6

Aria

Before I know it me and my three siblings are tangled in a heap in my floor, arms around each other. I have no idea how long we stayed dog piled like that but eventually we all pull away. The group heads down stairs and I make everyone breakfast.

The morning passes normally, even if me and my brother are still a little reserved around each other. Not out of anger but just a general timidness. We don't want to make things worse with each other. We are in a truce and don't want to ruin this nice plain. We'll be back to normal within hours.

Halona and Moira leave the house to go to the mall, so the house is quiet. I am in my room, laying on my bed listening to some goldie oldie rock music when my brother calls up that he is running out for a few minutes but to listen for the door. Before I can ask what he means or where he is going, I hear the slamming of the door signaling that he is gone.

I check the time on my phone and see that it is nearing two. I hop up and run over to my closet, considering my options as I decide what I want to wear. I strip off my hoodie, standing in an extremely short pair of shorts and a bra. I am about to make my decision when the doorbell rings.

“Shit!” Mason must be one of those people who like to show up early to places, just as I am one of those people who like to wait until the last minute to get ready. Not a good combination.

I grab a piece of fabric in the floor that I think is my shirt and run out the door as the bell chimes again. I am untangling the shirt when I get to the second landing. I am almost to the door when I realize that I did not, in fact, grab a shirt. It is a sports bra. Not going to cover anything at all.

“Damn it!” I curse, before calling out. “Hold on a second!”

The door chimes again as I frantically search the living room for a blanket or anything, to no avail. Finally, I have no choice. I hold the bra up to my chest, trying to cover the lacy cups of my hot pink bra and I crack the door open, still trying to hide. I poke my head around the door, using it as a shield. I am expecting Mason, so it comes as a shock to look up and find Cash staring back at me.

“Aria..” He smiles, “Are you planning on opening the door anytime soon or would you rather I freeze to death on your front porch?”

“Um, what exactly are you doing here?” I ask him nervously. Maddy hadn't mentioned that Cash was coming back.

“Studying with your brother. With everything that happened last night, we didn't get anything done.” He tells me softly, almost kindly.

A blush stains my cheeks. “Oh.” My bad. I am mortified that was here to witness that horridly embarrassing display.

“So, how about letting me in sometime today?” He drawls, giving me a dramatic shiver. The big baby.

“Right.” I jump back and swing open the door without thinking. I see his eyes widen as he looks at me and I remember that I am undressed... and showing him everything! “Agh!”

I push the door closed on instinct, slamming it in his face. He catches it with his hand, easing into the foyer and closing it behind him. I feel my skin burn as the blush covers my body. I turn on my heel and shoot up the stairs as fast as my legs will carry me. Why must I always embarrass myself in front of him? It's like whenever  he is around, I turn into an impulsive, braindead moron.

I slam into my room, kicking the door closed with enough force to rattle the windows. I march over to my closet and pull down a dress that is a favorite of mine. It is a spaghetti strap black dress with little sunflowers on it. It has got a short, flowy skirt that hits me mid-thigh. I pull on a small white crop top with short ruffle sleeves, then pull the dress over my head.

Then even though I am not leaving the house, I pull on my black and white converse shoes, just because I feel like it completes my ensemble. When I hear the shrill chime of the doorbell once more, I know that it is actually Mason this time.

Once more I bound down the stairs and I pull open the door to find Mason standing on my front porch. He is wearing a pair of gray sweats that are faded from multiple washes and a hoodie with the Hamlet High mascot on it with his number and last name on the sleeves. He looks gorgeous, I think to myself as I look up into his handsome face. His bright blue eyes sparkle at me and I smile in return. With his dark hair perfectly styled he looks so cute.

He looks me over and grins, “Wow. You look gorgeous!”

“Thank you.” Suddenly I remember my manners, “Please, come on in! Sorry about that.” I can't believe that I was so busy staring at him that I was leaving him standing on the porch.

“It's fine.” He steps into the foyer with me, looking around. “Nice house.”

“Thanks. It is super old and creepy, since you know, it belongs to a witch. It is like one of those old stereotypical 'witch' houses you see portrayed on tv but we love it. It's home now.” I ramble, shuffling my feet awkwardly. I don't know what say. This is all so new to me. I have never been alone with a boy, better yet tried to make small talk with him.

