Page 38 of Exile
“Don’t you dare go wishing that shit on me, M. I am in no condition to be caring for another helpless human being. My mom is finally getting professional help; let me just breathe for a minute.”
Marie must sense I’m not in a joking mood because she pulls me in for an apology hug. “I’m kidding Reenie. Misery loves company and all that. How are you feeling? Are you…you know…sad? Relieved?”
My grumpiness fades at my friend’s concern. “Honestly? I’m relieved as fuck. I really don’t want to be pregnant right now. Not with all these big changes going on. But Dom definitely seemed…disappointed. I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he is trying to get me pregnant.” At that admission Marie quirks a brow at me.
“What do you mean? He knows you’re not ready, right? You guys just started dating a few months ago. Surely he doesn’t have baby rabies already?”
“It’s nothing. I think he’s just one of those dudes who likes feeling virile and loading me up like he’s my own personal jizz dispenser. I’m gonna make an appointment to get an IUD though, so I can avoid future pregnancy scares.”
Marie nods at my statement. “I can give you the number to my OB’s office. She’s super nice and not that booked out. I’ll even go with you if you want. You might feel pretty crampy afterward for a few hours. I’ve heard they’re more painful when you haven’t had kids previously.”
I give her a grateful smile. “I’d appreciate that.”
After a quick visit from Dom and company during the middle of the rush, the rest of the morning passes by uneventfully. I catch a short break, just long enough to call Marie’s OBGYN to schedule an appointment in two weeks for an IUD insertion and save it on my calendar. When I clock out for the day, I am mentally patting myself on the back for making the appointment and not chickening out, but the cramps from the procedure can’t possibly be any worse than what I’m dealing with now.
“Alright Marie, I’m off. I’ll see you tomorrow!” On my way out the door, I run into Kai on the sidewalk, doing his best impression of a brick wall while standing right in front of the entrance to the shop.
“Shit, ReRe!” He catches me by the arms, pulling me back to him before I stumble backward and land on my ass. His hold lingers a touch too long, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go. I bask in the warmth of his touch, his familiar citrus and sage scent, for entirely too long before shaking myself out of my daze and pulling away from him.
“Kai, what are you doing here?” He looks around, avoiding making eye contact with me, like he’s trying to come up with an excuse. Eventually, he must realize he can’t come up with something that doesn’t sound like bullshit, so he blows out a breath and lowers his head.
“I wanted to check on you. We haven’t talked since…well, since you moved. I just need to know you’re okay. I know you said you needed some space, and I’m respecting that, but I miss my best friend.” When he finally looks at me and I see the hurt and sadness in his rich brown eyes, my heart crumples in on itself. I miss my best friend too. Being away from Kai for this long has felt like I’ve been missing a piece of myself.
Before I can stop myself, the words tumble out of my mouth and tears spring to my eyes. “I miss you too Kai. I miss you so much.” Kai doesn’t miss a beat, wrapping me up in one of his all-encompassing bear hugs that shut out the rest of the outside world. I blame my hormones for turning me into such a weepy mess. That has to be the reason I find myself sobbing into his chest and making a mess of his white t-shirt with my makeup and tears. I don’t let myself entertain the possibility that I’m crying because I really do miss him that much, and I made the wrong choice in upending my entire life to be with Dom.
Kai holds me together with his quiet strength while I fall apart and let all the stress from the last few weeks weighing me down finally burst free. It takes an embarrassingly long time before I’m ready to pull back from his comforting embrace.
“Sorry, I…it’s…been a lot. I guess I didn’t realize how much stress I’ve been under.” Kai nods, understanding dancing in his eyes as he wipes the tears from my cheeks. As he opens his mouth to speak, a rough voice clears their throat to our left, and I look over to see Eric, Dominick’s partner, staring at us with suspicion in his eyes.
I hastily push out of Kai’s hold, hoping I don’t look guilty of something, and plaster on a smile I direct at Eric. “Hey, you back for a refill already?”
“Had to run an errand in the neighborhood. Everything okay here? You need me to call Dom, Serena?” Eric casts a wary glance at Kai, and I step further away from him, hoping to avoid casting further suspicion on him.
“No, no. I’m fine. I ran into Kai, and I’m a hormonal mess thanks to Aunt Flo visiting, and he was just giving me a hug. I’m heading to class now. Speaking of…I, uh, gotta go. Good seeing you!” I cast a glance at Kai, giving him an apologetic smile while simultaneously avoiding the hurt rejection in his eyes, before turning and heading to the lot where my car is parked. Once inside the safe confines of my car, I mentally berate myself for falling apart all over Kai for no damn reason.
“Damnit, Serena, get your shit together.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
SERENA
When I get back to Dom’s house later that evening, after my last class of the day, I find him sitting at the kitchen table, drink in hand, with a thunderous expression on his face.
“Hey, babe…how was your day?” I approach Dom with caution as I drop my purse on the counter, wondering if something bad happened at work today. Dom looks up at me with an anger in his gaze that I swear I can feel, like heat radiating from the sun.
He doesn’t say anything, just flips his phone around and slides it towards me. On his screen is a picture of Kai and I, mid-embrace, from this morning. Eric must have taken it before he made his presence known. My face is nestled into Kai’s chest, his arms completely engulfing me, and his head is tipped down like he’s pressing a kiss to the top of my head. Did he do that? I don’t remember—I was so consumed by my own mental breakdown. My mouth opens, then closes as I work through the slimy feeling of having my privacy invaded during such a vulnerable moment.
“What the fuck is this, Serena?” His acerbic tone cuts through the shock that has me currently locked into place.
“I don’t know, Dom. What the fuck is it? Why do you have a picture of Kai giving me a hug?” I surprise myself with the amount of righteous indignation I am able to muster. Good, I’m out of the weepy stage of my hormone fluctuation and now into the bitchy stage.
“Why is Kai giving you a hug after I explicitly told you to stay away from him?” Dominick stands, looming over me like an angry, dark god, and I take a step back instinctively.
“I ran into him as I was leaving work. I was a hormonal mess because I started my period, and it was the first time I’d seen my best friend in weeks! I was crying, and he comforted me.” I bite out my response in the most even tone I can muster, but I can feel heat rising in my cheeks, and my heart begins to race. I hate confrontation, and I hate fighting with Dom.
“That’s not what a hug between friends looks like, Serena. I know Kai wants to fuck you. He’s been sniffing around you nonstop since we got together. I saw him make a move on you at the hospital, and now he’s fucking lurking around your work after being told to stay away. Don’t you get it? He’s obsessed with you, and I will not have him putting his hands on you again.”
I rear back like I’ve been slapped at Dom’s admission. He saw Kai kiss me at the hospital? “Why didn’t you say something?”