I Love You More Than I'm Afraid (Our Forevers #2) by Rebel Hart (the first e reader .txt) 📕

drink coffee, you know that, and I’m sure Aria wouldn’t have turned down a coffee, but I didn’t really have her in mind. I knew you had a rough night so I figured you could use a pick-me-up.”

I smiled, feeling the coffee warm my hands through the cup. “I do. Thank you.”

Maybe it was petty to be happy that Tristan went out of his way to get something for me specifically without considering Aria, but it did. He also wasn’t wrong, I didn’t get much sleep at all. I was up the first half of the night waiting to hear from Tristan whether or not Aria had been successful in retrieving Arden from The Undersound.

I spent the second half of the night lamenting the fact that she’d been successful where I had failed. It wasn’t like I expected Arden to just drop everything and listen to me, but it would have made me feel at least a little better if she also hadn’t listened to Aria. Tristan was confident it would work though, and as much as I hated it, I was too.

It was irritating being glad that Arden was okay, but annoyed that she’d listened to Aria. She wasn’t much different from me, deferring to Aria so much more than she ever did me. Then again, I didn’t really have anyone to blame for that but myself.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” Tristan asked. He reached around me to pull out the books and materials he knew I’d need for my first couple classes, since I’d failed to do so in the ten or so minutes I’d been standing there.

“Not really,” I replied honestly. “I tried, honest, but after you called me it just… didn’t really happen.”

He frowned as he shut my locker and handed my things over to me. “I considered not telling you until this morning for that reason.”

I shook my head. “That would have been worse. Honestly, I think I was bound to lose sleep last night regardless. It’s okay. I appreciate you letting me know.” I took a few steps towards Tristan and set my head on his chest. “This sucks.”

He wrapped his arms around my back and rubbed gently, the morning snuggle much needed. “I know. I mean, I don’t really know, but I can see it’s hurting you, and I’m sorry about that. Is there anything I can do?”

I let his familiar smell and soothing voice calm my racing nerves. “I don’t think so. I just have to fight through to the end of the year. Graduation and getting away from here will be good for me.”

“Have you decided where you’re going yet?”

I’d fought for perfection my entire school career. I hated disappointing my parents, mainly because they were trained emotional assassins. There was always someone doing better, with a smarter, prettier kid. If I didn’t get straight As or look like someone’s trophy wife waiting to happen, I had to hear all about all of the families at church who had kids with more promising futures. I relied on my parents so much more than I cared to admit, and they were so much more agreeable when I was doing everything they expected of me, including being a superstar in school.

For this reason, I pretty much had my pick of schools once I graduated. I’d applied to a dozen or more schools all across the country, but of course my parents wanted me to go to a conservative Christian college about ten minutes from my home. My mom even suggested I live at home during school to save money.

I’d rather chew my own arm off with dull teeth.

Graduating was going to be my escape. From the politics of being a popular, pretty girl. From the stress of constantly trying to achieve my parents’ impossible to reach standards. From the pain of my former relationship with Arden.

And god willing, as far from Aria as I was humanly able to get.

“No,” I said. “I mean, California doesn’t sound too bad. I actually got accepted to a school in Hawaii too.”

“Hawaii?” Tristan said, his bass reverberating through his chest and massaging the side of my face. “You weren’t lying when you said you wanted to get away from here.”

I snickered. “No. I want out.”

“Good morning!”

I snatched backwards out of Tristan’s grip as quickly as I could when I heard Aria’s voice. My heart started pounding in my chest, and I could feel my face burning.

Tristan frowned. “What was that for?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” Then I looked over at Aria, getting gut-punched at the sight of Arden slinking just behind her. “Morning.”

Aria offered me a bright smile and then looked down at the cup of coffee in my hand and frowned. It gave me a quick sense of pride as I thought she was jealous, but then she lifted her hand and she had a coffee carrier in her hand with three cups in it.

She looked up at Tristan with a sigh. “Great minds think alike.”

He laughed. “I guess so.”

She pulled one of the cups out and handed it over to me. “Light roast with hot cocoa and vanilla, right?”

She was upset to see that I had a coffee because she’d gotten me one too? Why was this woman so disgustingly perfect?

“Yeah,” I said with a forced smile, taking the second cup. “Thanks.”

“Sorry, I realize that’s a lot. I won’t feel offended if you chuck it,” she said, then grabbed another cup from the carrier and lifted it up to Tristan. “Peppermint hot cocoa.”

Tristan’s face lit up. “You found some? They usually only do it for the holidays.”

“You can find it if you know what to ask for,” she responded with a wink.

Tristan shook his head and smiled. “Aw. I love you.”

She giggled. “I love you too.”

She pulled the last cup out for herself and ditched the carrier, and my eyes drifted over to Arden. She had a cup in her hands too, and I noticed the clear signs of a hangover all over