Page 79 of Run
My eyes quickly dart back up to hers. “Sorry. I, uh, I got carried away.” I lean in and kiss her shoulder, then back away again. “Why don’t you shower and then we can get going, huh? We can get a table for the gang.”
She frowns, then nods. “Yeah, of course.” Ari walks along the edge of the couch, then reaches for me, and I help her shuffle over to the bathroom. “I can take it from here.”
I close the door with a soft click. Pacing a few times in front of the couch, my mind spins out of control. Trying to just push all my questions aside is useless, so I walk back over to the bathroom and crack the door. Without looking in, I yell, “Ari?”
“Yeah?” she answers over the sound of the shower.
“I forgot something at my house. I’m gonna run back there before we head out. You think Soph can give you a ride and I’ll meet you there?”
There’s a pause, and then, “Um, yeah. Of course.”
“OK. I’ll see you in a few. I’ll be right behind you.”
“K.”
I pull the door shut and run out of the apartment. The drive is a blur, and Fonz’s car in the driveway when I pull in is a welcome sight.
“Fonz!” I storm into the house. “Fonz!”
“Yo!” I hear from his bedroom. “I’m in here.”
Fonz turns to look at me as I stalk into his room, and he asks, “Why do you look like you’re about to strangle a puppy with your bare hands?”
I clench my fists at my sides and blow out a breath toward the floor, then raise my head. “Axel didn’t smoke.”
Fonz pulls his brows together in question before realization dawns across his face.
“I was wondering how long it would be until you saw those.” While running a hand through his shoulder-length hair, he sits on the bed. “How much did she tell you?”
“She didn’t tell me shit. I didn’t ask her. I didn’t tell her I saw them.” Fonz nods in understanding.
“Who was it?”
He blows out a breath.
“Who the fuck was it!?”
“Who do you think?” Fonz yells back at me.
Pacing again, my hands clasp behind my head. “I thought Sean was just a deadbeat boyfriend. I didn’t know he … What did he do?” I stop and stare at Fonz, but he won’t look back at me. “Fonz, so help me God, I need to know. Wait, is that why you punched him?”
He shakes his head. “No. I punched him way before that.”
“Why did you punch him?”
Fonz is quiet for a moment before looking up at me. “Ethan, there’s a reason you left this all behind once. You sure you want to know all the details?”
The truth hurts, but what he’s saying is fair. I take a deep breath. “Tell me everything.”
He looks up at the ceiling as the words tumble out. “I punched Sean because he took Ari’s virginity and he wasn’t very delicate about it.”
All the air leaves my lungs. Of course, I figured they were sleeping together, but I never thought about how he was with her. “What—” I have to stop and clear my throat. “Did he force her?”
Fonz shrugs and purses his lips. “She said he didn’t. She has always been adamant that she consented. I do believe he talked her into it, or guilted her into it, but she claims it wasn’t forced. But I do know he didn’t take care of all of her needs to make sure it was comfortable for her.” Fonz looks at me with sympathy in his eyes.
“That piece of shit motherfucker!” I turn and kick the open door so hard it dents. “What the fuck is wrong with him?”
Fonz is quiet as I stalk back and forth, pulling in strangled breaths of air. He looks at me again. “Should I keep going?”
