Free Confessions by Janice Collins Page A

answered. 
     
    “Hey,” Aria said, “Are you busy?”
     
    “No.  What’s up?”
     
    “Would you mind if I go to your place for a bit?”
     
    “Not at all.  Everything okay?”
     
    “Yeah, I’ll explain when I get there.”
     
    “Okay. See you soon.” 
     
    Aria put her phone on the passenger’s seat and leaned her head back against the headrest.  She let her eyelids close, giving herself a moment before driving off to Kay’s apartment. 
     

Chapter 9
     
    “Tell me what’s going on,” Kay said as she opened her apartment door for Aria to step in.
     
    Aria eyed her and shrugged before walking straight into the bedroom.  She promptly kicked off her shoes and flopped down onto Kay’s bed.
     
    “It’s Tina,” she said, Aria’s voice muffled from her face being buried in the sheets.  She heard Kay sigh and felt her hand on her back.  Aria turned her head to look at Kay.
     
    “It’s nothing big, really.  Billy just needs some time to process.  She was a really big part of his life for a long time.  He really loved her and it took him a while to get over that relationship.  It just came as a shock for him that she’s back and he is going to have to hang around her from time to time, you know?”
     
    Kay sighed and nodded.  It made perfect sense.  “You’re not worried though, are you?”
     
    “No,” Aria replied before turning over onto her back.  She stared at the ceiling and stretched her arm upward.  She held her hand above her face and stretched it open, wiggling her fingers and focusing on how it looked against the white color of the ceiling.  She meant it.  She wasn’t worried, at least not about the relationship. 
     
    “The only worry I have where Tina is concerned is how it will work out, you know?” 
     
    Kay nodded and said, “That makes sense.  Let’s just hope for the best.”
     
    A couple hours later Aria’s phone buzzed.  It was a message from Billy letting her know he was feeling better and it would be nice if she would go back home. 
     
    “Time for me to go,” Aria announced as she pushed herself up off the couch.  Kay paused the movie they had been watching and looked over at Aria, nodding.  Aria grabbed her bag and put her shoes back on, thanking Kay for having her over and listening before leaving.
     
    It was only a few minutes later when she walked through the door of her apartment to see Billy sitting out on the balcony, a cold beer resting on the balcony table.  She noticed there was another cold beer set out for her.  She placed her keys on the hook and dropped her bag on the coffee table before going out to join him.  He smiled and handed her the beer.
     
    “Thanks.  I feel a lot better.  I really appreciate how understanding you were.”
     
    “Of course,” she said as she took a sip from her beer and watched the last of the sun disappearing behind the horizon.  “There’s a party on Saturday,” she told him.  He took a large gulp of beer before turning to look at her. 
     
    “I had already said we would probably go before I found out about Tina.”
     
    He nodded and took another drink.  “That’s fine, we should still go.”
     
    It was Friday evening and Aria had just gotten home from work to an empty apartment.  She thought Billy would have already been there, as he usually was, so she sent him a text asking if he was working late and if she should whip something up for dinner.  He replied he would be home soon with food so not to worry. 
     
    She walked into the bedroom and undressed, putting all her clothes away carefully.  She took off her bra and dumped it in the hamper before jumping onto the bed and stretching out.  The gentle glow of the setting sun filtering through the shutters lit up the room nicely and she enjoyed the subtle warmth on her skin.
     
    She heard the front door open and Billy announce, “I’m here.”
     
    “I’m in the bedroom,” she called out not wanting to move just yet.