Enchantments & Betrayal in Rosewood

Part 5

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The brunette stood up too, no more convincing needed. "Yeah I gotta go too." She followed her like a girl possessed. And the second the door was closed and the two of them stood in the dark purple restroom with the black bathroom stalls and granite sinks, she found herself once again drowning in her friend's blue eyes. What is it? Why are we in here?

Alison pushed her curls behind her shoulder and closed four foot gap between her and her friend. She put her hands on her shoulders and walked her back to the sink, so the countertop could push into the small of Emily's back. Don't question it Em. Just let it happen. She placed a soft kiss at the base of her friend's throat and then slowly let her lips slide up.

What is this?

Hush. Alison's lips found Emily's then and both of them fell into one another. Emily's hand clutched Alison's hips and Ali's hands slid up Emily's jaws, holding her close. They kissed feverishly, as if there would be no end, their fingertips leaving their original anchor and moving to explore each other's bodies. The brunette pushes her hands under the back of the blonde's shirt and the blonde played with the top button of Em's shirt. Their tongues touched and Emily sighed.

The others, she warned, they could walk in at any time..

Alison broke the kiss and drug Emily by the front of her shirt to the handicap stall. She pulled the door behind her and stood in the middle of the space, yanking the other girl's lips back to hers. There. Now shut up and kiss me.

Meanwhile Spencer was stewing in her own guilt. She watched Aria cross and uncross her legs. It was if the girl had someplace to be. And Hanna too. Her beryl eyes scanned the room for someone Spencer couldn't figure out. Earlier when she'd texted Hanna, the blonde had told her that she was free all day because Travis was out of town visiting family. So it couldn't have been him. And why was Aria so antsy? Where did she need to be that was so important? Spencer drank more of her coffee and chomped on her muffin and then said, "What on Earth is taking Em and Ali so long?"

"Maybe they're having a secret conversation," Hanna provided and tapped her nails on her phone case. "Lately they've been totally weird."

"Well you know their past," Aria whispered. "Maybe it's just as weird for them to interact as it is to watch them interact." She glanced at her phone and saw the name she'd been waiting to appear all day- Jenna. Her breath caught in her throat. "Listen. I have to go. Mike just texted me," she quickly lied, "He stayed at a friend's house and I have to pick him up. Sorry. I'll see you guys tonight." She grabbed her coffee and headed outside. She waited until she was in the driver's seat of her vehicle before reading the text.

"Firebug Inn. Room 323. Under the name Turner."

Aria quickly typed back, "Be right there," and put the name of the place in her GPS.

She drove a little too fast, but she was careful and she got there in fifteen minutes instead of twenty. It was a small in, surrounded by trees with paper lanterns hanging on the front porch. The front door had a bell that jingled when she walked inside.

"Hello Miss," the woman at the front counter said. "Looking for a room?"

"I actually already have one. Under the name of Turner. Room 323."

The woman smiled at her. She was a pleasant grandmotherly lady with grey hair and wrinkled spider-webbing out from the corners of her eyes. "Oh? Is the young lady with the sunglasses your sister?"

"Just a friend," Aria said and returned the smile. "Do I need to pay for any of it…or?"

"Oh no. It's all taken care of. Let me get you the other key." She disappeared into the back office and then returned a moment later with a little brass key on a small key ring. She laid it in Aria's hand. "Have a wonderful time."

The short dark-haired girl headed upstairs to the third floor without saying anything else and followed the numbers on the plaques outside the doors until she found the one she was looking for. She unlocked it with a semi-shaking hand and then closed the door behind her.

"Aria?" Jenna said, from where she sat on a wicker chair in the corner. "Is that you?"

"It's me," Aria said.

The taller girl smiled. "I'm glad you came." She stood up. "Come here."

Aria Montgomery didn't know what she'd gotten herself into the last few days, but she tried not to think too much about it. When Jenna found out that Shana had died, she'd came over and entrusted in Aria to help her feel better. At first Aria had just listened to the other girl, but as she expressed more and more grief, she found herself unable to just witness Jenna's pain. They'd been sitting on the couch as Jenna spoke, and Aria had simple scooted over, and taken Jenna's hand in hers. "I'm here," she'd said. "I understand loss. Maybe not the way you do but I do understand loss."

Jenna's lip had quivered, as she was so close to crying already, before the Montgomery daughter's simple act of compassion. "I don't have anyone left. I don't have anyone to trust. I've been involved in some bad activity in the past, sure, but that doesn't mean that I deserve to be alone now. I thought Shana was my way out of the bad. I thought we could be happy." Her voice broke and she whimpered.

Aria brought the crying girl into her arms and held her. She had had no idea what she was doing but she found it much easier to just let herself do what felt natural. Her lips pressed against Jenna's forehead, right above her designer glasses. "We're both hurt. We're both alone. We can be there for one another."

This was the first time Aria had seen Jenna since then, though it had only been a few days ago. They'd texted constantly, just to reassure the other one that they had someone to depend on. Aria didn't understand it at all. She knew Jenna didn't trust her, and she didn't trust Jenna. But in that way, they were on a level playing field and they didn't expect too much from one another.

Jenna fit easily into her arms once more and Aria hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry about your house. I really am."

"Maybe now you can see that I'm not part of whatever group it is that's targeting you and you friends. I'm a target too." Her words were sort of hostile but her tone was not. She lay her head on the shorter girl's shoulder.

"Have you spoken to Toby?"

"Just to check on his safety. He's my brother afterall."

"I know." She couldn't forget that. If Spencer knew what she was doing with her boyfriend's somewhat evil sister, Spencer would've blown a gasket. "How about Shana then?" she pressed, "Have you heard anything else about her?" Aria was constantly worried that evidence would be revealed to Jenna that it was her that was responsible for Shana's death. She had practically killed the girl.

"No," Jenna replied cooly. "I haven't. Have you?"

Aria swallowed uneasily. "No. I haven't." It was a lie. Of course it was. Sort of. While she wasn't slowly figuring out the details of Shana's death, it was just because she already knew them all. And she wasn't about to tell Jenna that.

"Listen," Jenna said. "Do you have anywhere to be the rest of the day?"

"I'm going to Spencer's this evening. But until then, no. Mike's gone with Dad on a business trip, and my mom's back in Switzerland."

"Do you want to stay here with me? We could listen to some music. Or talk.. Or.."

"Or?"

Jenna wasted no time. She found Aria's chin with her right hand and lifted it up. She couldn't see the girl, but that didn't mean she didn't feel her. She didn't hesitate, just bend down slightly and placed a kiss on her lips. It was a gentle kiss that the two could come back from if it was rebuffed. But Aria did not react negatively. Her body tenses up with shock and surprise, but she didn't hate the feeling. She froze and searched Jenna's face. The girl was smiling.

"What… What was that?"

Jenna Cavanaugh laughed very lightly. "You've never kissed a girl before, have you?"

Aria shook her head not even thinking about the fact that nonverbal communication was mostly lost to the other girl, who was blind due to a prank she'd pulled in the past. "No. I haven't."

"I can tell," Jenna replied, her tone kind. "But that's okay. You'll get used to it." She stepped away from Aria and took her hand. She led her to the balcony that overlooked the thick green forest behind the inn. "Come outside with me. I want to feel the sunshine on my cheeks."

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