Chapter 3
Valentine
Past
Don't be a weirdo stalker, Valentine. I repeated that to myself every morning when I passed his house. I kept my head down, carelessly thumbing through Twitter on my phone. My eyes darted gingerly toward his house, hoping to get a look at him as I passed.
I wanted to talk to him so bad, but I didn't have the nerve. It had only been a month since school started, I was running out of time. I needed to make a good impression on him before he found out how weird and awkward I was.
Who was I kidding?
The sooner I got that ridiculous fantasy out of my head the better. My classmates automatically assumed I was this stuck up bitch just because of who my father was. The hope for having any real friends here dried up a long time ago.
Suddenly I heard squeaky barking followed by Arsen cursing, and then I was attacked. A little ball of fluff hurled itself through the open chain fence and crashed into my legs, getting knocked on its back for the effort. I immediately bent down to pet my tiny attacker, but the puppy seemed to want to roll around my hands and legs rather than stay put.
Arsen stormed out a second later, looking winded, like he'd been chasing this little guy around all morning. “Grab that runt, would'ya?” He didn't sound pleased.
My throat dried out when I saw that he was shirtless. A light sweat glistened on his olive skin from the morning sunlight. I think I found a new late night image to keep me warm before bed.
Arsen typically kept himself looking immaculate, probably for all the girls in his fan club. Not this morning, though, his hair and clothing was a disheveled mess. He looked less GQ handsome and more ruggedly hot. It felt like I was glimpsing behind the well-maintained facade to the real Arsen. I was seeing him more intimately than any of the girls he took home.
Arsen looked me over. His eyes flitted down to my Doc Martin's, and leggings, then up past my purple skirt and black superhero tee. It was the kind of look that made my bones turn to Jello, and one that I'd carry in my mind every time I took a shower.
I reached for the little golden retriever as an excuse to not meet his eyes and turn into a puddle. The puppy was too quick. He darted away, then dove back at me again, wanting more of whatever game we were playing. “He's adorable. What's his name?”
“Not sure yet.” Arsen towered over both me and the dog. “I'm somewhere between 'stop chewing on that, you little asshole,' and 'get the fuck out of there'.”
“Tough choice.” I idly brushed my bangs further to the side of my face. “Both names just roll off the tongue.”
“My dad dropped him off for me as an early birthday present before he was redeployed with his unit. I asked him for the new Xbox and he gets me a fucking dog.”
The puppy flops unceremoniously to my feet and rolls over, begging for tummy rubs. I couldn't resist, but while I rub his sides, desperately trying to refrain from making any stupid baby noises. “Aww he just wants some love.”
“He said the dog will help teach me responsibility or some shit. Be glad you don't have a Marine for a father. Nothing can ever be easy, they always want to teach you shit. You're Valentine, right?”
Oh crap, he already knew my name! We didn't have any of the same classes together, so the only way he could've heard it was by someone else. What did they say about me?
“Yeah,” I said, trying to remember how to act normal. 'How are you so much hotter than the other seniors?' I don't say that. “And you're Arson, right? Like when people set things on fire?”
Arsen gave me a flat look.
Really? Really! What the hell was that! I felt my cheeks begin to flush red, which was devastating for my pale complexion. I screamed on the inside. I knew it was a different spelling, was I trying to be funny?
Would it be weird if I ran away right now, dropped out of school and hid in my room for the rest of my life?
“At least I'm not named after the lamest holiday” Arsen cracked a smile at my obvious discomfort. “How bout I call you 'Val' instead?”
“Sure,” relief washed over me. It was completely in my head, but I loved the way the nickname rolled off his tongue. Another quick look at him and I knew I was in trouble. God, this was going to be such a long school year.
I finished petting the dog, then pulled a red ribbon scrap from my backpack and tied it around his collar. The ribbon was from the dress I'd be wearing as Juliet, in the play we were doing this year in Drama. “Hey, you should name the puppy 'Romeo.'”
Almost as if he was trained to do so, the puppy flipped back onto his paws, then proceeds to start humping my leg.
“Romeo, huh?” Arsen's cool smile cracked into a laugh. “He's obviously got good taste. Maybe I'll have to give the dog a chance after all.” Arsen teased and I felt my organs start to melt. “You wanna walk with me to school?”
Present.
“Don't be a diva, Val. Give Romeo a chance.” Arsen shrugged the heavy backpack off the one shoulder he was carrying it on. Arsen absently looked around at the inside of my massive apartment.
I watched his reaction. Some part of me was really hoping to impress him. 'Look what I did without you! Why did that matter to me? The last thing I wanted was to be alone with Arsen in my home with no cameras around to force me to keep up appearances. Even as I thought it, I felt a familiar blush heat my face. And other places.
Damn him.
Hearing his name, the golden retriever barked and wagged his tail. His nails clicked against the freshly polished wooden floor of my condo. He was so big now! Hard to imagine that this was the same ball of fluff that attacked me.
“Not a snowball's odds in hell.” If it wasn't for Romeo, I might have never talked to Arsen at all. I knew right away that it had to be all or nothing with Arsen. I was worried that if I fell in love with Romeo again, then...
“Everyone knows that dog's make the best security system.” Arsen gave me a look that used to turn my knees into rubber.
I swallowed hard, hating that it still did.
