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“Please,” he replies. “Cream, no sugar.”
I leave him in the living room to make the call while I get the coffee going. I put my phone on charge, ignoring the several missed calls from Ellie, who I’m still extremely pissed at.
He walks into the kitchen as I’m pouring the coffee into our cups.
“They say about ten minutes,” he says, his hands shoved into his pockets. He wanders over to the counter and I push his cup across to him. “Thanks.”
“I’m kind of disappointed that this isn’t the most disastrous date you’ve been on,” I say, my attempt at humor half-hearted.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s up there,” he teases, making me smile. “Seriously, Kiara, for what it’s worth, whatever you’re going through, it’ll get better.”
Will it?
He wanders over to my bookshelf and examines the photos on display. There’s one of Tilly proudly holding up a picture, and another of the three of us, taken just before the accident.
“Is this your daughter?” he asks.
I nod.
“And your fiancé?”
“Yes. Tilly—Matilda, and Aiden.” As I say his name a lump forms in my throat. Max isn’t pushing me for the details, but I feel I owe it to him to explain. “He was in an accident three years ago that left him in a coma.”
“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” he murmurs. His eyes search mine and I can see pain from his own experiences in there. “Is he…”
“Still alive?” I supply. “Yes, but he’s unresponsive and won’t recover.”
“God, Kiara. And here I am telling you things will get better.” He curses to himself, running his hand through his hair. “I have no idea what you’ve been through, but I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. My brother was killed in a car accident when I was seventeen. He’d just turned sixteen, just gotten his license when he went out to a party and never came home.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I reach out and touch his hand.
He glances down, as if processing my gesture, and then smiles.
“How long ago did it happen?”
“Ten years. And it has gotten easier. I can talk about him now and smile, remembering the good moments. We were really close, being so close in age. Like best friends, really.”
Like Ellie and me. My stomach twists at the thought of losing Ellie. She’s my rock.
A horn beeps outside.
Max sets his empty cup down and looks at me, his eyes apologetic. “That’s me,” he says.
We walk to the door and I open it, an unfamiliar emotion stirring in my chest. Am I sad or relieved the night is ending? I can’t be sure.
“Thanks for a great night,” I say. And I mean it.
He gives me a wink and sticks his hand out. Laughing, I take it, his soft fingers closing around mine.
“See you around, Kiara.”
I wait until he steps into the cab and it
disappears from my view before I close the door. As I walk into the living room and slump down on the sofa, I feel empty. The night has been a whirlwind of highs and lows, and I’m struggling to cope with my feelings. Lying down, I stare at the ceiling and close my eyes.
I’ve never felt so confused as I do right now. My arm creeps over to Aiden’s side of the bed as a tear rolls down my cheek. I can’t act like he’s gone because he’s not. He’s still here, his voice still haunts my dreams.
I’m never going to be able to move on.
