CHAPTER 4

7:00 PM

The doorbell rang, and I froze mid-step. Shit.

Why was I nervous? It was just dinner. Just dinner. Except my mom had invited Zayn and his family, and now I had to deal with that.

Taking a deep breath, I smoothed my shirt, forced a neutral expression, and opened the door.

Zayn leaned against the doorframe, looking every bit as cocky as he always did. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong forearms, and the way he stood—relaxed, confident, borderline annoying—made me want to shut the door in his face.

"Hey, trouble," he greeted with a smirk.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Trouble? Really?

"Hey," I replied flatly, pretending not to notice how good he looked.

Behind him, his mom, Aunt Nicole, and his two sisters stood, all smiling.

"Hi, Arienne," his older sister, Jenni, said warmly, handing me a box of chocolates.

"Oh, wow, thank you! These are my favorite," I said, genuinely touched. Okay, maybe his family wasn't too bad.

As everyone settled in, the conversation flowed easily—too easily. Our moms laughed like teenagers, and before I knew it, Aunt Nicole was telling embarrassing childhood stories about Zayn.

I made sure to listen extra carefully. For blackmail purposes.

Eventually, the conversation turned to me.

"So, Arienne, what do you do for fun?" Aunt Nicole asked.

I hesitated. Fun? What even was that?

"She studies. A lot," my mom answered for me.

"She's actually been doing martial arts for years," Mom said like it was no big deal. "Her dad was really into it, so he got her started when she was little."

I froze.

Mom. What the hell?

Aunt Nicole's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Really? That's impressive!"

"She's got medals, too," Mom added. "Though, we don't really talk about it much."

Yeah, because I don't want to.

"Wait," Zayn cut in, his expression shifting. "You fight?"

I looked at him, debating whether to lie.

"A little," I muttered.

He grinned. Oh, no.

"Ari, I think you just became ten times more interesting," he said, leaning forward. "Didn't expect that from you."

I narrowed my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." His smirk deepened. "Just funny how you seem all quiet and innocent, but secretly, you could probably knock someone out."

I crossed my arms. "I don't start fights."

"But you finish them?"

Cocky bastard.

"Zayn," Aunt Nicole said, shaking her head.

My mom sighed. "Actually, she doesn't do it much anymore." Her voice softened. "Her dad was... really into it. To the point where he didn't have much time for anything else. He got sick before he could realize how much he missed."

Silence.

For once, even Zayn didn't have a comeback.

Mr. Carter, who had been quiet, spoke up. His voice was gentle but firm. "That must've been hard."

I nodded. "Yeah."

Aunt Nicole reached for my mom's hand. "I'm sorry."

Mom shook her head with a smile. "It's okay. Just... it's not something she likes talking about. So let's keep it between us, alright?"

"Of course," Aunt Nicole said.

I glanced at Zayn. He nodded, serious for once.

"Yeah, I won't say anything."

Jenni spoke up.

"Hey, could I get a glass of water?" she asked, smiling meaningfully at me.

I knew what she was doing—giving me an out from the conversation.

"Yeah, of course," I said, grateful, and led her to the kitchen.

As I grabbed a glass, she leaned against the counter, glancing around. "You have a cool setup in your room," she said.

I felt warmth at the compliment. "Thanks! I try to keep it interesting."

She sipped her water before looking at me. "So, what are you studying?"

I hesitated before answering. "I'm in university."

She nodded, not pressing for details. "I was in your shoes not long ago. It feels like everyone's expecting you to have your life figured out already."

I exhaled. "Right? Like, I'm supposed to have this grand plan, but half the time, I don't even know what I want for dinner."

She laughed. "Exactly. It's okay not to know yet. I ended up working at an architecture firm, but I changed my mind a million times before that."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, if I ever need a mansion designed, I should call you?"

She grinned. "Absolutely. I'll even give you the 'family friend' discount."

Before I could respond, Zayn's voice cut through the moment.

"You two bonding here?"

I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, smirking like he owned the place.

"Yeah," I said. "We were just planning my future mansion."

He chuckled. "Dream big, Ari."

I rolled my eyes. "Dream of minding your own business, Zayn."

He laughed, but before he could say anything else, my mom's voice interrupted.

"Arienne, your mom's calling."

I sighed, heading back out to the living room.

."We're out of juice! We need some for dinner."

"Can't we just skip it?" I asked, praying she'd say yes.

"No, I really need it," she insisted.

I groaned, dragging myself toward the door to grab my shoes

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