“I know I should be more frightened, or even face what happened with more seriousness, but Shane got there, and to tell you the truth I can’t remember much of it. I was having a great time one minute, and then the next, my head felt all foggy. I knew enough to know someone had slipped me something, so I made a beeline for my car and called Shane. The rest of the night is really fuzzy…” Lia trailed off.
“Well, I’m here for you if you need a friend. With these macho men in your life, you may think that you have to be stronger than you really feel, but it’s OK to admit it when you’re scared,” Ari said as she took Lia’s hand.
“You are a great person, Ari. I’m so glad to have met you. My family means the world to me, but they’ve always been so over-the-top protective that sometimes I do stupid things just to rebel against it all. I’m not saying they are wrong; I just want them to accept the fact that I’m no longer a little girl. I love being a woman, and I’d love it even more if Shane would notice I’m all grown up. I’m sure you think I’m acting immature, but if you had put up with this the way I have for so many years, you’d have gone a little crazy, too,” Lia admitted with a deep sigh.
“I have to admit I covet your life a little. My father was a drunk who ran off before I was old enough to even remember his face. I probably shouldn’t even touch alcohol, but sometimes it’s nice to just take a step back from reality. I was always the good girl, partly to make up for the fact that my mom gave so much for me, and partly because I’m highly competitive — even with myself — and there are times I find myself breaking free, too, trying to experience all the things I missed. I’d give anything to have a big, loving family. You may feel smothered, but you truly are one of the lucky ones.”
“I’m so sorry about your dad, Ari. Ugh. That’s terrible. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up without a dad — but your mom must really be something because you turned out so well. I do know how fortunate I am to have been raised in my family... I just wish I could have my big, loving family and a few hot nights with Shane, as well,” she said with a wicked smile.
“Lia!” Ari gasped as she looked toward the door.
“Oh, please don’t start lecturing. It’s not as if you haven’t had some steamy nights of your own — speaking of which, how are things going with my brother, dearest?”
Ari ignored the question, wanting to get away from this topic as quickly as she could. She went to the sink and cooled Lia’s washcloth again before stepping back to the bed. Lia suddenly groaned as if she were in severe pain.
“What can I do? Is there anything I can get you?”
“Some ice water would help,” Lia moaned.
Ari failed to see the piercing brightness and the twinkle in Lia’s eyes.
“Here you go,” Ari said while handing over the water. “When do the doctors think you can return home?”
“You have to talk to me about anything other than this hospital or my ailments. I don’t know when I get to leave, and keeping my mind off all this stuff is the only thing that will make me feel better,” Lia pouted.
Ari paused for a minute as she tried to switch gears. “I got to spend a day in Central Park —”
“Noooooo!” Lia whined pitifully, “I’ve seen Central Park a thousand times. Tell me about you and Rafe. Are you guys all hot and heavy? Does he rock your world?”
“Lia! I can’t believe you. Not even an entire day has passed since you were brutally attacked, and all you care about is my sex life. Priorities!” Ari scolded.
“This is a priority. A serious one. You weren’t there when Sharron ripped his heart out, then stomped on it a few times for good measure. Rafe was different then — kinder. I know he’s a bit of a pig now, but I still see my big brother underneath it all. He’s inside — just waiting for someone to free him. You don’t know me that well, but since you’ve stepped into his life, I’ve seen him emerging — returning to the person I always idolized.”
Ari mentally shook her head. Rafe didn’t care about her; he just wanted her as his mistress, a sexual and occasionally social convenience. He’d told her so repeatedly. Lia was just seeing what she so wanted to see.
The really annoying part of it all was that Ari could see moments where Rafe was kind and good. She could see a part of him that he desperately tried to keep hidden, but once in a while it would leak out. What if Lia was right? What if he did want to be loved, but he was just afraid of trusting someone?
If Ari opened herself up to this impenetrable man, and then he got bored with her and walked away, she’d be the one who was crushed. It would be her heart that was broken. Could she go through that? And what if she was too afraid to trust him, and he turned out to be the one she was meant for? She closed her eyes for an instant. We need a distraction; I don’t want to deal with this now. Please, God… She was too confused to think about Rafe.
“Now that you’re obviously feeling better I can give you the scolding you deserve, Lia. I can’t believe you went to the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strangers and didn’t call me!”
Ari grinned as a guilty expression washed over Lia’s face when her sister breezed into the room.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I just wanted to try something new. It wasn’t a big deal until some idiot decided it would be fun to give me a spiked drink.”
“That’s crap and you know it. I’m just grateful Shane got there in time. So much worse could have happened to you. Someone drugged you and then you nearly got raped. Do you understand how dangerous a situation you were in? You could have been killed. You don’t go to places like that — ever — especially not alone.”
“Would you have come with me, Miss Innocent?”
“I wouldn’t have liked it, but I would not have let you go alone,” Rachel insisted.
“I think what Rachel is trying to say is that she’s very happy you’re OK, and in the future she wants to be with you when you are feeling…adventurous. I don’t know what it was like for you guys to grow up in a home with siblings, but I grew up an only child and it was really lonely. You may drive each other crazy at times, but the bottom line is that you love each other and that’s something you should always appreciate and respect.”
Ari wasn’t sure if the girls were going to turn their anger on her, go back to fighting with each other, or make peace. Before she could get an answer, Rafe walked in with Shane.