I had forgotten that Cash was even here until he stands up and catches Mason's attention. “Oh, uh, hello Mr. Bradbury.”

“Mr. Corvus.” Cash says dryly. He doesn't seem too thrilled to see his former students. He greeted him as he used to greet me, in that horribly curt tone of his.

Corvus? As in the Corvus pack? One of the biggest wolf packs around? I look at Mason who is staring at Mr. Bradbury, who is glaring back at him. This is super freaking awkward.

“Well..” I begin. “Um, Ca- Mr. Bradbury is a friend of my brother. That is why he is here. He is waiting for Maddy to get back. You remember my brother Maddy?”

“I remember him.” Mason tells me with an easy smile.

“He should be here any minute.” Hopefully! “Then they can get out of our hair.”

“Can we?”

And out of my head! I glare at Cash, who smirks at me in return. He is cute but infuriating.

“Dog-boy is right, you know. You do look gorgeous. Although, I prefer your choice of wardrobe earlier.” His melodic voice floods my mind. My choice of wardrobe-? It hits me suddenly that he is referring to my state of undress just moments before, causing a flush of crimson to stain my cheeks. Is he- flirting with me?

No, of course not! He is just being an ass, trying to get a rise out of me!

“Am I?”

“So, Mason!” I say loudly, starling him. I turn to him with a sheepish smile. “How about we go to the kitchen and see what we can scrounge up, snack wise?”

“Sure.” He grabs for one of my hands with his big one, wrapping his strong fingers around mine. I lead him from the room, leaving Cash behind. I could almost swear that I hear a growl behind me, but I convince myself that I must be mistaken.

I throw a pan of pizza rolls into the oven to bake. I made brownies earlier, as well as the left over eclairs and macarons. I grab out a bag of chips and a few cans of soda, setting them on the counter. “Anything else?” I ask over my shoulder to Mason, who stands there watching me.

“That depends.. Whatcha got?” He asks, coming up to stand close behind me as I look into the fridge and freezer.

“Hm, burritos and chicken nuggets are all we have in the already made options. We have fruit, leftover meatloaf and raw steak as the other options.”

“Hmm.. no thanks, although the raw steak doesn't sound to bad.” Mason says in my ear.

“Eww, really?” I ask, aghast, turning to look up at him.

“No, not really!” He laughs. “It was a dog joke. Werewolf humor?”

I laugh. “In that case, should I be offering you ham bones or pepperoni treats?”

“Only if you want to earn sloppy kisses..” He tells me, his voice dropping as he flirts with me. 

I grin up at him. “I will just have to remember that.” I shut the doors to the fridge and he backs me against them, until I trapped against the cold steel. I look up at him as he dips his head-

“Mhmmhmm..”

The sound of a throat being cleared has the two of us springing apart. I turn my head to look at Cash in the doorway. “What?”

“Just thought that I would come see what the two of you were up to. It is kind of boring sitting in there.. alone.” He tells me with a repoachful look. I get his message loud and clear. He thinks that I am a bad hostess for leaving him alone. Thing is, he isn't my company to have to entertain. I am not going to keep him company if he insists on torturing me.

Well, maybe if your company was a little more pleasant people would want to be near you. I give him a sweet smile.

“Oh, we both know that isn't why you are avoiding me. Comes his laughing reply. I roll my eyes at his cocky reply.

“Would you like a drink or something, Mr. Bradbury?” Mason asks him, holding out a soda in offering.

“Thanks.” Cash says, moving forward to take the outheld drink. He also picks up a macaron and pops it into his mouth as I watch, riveted. “These are just as good today as they were last night.”

I smile at him. Mason moves a little closer to me, with a smile that doesn't quiet reach his eyes. “Oh, you were the dinner guest last night? How did that big meal turn out?”

“It was truly delicious.” Cash says. “As was the company."

I'm sure Maddy will be delighted to know that you think so highly of him.

“Ha, we both know I wasn't speaking of him.” He chuckles. Goosebumps prickle my skin.

“Are you staying for dinner tonight, Mr. Corvus?” Cash asks him.

