Ari froze on her seat as he spoke. It seemed as if she had been slapped in the face with shock. She wasn't expecting the words or perhaps, his confession.
She had always been torn between the strange sensations she felt for Vlad and their undying friendship. Ari had always thought it was safer to conceal her feelings rather than reveal it, at least it was for her.
She had believed it was best to suffice whatever feelings was growing within her for Vlad. Ari didn't want it to bloom into something significant, as she believed he would find his mate one day and leave her to her fragile and pathetic emotions, not to forget, heart broken.
She would rather not be in that side of the card, sulking over a man she could not have, so she kept her thoughts to herself as well as the butterflies in her stomach.
Ari as well, was not in the slightest oblivious to Vlad's feelings towards her. It had been a palpable energy emanating from him every time.
