Hey guys. I am so, so sorry for the sudden absence. Let me assure you that it was unexpected and entirely unavoidable, but I'm back now. Not that you guys aren't usually wonderful, but I would ask that you all be gentle with me in reviews because the unexpected unavoidable cause of my absence has left me a little bit fragile and I'm not sure I can handle any negativity whatsoever, so just keep that in mind. So here we go with the next chapter, which is actually kind of one of my favorites and I hope you all enjoy it. As always, five reviews and an update. Enjoy.
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For the second time in as many days, Spencer found herself somewhere without being entirely sure why she was here. This time, however, was different – and infinitely more terrifying. Emily had been supportive when Spencer had come clean about her feelings for Aria; in fact, unless Spencer had completely misinterpreted it, it had seemed like Emily had even been relieved. This hadn't been the reaction Spencer was expecting, so it had taken her a while to react to it herself. And somehow Emily had managed to convince Spencer that it would be a good idea for her to go over to Aria's that night. And Spencer, without really understanding why, had agreed.
And, as if wonders would never end, Aria had also agreed to the plan – quickly. Almost too quickly. But Spencer didn't let herself dwell on it. She'd posed it originally as an open-ended invitation, suggesting all of them should get together after school and hang out. Emily had quickly offered up an excuse, and, almost as quickly, so had Hanna. This was either a stroke of luck (assuming Hanna was busy like she claimed) or there was something deeper going on (assuming Hanna had indeed just given her own excuse). But Spencer didn't want to push it, because just hanging out with Aria definitely had appeal.
Or at least, it had seemed appealing until it had come time to actually do it. Now Spencer was standing on Aria's doorstep, debating knocking on the door, weighing it against just turning around and walking away. Something told her that tonight was going to be different; tonight, everything was going to change.
She was normally a logical, level-headed person, so for her to be paying attention to these vague 'feelings' was an unusual thing in and of itself. And her anxiety levels were also unusual, because she never hesitated this much before doing anything. She'd done scarier things than this, hadn't she? Admittedly at that moment she couldn't actually think of any of these things, but she was sure she must have done some before. Surely.
She had just about made up her mind to knock on the door before the decision was taken out of her hands. The door flew open and someone tumbled out, and Spencer barely had time to jump out of the way. Mike, halfway down the path by now, turned to look back at her, an apology written on his face. "Sorry Spence!" he called. "Didn't see you there."
"It's no problem," she said, her heart still hammering from the near-collision.
"Aria's in her room," he added, walking backward down the bath, bike helmet under one arm and a backpack clutched in his other hand. "Go on up."
"Thanks," Spencer mumbled, watching as he turned, grabbed his bike, and swung his leg over it, all in one smooth movement. Within a minute he was gone, and the door was still wide open.
It was now or never.
Like Mike had said, Aria was in her room. And like Spencer had been expecting, Aria was awaiting her arrival.
"Hey!" Aria said as Spencer entered her room. The smaller girl jumped off the bed and walked over to her, stopping about a foot away and giving her an expectant smile.
Spencer knew she should reciprocate, offer her some kind of greeting or even just a smile in return, but she was a little distracted. Somehow Aria could take her breath away without even trying, and for once Spencer didn't mind. Tonight, she decided, she was going to tell Aria how she felt.
When Spencer didn't say anything, Aria took the lead. "I thought we could hang out downstairs and watch a movie," she said, already moving toward the door.
Without a word Spencer followed, still trying to compose her thoughts. She could tell her. She had to tell her. She'd waited long enough, she'd thought about it from every angle, and it was time to just take a risk and get it over with. She could do it. She could.
The fact that she had to keep telling herself this made her think that maybe she could not in fact do it.
"What are we watching?" she asked as they hit the bottom of the stairs.
"You know that movie we're supposed to watch for English?"
"Yeah," Spencer said, and then it clicked. They were going to do homework? They were actually going to do homework, and she hadn't even been the one to suggest it. This day just kept getting stranger and stranger.
"I mean, if that's okay?" Aria added as they reached the living room. She paused by the coffee table, glancing down at the DVD cover. She sounded unsure, and Spencer realized it was because she herself was sounding less than enthusiastic.
Making an effort to sound brighter, she said, "No, that sounds great. Do we have any snacks?"
Aria pointed to the kitchen. "Help yourself."
Spencer did, realizing yet again just how at home she felt in the Montgomery house – almost more comfortable than she did in her own house. It was so much more relaxed here, putting her at ease almost immediately. And she stayed at ease until she came back into the living room and saw what Aria was doing.
She was reading.
A required text.
Spencer bit back a laugh; Aria was the only person she knew who would pick up a paperback and read it while waiting for snacks. Everybody else would be on their phones or staring out the window or flicking through stations on the TV, but not Aria. She was different, and that was one of the things Spencer loved about her.
"Here you go," Spencer said, placing the bowl of popcorn on the table in front of her. Aria set down her book at once, all attention on Spencer now. Spencer tried not to blush; Aria was just being polite, nothing more. There was no way that was a hint of attraction in her eyes, or anything suggestive in the way she'd angled her body toward Spencer as she reached for the popcorn.
Still.
Spencer sat down beside her, careful not to sit too close, but to her surprise as the movie started playing Aria actually inched closer to her. The other girl didn't look at her, and Spencer thought she could feel a little bit of uncertainty coming from her, but she didn't point it out. Instead she focused on her breathing, on her heartbeat, and surreptitiously pulled out her phone.
Making sure Aria couldn't see the screen, she typed a message to Emily. I want to tell her. Should I?
The response came quickly. Yes.
Spencer hadn't been sure what answer she was expecting, but she felt her heart swell as her eyes skimmed over the word. Yes. She should tell her; of course she should tell her. At the very least she owed Aria honesty; what Aria did with the information was up to her. Spencer could just present her with all the facts and let her draw her own conclusions. It was logical, it was reasonable, and it was definitely not terrifying.
Stalling for time, hoping that it would somehow make her more sure or give her the confidence she was so desperately lacking, she typed back, Are you sure?
The answer was even quicker this time. Spence, just do it. Trust me.
Strangely, Spencer did trust her. She had the support of Hanna and Emily, so even if things went horribly wrong tonight, she'd still have them. It was worth the risk, wasn't it? Her mind flipped back and forth, weighing pros and cons, arguing with every idea and every hypothetical until she actually thought she was going to get a headache.
She made an effort to slow her thoughts, pulling them together and then pushing them to the side. She had to make this simple. She liked Aria; she was going to tell her that. Whatever happened next, she'd deal with it.
She could tell her. She would. She really would.
Just as soon as the movie was over.
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Don't forget to review if you want more Sparia. ;)
