It felt weird bringing Easton into this—his job was already featuring in more than one unhealthy way in our relationship—but he also had offered and he would know what he could and could not do. I could let him know Ari was interested and let him decide what was the next step. Not that I even knew if he was still talking to me after I’d fucked him and then acted like an asshole.

My face felt hot, remembering how mortified Easton looked walking out of my house, but if I had to grovel to get him to help Ari, I would. Although that was bullshit too. I could not say much for sure, but I knew Easton would not go back on an offer to help Ari because he and I had a falling out. Between the two of us, the only fickle one was me.

“I just don’t want you to feel like I’m telling your stuff to people.” I really meant that too.

Ari’s shrugged lightly but I could tell he was thinking hard on what I’d said. “Easton is a good guy, and if he wants to help me, I won’t say no. After that time at the detention facility I learned that if there were people wanting to help me out, that I would never let my pride get in the way. I can’t deal with all of this on my own.” He lifted a hand in a gesture of that seemed to say, “What can you do?”

“If I could, I would’ve been out of my uncle’s house a long time ago, but I can’t. If Easton can help out, then I’m glad for it.”

Ari’s matter-of-fact tone made him sound much older than his twenty-one years. I thought that even though our stories were similar, in some fundamental ways we were very different. Ari had made his passage to the States alone and had faced trials I never had to. He took the help that was offered to him gladly, learned to trust even when he had very little reason to do so. Which brought me back to Easton and how I kept pushing him away.

Ari’s soft laugh got my attention back to our conversation; he looked amused at whatever he saw on my face. “You look like I did all of last year when Yin was trying to convince me we should date and I kept telling myself it would never work. Are you and Easton having troubles?”

That brought me up short. “Easton and I aren’t dating.”

Another laugh and this one has a definite “bitch, please” ring to it.

“The way you look at each other certainly seems like you could be. Yin would be very unimpressed by you blowing a chance to date Easton.”