Page 29 of The Pursuit of Happiness
Ivory whips her head at Rogan, “Can you shut the fuck up?” One thing about Ivory Aslan, the girl has a temper like none other. She’s all cool and calm until someone fucks with one of us or her. She will scratch your eyes out and think nothing of it. The girl is very small, but very mighty.
Rogan’s lip curls in distaste and just as he’s about to say whatever disgusting words were about to come from his mouth, Brody interrupts by speaking directly to Ivory, “Iv, walk me out. I’m going home. Harvey is here.”
Ivory nods and gets off the couch. In seconds, she and Brody are gone, leaving me alone with Miles and Rogan. I’ll call Brody later and make sure she’s okay. She’s probably stressing that she has to talk Harvey down from the ledge of defending her honor and most likely murdering Rogan with his bare hands.
Rogan grins, “And then there were three.”
“It’ll be two if you don’t cut this shit out,” Miles frowns.
Rogan ignores him and focuses on me, “So, Aria, what is it about Slater that has you settling down after never being in a public relationship?”
I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling self conscious under the scrutiny of his eyes. If Selene were here, she’d tell meto evade the question and to be slick about it. “Just because my relationships have never been public doesn’t mean I haven’t been in any.” I change the subject and focus the attention on the relationship aspect rather than the Slater aspect. The less Rogan and everyone else in the world knows, the better.
“What is it about Slater then?” He raises a questioning brow. Of course he saw right through my diversion. I’m not good at diverting! I’m not Selene fucking Stone!
I don’t know how to answer. “Why so interested in my relationship?” My voice comes out defensive even though I was hoping it wouldn’t.
“I just want to know why you were so quick to hop on his dick after rejecting him and every other male celebrity for years, including myself.” His words are laced with bitterness and distaste towards me. I don’t know whether I should be insulted or confused. When did I reject Slater? He has to be talking about that night at the club, because I’d never met Slater before then. I rejected him at first but I wouldn’t even call it rejection because I ended up sleeping with him that night. And Rogan? When did I reject Rogan? Is that what this is about?
“When did I reject you?” I ask, totally confused.
He frowns, “Of course you wouldn’t remember.”
“Is that what the attitude is about? You’re bitter I chose Sly and not you?” Okay, it’s only half a lie because I didn’t really choose Sly at all, he was kind of forced on me by Selene and Steve. Not that I’m complaining, but I’m not really too keen on whatever it is I’m being accused of.
Miles watches us very closely and Rogan opens his mouth to answer, but I don’t get to hear whatever it is he’s about to say because Sly comes back and grabs my hand, pulling me away from Rogan and the VIP section and over to a quiet hallway by the bathrooms. I relax once I realize we are far far away from Rogan and that Sly is back. I hadn’t realized how anxious I waswithout him near me until he returned. “Thank God,” I exhale.
Sly’s brows crease in the middle, “What did he say to you?”
He looks so angry that I’m almost afraid to tell him what Rogan said. I don’t want to cause a murder tonight. Especially between someone and his best friend, though Rogan is not acting very friendly. I shrug, “Nothing. It’s fine.”
I’ve never seen him this angry. “Aria.” His voice is a warning.
My back is pressed against the wall and Sly stands so close that I’m practically pinned beneath him. His arm rests against the wall beside my head and he leans in close, our mouths only inches apart. “I really don’t want to cause any problems,” I say so quietly it comes out as a whisper.
He shakes his head, “You wouldn’t be causing problems. He is. He’s the one that’s being a douchebag. Tell me everything he said to you while I was gone and why Brody and Ivory are gone.”
I avoid his eyes as I admit, “He was bothering Brody about her sobriety and then when Harvey called to check on her he made a sexually suggestive comment about her so that Harvey could hear. Brody left to calm him down because he was probably on his way here to put Rogan in the ground.”
Sly’s breath is hot against my face. “And Ivory?”
“She was walking Brody out. Rogan was starting in with her towards the end but she left before it could get worse.”
He slaps the wall beside my head with his palm and grunts, “Motherfucker.”
I reach up and place my hands on his chest to soothe him with my touch. I’m not sure what qualifies me to be soothing, but it seems that his body reacts to me the same way that mine reacts to him. “It’s okay. Brody and Ivory can handle themselves. They’re very tough.”
He meets my eyes and the intensity in his eyes is enough to have me afraid as ifI’mthe one that did something wrong. He looks so angry and the expression is one that doesn’t suit him.It disturbs me to see him like this. He’s so tense and worked up. He’s supposed to be happy and smiling, making jokes about something or making me laugh in another way. I feel a pain in my chest that he’s so bothered. I want him to be happy.
“What did he say to you?” His voice comes out dark, an edge to it I never thought possible for him.
I know he’s not gonna drop this until I answer the question. “He was asking me why I’m with you after rejecting half the male population for years publicly. Apparently I rejected him at one point and that’s why he’s so bitter.”
Sly flinches as if I slapped him, “When did you reject him? He’s never told me that.”
I shrug, “I’m not sure. I honestly can’t remember. There’s a good chance I was either drunk or high when I rejected him so I wouldn’t remember.”
A look crosses over Sly’s face and for a second it seems as though his mind has drifted to something else before he snaps back to attention and follows up with, “Did he say or do anything else?”
