by Cat Mann
Chapter 17
Just Clothes
On Saturday, a few of us went down to the beach to surf and lie around in an attempt to give our minds a break from the heaviness hanging over the family. Lauren lent Luke Ari’s old board so I watched Ari give Luke pointers and try to teach him to surf. It was fun to watch. I had my laptop open, too, and worked on some research until Julia and Rory came stomping up the beach from Gianna’s home. Julia was screaming at Rory and the scene was not a pretty one. She stopped right at my beach blanket, turned around and screamed at Rory to get away from her. He threw his arms up, turned around, and headed into the water towards Ari.
I shut my laptop and patted the blanket next to me for Julia to sit down. She climbed on with me and put her head on my shoulder.
“What was that all about?” I asked her.
“Los Angeles,” she replied.
“Again?”
“Rory is upset about this situation with Nick. He wants to be closer to home, closer to his family. He told me last night he was moving home, too, and I could come with or stay in L.A. by myself. He said the choice was mine.”
“Wow … So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I can’t stand the idea of living with his parents again but I don’t want to live in L.A. without Rory. I can’t afford school and getting a place off campus, close to home, while paying for gas for the commute. I just can’t find a way to make it work. And in the meantime, we keep fighting.”
I rubbed my temples and could not believe what I heard myself start to say: “Julia I have a proposition for you, but I haven’t spoken to Ari yet so you’ll have to check with him first, but if you want, you and Rory can take one of our spare bedrooms.”
“Oh. My. Gosh. Are you serious, Ava?” she shrieked.
“Yeah, I guess I am, but listen, there is danger where I am and you have to understand that.”
“Okay, I do,” she nodded enthusiastically.
Ari and Rory came up the beach moments later. Ari unzipped the top part of his wet suit, letting it hang off his hips, and ran his hand through his cold, wet hair. His looks still mesmerized me.
“Hey, Ava,” he said, “can I talk to you?”
I stood up and walked down the beach with him.
“I told Rory he and Julia could stay with us, in the spare bedroom downstairs, if it was okay with you.”
I laughed.
“Look, if you don’t want them to, I completely understand. I just feel so bad for him and it’s not like we don’t have the room. And I mean, he is family.”
“Ari, it’s ok with me. I already told Julia they could move in as long as it was okay with you.”
He smiled at me, “Ava Zae, you’re the best. I never thought we would get married and live with my cousin, ex-girlfriend, your gay best friend and his boyfriend.”
“We really do live glamorous lives,” I teased.
“It won’t be forever. One day this will be over and it will be just you and me and then maybe you will change your mind and have my baby.”
“Ari I…”
He kissed me before I could give him about a thousand good reasons why a baby was a very bad idea. Ari wanted kids and I did not. How could I when I had seen so much death? Not fair, I heard in my thoughts, to place the burden I bear on an innocent and helpless child. I had said as much to Ari on several occasions, but I knew he didn’t agree … we had a perfectly lovely spare room, right down the hall from our bedroom, and he had not offered that room to either Rory or August. It was completely empty, unfurnished and painted white. I knew he was waiting for a baby before he did any finishing details in there.