Page 23

Chapter 22

Aria

E wan hands me Jason's school bag, leaning his elbows on the rolled-down window of my white Mercedes.

His green eyes shine in the sunlight, the stubble on his face hiding what I know is a perfect jawline. Jason climbs into the backseat and says bye to his dad while I stare forward, anxiety hitting me at what I’ve been doing for the last few weeks with Tobias.

I feel guilty. Although we aren’t together, it still feels wrong to let another man touch me when I love someone else. I know Ewan would set the world on fire for me, so I just look like a horrible person.

He needs to know.

“I like your hair,” he tells me, gesturing to the fleshly dyed brown locks. “You haven't been brown since you were twenty.”

I force a nervous smile. “I needed a change.”

Correction, I needed Tobias out of my system, and he loved my blonde hair.

"Do I need to pick Jason up from school too?"

He shakes his head, and I nod, turning my engine on, making him step back. "Thanks again," he says, rubbing the back of his head. “I’ll speak to you later?”

“Sure,” I reply, and for the first time in a while, I want to speak to him. I want to see him. It could be the guilt strangling me, or maybe it’s the realization I may have messed up more than him.

"Ewan?" I call out as he turns back to his work building, the small metal container next to the construction site. He's wearing old clothes, rigger boots, and a streak of oil marks down the side of his face.

"Yeah?"

The sun shines in his eyes when he reaches my car, leaning into my window once more. His forest greens have specks of hazel, rimmed with a darker shade of green, completely captivating me for a long second before I shake it off. "Gabriella is away and she usually fixes it, but the washer is jammed again. Can you do it?"

"Of course. I'll come by later.”

I smile at him, the young, reckless boy I grew up with nowhere to be seen, replaced with a man, a new and improved Ewan. But that doesn't mean I forgive him or even want anything with him. I'd like to be friends. I enjoy being around him even if it's for the wrong reasons, especially when I feel a void caused by a certain someone. "I'll order food in."

"I don't want to overstep, Aria."

I huff, placing two hands on my steering wheel. "You aren't."

"But...Tobias? Gabriella told me."

I’m going to kill her.

My eyes momentarily leave his, and I look at my lap, chewing on my bottom lip. "I ended things with him." The look on his face makes me fight back a smile, something like relief washing over him, but he quickly glances away.

"I'll just come fix it and leave," he tells me, stepping back from the car. "I'll see you when I finish work."

"Thank you.”

"Good luck with your presentation. You'll smash it, as always," he continues, and my eyes meet his again for a split second.

I put my car in reverse and drive away, not daring to give Ewan one last look.

Jason is in the back, headphones on, listening to whatever music he downloaded onto his dad's old phone. He smiles at me in the mirror, and I return it, driving him to the school entrance, saying goodbye, and making my way to my presentation.