ARIA’S POV
Miles stands there in my living room like he owns the place, and I can’t believe the nerve of this guy.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I came to talk to you,” he says, moving closer. “About the other night.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“I think there is. Ari, please,” he says, taking a step toward me. “I know I messed up, but I want to make things right.”
“Make things right?” I can’t keep the anger out of my voice. “You think you can just show up here and apologize?”
“Yes. I mean, I hope so.”
My mom clears her throat. “Maybe I should give you two some privacy to talk this out.”
“No, Mom. Stay.” I cross my arms. “Miles was just leaving.”
“I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” he says stubbornly.
“Then you’re going to be here a very long time.”
“Ari, honey,” my mom says gently, “maybe you should listen to what he has to say. He came all the way over here.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?”
“I’m just saying, relationships take work. Sometimes people make mistakes.”
“Mistakes?” My voice gets louder. “Mom, this wasn’t a mistake. This was a choice.”
Miles jumps on the opening. “Exactly. It was a choice, and it was the wrong one. But I’m here now, trying to fix it.”
“You can’t fix this.”
“Yes, I can. We can work through this together.”
“No, we can’t.”
“Ari,” my mom says, her voice taking on that tone she uses when she thinks I’m being unreasonable, “why don’t you just sit down and talk to Miles? I’m sure whatever happened can be worked out.”
I look between them, feeling trapped and frustrated.
“Fine,” I say. “You want privacy? You got it.”
My mom nods and heads toward the kitchen. “I’ll be in here if you need anything.”
The moment she’s gone, I turn to Miles.
“Now leave.”
“Not until we talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. You cheated on me with some blonde girl, you called me fat, you humiliated me, and now you want to pretend it never happened?”
“I didn’t mean those things I said.”
“Which part? The part where you said I was too fat for you, or the part where you and that girl laughed at my lingerie?”
He has the decency to look ashamed. “I was upset. I said things I didn’t mean.”
“Why were you upset? Because I walked in on you cheating?”
“Because you kept putting off having sex with me. Do you know how frustrating that was?”
“So you decided to find someone who wouldn’t?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it like, Miles? Explain it to me.”
He runs his hands through his hair. “I have needs, Ari. And you kept making excuses.”
“So you cheated.”
“I made a mistake.”
“No, you made a choice. There’s a difference.”
“Fine. I made a choice. A stupid choice. But I’m here now, asking for another chance.”
“And I’m telling you no.”
“Ari, please. We’ve been together for six months. That has to count for something.”
“It did count for something. Until you threw it away.”
“I didn’t throw it away. I’m trying to save it.”
“Well, you’re too late.”
My mom walks back into the room, probably because she could hear our voices getting louder.
“Everything okay in here?” she asks.
“Miles was just leaving,” I say firmly.
“Actually, Mrs. Carson,” Miles says, turning to my mom, “could you help me out here? Ari won’t listen to reason.”
My mom looks at me with that disappointed expression I hate.
“Ari, honey, maybe you’re being a little harsh. Miles clearly feels bad about whatever happened.”
“Mom, you don’t understand what he did.”
“Then explain it to me.”
I take a deep breath. “He cheated on me. I went to his apartment that night you and dad were away, and he was there with another girl. Both of them were naked.”
My mom’s face goes pale. “Oh.”
“And then,” I continue, “when I tried to leave, he told me it was my fault because I’m too fat and he can’t be attracted to someone like me.”
“Miles,” my mom says, her voice sharp. “Is this true?”
“It’s not the whole story,” he says quickly. “I was upset and confused. I said things I didn’t mean.”
“I think you should leave,” my mom tells him.
“Mrs. Carson, please. Ari and I can work this out. We just need to talk.”
“I think you’ve done enough talking,” she says, walking to the front door and opening it. “Ari clearly doesn’t want to see you right now.”
Miles looks between us, then sighs. “Fine. But this isn’t over, Ari. I’m not giving up on us.”
“You should,” I say as he walks toward the door.
After he leaves, my mom closes the door and turns to me.
“Well,” she says, “that was unpleasant.”
“Unpleasant? Mom, he cheated on me and then blamed me for it.”
“I know, honey. But maybe you should think about forgiving him.”
I stare at her. “Are you kidding me?”
“People make mistakes, Ari. Especially young men. They don’t always think with their heads.”
“So that makes it okay?”
“I’m not saying it’s okay. I’m saying it’s understandable.”
“Understandable?”
“Men have needs, honey. Sometimes they make poor choices when those needs aren’t being met.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Are you seriously defending him right now?”
“I’m not defending him. I’m just saying that maybe you should consider giving him another chance.”
“He cheated, Mom!” I shout. “He was with another girl!”
“Keep your voice down,” she says. “The neighbors will hear.”
“I don’t care if the neighbors hear! He cheated on me!”
“And he’s sorry about it.”
“So that makes it okay?”
“It makes it forgivable.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re taking his side.”
“I’m not taking sides. I’m trying to be practical. Miles is a good boy from a good family. His mother and I have been friends for years.”
“So?”
“So relationships like this don’t come along every day. You shouldn’t throw it away over one mistake.”
“One mistake? Mom, it’s not normal for men to cheat. And it’s definitely not normal to blame the person they cheated on.”
“You’re young, Ari. You don’t understand how relationships work yet.”
“I may still be young, but I know what it means for a man to cheat. If a man cheats on me, that will be the end. I’ll never forgive such man or accept him back in my life. Same with Miles, who didn’t only cheat but also body-shamed me. I deserve someone better than—”
“You don’t know anything,” my mother cuts me off. “You’re eighteen years old. You think you know everything about love and relationships, but you don’t.”
“I know enough to know that I don’t deserve to be treated like garbage.”
“Miles doesn’t treat you like garbage. He made one mistake.”
“Mom, he called me fat. He laughed at me. He made me feel like I was worthless.”
“And now he feels bad about it.”
“So that makes it okay?”
“It makes it something you can work through.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Ari, be realistic. How many other boys are interested in you? Miles is a catch. You shouldn’t throw that away.”
Her words hit me like a slap. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re not exactly beating boys off with a stick. Maybe you should appreciate what you have.”
I stare at my mother, feeling like I don’t even know her anymore.
“I can’t believe you just said that to me.”
“I’m trying to help you.”
“By telling me to stay with someone who cheated on me and called me fat?”
“By telling you to be practical about your future.”
“My future doesn’t include Miles.”
“You’re making a mistake, Ari.”
“The only mistake I made was trusting him in the first place.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
We stare at each other for a long moment, and I realize that we’re never going to agree on this. My own mother thinks I should forgive a guy who cheated on me and humiliated me, just because he’s from a good family and I might not find anyone else.
“I’m going out,” I say, grabbing my jacket.
“Where are you going?”
“Somewhere I don’t have to listen to you defend the guy who broke my heart.”
I head for the door, but she calls after me.
“Ari, don’t walk away from this conversation.”
“This conversation is over.”
“You can’t run away every time things get difficult.”
“I’m not running away. I’m leaving before I say something I’ll regret.”
I slam the door behind me and walk quickly down the street, my heart pounding with anger and hurt.
30
