ARIA'S POV
I stormed out before I could slam the door harder than I already had, muttering curses under my breath that didn’t even make sense. My hands were shaking. My chest was tight. God, I hated him.
"What the hell was he thinking?" I hissed to myself as I marched down the hall. "Oh—‘don’t take it to heart,’ like that makes it better. Like I’m some i***t who doesn’t feel anything."
The audacity, the stupid arrogance. He acted like wrapping his arm around me was nothing, like I was nothing.
And yet—my throat betrayed me, tightening. My stupid heart twisted like it wanted to leap back into that room. Because the truth? For one breath, one fragile second before I woke, it had felt good. Too good and safe.
I hated that more than anything.
I leaned against the cold wall, pressing my p
