Chapter 4 Lies

Aria Zion was prepared for the worst when she walked into the quiet cottage in Riverview. It was now Monday afternoon she had left early Sunday morning. Things in Bridgeport were as complicated as they always had been, but the trip had told her one important thing, that part of her life was going to stay a very big part of her life for a while now. 

She nervously twirled her fingers through the car keys before stepping through the door. "You're back," Hunter said looking over at her, just finishing washing the dishes. 

"Yeah," Aria muttered, unsure of what to say or do in this situation. 

"I take it things worked out?" Hunter asked his words calm but icy at the same time. 

Aria looked down guilt flooding her senses, "Yes they worked out, I just," Aria muttered trying to come up with an excuse why she couldn't tell him. 

Hunter walked over to her a kiss silencing her mid-sentence, this kiss surprised Aria it was full of love, but it lacked the warmth that usually accompanied Hunter's kisses. 

"It's fine, you're not going to tell me," Hunter told her before flashing a light smile, "besides I need to go having a meeting with Constance," he informed her. 

Aria stiffened at the mention of Constance, "When will you be back?" she asked, jealously sneaking into her voice. 

"Probably not till nine or ten, I promised  her I'd help her parent's put up the new wallpaper in their house," Hunter said as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. 

"But," Aria began in protest, she didn't want him with her. A social call with Constance was not only a world-altering event to Aria it was completely and utterly unacceptable. 

"Sorry I would have cleared it with you but you were gone," Hunter interrupted her. 

A heap of guilt flooded Aria's senses, he was still angry, he was doing this to get back at her. 

"Have a good time," Aria told him, her voice producing a weak kind of fury.

 Hunter hesitated his hand on the handle, "I can cancel, I just," Hunter muttered, and Aria had no idea where he intended to go with the statement nor did she care, "Just leave," she snapped.

 Hunter's features hardened a sort of stubbornness replacing them that Aria hadn't seen since they were teenagers. Aria turned away from him no longer wanting to see it and the only way she knew he was gone was when she heard the engine of their car driving away. 

Aria collapsed on the floor her emotional state overcoming her, tears streamed down her face. 

Bridgeport had been to hard, that innocence that she had witnessed the last day was getting to her. For once she questioned everything she had done since she discovered the truth, she even began to question her real motives behind lying about it. Aria had no doubt in her mind of how much of a selfish person she was, moving to Riverview was a compromise a way to make herself feel better for always taking from Hunter. He gave her everything and she had to give something back, the worse thing was it wasn't even a sacrifice because she loved it here.  The more Aria realized this she also realized that Hunter meeting Constance today was not a revenge plot, it wasn't in his nature. It was something she would have done and she had made it worse but assuming he was like her. What most likely happened was Constance called asking for help for her parents and Hunter being the good sort he was couldn't refuse. Aria had awakened anger in him for nothing, as always Hunter had been prepared to back off from that part of her life.  

The gentle melody of Aria's phone shocked her to life, it was Larry she didn't want to pick it up she wanted to feel miserable like she should, but a bigger part of her wanted her to just get over it.

 "Hey," she said cheerfully answering the phone. 

"There's our missing girl dodging phone calls very sneaky of you Aria Zion," Larry joked. 

Aria laughed he was always in such good spirits, "Well I see you five days a week, you can't blame me for wanting a break," she teased. 

"Hmmm," Larry said, the simple gesture told Aria he was pretending to consider it, "well as long as you're still ready to get the tattoo tomorrow." Aria frowned she had forgotten about that deal but the stubborn part of her knew she could never back out and that was why Larry kept pushing her, because he knew her. 

"I am, am I selfish?" Aria suddenly asked, the question putting a silence between the joking friends. Aria regretted asking it, the question would not be received well. 

"If this is about Hunter, I'm not ready to get into you're relationship problems," Larry finally replied his voice uncertain for the first time. 

Aria sighed heavily, "You're right, I shouldn't of brought you into this," she admitted.

 The sadness in her voice must have been carried through the radio waves and touched Larry's heart. "Aria, I think sometimes you can be a little selfish but you're eighteen you're meant to be hanging out with friends. Nothing ever betrays the fact you want Hunter there with you, there's no doubt that what you feel for him is love. All I'm saying Aria if you want to have a life you've got to give, a relationship is meant to be equal anything else won't last. Take it from someone who's been in your shoes," Larry tells her, the advice may not have been what she wanted to hear but it was something she needed to hear. Maybe it was a blessing that her two best friends were so much older than her. 

"Thank you Larry," Aria said, sincerity easily heard. 

"No problem, just not again any time soon ah, anyway Alicia's coming wish me luck," Larry muttered a fake fear voice taking over his normal tone, before hanging up. Aria put the phone down, she was going to have to give, to keep her secret she would have to allow Hunter to have Constance as a friend it was the only way.  

Aria waited for Hunter to walk through the door like a predator waiting for its prey and when the sound of a click awakened her ears she was ready for him. "You're home," she declared cheerfully as he shut the door. 

Hunter gave her a confused smile unsure of her attitude, "Yeah, sorry it’s a bit later it was harder than I thought." 

Aria pulled him into a hug,

 "Its fine, I actually think it’s a good thing," Aria said her mind fighting for the words to stay in her mouth, "I spent all this time with Larry and Hunter C and you should have a friend to." 

Hunter's reaction was of shock soon taken over by a calm understanding, he knew Aria and he knew exactly why she was doing this. 

"You wouldn't mind if I spent more time with Constance?" he finally asked, but he knew the true answer and he also knew she was going to lie. 

If Aria was aware of what Hunter was thinking she didn't show it, "Of course, besides she's with that Skip guy anyway. She's a good friend to you, it'll be good for you," she told, every lie that came out of her bruising her mind. 

"Well thanks and Aria I'm glad you're back," Hunter admitted making Aria's heart fly.

 Regardless of what she wanted this was the right thing to do and at least it would distract Hunter more why she dealt with the Bridgeport problem.

 "Me too, I love you," Aria whispered cradling her head into the nook of Hunter's neck. 

"I love you too," he murmured but something had glazed his eyes, a sort of cold determination.

 If Aria had thought that she could get direct his attention away from her secret she had never been more wrong. A marriage that had stared out with honest and true love had now suffered as the deadly tiny creatures worked its way to its core, as the lies began to replace the truth.