Ariella never saw Mike like a brother; she only loved his goofball personality and flair for creativity. Mike never dreamed that bubbly and fierce Ariella would be interested in him. Once she confesses she's crushed on him for years, Mike staunchly...
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A tousled Ari peeks her head into Luke's bedroom with a big smile aimed at me. "Morning!"
I toss my sketchbook down and tuck my pencil behind my ear. "Hi there, Bright Eyes. Where've you been?"
She glances at a sleeping Luke as I ease off his computer chair. "I slept at AJ's last night."
"Wait, what? I thought you were going to bed when we split."
"I did go to bed, but I got an emergency call last night from AJ."
"Shoot. Is he okay?"
"Yeah, it was about Gray, actually. He was having a full-on meltdown and they needed backup, so I drove over there super late."
I suck in a quiet breath and remain neutral, stepping closer to her so I can wind my arms around her waist. "Hope everything's okay."
"Everything's okay," she says, interlocking her fingers around the back of my neck. "He's been having a hard time on the anniversary of his dad passing away."
"I thought we could spend the day together. Whaddya say? We could do anything you felt like, and I'll pay for everything."
The corner of her mouth tugs down as she frowns. "That sounds amazing, but I already have plans."
My chest rises and falls with a heavy sigh. "Let me guess."
She nods, twisting her mouth. "Ella, AJ, and Grayson are coming over in an hour."
Dropping my hands, I puff out my cheeks and drag my hands through my hair. "Really. Ari? We haven't even been on a second date because you never have time for me."
"Wait, Michael," she says, touching my chest. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not a fan of this fucking situationship. I want you to be my girlfriend, not just some girl I sometimes hang out with. There are a lot of girls out there that I could hang out with, but I want you. And you want to spend all your time with other guys."
"Excuse me?" She juts out her neck, her eyebrows knit together. "There are a lot of girls out there that you could chill with? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
I pinch my lower lip. "That came out wrong. But you know damn well if the situation was reversed, you'd be annoyed that I was hanging out with Cynthia instead of you."
"Cynthia hasn't been your friend since you were kids."
"Yeah," I mutter, tipping my face to the ceiling. "But you and I have been."
Ariella sighs, covering her cheeks, then grins, looking at her brother from the corner of her eye. "How is it that he can sleep through this fight?"
I give, breaking into a laugh, and tug her closer by her hips. "Kiss me, and tell me I'm not crazy."
