“So…what’re your plans for today?” Kira asked when she got tired of the silence.
“Cleaning mostly, but otherwise, just hanging out here I guess.” As soon as I said it, I knew I should’ve made it sound like my day would be busier than that. I’d already told Sam I’d be back, and now I wouldn’t have an excuse for not answering Kira’s calls while I was there. I officially sucked at this.
“Same here,” she replied. “Reina’s supposed to be coming in tonight, so I have to freshen up the guestroom.”
I shook my head at her still trying to hold on to that twisted relationship, but I didn’t say anything.
“Cool,” was all I said back and I wasn’t sure if she could hear the sarcasm in my tone or not, but it was definitely there. “How long is she gonna be there?”
“Um…I think until Tuesday or Wednesday. Don’t worry, she’ll be gone before you get back in town,” she promised. “You’ll be in Thursday night, right?”
Thinking about going back to Fairfax made me feel sick – all that pretending. “Yeah – plane leaves right after work.” If there’d been any way to get out of this trip, I would’ve taken it, but my father mentioned me coming back for this important meeting before I’d even accepted my current position. It couldn’t be avoided.
“Good,” Kira said, sounding genuinely happy for the first time during our entire conversation. “I already have something special planned for you.”
I sighed inwardly. “Can’t wait,” I lied.
“Well…I should start getting this room together. I still have to get some groceries in the house – haven’t cooked a whole lot since you left, but with the twins, Reina’s gonna be eating like crazy I’m sure, so....”
“Go ahead. I’ll be around.”
“K…I love you,” she concluded.
Hearing her speak the words brought a wave of shame that I couldn’t dodge. “You too,” I replied quietly.
When she was off the line, I had no idea how I’d just gotten through that. Now, all I had left to do was make it through Thursday and Friday with her, and I’d be in the clear again.
Simple, right?
Chapter Seventeen
AJ
After knocking, I stood in the hallway outside Sam’s door waiting for her to answer; however, I had a feeling that the loud music playing inside meant that she had no idea I was even out there. It’d gotten so late that I assumed she must’ve thought I wasn’t coming back. I shot her a quick ‘Your hallway sure is cozy’ text and I heard the music die down. A few seconds later, she opened up with a dim smile on her face and paint spatters all over the old button-down shirt she wore.
I stepped inside, dropped my overnight bag, and smiled at the blue smudge on her face. When I slowly ran my thumb across her cheek to remove it, she tucked her lip inside her mouth timidly as her gaze drifted down to the floor.
“Either you’re in there torturing smurfs or someone felt inspired to paint today,” I said, taking slow steps behind her as she traipsed back toward the studio.
She glanced back and grinned a little over her shoulder, but said nothing.
I returned the gesture and entered the room behind her. The radio still lulled in the background, just not as loudly as before. There were all sorts of jars and brushes of various sizes all over the place. Sam started gathering her supplies and I realized that she was cleaning up.
“Don’t stop on my account,” I said, plopping down on the futon against the far wall.
She chewed her lip when glancing over. A response didn’t come immediately, and it dawned on me that she might still be shy about her work. It’d been a small miracle that she’d allowed me into her attic when we were kids “Unless you-“
“No…,” she smiled. “It’s fine. You can watch if you want.”