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“Look, I’ve always been smarter than you,” Adrian smirked. “You’re just figuring this out now?”
I ignored them as they continued their exchange, making my way over to the rain-slick window. I was curious to know how much of the town I could see from up here. But all I saw was blackness.
“Mini-bar,” Kayla pointed. “Right there.”
Luke jumped on it, going to work. I heard the clink of glasses.
“Ice machine?” I asked.
“Make a left when you get into the hallway,” she answered. “It’s about ten or twelve doors down.”
I scooped up the ice bucket — even that was fancy — and took the walk, catching her eye as I walked past. Kayla looked beautiful in her slinky black dress. Her hair was teased out, her makeup flawless. She’d always been one of those rare women who looked amazing without it, and that’s usually how she went. But when shedidput it on… wow. It took her beauty to a whole different level.
The ice-machine was in a tiny room off the main hallway, right where she said it would be. I filled it to the brim, wondering how the night would go. How late the four of us would stay up, just drinking and laughing and telling old stories. I couldn’t stop thinking aboutherthough. Every time I looked her way, I felt the knot of excitement going just a little bit tighter in my stomach.
You still love her.
Still? I laughed at my own inner thoughts. Hell, I’d always loved her. I don’t think I ever stopped.
I was a dozen paces from the door when I heard the sounds of laughter, and music too. Pulling the door open from where the upper brass latch had stopped it from closing, I re-entered the room to find everyone on the couch.
“About time,” Luke declared, swiping the bucket from my arms. He began filling the glasses, then started pouring something that looked like vodka and cranberry.
He was sitting on the loveseat, directly across from the couch where Kayla rested comfortably. She was horizontal, her eyes fluttering closed in ecstasy as Adrian’s hands worked their magic, rubbing her feet.
“Throw those shoes out the window,” she purred, lolling her head back. “I’m never wearing them again.”
“The window doesn’t open up here,” I told her. “Too many floors up. Suicides are bad for business.”
Kayla smiled mischievously, beckoning me closer. I drew nearer, then nearer still, until her lips brushed my ear and her hot breath made every hair stand up on the nape of my neck.
“Don’t think I forgot about the ‘important stuff’,” she murmured, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You said you’d tell me after the funeral. Well… now tell me.”
My stomach did another slow roll as I settled to one of the seats beside her. It was soft and comfortable and brand new.
“Well,” I started, taking in glances from the others. They nodded, giving me the go-ahead. “You should probably know that the three of us talked at length before you came here. Before you even got into town.”
“Okayyy,” she said, smiling at Luke as he handed her a drink.
“If I’m being honest, I couldn’t wait to see you,” I admitted. “The way we ended things was stupid, childish. I’ve dated a bunch of women since we broke up, and no one’s even come close to how amazing you made me feel.”
The room fell awkwardly silent. Surreptitiously Kayla glanced left and right at the others, as if assessing their reactions.
“They know all this already,” I smiled placatingly, “because we discussed it. The second I made the decision to pursue you again, I immediately went to Luke. I wanted to avoid bad blood. To keep things out in the open this time, rather than hide them.”
“I saw what he was about to say before he even opened his mouth,” Luke took over. “I could read it in his eyes. Before he could go on, I told him the same thing; that I wanted to try to be with you. That our time together had been incredible, but cut needlessly short. And if there was something still there between us, I intended to explore it.”
Kayla sat up a little straighter on the couch but said nothing. Temporarily, Adrian had stopped massaging her feet.
“You can imagine how the conversation probably went,” I smirked. “But it wasn’t that bad, actually. We both understood.”
“It went a hell of a lot better this time around than the last time,” Luke laughed. “Being partners helped of course.”
We paused, and the only sound in the room was the soft music playing in the background. Kayla opened her mouth as if to say something, and we gave her the chance. Instead, she only took another sip of her drink.
“Then something even more interesting happened,” I said. “Something neither of us expected.”
Kayla finally managed a breathless word. “What?”
