Page 69 of Stolen Dreams
“Let me at least walk you out.”
She doesn’t deny my request. Lifting the bag higher on her shoulder, she steps around me and walks to the door, turning the handle and disappearing into the cool night air.
Barefoot and shirtless, I dash after her. Guilt floods my veins. Humiliation makes my skin itch. A thick layer of repugnance blankets my soul.
Leave it to me to fuck this up because I can’t get my shit together.
Lights flash as she unlocks the car with her fob. My pulse pounds a vicious rhythm in my ears. My breaths come in clipped, unfulfilling sips.
She can’t leave angry.
The thought dredges up memories of my last few months with Brianna before she stole Tucker and vanished. My hands visibly shake at my sides. I ball them into fists and shove them in my pockets.
Kaya opens the door and tosses her bag inside. Before she shuts the door, I wedge myself in the opening, duck down, and press a kiss to her cheek.
“I get why you’re upset.” Against every impulse, I lean back, straighten to my full height but don’t retreat. “I ruined a perfect day. The best night.” The last three words come out in a whisper. “But don’t drive if you’re angry. Pull over and clear your head.” Unable to resist the need to touch her, I reach out and graze my knuckles along her arm. “Please.”
Eyes forward and refusing to meet mine, her brow furrows a beat before she nods and cranks the engine.
One step back, then another, I close her car door. Gravel crunches as I fix my stare on her through the window. Headlights flash in my eyes momentarily before she puts the car in drive and slowly disappears down the unlit gravel road, headed for the highway.
When I no longer see her taillights, I fill my lungs so fully it hurts, tip my head back, take in the starry night sky, and scream, “Fuck!”
In less than a minute, it’s quite possible I ruined the best thing, other than Tucker, to happen to me.
I jog back into the house, clean up the remnants of our evening in the living room, then take the stairs two at a time. Slip through my bedroom door and close it. Pick up my phone on the floor near my shorts and unlock it, tapping the message app.
My eyes lose focus as my fingers hover over the keyboard, eager to text Kaya an infinite number of apologies. I decide against it and give her the night to cool off.
I’ll see her in the morning at the restaurant.
Then reality hits and reminds me there’re no cooking classes this week. With Independence Day on Friday, the town is flooded with tourists. Restaurant reservations are fully booked and every server, cook, and hospitality worker in Stone Bay is working overtime.
“Dammit,” I grumble as I strip back the comforter and climb into bed.
I return to my text history with Kaya and type. Before I finish the first line of my apology, my phone buzzes.
Sadly, it’s not Kaya.
No, it’s a message from thelastperson I want to speak with. The person I will never be rid of, no matter how hard I try. The person who sank her venomous claws so deep in my psyche she ruins every good thing in my present and future.
Somehow, I’ve let her have that much control over me and my heart. And I fucking hate her for it.
Unknown number
hey it’s Bri. can I see you and Tucker tomorrow? I need your help
And just like that, every defensive shield I own goes up and locks into place. Every ounce of distrust in my soul is seared in hellfire. Every moment I enjoyed with Kaya tonight fades away and is replaced with the haunting memories of my past.
Any peace, contentment, and affection I discovered in the past year and a half goes out the window with one text. And I ask myself if I will ever actually get a chance at true happiness.
Right now, it feels like the answer is no.
NINETEEN
KAYA
Silence isthe loudest sound and says more than any string of words. When you should speak up, when you should let someone in, and all you give is silence, it is the biggest demonstration of who you are as a person.