Aria's POV
I wake up to sunlight burning through my eyelids and a headache pounding behind my eyes.
Everything hurts. My thighs. My hips. Places I didn't even know could be sore. For a confused moment, I wonder if I got hit by a truck. Then memory crashes back like a tidal wave.
Zane. His bedroom. His hands. His mouth. Hours and hours of—
Oh God.
My eyes fly open. Unfamiliar ceiling. Unfamiliar room. Black sheets tangled around my naked body. And beside me, taking up most of the enormous bed, is Zane Hartley.
He's still asleep, one arm thrown over his face, the sheet barely covering his waist. Even unconscious, he's unfairly beautiful. Dark hair messy from my fingers. Jaw shadowed with stubble. His chest rises and falls slowly.
I slept with Maya's brother.
The panic hits so fast I can't breathe. What did I do? What was I thinking? Maya's going to kill me. She's going to hate me forever. Three years of friendship destroyed because I couldn't control myself for one night.
I need to leave. Now. Before Zane wakes up and makes this worse by trying to talk about it.
I slip out of bed carefully, hunting for my clothes. My red dress is crumpled on the floor. My underwear is... somewhere. I find my bra by the door—how did it get there?—and shove everything on as quietly as possible.
My phone's dead. Great. Maya's probably called a hundred times wondering where I disappeared to. What am I supposed to tell her? "Sorry I vanished from your party, I was busy having the best sex of my life with your brother"?
I spot a notepad on Zane's dresser. My hands shake as I scribble a message:
"Thank you for last night. This stays between us. Maya can never know."
Short. Simple. Clear. This was a one-time thing. A mistake. A beautiful, mind-blowing mistake that can never, ever happen again.
I leave the note on his nightstand and take one last look at him. Even now, part of me wants to crawl back into bed. To wake him up with kisses and see if last night was real or just some fever dream.
But that's crazy. Zane Hartley doesn't do relationships. He does one-night stands with models and actresses, not his sister's best friend. Last night was him being nice. Proving a point. Helping me get over Derek's cruel words.
It didn't mean anything. It couldn't mean anything.
I slip out of his penthouse like a thief, taking the elevator down with my heart racing. The morning doorman gives me a knowing look that makes my face burn. The walk of shame in a wrinkled party dress. Fantastic.
My apartment is a twenty-minute Uber ride away. I spend the entire drive staring out the window, trying not to think about Zane's hands on my body. His voice in my ear saying things that made me forget my own name. The way he looked at me like I was precious instead of broken.
Stop it. It was just sex. Really, really good sex, but still just sex.
My roommate—thankfully not Maya—is gone when I get home. I shower for thirty minutes, trying to wash away the evidence. But I can still smell his cologne on my skin. Still feel the ghost of his touch everywhere.
My phone finally charges enough to turn on. Fifty-three messages. Most from Maya.
Maya: "Where are you??" Maya: "Aria, I'm worried" Maya: "Derek's a jerk, come back" Maya: "Did you go home? Text me" Maya: "Okay now I'm actually worried. Are you alive?"
And then, from two hours ago:
Maya: "Zane said he saw you leave in an Uber. Why didn't you tell me you were going? We need to talk about Derek. Come over for lunch?"
My stomach drops. Zane talked to Maya. Did he tell her? No. He wouldn't. Would he?
I text back: "Sorry, phone died. I'm okay. Just needed space after Derek. Can we do lunch tomorrow? I'm exhausted."
Her response comes immediately: "Of course! Rest up. Love you ❤️"
Guilt stabs through my chest. She loves me. And I just betrayed her in the worst possible way.
I'm about to put my phone down when a new message pops up. Unknown number.
"You left before I could make you breakfast. Rude."
My heart stops. Then races. Zane.
Another message: "We need to talk about last night."
No. No talking. Talking makes it real. Makes it complicated.
I type back: "There's nothing to talk about. It was a one-time thing. Thank you for... helping. But it can't happen again."
Three dots appear. Disappear. Appear again. Finally:
"Come to dinner with me tonight. Let me change your mind."
Is he insane? "I can't. Maya—"
"Doesn't have to know. One dinner, Aria. Then if you still want to pretend last night didn't happen, I'll respect that."
I should say no. Block his number. Forget this ever happened.
But my traitorous fingers type: "Where?"
His response includes an address to a restaurant I've never heard of. Followed by: "7pm. Don't be late."
I stare at my phone. This is a terrible idea. The worst idea. Going to dinner with Zane means this isn't over. Means I'm choosing to keep lying to Maya. Choosing to risk everything for a man who'll probably get bored in a week.
But I'm already pulling up my closet, trying to figure out what to wear.
The restaurant is small and intimate, tucked away in a part of the city I rarely visit. I arrive at 7:15, telling myself the whole Uber ride that I should turn around.
Zane's already there, sitting at a corner table. He stands when he sees me, and the smile on his face makes my knees weak. He's in dark jeans and a button-up that makes his eyes impossibly blue.
"You came," he says, pulling out my chair.
"I shouldn't have." But I sit anyway.
"Yet here you are." He sits across from me, his eyes never leaving my face. "How are you feeling?"
My face flames. "Fine. A little sore, but fine."
His smile turns wicked. "Good sore or bad sore?"
"Zane—"
"Because if it's bad sore, I didn't do my job right. I can make it up to you."
"Stop." But I'm smiling. I can't help it. "We're not doing this. Last night was... it was great. You proved your point. But I can't date my best friend's brother. It's wrong."
"Why is it wrong?" Zane leans forward. "Because of Maya? She wants us both to be happy."
"She wants you to stop sleeping with random women and settle down. I'm pretty sure 'settle down with my best friend' wasn't what she had in mind."
"So we don't tell her. Yet." He reaches across the table, his fingers brushing mine. That simple touch sends electricity up my arm. "Give me a chance, Aria. Real dates. Getting to know each other outside of bed. If it doesn't work out, fine. But don't walk away because you're scared."
"I'm not scared."
"You're terrified. I can see it in your eyes." His voice softens. "You think I'm going to hurt you. Use you and throw you away like all the others."
"Aren't you?"
Zane's quiet for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is raw. "I've spent three years pretending I didn't want you. Three years of insults and distance because wanting my sister's best friend was off-limits. But last night..." He pauses. "Last night wasn't enough. I need more, Aria. And I think you do too."
My heart pounds so hard he must hear it. "What if Maya finds out?"
"Then we deal with it. Together." His hand closes over mine. "One month. Give me one month to prove this is real. If you still think it's a mistake after that, I'll walk away. But give us a chance."
I should say no. Should protect my friendship with Maya, protect my heart from inevitable heartbreak.
Instead, I hear myself whisper: "One month. But nobody can know. Especially not Maya."
Zane's smile could light up the entire city. "Deal."
We order dinner. Talk. Laugh. And for a little while, I let myself believe this might actually work.
Until my phone buzzes with a text from Maya: "Girls' night at my place tomorrow! And guess what? Zane's bringing his new girlfriend! Finally someone serious! I can't wait for you to meet her! ❤️"
The world stops spinning.
I look up at Zane, my face probably white. He's scrolling through his own phone, frowning.
"Everything okay?" he asks.
No. Nothing's okay. Because apparently, while asking me to secretly date him, Zane Hartley has a girlfriend.
And I just agreed to sneak around with a man who's already cheating.