“Only if I am invited, Mr. Bradbury. But I would hate to put Aria on the spot. Or to impose.” Mason says, squeezing my hand.

“Of course you are invited to join us! We are having grilled steak, sauteed asparagus, baked potatoes, side salads and rolls.”

“Wow. That sounds amazing! With so many people in my house my mom has been making hamburger helper every night for the past week.” He tells me.

“Oh yeah, how are the not-literally-demon-posessed cubs?” I ask him with a smile. I love that we have this little inside joke between us.

Mason laughs. “Horrible! I swear the second to youngest one chewed a whole in my shoe and the baby peed on my bed!”

I laugh at his horrified expression as much as I do his words. “Come on, they can't be that bad! They are just babies! I bet they are so cute!”

“I can assure you, 'cute' is not the word that I would use to describe the little monsters.” Mason laughs. “Come over to my house sometime and you can see for yourself. Apparently they are never leaving.”

“Um.. okay. Yeah. I would love to.” I tell him.

“Good.” Mason gives me a sweet smile.

“So, are you and dog-boy a couple now?”

So what if we are?

“You could do so much better.”

I turn away to take the pizza rolls from the oven and put them on a plate. “Alright, how about we head to the living room?”

Both guys grab snacks and proceed me out of the room. The three of us have just gotten settled in the living room on the couch when the front door pushes open and my brother marches in. He turns his head and sees the three of us. “Aria, Cash, will you two give me a hand?”

I stand up just as Cash does. “Excuse me for a moment, Mason, I will be right back.”

Maddy nods out the door. “The stuff is in the car. I will start putting all of this away.” He heads off to the kitchen and I head out the door, with Cash sauntering behind me.

I make it to Maddy's truck and swing open the back driver's side door. I see lots of bags so I start hooking my hands through a few handles when I feel Cash step up close behind me, his body a breath away from touching mine. I try to ignore him, but I know that I am not able to. My heart rate exelerates and my breath comes a little faster.

“Do you want me to move?” I ask with a huff.

I move to step back so he can get to the bags, but he doesn't move so I end up bumping into him. I move back towards the truck. He pretty much has me trapped, which I hate to admit sends a thrill of excitement coursing though me. “Okay, you have like this whole, super-intense-vibe-thing happening. Are you always like this?”

“Pretty much.” He answers calmy. “Why? Do I make your nervous?” I can hear the smile in his voice and it grates on my nerves.

“Nope. Just annoyed. Disgruntled. Angry. Even on some occasions, infuriated.” I snipe back, moving backwards and shouldering past him with my bags. “I'm tired of your little head game!” I head to the house. I can sense him behind me with the rest of the bags.

“Aria.” He says my name, but I ignore him. I head straight to the kitchen to hand my brother the bags. Cash does the same.

“So, Aria. I, um, I felt bad about last night. I had been planning on getting this for your birthday, but I couldn't wait. I wanted to do something nice for you so, uh, here.” My brother shoves a huge bag at me.

"Are you serious?" When I look inside my jaw drops and I let out a little yelp, flinging myself into his arms. “Maddy!”

He catches me with a chuckle. “I take it that you like it?”

“I love them! Thank you! Thank you! You are the best big brother ever!” He sits me down and I run back to the bag and pull out the gift. It is the set of profressional baking ware that I have been talking about for months. I know it was expensive, costing him a couple hundred dollars. “This is way too much, Maddy.”

“It's not, kid. You deserve it. You provide us with delicious meals day in and day out, never once complaining. So, I figured these are a good investment. Just know, I expect some really kickass meals.”

“As opposed to the hog slop I usually serve you?” I ask him teasingly.

“Excactly!” He laughs as I playfully punch his arm. “Ow. I was just kidding!”

I remember Mason in the living room and tell Maddy. “I seriously love them, thank you! I have to get back to Mason now. I expect that you can keep Cash entertained now?” I cut my eyes at him, standing there quietly behind me.

“Yeah, sorry I wasn't here, man. Took a bit longer than I expected at the store. Plus, I ran into Halona and Moira, so I spent fifteen minutes arguing with them about these short ass skirts that Halona wanted before they conned me out of some money and I bailed.”

I leave the room, rejoining Mason on the couch. “Hey, I'm sorry about that!”

