Note: Given my previous fics and head canons about Raleigh and Aria’s relationship, I wasn’t quite satisfied with the MC’s happy-go-lucky reactions to Raleigh’s antics this last chapter and wanted to add in more about their love triangle. I re-wrote the relevant parts of chapter 13 from this perspective. Some of the dialogue is transcribed from the chapter, but much is new or changed. I also changed up the sex scene some for fun and omitted much of the chapter that didn’t need re-writing to fit my version of the story.
Aria doesn’t know what to do with herself. Yes, she’d had a moment and acted completely insane, butting into Jaylen’s performance of her song, but it’s not like it’s out of the ordinary for celebrities to snap and get even more popular for it. Seems she’s just famous enough for people to care, but not quite famous enough to be able to get away with it. Bad girl pop star apparently doesn’t look good on her.
So now she’s stuck at home with nothing to do. It would be the perfect opportunity to write new songs, or finish some old ones, but every time she tries, she’s got nothing. The stress of wondering if her career is over as quickly as it began is taking a toll, and she’s adrift in small town no-man’s land with no purpose or direction. So when her doorbell rings unexpectedly, she’s not sure if it will he more bad news or a welcome distraction.
“Alright, Aria, have you missed me?”
“Oh my god, Avery! I can’t believe you’re here!” Saying she’s surprised would be an understatement. She feels the urge to pinch herself to make sure this isn’t another dream that will venture into nightmare territory.
“Hope you don’t mind that I stopped by, but I redirected my flight on the way to the Indio music festival. And I brought a few friends…”
“Hey, kid. Long time, no see.” Hank stands behind Avery, in his typical working stance, arms folded with his aviator sunglasses on.
Next to him is Zadie, as stylish as ever and way overdressed for Aria’s neck of the woods. “You know, I thought you were exaggerating every time you said how boring your hometown was, but now I see the reports are accurate.”
Aria chuckles because Zadie isn’t wrong, but then she sees him step out from behind the group and her stomach flip flops with a feeling she can’t quite place.
“Hey, Aria. Are you gonna let us in or…” Raleigh asks coolly in his typical ‘I don’t give a fuck if you do or you don’t’ tone, but the smile on his face suggests he’s happy to see her.
“I’ve missed you all so much!” Aria exclaims, and she has, she really has. But she’s also overwhelmed by this impromptu visit, and her time away from Raleigh and Avery has done nothing to clear up her indecision about the two. They’d both sent her a couple of texts but they were fairly brief. Avery hand been supportive as expected, and Raleigh was… Raleigh. He’d worked out another PR relationship to take the media focus off of Aria, or so he said. There were plenty of other ways to do that, like, oh, for example, destroying millions of dollars worth of artwork which he also did do. She’s not sure which is worse or if she has the energy to put up with his antics, even if they are just for show.
Aria glances between Avery and Raleigh. She’s drawn to Raleigh despite it all, for reasons beyond her comprehension, this physical compulsion begging her to jump into his arms. But then there’s Avery – sweet, dependable, supportive Avery – looking at her with such adoration and longing it just feels right. She flings her arms around Avery’s shoulders, kissing him slow and deep. She can’t see Raleigh’s face but she can almost feel the heat of his glare, or at least that’s what she imagines the feeling to be. Avery’s hands find her waist, and he sighs into her mouth, Aria reflexively pressing closer to him. She feels him smile against her lips, and for a moment, she’s completely lost in him.
Aria pulls back, blushing fiercely. “Well come in!” She offers without making eye contact with anyone or waiting for a response. She needs to get a hold of herself before this gets even more awkward.
But then it does get more awkward when Avery spots the poster of him on her wall, and Aria’s kicking herself for not taking it down in all this time she’s been home. Raleigh jokes about there being no poster of him, but if Aria’s not mistaken, there’s more than just a hint of jealousy there. As mortified as she is, she can’t help but find satisfaction in Raleigh’s reaction.
~~~
The gang has been in Avery’s limo traveling to some unknown destination for almost half an hour now, departing shortly after dropping off Aria’s fan mail and filling her in on Ellis buying Jaylen’s label. Apparently he’d felt so bad about selling the song, when he couldn’t buy it back he bought the whole damn thing. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s still not Aria’s to sing, but maybe this will make things better in the long run.
The limo pulls up outside a gorgeous lake home – an Airbnb rental Aria presumes – but Avery immediately informs her otherwise. “Ladies, gentlemen, friends, welcome to my humble summer home.”
“It has a state of the art security system too!” Hank assesses. “I’m going to enjoy it here.” Leave it to Hank to notice that first over all the breathtaking scenery.
“How long have you had this?” Aria questions, stunned that Avery would own property so close to her hometown.
“Since this morning,” Avery answers with a sly grin. “I just bought it.”
