and I had a huge fight after last night so she made me sleep on the couch."

Good, I think. He tightens his arms around my waist, squeezing me gently. "I guess that's one dance." He says.

"I guess so." I nod.

"This dress looks tight. Let's go get you out of it."

I raise my eyebrows and smirk. He shakes his head. "Not yet." He says.