Stairways | A Surviving Summer FanFiction

Part 55 - Pizza

Your feet dangle off the side of the curb as you hear a bell jangle in the doorway.

"They were just closing." you hear Ari say from behind you, and you turn to see him carrying two large pizza boxes and two cans of Coca-Cola.  He sets them down in front of you on the quiet road where you're sitting, and he takes a seat next to you.

You open the box, unable to contain your smile at seeing the pepperoni pizza sitting there. It's sweet that Ari knows what your favourite is, especially when he ordered in a hurry after you found the last open pizza parlour in the town.

"Thank you," you smile. "For this," you hold up the box. "And for getting me out of that party. I don't think I could have survived one more minute in Griff's game of Truth or Dare."

"Yeah. I still can't believe they showed up."

"And Marlon did nothing about it! I can't believe he'd do that to Bodhi," you say. "And I know he still cares about her - he told me after the 360 party."

"What did he say exactly?" Ari asks.

"He thought that you and Bodhi were getting together, so he said if I try and get with you, Bodhi would be available-"

"Wait, wait, wait...what?" Ari said, laughing incredulously.

"When did everything become such a mess, Ari?" you sigh, leaning your head on his shoulder.

"When Summer arrived?" he jokes.

"Speaking of Summer, don't you think she's been acting really weird?" you say. "Like, around us. Or maybe just me." You think back to the party, where Summer seemed perfectly relaxed and content when talking to Ari, but tense when talking to you.

The pizza parlour behind you has closed now, the light from inside now non-existent, and you can only make out Ari's figure from the dim street lights lining the road.

"I think she's just a bit...on edge...about her mum coming to get her." Suddenly, he stops talking and scoffs. "For god's sake, let's stop talking about the others. This is all we do these days."

"I know. I'm sorry, but I just...I need to make amends with Poppy and Bodhi at some point. And with Mars too, I suppose," you sigh, gazing out towards the cliffs. You can hear the ocean from where you're sitting in front of the shop - that's what you like about this town: you can hear the sea from wherever you are. "Oh my gosh, what is wrong with me? Why can't I keep any friends?"

"It's not your fault," Ari says softly. His arm is around you now, and you feel that same safety you did when he hugged you after Stairway. "I was there. You didn't do anything wrong."

I did, you think. According to the others, the worst thing you could possibly do is to date Ari Gibson.

"I need to sort things out with them."

"Maybe you do," he responds with a shrug. "But you could do that...tomorrow." he suggests with a smile, placing his finger under your chin and gently pulling your head around to face him.

He leans in and before you know it your lips are pressed on his. It lasts longer this time. Longer than all the other times, anyway.

Afterwards, you gently pull back and you look at each other for a second, both dimly under the streetlight with the sea in the background. It should be perfect. And it was.

So why did something feel...wrong? You have this nagging feeling at the back of your mind - the girls, your brother, the team. If having Ari meant losing everything else important to you, was it worth it? What importance does romance hold if it comes with such a price?

You don't say anything for Ari's sake, and maybe once you've resolved things with the others you'll feel better. Ari must pick up on your worry, as he moves to be in front of you when you turn away slightly.

"Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry if that was too much, I-"

"No, Ari, the kiss was...great," you reply, smiling softly. "I'm just...nervous about the others. They obviously don't like us being together, and I don't want to lose my friends."

Ari nods in understanding.

"So you get it?"

"Yeah, I get it," he nods. "Doesn't mean I'm going to accept it."

"Ari-"

"Look, I don't care what they think. And if being with you means I'm going to lose all my friends then so be it." he exclaims. "I want to be with you. Every minute of every day," he's raised his voice; everyone in the whole neighbourhood can probably hear this conversation, but he doesn't seem to care. "Poppy's being weird over Griff, and Bodhi's acting strange but I don't know why because she's never been interested in me, but," he sighs. "Can't we just forget about them? For now?"

"For now? Yes. Forever? No," you smile apologetically. "They're my friends. And they're yours too. And we're their friends. As much as they don't seem to believe it at the moment," you think back to your interactions with Poppy and Bodhi at the party. "But I want to be with you, so badly. So I'll sort things out." You say, which is quite a tall order when you think about it. Ari puts his arm around you, and you melt into the embrace.

"Come with me to Jarrah Island on Thursday," Ari offers suddenly. "We can spend the day together, and then you can sort things out with the girls."

"Is your mum letting you go?"

"Nah, I was going to sneak out and get the bus. And the ferry."

"Wow, what a rebel." You murmur, and you feel Ari's body move as he laughs.

"Do you think we should eat this pizza before it gets cold?" He asks, eyeing the boxes on the ground in front of you.

"Definitely." You pick up one of the boxes and place it on your lap, picking up a can of Coca Cola to go with it. "So, you seemed pretty mad when Griff tried to make me surf the break back there - were you worried about me, Ari Gibson?" You smirk, watching him smile and roll his eyes.

"At least I didn't get mad about Griff apparently rigging the bottle," he laughs. "How did you even think he could have rigged that? It's a bottle!" He exclaimed, laughing loudly now, and you give him a playful push in the arm.

"It kept landing on Shorehaven surfers! You can't tell me that wasn't weird." You raise an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright. It was a bit strange." He admits, taking another slice of pizza. "Not as strange as your dancing though." He mutters - he's looking down, but you can see his wide grin through his blond curls covering his face, and you can't help but laugh at his insult.

You spend a while eating the rest of the pizza, chatting and watching the night get darker. Eventually, you decide to call it a night, and Ari walks you all the way home