Chapter 136
Aria’s POV
Playing dead was no longer an option.
His voice came through the phone: “Aria, are you… still there p>
My hands couldn’t help but tremble.
I stared at the call log, my face burning like fire. How could I have accidentally called him at that exact moment? He must have heard everything… heard me calling his name, and my moaning p>
I bit my lip and hesitated for a few seconds before finally answering.
“Sounds like you really miss me, Aria.” His voice was low and magnetic, and I could hear the amusement in it.
“I… that… it’s not what you think!” I stammered defensively. “I looked at several photos of handsome guys with Lillian today, so I was a bit… you know… couldn’t control myself p>
“Is that so?” His tone was full of doubt. “So you were calling out my name just now p>
“Well… I do that all the time, okay! I’ve called out other men’s names before too!” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I immediately regretted it. It made me sound promiscuous.
There was silence on the other end for a moment, then came his low voice: “When I get back, we’ll have a proper discussion about this issue p>
That tone sent chills down my spine.
I quickly hung up and buried my face in my pillow, letting out a desperate scream. This was so embarrassing!
Soon after, Lillian called.
“You sound like you just experienced the apocalypse,” Lillian observed. “What happened p>
I told her about the embarrassing experience in detail, including the accidental call and my pathetic excuses.
“So,” she said, barely containing her laughter, “you told your husband that you regularly call out other men’s names when masturbating? My God, Aria, are you serious p>
“I panicked!” I groaned, covering my face. “Do you think he’ll believe it p>
Lillian burst into laughter: “Not a chance. I bet he’s booking the earliest flight back right now to handle this ’emergency situation p>
“Stop joking around, this is so embarrassing,” I complained.
“Seriously though,” Lillian suddenly became earnest, “why can’t you just admit you miss him? What’s so shameful about that? He’s your husband p>
“You don’t understand I hesitated. “Our marriage… it didn’t start because of love. And I always feel like he just enjoys having sex with me p>
“But it’s different now, isn’t it?” she continued. “You’ve fallen for him p>
“Aria, there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging your feelings. If you miss him, tell him p>
“I… I don’t know.” I shook my head, not wanting to face that reality. I didn’t want to be the one who fell in love first, because that could very likely lead to getting hurt.
“Alright, enough of this. I need to get ready to go out p>
I composed myself and got out of bed.
Forty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the plaza. The enormous archway at the entrance reminded passersby that today was Valentine’s Day.
On this special day, I was actually going with Lillian, this perpetually single woman, to a bar to watch handsome men perform pole dancing!
I slumped into my chair at the restaurant, still mortified about the phone incident. Lillian sat across from me, barely containing her amusement as she sipped her cocktail.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I groaned, hiding behind my menu. “I can literally see you smirking p>
“I’m sorry, but your face is still so red,” Lillian chuckled. “You really told Aiden you regularly call out other men’s names? That’s a new level of panic response p>
I peeked over my menu. “What was I supposed to say? ‘Oh hey hubby, I was just getting myself off thinking about you?’ God, I wanted to disappear p>
The waiter approached, and I quickly ordered a virgin mojito. After the catastrophe with Claire’s “special punch” last time, I wasn’t risking alcohol tonight.
“You know,” Lillian said once we were alone again, “most husbands would be thrilled to know their wife fantasizes about them p>
“It’s complicated,” I muttered, tracing patterns in the condensation on my water glass. “I don’t want him thinking he has that kind of power over me p>
“The power to make you horny?” Lillian raised an eyebrow. “Honey, he already knows p>
“That’s not what I meant!” I hissed, glancing around to make sure nobody heard. “I mean the power of knowing I… I p>
“Miss him? Have feelings for him? Want more than just his body?” Lillian filled in the blanks mercilessly.
The waiter returned with our drinks, giving me a moment to compose myself.
“Our marriage wasn’t supposed to be like this,” I finally said. “It was a business arrangement. Revenge against Liam. A way to shut everyone up. Now I’m lying in bed calling his name and… God, I’m pathetic p>
“You’re not pathetic,” Lillian reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “You’re human. And from what I’ve seen, Aiden cares about you more than you think p>
“You didn’t hear his voice,” I shuddered. “When he said ‘we’ll discuss this when I get back Lil, I’m scared p>
“Of what? That he’ll punish you?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Stop it!” I threw a napkin at her, but couldn’t help laughing. “I’m scared of him figuring out how I feel before I even understand it myself p>
I stared into my drink, watching the mint leaves swirl. “trusting someone with my heart again feels impossible p>
I glanced up at Lillian across the table, her knowing smile making me squirm in my seat.
“Let’s be honest, Aria. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?” Lillian said, hitting the nail right on the head.
Friends for years – of course she’d see right through me. I sighed, swirling my virgin mojito.
“I guess I’m just… once bitten, twice shy,” I admitted.
I’d used up every ounce of courage I had on Liam Getting out of that relationship had been hard enough Now I’m relieved I can still feel something for someone else, that I actually have feelings for Aiden. But I’m the one falling first again, and it terrifies nie. What if history repeats itself?
Lillian watched me with sympathy in her eyes. She knew I hadn’t fully recovered from my last heartbreak, though I rarely talked about it, and she never pushed.
“Have you considered,” she said carefully, leaning forward, “that maybe Aiden has feelings for you too p>
I was tracing menu items with my pencil when she said this. My hand slipped, and the pencil tip snapped clean off.
“Don’t tell ghost stories in broad daylight,” I muttered.
Lillian laughed. “Aria, you really have zero confidence, don’t you p>
I handed the menu back to her, shaking my head. “It’s not about confidence p>
It’s about Aiden not being that kind of man!
“Then what is it about?” she pressed.
“Does Aiden strike you as the type to pine away in secret?” I challenged.
Lillian considered this for a moment, then vigorously shook her head. “You’re right. I guess my best-friend bias was showing p>
I snorted softly, then added, “Though I suppose… in my dreams, I can imagine it p>
God, that was embarrassing. I felt my face heating up just saying it out loud.
Lillian clicked her tongue. “Just that? In your dreams? Aria, you’re playing it way too safe p>
Of course her mind would go straight to the gutter!
Since it was Valentine’s Day, the city was buzzing with events. After lunch, we wandered around until dinnertime. Lillian had made reservations at some trendy
restaurant was packedel
it and
though we didnt have to wait for a table, the service was slow. By the time we finished dinner, it was already past seven.
We’d talked about going to a club to
check out cute guys, but Lillian was all talk. When it actually came down to it, she’d get embarrassed. We
ended up at a quierounge ent
instead
just to soak in the holiday atmosphere.
The lounge was surprisingly crowded for Valentine’s Day. The vibe was much better than a club—a guitarist played folk songs while soft lighting bathed the room.
I ordered an orange soda and sat with Lillian in a booth, listening to the music.
The lounge was running a Valentine’s promotion: every half hour they randomly selected a man and woman to exchange contact information. If they agreed, their tab was covered. It wasn’t mandatory, just a fun little game.
Lillian’s eyes lit up when she heard about it. “At least they’re thinking about us single dogs p>
She glanced at me with a smirk. “Not that you need it. You already have a husband p>
I felt awkward hearing that. Thinking of Aiden, I impulsively took a photo and sent it
to him: [IMAGE] We’re at a lounge. Not checking out guys, promise.
Was that too obvious? Should I delete it?