Aria is speechless. Avery bought a lake house just to have a place to go to cheer her up. Compare that with Raleigh getting a fake girlfriend and creating property damage to smooth things over, and one of them is the clear winner as far as Aria is concerned. Not that this is a competition or anything.
“Alright, enough talking, more getting in the water,” Raleigh chimes in, not allowing Aria to dwell on it much longer.
Not having known where they were going, Aria hadn’t packed a bathing suit, but of course Zadie has her covered. The skimpy white suit isn’t the most practical for water sports, but at least judging from Avery and Raleigh’s reactions, she looks amazing in it.
They race on the Jet Ski’s and hang around the dock for sometime before boarding a rented sailboat with drinks in hand. This day is shaping up to be just what she needed. As they approach the center of the lake, Avery proposes an underwater breath-holding competition, which ends up being between himself, Raleigh an Aria. Aria just hopes neither of them pass out trying to be the better man.
Aria’s uses her breath control techniques to oxygenate herself as much as possible before dipping below the surface. She’s not sure how much time has passed, but all three of them are starting to squirm. Avery’s the first to give up, heading to the surface for air. Raleigh floats closer, eyes locked on her as an intimidation tactic she presumes, until he suddenly closes the distance between them and firmly plants his lips on hers. As he grabs her hips and presses his body against hers, she can’t help but kiss him back – a kiss that literally takes her breath away to the extent she has to give up and emerges above the water line just before Raleigh does.
“You did that on purpose just to get me to lose!” Aria splashes Raleigh playfully.
Raleigh winks at her. “It didn’t seem like you minded.“
Avery swims over, a look of questioning and concern on his face, like he suspects a hint of what went on but doesn’t want to know. He gives Aria’s hand a squeeze and then cradles her in his arms as they bob in the water. “At least you beat me,” he offers as consolation, bringing his lips to hers for a fervent kiss. It’s nice, but after just kissing Raleigh, it’s lacking. It feels strange having Avery’s lips where his just were, and she’s thankful for the water washing any trace of him away. Avery helps Aria back onto the boat and hands her a towel to dry off. “I hope you got the release you wanted today.”
On the one hand, yes, she’s happier than she has been in quite a while. On the other, she’s more wound up than ever. “I did. Thanks so much for coming out all this way to visit me.”
Avery smiles softly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course, Cadence. We’ll always be there for you.”
“Alright, less conspiratorial whispering, more water sports!” Raleigh proclaims as he climbs back into the boat, his timing impeccable once again.
~~~
Everyone gathers around the fire after dinner and a long day in the sun. They talk, laugh, eat smores, and when Raleigh picks up the guitar and starts to play, it turns into an impromptu singalong, with Aria, Avery, and Raleigh harmonizing beautifully. With no expectations or weight on her shoulders, it feels good, really good, to be singing again. But when Raleigh hands her the guitar to play, the wounds are still too fresh. Fortunately her friends are understanding and they don’t push the issue, knowing she’ll get there when she’s ready.
Before long, the others begin to head inside. “I suppose it’s time for me turn in as well.” Avery announces, nodding his head at Aria as he rises. You coming?”
She can’t tell if there’s any sort of expectation in the invitation, but whatever the case, she’s not going inside until she can have a proper discussion with Raleigh. “In a bit. I just need more time to…think.”
Avery’s face falls just a little, recovering with a weak smile. “Alright, Darling. Let me know if you need anything.” A silent moment passes as gentle waves lap against the shore, moonlight dancing off the rolling water.
As soon as Avery is out of earshot, Raleigh scoffs and shakes his head. “Darling? He never gives up the prince charming act does he?”
Aria shrugs. “Maybe you’d be wise to take a few lessons from his playbook.”
Raleigh’s eyes narrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well…I hear you’ve been getting into a lot of trouble in my absence.”
“What can I say? The town’s boring without you.”
“Ugh, is everything just a game to you? You may think it’s funny to destroy property and disrespect people as part of your bad boy image, but I don’t. It’s time you fucking grew up.” Aria pushes up from her Adirondack chair, already over this conversation.
“Wait!” Raleigh tugs on her hand. “Please sit back down, and I’ll explain.” Aria rolls her eyes but sits back in the chair. “I felt awful when you were sent home. If I’d have done what you did, I’d probably end up with a slap on the wrist and more fans and album sales than before. It wasn’t fair, and I hated the negative attention you were getting, so I thought, hey, I’m basically untouchable, why not create some headlines myself to take the focus off you?”
“And that’s the best idea you had? Why not make headlines for doing something positive instead of being destructive?”
Raleigh scoots forward, placing his hand on her knee. “You know the good doesn’t get nearly as much press as the bad. Look, I’m not Avery. I’m not the type to ride into town in my white limousine and save the day by buying a beach palace to keep you in.
“I’m not asking you to be prince charming, or a knight in shining armor, or… whatever. I just…” Aria struggles to put it into words. She’s not asking for a savior or a lifelong commitment, she just needs to know that she means something to him before she falls too deep and ends up with a broken heart.
