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“Don’t go, Kate.”
“Lanie, I understand your concern, but it’s okay. It’s been a few months, I’m over him, and for all I know, he’s over me, maybe it’s an emergency.” We both know it’s a bad excuse, she doesn’t believe me and I don’t believe myself, but it’s worth a try, right?
“What’s wrong?” Javier asks as he comes in from the kitchen with a couple of beers. We were supposed to have a little get-together with Kevin and his new girlfriend, but this message had to get through, there’s always something else.
“Nothing, nothing’s wrong. I got a message and I think it’s important, I have to go.” I know Lanie will tell him everything while I’m gone, the moment I walk through the door she’ll tell him, but I’m not going to stay for the third-degree interrogation they’re likely to do to me. “Bye.”
I open the door only to find Kevin at the door, next to him is a small, blonde girl, she’s cute and looks nice. “Sorry guys, I have to go. I'll make it up to you later, sorry Kevin” and as I head to the stairs, I manage to hear Lanie explaining them in one sentence… “She has a date for a lay, I think you'll know who I'm talking about.”
As I check the address she sent me for the tenth time, seeing him tonight is a bad idea, right?
Where are you?
It's the next message I see, but I know that if I go a little higher, I'll discover all those messages from before, the story that broke a couple of months ago.
Close. Do you care now?
Maybe I'm being a little unfair to him, but he wasn't fair to me either, it shouldn't be that simple, even if I’m the one going to his new place.
That's not fair Kate, you know that.
I get a knot in my stomach, maybe it is a little unfair to him, apart from deciding to pretend I don't exist with his mother, he really was an excellent partner, he was always attentive, loving and, I could even say that he was my best friend, maybe that's why he hurt me so much.
I’m just arriving, I’ll see you upstairs, let’s talk about this inside.
Before entering, the doorman asks me for my name, because of the size of the list that is printed, I am one of the few people allowed in his apartment… we may not be together, but he always kept that in mind, it hasn’t changed…
When I get to his hallway, I can see him from the elevator, he is leaning against the doorway waiting for me to arrive, with that sly smile, his arms crossed over his chest and disheveled, the way he looks when he is nervous and runs his hand through his hair several times.
“Welcome” I hear him say as I take off my jacket to give it to him, without being able to help it, I scan the place with my eyes, it is small, but wherever I look, he is there, from the color of the walls to each piece of furniture, everything screams his name.
“Wow, I’m glad to know that money hasn’t changed you, Rick” I stay in the entrance while he puts my jacket in his closet, I watch as he heads to his kitchen and I approach him to accompany him.
“Well, I’m not rich yet, but at least I’m out of the college dorm, wine?” he offers while taking out a couple of glasses from his cupboard.
“You know me well, Rick… Tell me, why did you want to see me?” I receive the glass he offers me and I can’t help but see how his Adam’s apple moves as he gulps down the wine, I know there are men more handsome than him, but if they asked me right now, I definitely wouldn’t know where.
Taking a moment to think things over, he turns to look at me with that sly smile that always saved him from getting his way “I don’t know Kate, I thought we could reconnect, talk again and catch up, tell me, what’s happened to you?”
“Reconnect? That’s what the boys call her now, huh?” I take another sip of wine, waiting for him to answer, but I also see him get a little closer to me.
As I watch him put his glass down on the table, I feel the heat of his body getting closer to me, this is dangerous, maybe I should have listened to Lanie and stayed with them, I should have…
“Kate…”
She gets a little closer and I start to feel the heat emanating from his body, this isn’t fair, I was over it, why does he still affect me like this? But… God! As he kisses me, I close my eyes and enjoy how he does it, I run my hands along the back of his neck and let him lift me onto his kitchen table, it’s time to reconnect…
Kate, are you okay? You didn’t tell me you were home last night.
As I read the 15 messages I received from Lanie, I can’t help but feel guilty for not letting her know, it was a rule we had.
I'm fine Lanie, sorry I fell asleep.
Technically it's not a lie, she doesn't have to know that I accidentally stumbled into his bed... and I didn't sleep in mine, or that I didn't slept at all.