“Seriously!” Kira added with a smile, wanting me to hear her out. “You never told me why she left – which gets under my skin by the way – but whatever the reason, I’m sure that when things settled down, she realized that she’d done the wrong thing.”
Kira’s statement brought to mind the countless times she’d asked what was so bad that Sam felt like she couldn’t be with me anymore. Maybe it was because it didn’t matter at this point why Sam ran, or maybe even out of respect for Sam’s privacy on some level, I avoided Kira’s persistence each time. Clearly, I wasn’t as slick about it as I thought.
“Even if she did have second thoughts, I gave her several chances to reach out. Even if she wasn’t comfortable making the first move, that’s not an excuse; I was always going out of my way to make her feel comfortable to come out of hiding.”
Kira was silent and I found myself replaying my statement in my head, wondering if I’d accidently said something wrong and offended her.
“Well…whatever the case may be…I’ll bet she’s having a hard time with this whole wedding thing,” Kira concluded.
I turned over on my side and stared at the wall while Kira situated herself behind me. When she draped her hand over my side, I grabbed it and laced my fingers with hers.
“Goodnight, soon-to-be husband of mine,” she crooned, kissing the back of my shoulder when she did.
“Goodnight, Sam…I mean Kira,” I said with a smile already set on my lips. The stinging slap on the bare skin of my back made me laugh harder.
Kira turned over with a huff, shaking the bed violently when she did. “Too soon, jerk. Too soon.”
The sound of her laughter echoing out into the darkness of our room as she sought after my hand beneath the covers left me shaking my head. I loved this woman, and soon…we’d be headed down the aisle and she’d take on my last name. Everything was falling into line. It couldn’t get more perfect than this.
*****
I touched my finger to my Bluetooth, bringing Terrell’s voice to my ear as he carried on a side conversation with Maisha while waiting for me to pick up.
“What’s up man?” I answered.
“Oh, hey. What’s good?”
I checked my rearview mirror and smiled a little to myself, thinking of the great night I’d had and the news I needed to share with him. “Everything’s good; I gave Kira the ring last night.”
Silence.
“Hello?” I called out.
“I’m here. I’m here,” Terrell replied distractedly.
A lingering breath left my lungs. “What?” I asked flatly.
He hesitated to respond. “…I sorta already knew. That’s why I’m calling.”
“I’d like to make it clear that I told him to mind his business, AJ,” Maisha said, leaning into Terrell’s phone briefly to make sure I heard her.
Confusion crossed my face. “What? How?” Seeing as how Kira is very anti-Facebook and Instagram, I knew social media wasn’t to blame. And he and Maisha aren’t tight with Dee and Karl like that, so…
“Sam,” he replied, answering my question. That single word – her name – made the breath hitch in my throat.
“H-how would she – “
Just then I remembered Dee’s abrupt disappearing act right after slipping Kira’s ring on her finger. I sighed in frustration. “What could she possibly have to say about anything that goes on in my personal life?” I exited I-66 once I reached Fairfax and hit the brake gently when I realized that I was now speeding.
Conversations about Sam were the one sensitive spot in me and Terrell’s relationship, hence the reason we typically steered clear. “I called her last night to check on her, and…she just mentioned it casually.”
“Casually.”