Page 37 of Flame Kissed

“Wow. She must be buff.”

Adaze didn’t even hear her. “But that wasn’t enough for her. She just showed up to the hospital I was at and waited for them to discharge me. She did all that because she was worried I wouldn’t have a ride home. I could have just called someone or used a service, but there she was, so I said yes. She didn’t even ask for my number or anything until she dropped me off,” Adaze finished in a rush. It was the first time she’d told anyone any of this and somehow that made it feel so much more real. Her heart raced in her chest at the memory. She hated the way she couldn’t tell if it was from thinking about Leilani or the sheer horror of the very thing that brought them together in the first place.

Diana shook her head. “That’s—that’s terrifying. I’m so glad you’re alright. Are you sure you don’t want me to call your therapist?”

“I’m fine, really. It was worth it to meet Leilani.”

The woman smiled, a small laugh spilling from her lips. “She must be an incredible person.”

“She is. She doesn’t like to admit it, but without her, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now.”

That sentence made Diana’s face fall. A concerned frown covered where her bright smile once lived. “But that’s not why you’re dating her, is it? You don’t feel like you owe it to her or whatever?”

Adaze’s face turned to horror. “No! God no! I just—I really like her. She was actually worried about that too when we first started seeing each other, but we talked about it and we’re both on the same page.”

Diana lit up. “I’m glad. I mean it. You deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks. She makes me happy. I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure I would ever see anyone again. I’m glad she asked for my number.”

“I’m so happy for you. If you don’t mind me asking?—”

“Even if I did, when has that ever stopped you from asking something before?”

Diana continued undeterred. “When was the last time the two of you saw each other?”

Adaze shrugged, trying not to let her face fall too much. “Not that long ago really. Only a few days. She’s been busy with work.”

“I see.” Diana let out a good-natured chuckle. “So that’s what this is about.”

Adaze crossed her arms. This had better not be going where she thought it was. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“It's okay to admit you miss your girlfriend, you know.”

And it was. She scoffed. “Why would I miss her? It hasn’t even been a week. It's only been three days. I’m not that clingy. That would be ridiculous. Come on, Diana, be reasonable here.”

Diana just rolled her eyes. “Maybe you usually aren’t or never have been before, but it's a new relationship. It’s normal to be a bit ‘clingy’ in the beginning. Especially since this is the first time you’ve dated someone since your divorce.”

“Do you need to bring up the divorce?” she scowled.

“It was a big deal. I remember the state it left you in. I was worried you were never going to try and date after that. You even said yourself less than five minutes ago that you don’t know if you would have ever tried to date again. It makes sense that you’d be feeling a lot right now. It seems completely reasonable.”

“Well, you’re right. I honestly wasn’t planning on it before I met Leilani, but that still doesn’t mean we can’t spend a few days apart without me going all…” She waved her hands in a gesture she hoped conveyed some kind of meaning.

Diana snorted. “Maybe not. You know what would fix this? Talking to her. Let her know you miss her and want to spend time with her soon.”

“I’m sure I’ll see her soon enough,” Adaze huffed, picking her laptop back up. “There’s no reason to make this a whole thing.”

“Of course not.” She ignored the way Diana rolled her eyes. “Have you told her about V— about what happened?”

“She knows I’m divorced. She doesn’t need to know what happened.”

“Are you sure? It might be good to give her some idea of where you’re coming from so you can make sure you’re both comfortable with everything.”

“I don’t see the point. All it would do is dredge up old memories. Nobody wants to hear all the dirty details of how their new girlfriend broke up with her ex-wife.”

“Sometimes that needs to happen. Besides, it’s bound to happen on its own. You haven’t been in a situation that could happen in since… well, you know.”

“Yes, I know. My love life has been nonexistent for the past three years and you’re worried I’m going to snap now that I’m dating again.”