“No worries.” He says with a smile. I grab the remote and turn on the tv, pulling up the movie channel. “Tell me, what type of movie do you prefer?”

“Anything. To be honest, I like any and all genre of movies.”

“Me too! I am a major cinephile!”  I tell him an excited grin. I adore movies but I prefer to watch them with someone else. But nobody in my family loves them quite like I do. Halona spends her time watching ghost shows on tv. Moira just watches tik tok videos all day. Maddy is always too busy for movies. 

I find a few options of movies that look good to me. “Alright, we have.. the romantic comedy that is sure to melt your heart, the action movie to keep you on the edge of your seat or the horror movie that just might make you pee your pants.”

“Well, you know, I don't want to be so forward as to pee myself on a first date. I usually save that for at least the third, like a true southern gentleman. The action movie is out because it is going to be hard to cuddle you when you are on the edge of your seat, so I guess we are in for a night of heart melting.” Mason tells me, pulling me against his chest with a grin.

“Good. That was the one I wanted to watch anyways.” I tell him with a smirk. “Also, I appreciate you holding off on the pants wetting. I am not sure we should be getting that intimate this soon in our relationship.” I tease him.

“What's this about getting intimate?” Maddy asks, strolling into the room. He stands over us with a glare.

“Geez, Maddy. Hop out of my conversation, please. You caught the tail end of my sentence and have no idea what we were talking about.”

“Why don't you go ahead and tell me then?” He demands of me.

“How about I don't and we'll just say that I did? Work for you?” I see Cash smirking behind him and I am seriously contemplating throwing a soda at his dumb sexy face and at my stupid brother's angry frown. “Don't you two have something to do? You know, in another room?”

“No. We are going to study in here. It is more comfortable.” Maddy tells me, moving to the chairs in the corner of the room by the bookshelves. 

"Really? The loud, occupied living room is a better place to study then the actual study, that has a large table, a couch and comfortable chairs? You prefer the straight back chairs and the tea table over there?" I ask him sarcastically.

"Yep."

“Suit yourself. But we are watching a movie, so if you could keep it down, that would be great! Thanks!” All the joy and tenderness from earlier evaporates as me and my brother stare at each other. This is a battle of wills. The beginning of a cold war. I am bidding for independance and a break from his overprotectiveness, as he fights just as hard for control.

I turn to the tv, pressing play before I snuggle into Mason. I am being a lot more forward than I would normally be, driven by the anger my brother is stirring in me. I tuck myself under his arm with my head on his shoulder and my hand on his chest. He shifts to get more comfortable as the two of us watch the movie.

I can feel the deep burning of eyes boring into me and I turnmy head to meet Cash's intense gaze. What? I widen my eyes with attitude. He smiles.

“Look who doesn't mind my head game, now?”

I turn my eyes back to the movie. Well, can't very well ask out loud why you are staring at me, can I? Mason smiles down at me and I smile back. He pulls me closer rubbing his hand over my back. I hear a growl and look around, alarmed, but everything is normal.

I laugh at a scene in the movie and my brother shoots me a dirty look which I return. I notice that Cash is also glaring and I huff. What is wrong with them? I try to enjoy the movie, but they keep at it until it is ruined for me. As the end credits role, I pull Mason to his feet and tug him behind me.

“Where do you think you are going?” Maddy asks me as I pull Mason towards the door.

“Somewhere private.” I respond.

“Hell no, you aren't.”

“Sit back down, Aria.”

You aren't the boss of me. “Yes, we are. Don't worry, we aren't going outside.” I growl.

“Very funny.” Maddy growls back. “Are we really doing this again? Seriously?” He looks disappointed and saddened, which makes me feel remorse.

Cash, will you please quietly tell my brother that we aren't going to do anything?

“Why should I help you sneak off with dog-boy?”

Cash, please? I give him a pleading look. We aren't 'sneaking off'. We are going to go to my room to watch another movie without the two of you glaring daggers at us. I see his face grow thunderous-

Please.

My soft plea must have worked because I see his expression soften and I watch as he leans forward and quietly talks to Maddy. My brother looks ready to argue before he finally nods. He looks at me and speaks. “I will call you when it is time to start supper.”

“Okay.”

Thank you, Cash.