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Across from me, Kat shakes her head, eyes crinkled with mirth. "I still can't believe you crashed your dad's car the day after getting your license. On a mailbox!"
"In my defense, that mailbox jumped right out in front of me," I protest playfully.
Kat's answering smile warms me to my toes. Her turquoise eyes shine brightly in the low light, joy erasing the usual guardedness from her delicate features. Seeing her so unguarded, so fully herself, fills me with quiet awe.
In this moment, the rest of the world fades away until it's just us. And I know my mind is utterly lost to this remarkable woman.
When our decadent chocolate soufflés are ready to eat, instead of going back to the table, we sit side by side on the floor, leaning against the wall as we dig in. As we’re licking the last remnants from our spoons, a comfortable silence blankets us. I know I should suggest heading back, end this date on a high note, but I find myself desperate to draw out our time together. There's still so much about her I'm longing to discover.
So I decide to take the biggest leap yet, praying she'll meet me halfway.
"Tell me about Brody," I say gently. "If you want to, that is."
Kat stills, soufflé spoon paused halfway to her mouth. After a tense beat, she sets it down in her bowl with a rueful smile.
"You just had to poke the bear, huh?" But there's no bitterness in her tone, only resignation.
Taking a deep breath, she spins the bowl idly on the floor. "Brody was my first big love. The guy who seemed to fulfill all my young adult beliefs in happily ever afters and soulmates and all that bullshit."
Despite her light tone, pain flickers in her gaze. "We got together in senior year of high school. I thought it was perfect. He was charming and sweet. Gave me lavish gifts and took me on super fancy dates."
She shakes her head, lips twisting. "Meanwhile, he just saw me as a trophy more than a real partner. He liked that I came from a successful family. I was beautiful. I could give him bragging rights among the elite he was rubbing shoulders with. I was young and naive and blinded by the illusion. Everytime he hurt me, or let me down, he manipulated me until I was chasing him once more."
My chest aches for her, knowing too well how cruelly love can deceive us. Unable to stop myself, I reach out and clasp her hand in silent support.
Her fingers curl gratefully around mine. Buoyed by my touch, she continues softly. "Right at the end, I caught him in our bed with my best friend. He didn't even try to hide it, just gave me that infuriating smirk and asked me what was for dinner. Then…kept on fucking her."
Rage ignites within me on her behalf. "What a bastard."
Kat huffs a mirthless laugh. "I broke his nose and had both of them arrested for breaking and entering. It was my apartment after all. Petty but satisfying,” I shrug. “Anyway, it was a painful lesson but it woke me up. Showed me I shouldn't ignore red flags or give someone power over my self-worth. Never again."
Her eyes flash with remembered defiance before dimming once more. "But it did make me wary of letting anyone in too deep again. Easier to keep things light, avoid messy feelings."
She lifts one shoulder self-consciously. "Pretty pathetic baggage for an almost thirty year old, I know."
"Not at all," I counter gently but firmly. "We've all got battle scars from past heartbreaks. They don't define you."
Kat smiles softly, squeezing my hand in wordless thanks. After a moment, she fixes me with a searching look, her eyes so open and trusting it makes my breath catch.
"What about you?" She asks. "Tell me your story."
I blow out a breath, trying to temper the lingering ache that surfaces whenever I think back on my greatest failure in love. But for her, I'll be brave enough to revisit even painful memories.
“I was married for seven years,” I admit, eyeing her to see how she reacts, but she doesn’t even blink. “I told you about my job as a lawyer, but not all of it. I defended a man once, who I truly thought was innocent of the…ahem…assault charge he was accused of. Everyone did, really. I won the case and he was free.” I pause, staring off into the distance behind her, refusing to read whatever is written on her face.
“About a week later, he murdered someone and during discovery, evidence was brought to light that he was not only guilty of that, but of the assault that I got him off of.” Pain claws up my throat, threatening to choke me, but I shove it away and push forward. “I quit that day. Walked away and never went back. My wife…she left me two months later because I refused to go back. She told me I wasn’t providing the lifestyle she was accustomed to anymore, among other things.”
Kathryn makes a wounded sound, gripping onto my arm tightly, and I glance up in surprise. Righteous fury decorates every one of her features. Fury for me. Her compassion after hearing my darkest shame is a balm to old wounds.
“What a bitch!” She sneers adorably on my behalf and my heart pangs in my chest. “You want me to have her arrested or something? I swear it’s cathartic.” Her eyes light up as if picturing doing just that and I chuckle, leaning into her.
"You’re adorable when you get all protective." Her cheeks pinken, but she doesn’t look away.
“I swear I’ll do it. I know people,” she practically vows.
“I believe you,” I hum, glancing down and rubbing a circle on her thigh with my free hand. I can practically see the pulse of her rapid heartbeat beneath the delicate skin. “You know, after her, I never felt even a spark for someone else,” I confess quietly. "Until you."
Kat's eyes widen, but I don’t give her a chance to respond, closing the distance between us and capturing her lips in mine. She submits so beautifully, just as I knew she would, her entire body going slack as she falls into my hold.
