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

Serene tried to take a parental stand, saying “You can’t talk to me that way,” but then she noticed the look of exhausted irritation on Aria’s face and bowed out. “Fine. Come on, Tristan. We’ll come back when she’s high on vicodin.”

Though Aria’s mother was plenty willing to abide by her daughter’s sudden attitude, Tristan was less than thrilled. He ducked down to Aria and gave her a kiss. “It’s okay for me to be worried about you.”

This seemed to work on Aria who sorted a little. “I know, but I’m fine. Please, just some time with my best friend is really what I need right now.” He accepted that then, nodding and standing up to leave. I couldn’t help but stick out my tongue in victory as he trudged out, muttering about going to be with Hannah, the only person who really appreciated him, and left. “Close that door, and lock it.”

I did as she asked, sliding the door shut and twisting the lock, then I walked over and sat in the armchair where I often sat and slept when I was over, sliding it right up to the edge of the bed so that I could be close to Aria and share Hazelnut.

“You should be easier on them, you know? They’re just super worried about you,” I said.

“Well so are you, but you’re not hanging all over me like I’m incapable of taking care of myself,” she replied.

“Only because I don’t wanna get my head bitten off,” I responded, then nodded my head towards her pills. “You really should take more pain meds, or you’re gonna be twice as frustrated in about twenty minutes.”

She picked up the water and pills her mom left and took them before pointing at her ankle, “Can you help me get a pillow under my ankle too, please? It hurts.” I laughed, but didn’t comment and helped prop a couple of pillows under Aria’s ankle before settling back down into my chair. “So, have you heard from Hannah yet?”

“Casually, just to check on you and stuff, but no relationship-y type stuff,” I said. “I don’t know. I was super hopeful that it was heading in that direction, but now all of a sudden it seems like she might be bailing on me.”

“Do you really think so?” Aria said. “That conversation we had, I was so certain she was going to go for it with you.”

“What exactly did she say again?”

“Well, she didn’t so much say anything, as much as she showed everything. I asked her what she was going to do with what I’d said and she just got this huge smile on her face. She didn’t say anything else about you before she left, but she was kind of glowing the entire time. I assumed that meant she’d decided to go for it with you and was really excited about it.”

Despite what Hannah and I had decided about it being all or nothing, in the wake of having a single, reasonable conversation, we found ourselves drawn to one another again. It was nothing like the way it used to be, mostly because of the elephant in the room, but we were at least texting casually. What usually started out as Hannah texting to ask about Aria, generally turned into typical conversation, catching up or reminiscing about old times.

“In all honesty, when she was texting me, it felt like she was just using you as an excuse to initiate contact. She could ask Tristan about how you’re doing, it doesn’t have to be me.”

Aria held up her hands. “Hey. I’m fine being used for that.”

I sighed. “But it hasn’t led anywhere. Do you think she’s doing the whole taking the dog out to the pasture to run around for one last time before putting it down, thing? You know, giving me a little taste of what it might be like if we were gonna be together because she knows she’s gonna just let me down in the end?”

“I really don’t think so,” Aria said. “I just don’t get what’s taking so long.”

“Yeah, and I still have Y.I.I.P. to think about,” I said.

Aria furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m obviously not going to go if Hannah wants to get back together.”

Aria’s jaw hit the bed. “What? Why?”

“We can’t go from this to a long-distance relationship. That would be doomed before it even took off. If she wants to be together, then I’ll have to figure some things out. Find a school here that I can apply to late or something.”

Aria let out a groan. “Wow.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Aria,” I pressed.

“I mean…” She sighed. “That just sucks, you know? Does it really have to be one or the other. Y.I.I.P. is such a good opportunity for you. If Hannah wants to get back together with you, no one is going to be more excited for you than I am, but you may not get another chance like that again. Nothing here is as awesome as that, besides what about getting out of here and going someplace more open-minded?”

“Yeah, I know, but I can’t walk away from Hannah. If I was going to do that, I never would have broached the subject of getting back together in the first place.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I know that giving up on Y.I.I.P. would be throwing away a really excellent opportunity, but so would giving up on Hannah. I’ve got this incredible chance to be with the love of my life again, I don’t want to mess that up.”

I could see the look of disappointment on Aria’s face. After all the hard work that she put in helping me apply for it, she was probably almost as excited to see me go as I was. I didn’t want to let her down, but I also knew if I ran off to New York even if Hannah and I got back together, our relationship would not survive that, and