I Maid The Right Choice

                                    

                                          
**Arianna's P.O.V.**
                          
I just told Zack I love him. What was I thinking? What if he doesn't feel the same way? But I can't keep leading Alec on, it's not fair to him. I need to end things with him now before they get too serious.
                          
I go downstairs to the kitchen where I find him cooking. He looks up at me and smiles which instantly makes me feel guilty for what I'm about to do. He comes over and leans in to kiss me, but I turn my face and he ends up kissing my cheek. 
                          
His eyebrows furrow in confusion, "Is everything okay?" He asks me.
                          
"I think we should just be friends..." I whisper.
                          
I feel him stiffen and cautiously look up at him. His eyes have darkened as he stares right back at me.
                          
Can he see the guilt in my eyes?
                          
"I'm sorry-"
                          
He cuts me off before I can finish, "Did you kiss him?" He asks.
                          
"W-who?"
                          
"You know who."
                          
"I didn't mean to Alec I swear it was during the play-"
                          
"So that's a yes?" He interrupts.
                          
"Yes but-"
                          
"Why did it take you this long to break up with me if the kiss happened during the play?
                          
"I didn't want to hurt you," I hesistantly reply.
                          
He sighs, "It's okay Ari, I should've known you were serious about Zack," he says with a pained smile.
                          
"Alec-"
                          
"I think I need some time away from you."
                          
"O-of course, I understand."
                          
He gives me another pained smile before turning back to his cooking. I awkwardly shuffle out of the kitchen in search of Zack. I walk upstairs back towards Zack's room when I'm stopped by Vanessa.
                          
"Zack has been through a lot and I can tell you really make him happy, so please don't hurt him."
                          
"What do you mean by a lot?"
                          
"I'm sorry it's not my place to tell. But if you really care about him, just be there for him. He really needs you right now."
                          
"I love him," I whisper, not sure why I'm telling this to her.
                          
"I know you do, now prove to him that you do."
                          
I nod and then she hugs me. I'm surprised at first, but I reluctantly hug her back. Huh, I think we could maybe actually be friends...
                          
I make my way down the hallway to Zack's room and knock. I wait for him to open the door for me, but he doesn't.
                          
I hesitantly open the door very slowly, "Zack?"
                          
I get no reply, but I hear the shower running so I close the door and sit on his bed waiting for him. A picture catches my eye and I walk over to it. It's a picture of Zack's family. I notice his parents, Vanessa, and Zack, along with some other boy. I don't see Payton in the picture so I'm assuming this was taken before she was born.
                          
Everybody looks extremely happy in the picture. They're all wearing beautiful smiles, Zack's father has his arm around his wife, and the boy (maybe a cousin?) has his arms around Zack and Vanessa. They all just look like one big, happy family. So how do they go from this to Zack's father beating him while I watched silently crying in the bathroom. It just doesn't add up. What changed? Something big must have happened. But what?
                          
All of a sudden I feel two strong arms wrap around me.
                          
"It's very rude to look through someone's room Ari," he whispers huskily in my ear causing me to shiver. 
                          
He smirks as he gets the reaction he wanted from me. I turn around to face him and of course he's only wearing a towel. I take in his beautifully sculpted abs, hair dripping wet, his muscles flexing as he raises another towel to dry his hair. He smirks again as he basically catches me checking him out.
                          
"S-sorry, I didn't mean-"
                          
He puts his finger on my lips silencing me which causes my face to heat up. 
                          
"I missed seeing you blush because of me," he says with a genuine smile instead of his usual smirk.
                          
His eyes flicker down to my lips and my breathing slows down. I unconsciously lick my lips and his eyes turn a darkening green at that action. 
                          
"You don't know what you do to me Ari," he says with a deep voice instantly making my cheeks warm. 
                          
"Then show me," I tell him.
                          
And he does. Again and again and again.