“Kayla’s not here.”
“Well, I know that silly. I called your apartment, not Kayla’s. I was hoping you and I could meet up this weekend. I’d like to catch up with you if I can. It’s been too long.”
“Sorry, I can’t. Kayla and I are headed out of town this weekend.”
“You’re going out of town with Kayla? I know you guys are best friends, but aren’t you spending a little too much time with my sister? I mean, it’s sweet of you and all to watch out for her, but…”
“Kayla and I are dating. We have been for a while now,” I tell her cutting her off.
“You’re dating?”
“Yes. Seriously. She lives here now.” Okay, I might have embellished a little. Technically Kayla doesn’t live here, but she is here most of the time, and the days she’s not, I’m at her place. I think that’s close enough.
“Kayla moved in with you?” Rachel asks, and the tone of her voice, for some reason, sends chills down my spine. “You and Kayla are living together?”
“Yes. Don’t sound so surprised. Kayla and I have always been really close.”
“I guess so. I just can’t figure out why she’s never mentioned it.”
“You two have always been pretty distant with each other,” I defend, but I must admit that I wish Kayla had said something, too. Who am I kidding? I want her to shout it out to everyone that she’s my woman.
“I guess so. I’m just finding it hard to believe that White Lucas, professional football player, the man who stars in a million wet dreams by every woman who breathes, could settle for someone like my sister.”
“What do you mean??” I ask her, warning bells ringing. Why do I feel like I might have just found the source of Kayla’s insecurities about her body right here?
“Come on, White. You can’t tell me, of all the women who throw themselves at your feet, you prefer someone like Kayla.”
“Someone like Kayla?”
“Yes! I mean, would it kill her to go to a gym once in a while? Still, she does have a sweet personality, and I suppose men can like that kind of thing. I just expected you with someone sexier, someone who would fit into your world and make life easier for you.”
“Someone like you, you mean?”
“Well, we did have quite a night together back—”
“I was drunk off my ass or I never would have crashed at your place, Rachel. Listen, I have to go. Kayla and I have plans this evening.”
“Oh, of course. Though, I would like to meet with you and discuss a few things. It’s rather important.”
“What could we possibly have to talk about?”
“I’d rather not get into it over the phone. I’ll be in town next week. I was hoping I could come by. I could fix you dinner and we could talk.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we need to say to each other. However, if you come into town, as my fiancée’s sister, I’d be glad to take you and Kayla out to dinner.”
“Your fiancée??”
“Of course, that’s if Kayla wants to go to dinner with you. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to her,” I add, hanging up the phone and barely resisting throwing it across the room.
“Your fiancée??” This comes from Kayla instead of Rachel now, and I turn around to look at her. For some reason, I feel defensive.
“Definitely.”
“I thought this was—”
“I’ve told you and told you that what we’ve been doing isn’t temporary, Kayla.”
“Did you seriously just tell me we’re getting married? Actually, scratch that. Did you seriously just tell my sister that we were getting married before you even mentioned it to me?”
“What’s the point of telling you? You wouldn’t believe me, anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Sweetheart, you’ve spent half our relationship justifying in your mind why I’m sleeping with you and how I feel about you.”
“I haven’t said—”
“You don’t have to. It’s there in every reaction you have, in the way you are with me, everything.”
“Well, if it annoys you, maybe—”
“Stop it, Kayla.”
“What? I’m just saying that if—”
“You annoy me. You infuriate me. You also make me laugh. You make me happy. You make a bad day better. You give me purpose. You give me peace and you also—”
“White,” she whispers, her eyes overly bright.
“You also love me.”
“I…”
“And that’s great. In fact, it’s fucking awesome.”
“It is?” she asks, her voice strained, her face pale.
“It is. Because I love you.”
“White, you don’t have to say anything. I know you love me. We’ve been friends all of our lives.”
“Not as a friend, Kayla. Though I do love you like that too.”
“You love me,” she whispers, and she doesn’t say it like a question. Tears are slowly streaming from her eyes. I move into her, trying to catch them before they fall, but it’s useless.
“I love you,” I reassure her, close to panic. I never imagined that the first time I told a woman I loved her, she’d be crying.