Chapter 0656

“But I was fine!” I protest, casting out a hand. “That guy with the beard – he was just hitting on me! He was harmless – he went away as soon as you asked him to!”

“Right,” Tony says, nodding to me. “But he could have been dangerous. It was just luck that brought a relatively nice guy over to your table. Luca left you high and dry, Ari, and you should be madder about it than you are.”

“I’ll be fucking mad about it for you,” Jesse murmurs, slumped in his chair with his arms crossed.

I take a deep breath, looking down into my lap, getting angry. Because everyone’s being very cruel about Luca – and no one’s giving him a chance. “Luca is a full, complicated person,” I say, a bit between my teeth. “And he’s allowed to have flaws. He’s…he’s got a lot going on, emotionally. He doesn’t have it all figured out!”

“You’re very kind, Ari,” Ben says, reaching out and putting a warm hand on my knee. I look up at him, blinking hard against the tears stinging my eyes. “It’s one of my favorite things about you.”