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“Okay, that’s enough of the silence,” Val said. “Let’s play a game. A get to know you without getting too invasive. I’m not sure how far down the road of past trauma I’m willing to travel.”
Corbin placed his hands on the bench, sitting up straighter. “What do you have in mind?”
“We each take a turn revealing something about ourselves that the others don’t know. Once the fact is spoken, the person to our left can ask one question before it’s their turn.”
“That works,” I said. I could control how much I shared, only telling them what I was comfortable with.
“I like it.” Corbin grinned. “Who’s going first?”
“Why don’t you go, Doc?”
“Okay.” The sun was setting, but there was enough light from the fire with how close we were sitting that I could see him lick his lips and swallow nervously. “You might know this, Val, if JJ mentioned it to you.”
“Jay’s not a gossip. If you told him something, it stayed with him.”
Corbin nodded. “I’m divorced. My ex-wife, Pia, initiated it. I didn’t see it coming.”
Since Val was to Corbin’s left, he asked, “How long have you been divorced?”
“Over two years.”
“Damn, Doc. I had no clue. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It was for the best. Your turn, Val.”
“You jumped right into the deep end with something personal, so I’ll do the same. I’m gay, which Xaiden already knows. What neither of you knows is that I’m a virgin.” His eyes darted from me to Corbin and back again.
It was my turn to ask a question. I didn’t want to come out and ask how that was even possible. I wasn’t gay but I noticed he was an attractive guy.
“Is it due to religion?”
Val scoffed. “No. I don’t believe in God. I don’t believe in saving myself for love either. The opportunity hasn’t been there. I’ve done some things with guys but haven’t gotten too far.”
“Thank you for sharing. I bet that wasn’t easy.”
“No, but since we’re building a friendship, trust is important. I’d like to think I can trust you both.”
“You can,” Corbin and I said at the same time. I wouldn’t betray either of them.
Val jutted his chin toward me. “Your turn.”
Shit. A part of me wanted to tell them about Sasha. It had been so long since I spoke about her. There was a need inside me to give voice to the feelings I had, to the hell I’d gone through. The other part of me was terrified to do so.
I rubbed my palms over the denim on my thighs. “I… I was in love once. She was killed when we were eighteen, on the night we graduated high school.” My lips sealed shut. That was all I could get out at the moment. I had to build up courage before saying anything else.
Corbin’s hand twitched like he wanted to reach over and comfort me, but I was out of arm’s reach. “I’m so sorry, Xaiden. I can’t even imagine going through that.”
I nodded since I couldn’t voice yet how my world ended when her life was taken.
It was Corbin’s turn to ask me a question. A million different sentences could have left his lips. I was prepared for something difficult, something I’d have to fight to answer.
“What was her name?”
I let out a sigh of relief. I could speak about her like this. “Sasha. She was gentle and kind. One of the best people I’ve ever known.”
“I wish I could have met her.”
Tears built in my eyes. I hadn’t cried over Sasha in years. Speaking of her again felt good, but also reminded me of how short our life together was. “Me too,” I whispered.