“Aria, No matter the means, what I did, I did for you, because I care about you…and it worked. Between the property damage and my new fake relationship, your incident with Jaylen is old news.”
“Well if that relationship is as fake as ours was, I’m still not feeling very reassured right now.”
Raleigh cocks his head to the side with a smirk. “Are you jealous, Campbell?” Aria doesn’t respond but serves him an icy glare. “Aww, babe, come here.” He pats his leg and holds his arms open wide.
She’s still mad and doesn’t want to give in, but him calling her babe again makes her weak. She sighs deeply before getting up and settling into his lap. “You’re still on thin ice, Carrera.”
“Aria, you have nothing to worry about. She doesn’t hold a candle to you. She’s just doing us a favor. I’ve missed you.” Raleigh traces tingly patterns up and down her thighs, goosebumps forming under his touch.
Aria peers into his eyes, biting her lower lip. “Okay, you can kiss me now.”
Raleigh chuckles. “You’ve gotten bossy in your time away, huh?”
“Maybe….But you like it.”
Raleigh threads his fingers through her hair, pulling her mouth to his, kissing her seductively, tongue gliding over her lips. “I’ve been thinking about this all day, Aria. All the things I wanted to do when I got you alone…”
She feels him harden beneath her as she plants another kiss on his lips. Now with the air cleared between them, she won’t deny she’s been thinking the same. Aria sinks to her knees and looks up at him through her lashes as she unbuckles his pants. “Well, you know what I’ve been wanting to do to you?”
“What’s that?” Raleigh asks with a knowing smile as he lifts his hips to help her undress his bottom half.
Aria wraps her hand around the base of his cock and swirls her tongue around the tip making him twitch. “I want to make you feel good,” she purrs, Raleigh letting out a groan as she takes him in her mouth slow and deep. Maybe she hasn’t been thinking about this all day. But ever since he kissed her and she caught a glimpse of the outline of his hard length through the swim trunks clinging to his legs as he emerged from the water, it’s been difficult to think of anything else.
“Fuck, Aria. This is better than good. You are incredible,” he breathes, hands fisting in her hair, guiding her up and down his shaft. She cups his balls, taking him in as deep as she can go until he pushes her away. “Come up here before I explode.”
Aria wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and climbs into his lap, straddling his hips. “What now?”
“I want you so bad Aria. Now we both get to feel good.” Raleigh lifts Aria’s sundress over her head and his eyes go wide. “You aren’t wearing anything underneath!”
“Oops! Did I forget to put on underwear?” Aria feigns innocence.
Raleigh shakes his head. “You’re lucky I didn’t know that earlier.” Without further warning he thrusts up inside her, Aria gasping as he hits her sweet spot and then pauses for confirmation. “You, good?”
Aria grins. “I’m fucking fantastic.” She sinks down deep and rolls her hips, grinding her clit on him as he fills her completely
They move together, their steady rhythm gradually picking up pace. Raleigh plays with her breasts – licking, sucking, rolling her nipples between his fingers and thumbs, sending sensations of pleasure straight to her core and fanning the flames of the fire inside her. She knows she’s close so she moves faster, grinds down harder as her moans get louder. “Raleigh, I-”
“Whats that? You want me to stop?” He teases.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” she warns with a laugh.
“And deny the chance to make you come? Never. I want to hear you scream my name,” Raleigh commands, grabbing her ass and pushing in deeper with each thrust.
She closes her eyes and throws her head back, seeing fireworks behind her eyes as her entire body ignites. “Oh my god, yes, Raleigh!” She cries out into the night as her walls tremble around him.
Aria buries her head in his neck, and Raleigh picks up her slack, bouncing her her up and down his hard length. And then he lets out a strangled moan, his whole body shuddering as he finds his release.
Raleigh pulls her against his chest as they both come down from their high. “You are full of surprises, Aria.”
“I gotta keep up with you somehow.” Aria kisses him sweetly one more time. She shivers and Raleigh grabs the beach blanket from the ground, shakes it off and throws it over both of them. She closes her eyes, not even realizing she’s drifted off until she opens her eyes again and sees how much the fire has died down.
Raleigh throws some kindling on the fire with his free hand and smiles down at her. “Hey, beautiful.”
She’s feeling vulnerable yet open in his arms. No more fooling around, no more games. It’s him she wants and he needs to know. “Raleigh, I’m glad you’re here. I missed you so much these past few days. It’s like I got jolted into an alternate reality you weren’t in.”
“I.. I missed you, too.” His expression grows somber, serious for once before his smile is back again. “But you don’t have to worry about that now. We’re here now, together.” He strokes her arm tenderly as he holds her close, pressing his soft, warm lips to her forehead.
It’s not a promise of any certain future, but Aria can’t say what tomorrow will bring. Knowing he’s all-in in this moment is good enough… for now.