Page 38 of Almost

“Hey,” I greet awkwardly, trying to wrap my brain around being in the same vicinity as Thalia, even if it’s only a couple of minutes.

“Hi,” Thalia says, dropping to her knees to give Zeus her full attention.

“I brought all of his stuff: food dish, water bowl, his favorite toys, leash, treats. If he needs anything else, just let me know and I’ll pay you back when we’re back in town.”

“Sebastian, he’s a dog. Water, food, potty breaks every few hours. It’s not rocket science,” she jokes, looking up at me from her position on the ground.

Maybe this was a bad idea. I set the bag on the ground, scratching the back of my neck. “If it’s too much, I can call Alec and ask if Zeus can come with us.”

“You’re acting like I didn’t take care of him when he was much higher maintenance as a puppy. We’ll be fine,” Thalia says, trying to reassure me as she stands up. Zeus yawns, and walks into the house like he’s been here a hundred times before.

“Are you sure?” I ask hesitantly.

She rolls her eyes, reminding me of the girl I fell in love with. “Yes. God, it’s a good thing we never had kids because if you’re this uptight about a dog, I can’t imagine what that would look like.”

My stomach drops at the thought of us having kids. “Right. I guess it was a good thing we didn’t have any.”

It feels like chalk in my mouth, and her smile immediately fades. “You don’t want to keep your fiancée waiting,” she says, turning away to avoid looking at me. I follow behind her, taking advantage of the door not being shut in my face. I do want to say goodbye to Zeus before I leave.

Penelope is sitting on the couch, her body language telling me she overheard the conversation. “Salut.” I want to lighten the mood after Thalia’s mention of kids, but smiling is an effort. One of the hardest things about my breakup with Thalia that I hadn’t expected to hurt as much as it did, was the end of my friendship with Penelope. She was the one who painfully spent time teaching me all the basics of French, and surprisingly, we ended up friends.

“Connard.”

My smile feels less forced now, and Zeus nudges my leg with his nose. “We’ll be back Monday. Call if you need anything.”

Thalia is still avoiding looking at me, and it doesn’t make me feel good. I shouldn’t care. We’re not friends. We’re not anything anymore. That’s what she asked for, but I thought maybe now that Kiera knows everything, we could form some semblance of a friendship. It was wishful thinking.

Thalia guides me to the door, smiling tightly at me. “Goodbye,” she says, shutting the door in my face.

I stare at it briefly, before laughing. I walk back to the car to see Kiera watching me cautiously. Her face shifts to a faint smile, but the doubt is still in her eyes. “What’d Thalia say?”

“That they’re going to be fine. She called me uptight, which is nothing new coming from Thalia.”

“Okay,” she says, taking a deep breath.

Picking her hand up, I press my lips to the back of Kiera’s. “You have nothing to worry about. I don’t see Thalia that way, and I haven’t in a long time.” It’s getting easier to say, which makes it easier for me to believe.

Kiera sighs, closing her eyes for a moment before looking me in the eyes. “I know, Seb. I trust you.”

I kiss her hand again, causing her to relax a smidge and smile. “Good. What do you say we go to the beach now?”

~

Kiera’s sunbathing in the sand with her book, and I stop for a moment to admire her. She looks so at peace. It’s nice to see. I haven’t seen her this at ease in weeks. Honestly, I haven’t been either. I stand by my belief that life is easier at the ocean with a breeze in the air, the sun on my back, and the sound of waves is music to my ears.

Her eyes drift up over her book, landing on me. Kiera raises an eyebrow questioningly, but all I do is smile in response.

“Are you going to join me or stare at me?”

“How about both?” I ask, letting my eyes roam over her bikini-clad body.

She sets her book down, crossing her arms over her chest. “Tempting, but remember, no touching,” Kiera reminds me.

I take a seat on my towel in the sand, sitting far enough away I’m not tempted to reach for her. “Says the one who climbed in the shower with me last night. Baby, I don’t think you have any room to talk.”

“Tomato, tamata.”

“You’re only saying that because you know I’m right.” I smirk, reclining back onto my elbows.