I nodded, ready to listen.
Kira’s cheeks flushed red as I stared down at her as she wavered back and forth, wondering whether or not to admit whatever was on her mind. Her gaze fluttered up at me through her lashes. “I may have let myself get a little jealous,” she admitted.
No…really? I just smiled and let her finish.
“It’s just that, even though I know technically you and I have been together longer than you were with her…I don’t know, I’ve always just…sensed your connection to her. Your past with her is like this lingering pink elephant standing in the middle of our relationship. Maybe because I saw how broken you were afterward and knowing how much you loved her once upon a time.” Kira paused and let her eyes shift to the floor. “And let’s not mention how beautiful she is…”
My posture stiffened and I did all that I could not to visualize the way Sam walked into that banquet room. All eyes were on her…including mine. While I felt like I was staring at the same girl I knew from Fairfax, she’d grown into one hell of a beautiful woman – filling out in all the right places.
“AJ…AJ!” Kira called out when I stopped paying attention. “Were you even listening?”
I nodded and blinked a few times.
Kira sighed and laughed it off. “I said I’m making that appointment for you.”
Confusion crossed my face. “What appointment?”
She leveled a finger toward my tattoo and spoke forcefully about it for the first time ever. “Yeah…that’s not gonna work anymore.”
Instinctively, my hand went to the spot where I knew Sam’s name was. “Sure…fine,” I replied aimlessly.
Kira crossed the room and went to her purse to grab out her phone, checking to see if her boss had tried to contact her, no doubt. With her eyes still glued to the screen of her cell, she spoke again. “She still has hers, too, you know.”
She took a tone that I couldn’t quite read, leaving me to wonder what her statement implied.
“And?”
Kira shrugged and tapped away, returning a text. “I don’t know. It just all seems a little weird if you ask me. You have yours. She has hers.”
“What’re you getting at?” I came across as defensive despite my best efforts to hide it.
“It just seems to me like, on some level, you’re both holding on to the past by holding on to those tattoos. Like I said, it’s just kinda….weird. I mean, clearly she’s with another guy, we’re getting married – it’s just ironic that you’re both committed to other people and still….kinda committed to each other in a way.” She almost mumbled that last part, but I heard it anyway.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I folded my arms across my chest and stared at her dead-on. When she put her phone away, she looked me in the eyes.
“I –“ she shrugged her shoulders and sighed heavily, forcing a smile. “I didn’t mean anything,” she lied. “You’re right, it was a stupid thing to say and it didn’t come out right anyway.”
Standing from her seat, Kira slung her purse over her shoulder, taking a few steps toward the door.
“Where’re you going?” I asked, not moving to stop her.
“Out. I just need a little air.”
The next second, the door closed behind her and I was left there alone with my thoughts. I kicked off my shoes and sprawled out on the bed. We’d only been here about six hours, and already there was drama and tension. Now, more than before, I wished to be at home in D.C., minding my own business, leaving the past in the past where it belonged.