Chapter 133: Chapter 135: Dinner with Julian
ARIA’S POV - 6:47 PM
Aria stood in front of Damien’s full-length mirror, smoothing down the deep emerald dress she’d chosen for tonight.
The dress was one he’d bought for her last week...silk that clung to her curves, with a modest neckline but a back that dipped dangerously low. Elegant but with an edge. Exactly what he’d asked for when he’d said "wear something beautiful."
She’d spent the past two hours in his room, exactly as he’d instructed. A long bath to soothe her aching muscles. Rest on his impossibly comfortable bed. Time to decompress from the intensity of the day.
The vibrator sat on his nightstand now, cleaned and put away, but her body still remembered its presence. Still felt the phantom sensation of being filled, controlled, claimed.
Her phone buzzed.
I’m five minutes away. You look beautiful. Don’t ask me how I know—I had the doorman send me a photo.
She looked up, found the small camera in the corner of the bedroom, and rolled her eyes even as she smiled.
Of course you did. You’re impossible.
I’m thorough. There’s a difference. And I wanted to make sure you were actually resting and not trying to work from my apartment.
I rested. I promise.
Good. Because you’re going to need your energy tonight. Julian is... intense. Observant. He’s going to ask you a thousand questions and probably make at least three inappropriate jokes about our sex life.
I can handle Julian.
There was a pause, then:
I know you can. That’s one of the things I love about you.
Her chest tightened with emotion.
The door opened, and Damien walked in, devastatingly handsome in dark slacks and a charcoal gray shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms.
He stopped when he saw her, his eyes going dark.
"Fuck," he breathed. "You’re stunning."
"You bought the dress."
"I bought the dress. You make it unforgettable." He crossed to her, his hands going to her bare back, pulling her close. "I’m going to spend all of dinner thinking about taking this off you later."
"We should probably focus on dinner. On Julian. On making a good impression."
"You don’t need to make an impression. Julian already loves you." At her surprised look, he smiled. "You don’t remember? When you were still Sarah? He spent weeks trying to make me jealous by flirting with you. Drove me absolutely insane."
"I remember. I thought he actually liked me."
"He did. Does. Just not the way I do." Damien’s jaw tightened. "He was testing me. Pushing me to admit my feelings. To stop being a coward and actually claim you."
"And it worked."
"Eventually. After I nearly punched him for touching your hand during that garden party." He kissed her softly. "He backed off the moment he realized how serious I was. How much I..." He stopped, swallowed hard. "How much I was falling for you even though I didn’t want to admit it."
"I’m glad he pushed you. Otherwise we might have wasted even more time."
"We wasted enough as it is." His hand cupped her face. "But we’re here now. Together. And Julian gets to see that. Gets to know that his meddling actually worked."
THE RESTAURANT - 7:04 PM
The restaurant was exactly the kind of place Julian would choose.....upscale but not pretentious, with exposed brick walls, warm lighting, and a menu that focused on seasonal ingredients.
Julian was already there when they arrived, standing from the corner booth with a wide smile.
He looked exactly as Aria remembered.....tall and lean, with sandy brown hair and warm hazel eyes that missed nothing. But the warmth in those eyes when he looked at her was genuine, not the calculated flirtation from before.
"Aria." He pulled her into a hug before Damien could even make introductions. "God, it’s good to see you.
She hugged him back, surprised by how much she’d missed him. "It’s good to see you too, Julian. I’m sorry for....for lying. For deceiving everyone. For....."
"Stop." He pulled back, his hands on her shoulders. "We’re not doing that tonight. No apologies. No guilt. Tonight is about celebrating the fact that you two stubborn idiots finally got your heads out of your asses and admitted you love each other."
Damien growled. "Watch it."
"What? It’s true. You were both miserable for over a month. Absolutely wrecked. And now look at you..." Julian’s eyes traveled between them, taking in Damien’s possessive hand at Aria’s back, the way she leaned into him naturally. "You look happy. Actually happy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Damien look this relaxed."
"I’m not relaxed," Damien muttered as they slid into the booth. "I’m terrified you’re going to embarrass me."
"That’s literally why I’m here. To embarrass you in front of your girlfriend and make sure she knows what she’s getting into." Julian grinned at Aria. "Did he tell you about the time in college when he...."
"No. And you’re not going to either."
"Oh, I absolutely am. But first....." Julian’s expression grew serious. "Aria, I need to say something. When everything happened.....when Damien found out about the deception, about the theft....I was angry. Really angry. Not just for him, but because I’d started to consider you a friend. Someone I trusted."
Aria’s throat tightened. "Julian...."
"Let me finish. I was angry. But I also understood. Your mother was dying. You were desperate. And more importantly....." He looked directly at her. "I knew you loved him. Really loved him. Because you told me. Remember? That afternoon in the garden when I found you crying?"
She remembered. Three weeks before everything fell apart, she’d been sitting in the rose garden, overwhelmed by guilt and love and fear. Julian had found her, and somehow....somehow she’d ended up confessing everything. Not the specifics of her mission, but her feelings for Damien. How much she loved him. How terrified she was of hurting him.
"I remember," she whispered.
"You told me you loved him more than you’d ever loved anyone. That you’d do anything for him. That you were terrified because you knew....you knew....that loving him meant eventually losing him when the truth came out." Julian’s voice was gentle. "So when it all exploded, when Damien was destroyed and you were gone, I knew....I knew....that you were suffering just as much as he was. Because you loved him. And you’d hurt the person you loved most in the world."
Tears spilled over, and Damien’s arm immediately wrapped around her shoulders.
"So I’m not angry anymore," Julian continued. "I’m just glad you found your way back to each other. Glad you both stopped being too proud or too scared to fight for what you have."
"Thank you," Aria managed. "That means....that means everything."
"Good. Now that we’ve gotten the emotional stuff out of the way...." Julian’s grin returned. "Let’s order ridiculously expensive wine and I’ll tell you all the embarrassing stories about Damien that he doesn’t want you to know."
The evening progressed with easy conversation and laughter. Julian regaled her with stories from college....Damien drunk at a frat party, Damien accidentally setting off the fire alarm in the chemistry lab, Damien’s disastrous attempt at cooking that ended with the fire department being called.
Damien pretended to be annoyed, but Aria could see the affection in his eyes when he looked at his best friend. This was his family. The brother he’d chosen. The person who’d stood by him through everything.
Halfway through dinner, Julian’s expression turned more serious again.
"I do need to warn you both about something." He set down his wine glass. "Victoria."
Damien’s entire body tensed. "What about her?"
"She’s not going down without a fight. You know that, right?" Julian looked between them. "Everyone in our circle knows how Victoria feels about you, Damien. How long she’s been pursuing you. How convinced she is that you’ll eventually give in."
"I’ve made it clear...."
"I know you have. But Victoria doesn’t care. And now that you’re publicly with Aria, now that you’ve made it obvious you’re serious about her....." Julian looked at Aria. "She’s going to come after you. Not Damien. You. Because in her twisted logic, if she can get rid of you, she gets Damien by default."
"Let her try," Aria said quietly. "I’m not going anywhere."
