Not Without You

thirty-one

Aria

Leo and I don't get to see each other the next day. It bothers me. Ever since he left last night, I haven't been able to get him out of my head. I just can't comprehend how I managed to find someone as sweet and respectful as him. He's a year younger than me but he's an old soul, which I love. His level of maturity is on the same as mine and I think that really contributes to our undeniable chemistry.

I could go on and on about the things I love about him.

But I need to avoid thinking about him unless he's somehow brought into the conversation. Tonight is our weekly outing to one of the local pubs where they serve delicious food, drinks, and the staff are friendly. They're also not too nosy, which is something we, as a team, enjoy very much. It's rare we can all go out and be given space to chat and relax.

"So, Laur," Scarlett says, tossing back her shot of tequila. "Have you and Ava come up with a name for the baby yet?"

I snatch a piece of calamari from Scarlett's plate and pop it into my mouth. "Scar," I say through a mouthful of fried squid and sauce. "How are they supposed to come up with a name if they don't know the gender yet?"

Isabella, my everything-agent, as I call her, immediately defends Scarlett. "Aria," she says, pushing her glasses up and staring at me with her dark brown eyes. "There are plenty of gender-neutral names that Lauren and Ava could list as potential names for their child, despite not knowing the gender."

I roll my eyes, swiping some buffalo-style cauliflower from her plate. "Sometimes, Izzy, I can't tell if you're my agent or Scarlett's."

Isabella grins, swatting my hand away. "Perhaps its because you're a little food stealer. It's almost as if the rest of us need to unite against you when we have outings like this. You have your own lettuce wraps in front of you!"

I don't bother looking down at my plate. By the time our appetizers were served, I was ravenous and practically devoured them in less than five minutes. That's my long, complicated way of saying my plate is empty. Instead, I look up at the ceiling, displaying the best innocent face I can. "I'm hungry," I reply.  

"That's enough about food!" Lauren exclaims. "You need to tell us about your night with Leo!"

"Yes!" the rest of the girls chime.

"Was he better than the rest?" Ruby Jacobson, our goalie, asks.

I'm mildly embarrassed as I glance around the table. All of these ladies, even Scarlett, think I've had sex before. Before my night with Leo. When that's not the truth at all. The only one who knows the truth is Isabella, and when I glance at her, I can see the look of sympathy in her eyes. When rumours about me sleeping around were spread across the Internet, Isabella was actually against me succumbing to them; she wanted me to fight and keep my reputation clean. I'm the one who decided to stay silent. I was sick and tired of trying to convince people to believe the truth when all they wanted were headlines for their stories. What matters is I have the truth in my heart. What matters is that their fake news doesn't subtract from the magic I felt with Leo last night.