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“Well, I never liked that shithead anyway, so what he thinks doesn’t count.” She lifts her shoulder in a half-shrug.
I bark out a laugh, able to count on one hand the number of times I’ve heard my aunt curse.
“Mom didn’t either,” I admit. “I think that’s one of the reasons I was so quick to end things when she got sick. She always worried about me and I didn’t want her to have to worry about anything but getting better.”
Only she never did, I think but don’t say.
“She felt like he was trying to change you.”
“Not like it did him much good. We both know I can’t be anyone other than exactly who I am.”
When I was younger, that wasn’t the case. I was desperate to fit in, desperate to be one of those girls all the cute boys in high school wanted. But try as I might, no matter which way I contorted, I could never quite fit myself into that box.
As I’ve gotten older, I’m a lot less apologetic about who I am. Doesn’t mean I’m not self-conscious sometimes, or that I don’t second-guess every other thing that comes out of my mouth. But I’ve come to accept that it’s not my job to convince someone to like me. Either they will or they won’t.
“And why should you be?” Yiya asks.
“I shouldn’t.”
“Exactly.” She clucks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “So back to this hot guy you ran into...”
“I already told you, Yiya...”
“I know. I know. But no one said you had to date him...” When she lifts her brows at me suggestively, I can’t hold in the laughter that bubbles out of my throat.
“Yiya!” I bark, both shocked and wildly amused.
“What? Is it so wrong for a woman to admit she has needs that only another person can fully meet?”
“Should I be concerned about you?” Humor laces my words.
“I’m quite content actually.”
“Yiya!” I squeal. “Are you sleeping with someone?” I ask, not entirely sure I want to know the answer but also weirdly curious.
I mean, she does leave the house at strange intervals and always seems super chipper when she returns... I can’t believe I hadn’t even considered what she might be out doing.
“My dear Kaia. A woman never sleeps and tells.”
I’m pretty certain my jaw is on the freaking floor right now.
“Who is he? How long has this been going on?”
She simply shakes her head at me.
“You have to give me something!” I insist.
“I do not.” She laughs lightly. “Besides, we’re talking about you, not me.” After setting the pot of pasta on a pot holder in the center of the table, she drops down onto her chair. “Now sit down and tell me everything. And don’t you dare leave out a single morsel.”
Rolling my eyes, I can’t help but laugh as I take the seat across from her. And then I do just that. Recounting every single detail from the moment I turned the corner and ran right into Remi, to when I practically ran out of the building just a couple short minutes later.
Funny how the briefest of moments can have the biggest of impacts.
And boy, did he have an impact. So much so that when I fall asleep later that night, I do so thinking of messy blond hair and brilliant green eyes.