“Oh, just in case someone bypasses the security on the first floor by repelling through one of my windows.” I swept an arm out toward my floor to ceiling, palladium windows that overlook the wraparound terrace and the whole of Boston's inner harbor.
“Exactly.” Arsen winked, choosing to take my obvious sarcasm at face value. God, this man was frustrating. I just wish he wasn't so damn charming about it. “Besides, you used to love dogs.”
“Yeah, I grew out of that.” I took a hard look at the man who crashed back into my life as abruptly as he disappeared from it so many years ago. “I grew out of a lot of things.”
Arsen's cockiness faded into a knowing glance. 'You can't outgrow me, Val,' the look said. I felt pressure to blurt out 'Yes, I can!' But I held my tongue. Somehow I felt that lie still on my face, and quickly shifted my gaze toward the kitchen. I needed something to wet my suddenly dry throat.
He was the only man I'd ever met that could break me down with just a look. Even the thought of Arsen was scandalous. The damage he could do to my career, to the life I'd worked so hard to build...
He'd always had this hold over me growing up. Arsen was this larger-than-life figure that always got his way, even during the bad times. It made helping him after the tragedy so much harder.
“So you gonna give us the tour or what?” Arsen, now wearing just the fitted gray tank top, had crouched down to play with Romeo. He'd stripped off his button-down and tied it around his waist, completing his ninety's grunge look. Arsen's huge, defined arms flexed slightly as he scratched behind Romeo's ears.
I couldn't believe how different he looked from high school. He'd always managed to walk the line of being incredibly fashionable, while looking like he hadn't put any thought into it at all. He was our school's rock star without ever picking up an instrument. If Arsen wore it, you'd better believe every other popular guy would follow suit.
It wasn't just his style that was completely different, but his physicality too. Back in the day, Arsen was the epitome of lean, athletic kid. He was strong and extremely well defined. Younger me can still recall the groves of his muscles more completely than my own locker combination.
“The tour...” I repeated automatically, not really paying attention. Now Arsen was this sculpted god of a man, massive arms and chest that were riddled with tattoos. Being an actor surrounded me with beautiful men, they were a dime a dozen.
And Arsen was a twenty dollar bill.
He glanced over at me expectantly, to which I immediately looked away not wanting to get caught ogling him. I cleared my throat and took a sip of the water bottle I'd pulled from the fridge.
“I'm not your tour guide, there is no tour.” I was already flustered by this whole arrangement. I haven't even seen him in forever and suddenly he's living with me? Younger me's head would've exploded knowing he'd be sleeping so close. “Just pick a room or whatever.”
“It's all yours, isn't it? There a boyfriend or roommate I should know about.” Arsen stood up, eying me.
What was that look? Was he already jealous at the thought of another guy living with me?
“Of course not—” I blurted the words before catching myself. You're not a teenager anymore Valentine! You don't answer to him. “I mean, what if there is? How is that any of your concern?”
Arsen brushed by me to pull a beer from the fridge, his touch lit sparkles through my arm. Using his ring, he popped the cap and drained a mouthful, all the while not breaking eye contact. “I like to sleep naked and I don't want to scare anyone.” Sex dripped from every word.
My breath spiked. Damn him for putting the image of him naked in bed into my head. I eagerly chugged some water, hoping that would put out the fire I felt in my lower stomach.
“It is good to see you again, Val.” His tone took on a more earnest quality. It almost sounded... sincere.
I wanted to fall into him, like I did on prom night. Memories about how much I cared for him swelled inside of me, to the point that I felt like I might burst. He was an arm's length for the first time in years, It took everything I had not to hug him. It's alright, my heart cooed. Everything's alright now.
No!
Everything was not alright!
I turned and walked away from him. Years of worry and resentment churned within me. This was him. This is what he does. I wont be hypnotized by him, not again. I barely survived last time. Arsen's just going to disappear again, and I refuse to go through that much pain. Not to mention that we're also related now, I could only imagine the field day the media would have with that.
All of this is temporary, I reminded myself.
“I'm giving this...” I waved my hands searching for the word. “Insanity two weeks. So don't get comfortable.”
Arsen's voice stopped me right before I could climb the stairs and escape into my bedroom. “And my dog?” He asked with a surprising amount of concern.
“Romeo?” I had to say his name out loud to mentally process the request. After Arsen got a dog, I all but begged my father to let me get one. He called it a waste of time and money and said that I couldn't afford meaningless attachments if I wanted a career.
At the sound of his name, Romeo rushed over to me, tail wagging like crazy. He nuzzled my leg and barked, making the urge to pet him a hundred times harder to resist. It was then that I saw what was still tied to Romeo's collar. A stained, faded ribbon that looked so much smaller on the now grown dog.
Arsen had kept the ribbon I gave Romeo.
I sighed, feeling defeated by nostalgia. “Romeo can stay,” I said, giving in and scratching the top of his head. What kind of monster would I be if I separated him from Arsen after all these years. Maybe it didn't have to be all or nothing. “But only one condition. You'd better make sure that he doesn't—.”
Romeo, deciding to help with a visual aid, immediately started humping my leg. Arsen broke into mostly restrained laughter as I shook my head and pushed Romeo off.
“When you get a dog too excited,” Arsen hopped up to grab his dog. “Sometimes they just can't control themselves.”
Oh God, what have I agreed to?