Ariel was sitting on a chair in Ken’s living room, listening to his call with Aiden.
And when she heard him call her a whore, her heart hurt like a thousand needles were puncturing it.
He said she meant nothing to him and she believed it. If you truly love someone, no matter how angry you are, such choices of words should never be in the options of your vocabulary for that person.
But, this just went to confirm her reasons for why she would never believe men.
Just like her father…
This was why she couldn’t trust men… Aiden.
This was his real personality, cold and vulgar. It’s good she didn’t let herself get deceived by him just because of one night of pleasure.
She knew his feelings weren’t true, he had just wanted to make her available for him to fuck whenever he needed to get laid, and when he was bored of her, just like every man does, he would throw her out as if she wasn’t human and never mattered, and by then, she must have fallen deeply in love with him and would only end up getting mocked for her feelings.
After the call ended, Ken slowly turned to Ariel, an apologetic look on his face.
“Ariel, I’m so sorry, but I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Ken tried to lighten up the mood as he walked back to the sofa to sit beside Ariel.
Ariel chuckled sadly, shaking his head, “Don’t worry, Ken, you don’t need to defend him or make me feel better. I was expecting something like that from him; I’m used to it,” Ariel smiled up at Ken, but her eyes were bleeding with sadness.
But she was happy with herself that she made the right choice.
Ken sighed, gently patting her knee.
“It’s alright, Ariel. I’m not going to push you to tell me what happened between you both, but I just want you to know that I’m here for you; you can lean on me for any kind of support. I’ll be that friend for you… and more, if you let me…” Ken spoke softly, staring at the side of Ariel’s beautiful face.
Ariel nodded, “Thank you, Ken. You’re a good friend.” She replied.
Ken nodded. He knew Ariel still saw him as a friend and he understood why. She had a lot of things going on in her life to think about relationships.
But he wasn’t in a hurry, he was patient and would wait for her to see his feelings for her. He was sure they would end up together, even if she tried not to show or talk about it, he could catch it in her eyes from time to time; she did like him, but she just needed a little guidance to find her feelings and realize them.
“Come on, let me take you to your room,” He stood up and offered her a hand, helping her stand from the sofa too.
Ariel quietly followed Ken to a corner of the living room, which had a small passage; he led her in and pushed open the first door.
“Here you are; everything you’ll need is inside this room, and if you need something more, you can always call me, and I’ll provide it immediately. Okay?” Ken asked gently.
Ariel nodded, “Thank you, Ken,” She smiled at him.
Ken stared at her for a second before he turned to leave.
“Ken?” Ariel called after him before he could leave.
Ken paused, looking back at her.
“Yes, Ariel?” He answered.
Ariel chuckled and shook her head, “Never mind, see you in the morning,” she waved at him and then entered the room, and closed the door.
Ken stood confused in front of the door for a while before lifting his lips in a smile and walking away.
He wondered what Ariel wanted to say to him. He knew Ariel was still withdrawn toward him, but he was happy that Ariel was in his home tonight, he couldn’t wait for when she’d come out of her shell and open up to him, and soon, they’d start spending time in this house as a couple.
Inside the room, Ariel sat on the bed, looking out of the window; the night was dark and quiet, the wind blowing the sofa as if they were scared to howl and startle her quiet heart.
Ariel sighed. “I did the right thing.” She slowly lowered herself to the bed, going under the covers.
“I did the right thing,” She whispered again.
This was the best decision for Aiden and her; it was clear that none of them were ready for a relationship; they had just been driven by lust and some other emotion they couldn’t describe, but Ariel was sure it wasn’t love.
And she knew Aiden was aware of that, too; he had just wanted to fool her.
Her mind suddenly went back to the call Ken had with Aiden. Did he really not care about her? At some point, she almost believed that Aiden might really care for her, but she knew better now.
No matter how attractive a man was, she would never get herself involved with him. If there was no love, then there should be no lust. It was a waste of time for both parties.
The last thought in her mind was what Aiden was doing alone in his room, was he thinking about her? Was he worried? Or was he seriously unbothered?
***
“Good morning, Ariel. Sleep well?” Ken greeted as Ariel walked into the living room.
Ariel smiled, “Good morning, Ken. Thanks again for helping me last night,” she went and sat beside him on the sofa.
Ken nodded, turning to her, “Ariel,” He called.
Ariel looked into his eyes and instantly saw the shift of expression in them.
Ken was so raw with his emotions, and she felt bad for always pretending not to see it.
“Yes,” She answered.
“I’m not going to force you to love me, but I just want to beg you to let me love you, let me treat you right; it doesn’t matter if you don’t reciprocate my feelings now. I just want to be beside you as someone who could love you. Please, Ariel, let me love you,” Ken gently held her hand in his, staring at her with emotional eyes.
Ariel was touched. How she wished Ken was the one she was married to. Even if it was a contractual marriage, at least they would be comfortable around each other, and at some point, she knew she might fall for him.
And even now, she knew she might fall for him if she really opened up her mind and heart to him; she already knew he was a kind and thoughtful man; any woman would be proud to have him as her man.
“Ken, I don’t want to hinder you from meeting someone who would love you back the way you deserve-”
“I know what I want, Ariel. And it’s you I want; I’m not being delusional or infatuated; I’m man enough to know and own up to my feelings; please, I’m not asking for much… just let me love you,” Ken pleaded, his eyes searching her face.
Ariel sighed; there was no harm in his suggestion; as long as they understood each other, then there should be no problem.
She slowly nodded her head, “Alright,” she replied.
Ken smiled brightly, his handsome face lightening up.
“Thank you, Ariel; I promise you’ll never regret your decision; who knows, you might end up proposing to me in the end,” Ken teased.
Ariel chuckled, “Who knows?” She shrugged, smiling.
This was comfort and understanding between two adults; why was it so hard to be like this with Aiden?
“Can I hug you?” Ken asked.
Ariel nodded, “Hugs are free,” she spread her arms wide for him.
Ken didn’t waste any second as he quickly leaned closer and engulfed Ariel’s smaller frame in his.
He hugged her tight, placing his head on her shoulder, “Thank you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. You won’t regret it,” He whispered.
Ariel gently patted behind his shoulders, her head gently laying against his chest.
She felt her heart sway just a teeny tiny bit by Ken’s actions and words, and she feared, she feared, she might actually end up falling for him.
The front door suddenly opened and Viktor stood frozen as he stared at the two people warmly hugging each other on the sofa.
“Oh, my bad! I didn’t know I would be interrupting something,” He apologized, moving his face to the side.
Ariel quickly moved away from Ken, blushing as she gently put her hair behind her ear.
Ken glared at Viktor. “What are you doing in my house this early, Viktor?” He asked.
Viktor raised his hands, “No, no, you got it wrong, gent, it’s not me who wanted to be here, I was dragged here,” Viktor defended himself.
“Who?” Ken asked, believing Viktor was lying.
“Him,” Viktor stepped aside to show an indifferent Aiden standing beside the door.
The moment Viktor stepped out of the way, Ariel immediately felt a familiar cold gaze boring into her soul; slowly, she looked up to the door, and the person she saw made her heart jump out of her chest.
Aiden stood at the entrance, his piercing dark gaze penetrating Ariel’s soul.
‘What was he doing here?’ She panicked silently.
She still didn’t know how to face him after yesterday’s event.
“You could at least take her into the room,” Aiden’s voice was scornful as he entered the room and went to sit on the chair right in front of Ariel.