92 - ROSES

ARIA’S POV
The cold night’s air felt like a splash of cold water on my face, the street light cast long shadows on the pavement where we stood and it created a cinematic glow that only heightened the gravity of the vengeful kiss I shared with Matteo.

I reached up, my fingers trembling slightly as I touched Matteo’s face, drawing him closer to me. His lips were soft and surprisingly gentle when they met mine. At first, it was slow – tender and a careful dance of sweetness that contrasted sharply with the whirlwind of conflicting emotions that I was feeling at the moment. But the tenderness didn’t last – the kiss deepened. Matteo’s hands sliding around my waist, pulling me dangerously close. The sweetness gave way to growing hunger, a wild intensity that made my heart race and my breath catch in my throat, although the fire that burned inside of him probably stemming from lust and desire, but mine burned from a place of anger and revenge.

His kiss was no longer gentle; it was fervent, almost desperate. The way his tongue traced my lips, the urgency of his touch—everything about it was intense and consuming.

The wrongness of it all was glaringly transparent, even though I tried to ignore it, it glared in my face screaming the words danger. I was kissing Matteo, my boss, in front of Kyle, the man I still loved. Yes, Matteo’s kiss was hungry, wild and untamed mimicking the energy that emanated from him, but no he wasn’t Kyle. His touch didn’t ignite the fire of desire in my soul, my heart didn’t pound and my skin was smooth and bare of goosebumps. I kept my eyes mostly open to fix them on Kyle, to watch the anger contort on his face and the jealousy burn in his eyes I wanted to see the primal rage burst out into flames and he would feel nothing but the pain he had so carelessly dished out to me. But still, each brush of Matteo’s lips against mine felt like betrayal, a sharp pang of guilt colliding with the dizzying pleasure of his kiss.

Even as Matteo’s kiss grew more intense, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Kyle. His face was a storm of emotions—shock, hurt, and a simmering rage that made my stomach churn. His eyes were locked on us, and I saw the moment his jaw tightened, his expression darkening with each second of our intimate display.

The kiss eventually broke,and I pulled away from Matteo with a heavy breath. I stood there, gasping for air, my body trembling from the intensity of what had just happened. Matteo’s arms remained around me for a moment longer, his touch both comforting and disconcerting. I felt the warmth of his embrace, but it was a cold comfort in the face of the emotional wreckage I had created.

I watched as Kyle’s face hardened, his anger very much palpable. Without a word, he turned sharply and walked away. The sound of his footsteps against the pavement felt like a cruel reminder of how broken we both were. He hurt me and I wanted to hurt him just as bad. My heart sank as I watched him leave, but I let it be, I let him walk away with a crushed heart.

As Kyle’s figure disappeared into the distance, the silence that followed was deafening. Matteo’s embrace felt awkward now, and I fought for words to say but everything that sprung to my head in that moment felt inappropriate to say.

“That was – ”

“Should never happen again” I cut his statement short and fully disengaging from him now.

The silence between us was thick with awkwardness but Matteo spoke first. He cradled my face, his fingers tracing delicate lines across my skin and drawing the goosebumps that refused to manifest at first.

“You’re playing with fire little girl”

“How so?”

“Don’t let me get all interested in you – I’m relentless and I won’t take no for an answer”

***

The next morning I woke up in a start, remnants of last night’s activity still clinging to my mind like a careless fog. My bedroom was bathed in the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, the gentle warmth a stark contrast to the turmoil churning within me.

I rolled out of bed, my movements sluggish as I tried to shake off the disorienting haze of sleep. My mind kept drifting back to the kiss with Matteo and the look of hurt on Kyle’s face. I couldn’t escape the image of him walking away, the mix of anger and pain etched into his features. Each time I closed my eyes, I saw that look, and it gnawed at me with an almost physical ache. It was supposed to bring me satisfaction but why did I feel anything but that?

I shuffled to the kitchen to go through the motions of cooking breakfast. I cracked eggs into a bowl and whisked them with a practiced ease, the sizzling sound of them hitting the pan a small comfort. I buttered a couple of slices of bread, setting them in the toaster. The smell of eggs and toast cooking filled the kitchen, a pleasant distraction from the turmoil inside my head. I found myself unconsciously checking my phone, my heart leaping each time I saw it light up. No new messages. I was secretly hoping—more like desperately wishing—for a text from Kyle. Why did I want him to text me? What was wrong with me? Why did I miss him so bad?

Just as I was about to settle down and gulp my food down over a nice reality show and a guilty glass of wine, the doorbell rang, jolting me up immediately.

I opened the door find no one there but there was a large bouquet of roses sitting on my doorstep and my heart skipped a beat. Could it – could it be Kyle? Oh what was I thinking? I kissed another man in front of him, the last he’ll be doing would be to send me flowers.

I picked the flowers up, inspecting it closely until I found a note tucked into its petals and I fished it out. The note was simple – it read

*Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you Miss Aria Thorne.