Untimely Love (Book 3)

♠Chapter 21♠

My friends had squeezed every last information out of me about me and Ariana before I could even leave the room a few hours prior. The first time we had sex? When things broke off? How did things break off? Did anything weird happen before that might've made her make the decision? If I had the chance, would I get back with her? A lot of things I answered as smoothly and truthfully as I could, but not so much for others.

  It was a good thing it was the weekend but I still got up at six in the morning, like I usually did, to work out for an hour. I barely got three hours of sleep but if I skipped my routine, it would turn into a habit and I wouldn't have that.

  I went to the kitchen a little after seven to get water and spotted Thion on the balcony. I almost missed him—only being able to see the back of his head where he sat on the oversized beanbag I kept out there most of the time. I would've gone straight back to my room to shower if I hadn't been gazing over the foggy horizon. The sky was bright but murky. I could tell it would be another rainy day, or cloudy at least. With winter coming up, it was expected.

  My skin buzzed under the heat that lingered after my workout. I drained a bottle of water while squinting at the white puffs floating above his head. I knew better than to think that was his breath in the cold air. He was smoking.

  Pushing the cracked french door open, I stepped onto the tiled balcony with a hiss. It was brick cold but I didn't feel like going back inside to get the appropriate clothes. If I did, I wouldn't come out again.

  "Go put some damn shoes on before you catch something," Thion said, drawing in a deep breath between his teeth and letting the smoke out through his nose.

  I ignored him and threw myself down on the plastic-covered beanbag next to him. He scooted over to make room and offered me some of his blanket.

  "Why are you up so early?" I wasn't even sure if he went to bed at all. There was a high possibility he hadn't. He had trouble sleeping sometimes but he hated talking about it, like most things he deemed too personal to him.

  He eyed the blunt between his fingers. "Isn't it obvious?" he retorted gruffly, finally using his voice again after how many hours.

  I hummed, throwing my head back against the glass of the sliding door.

  "You?" he asked.

  "Had to work out," I muttered, eyeing the traffic in the distance and the brightening sky.

  Thion hummed, holding the blunt toward me. I eyed the thing. It was a moment of having the devil and angel on my shoulders. It wasn't even eight in the morning. But it's Saturday...

  I shook my head. "I'm good. Are you?"

  Thion grunted out a, "Nope." He paused. "But I'm smoking 'cause I want to. Not 'cause I need to. Later though," he took another drag, "later imma bury myself deep in somebody's daughter cause I need to."

  I couldn't help my chuckle. "Yeah. Have fun with that."

  He tilted his head back, letting out a stream of smoke. "Chris," he grumbled. I hummed in response and closed my eyes. "Sorry, man."

  I frowned. "Sorry for what?" I was genuinely confused. What the heck did he do in the time we'd all been sleeping?

  "I feel..." he breathes deeply, "responsible for what went down with you and Ari. I kinda pushed you into it, didn't I?" His voice had taken on a tone I'd never heard from him before. It was much more than apologetic—deep remorse. Like it was his fault that Ariana and I broke away from each other to begin with.

  I turned to him, my frown deepening. "No. No, you didn't." If I was going to be honest with myself, I wouldn't have told Ari how I felt if it wasn't for him but I'd never blamed him for any of it. Never would either.