“You may as well have just pissed all over him. Like a dog marking its territory.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in her voice. “Like I said, pathetic.” Taking a deep breath, I try to ignore the fact that I’m pretty sure she just called me a bitch without actually saying it.
“I can kiss my boyfriend whenever I want, Zara. It’s got nothing to do with you. I give zero fucks what you think.” I’m trying to take steady breaths to calm myself down. This party is to celebrate the birth of Annie, and I don’t want to cause a scene.
“Of course you don’t. That’s why you’re practically dry humping him on the side of the pool. You’re threatened by me, Aria, and you should be. Jack and I have a past, and if I’ve got anything to do with it, we’ll have a future as well. Watch your back.” My mouth drops open as she walks away from me, and I’m left wishing I’d slapped her when I had the chance.
Jack
“Hey, do you need a hand?” a voice asks. Looking over my shoulder, I see Zara standing in the doorway to the downstairs bathroom.
“I could have been peeing!” I exclaim as she walks in and closes the door behind her.
Leaning back against the door, she wriggles her eyebrows as her eyes sweep up and down my body. She bites down on her bottom lip and smiles. “Well, I’ve seen it all before, but I wouldn’t mind getting another look. It’s been a while.”
“You want to see me pee?” I ask as she crosses the small space to stand in front of me.
“That’s not exactly what I had in mind…”
“Zara,” I warn, turning away from her as I continue to get Jacob ready. The room is small with just a toilet, wash basin, and shower. With me, Jacob, and Zara in here, it’s pretty crowded. There’s no denying how beautiful Zara is. Even I can appreciate how good she looks in a bikini, but I feel nothing when I look at her, except maybe uncomfortable when she says inappropriate things like she just has.
“We had some good times, didn’t we? It wasn’t all bad, right?” Her hand touches my back and I sigh.
“Yeah, Zara, we did, but that was a lifetime ago. I’m with Aria now.”
“Really?” Her voice is dripping with sarcasm. “I never would have guessed.”
“What does that mean?” I turn around to face her, and her eyes drop to my chest again.
“Her little performance by the pool. Talk about marking her territory.”
I roll my eyes. “We’re together, Zara. She’s allowed to kiss me.”
“Oh, please. That show was for me. I’m not stupid.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. Most couples in a relationship are affectionate in public. Just because you never wanted me to kiss you…” I trail off, wondering why I’m even having this conversation with her. “We should get back.”
Her eyes finally leave mine and focus on Jacob. She’s been in the bathroom for at least five minutes, and it’s the first time she’s acknowledged him. “Hey, gorgeous. Did you have fun in the pool?” Jacob nods shyly. “Let’s get some food.” He cheers, his shyness disappearing at the mention of food. She picks him up and places him on her hip as she carries him out of the small space. I grab Jacob’s wet shorts off the floor and follow them out. By the time we get outside, everyone is either standing around the barbecue, eating and talking, or sitting on the decked area. Everyone except Aria. As my eyes sweep around the garden, I see her sitting on the edge of the pool, her legs dangling in the water. Grabbing two burgers from Josh, I head over, sitting down next to her.
“You okay?” She turns and smiles, taking the burger from my outstretched hand.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes though, and her voice sounds weird.
“Are you sure? Why are you sitting over here on your own?”
She shrugs. “No reason.”
“Let’s go and sit with everyone.” She nods, and I take her hand, pulling her up to stand.
Aria is quiet as we sit with Libby and Mason, and I can’t help but wonder what’s changed in the ten minutes I was inside. Zara comes over with Jacob, who sits on the floor next to Hope.
“Are you free for a ride tomorrow, Aria?” Sav asks as she comes to sit with us.
“I can in the afternoon. I have an excursion with Elijah in the morning.”
“The afternoon’s good.”
“Any chance I can tag along?” Zara asks. “I’ve never been on a horse before.”
Aria tenses beside me.