this dress. Why didn’t I go with the torn jeans? Why did I have to switch to Ben’s favorite right before I left?
Ben: I’m not sure if it’s the way you felt in my arms or the way you always laughed at my jokes that’s making this so hard. Perhaps it’s the man you make me want to be. I can’t quit thinking about that crinkle in your nose when you smile, but if it’s what you truly want, I’ll try. I’ll keep telling myself I’m over you and hope I might start to believe it. I doubt that’s possible.
My head is spinning, and all of the air is leaving my chest as if I’ve been punched in the gut. Years together and he has never managed to put two romantic words together, let alone something so eloquent. I glance down at my black dress— the black dress. A tear escapes. Damn it Ben. My thoughts are swimming in a whirlpool of confusion.
“Kenzie,” Aiden begins. He can see me, through the smoke and the cloudy exterior I try to put up. He sees the pain, everyone can see it. I hate I can’t hide it. “What’s wrong?”
I gasp, shaking my head. My heart feels as if it’s shrinking into a pile of dead ash by the moment. “I’m so sorry. Just ignore me,” I force a laugh through my watery gaze and tight throat.
He reaches across the table, placing a hand just short of mine. I wonder if his skin is warm, if his flesh would be comforting to me or alarming. “I’m a pretty good listener,” he offers in a tender tone.
His sincerity surprises me. The concerned eyes and empathetic smile seem different from the man I worked alongside all day.
I laugh again, hoping it diminishes the perceived drama that I’m sure it must sound like I’m spewing. “Just guy trouble.”
“Ah, I see.” He sits back and smiles in a way that makes me think he has jumped to the wrong conclusion.
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think you do.” I’m not one of those pathetic girls that desperately chases after a man who doesn’t want her, and from his glare, I can see he thinks I am exactly that pathetic.
He presses his lips together, crossing his arms. “Let me guess…” He taps his chin with a single finger as he studies me.
I lift my eyebrows. “This should be interesting,” I snark.
“No, come on now, give me a chance,” he continues. “I’m good at this stuff.”
“What stuff is that?”
“Reading people,” he answers.
“Is that right?”
He lifts his shoulders casually and shrugs, and I catch a quick flutter of his eyes. “I can’t help it. It’s a talent I was born with.”
I go to bite the inside of my jaw, trying to stop myself from throwing down the gauntlet, but it’s too late, my tongue is quicker than my teeth and the words leap from my mouth. “Okay then, let’s hear it. What is it you think my guy trouble is?”
“You don’t need me to tell you, you already know.”
I smirk though inside I’m relieved. “Exactly. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He’s no longer looking at me with humor in his eyes. There’s a seriousness to them now. Like the one he got when he was in work mode at the studio. “No Kenzie, I know exactly what I’m talking about.”
He leans forward, eyeing me from side to side. I swallow hard. He continues, folding his hands in front of him, “You thought you had met Mr. Right. Everything was headed toward that big final happily ever after and wedding bells. But something wasn’t right.”
He pauses. He doesn’t take his eyes off of me as I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I want to tell him he’s wrong, but so far he has hit the proverbial nail on the head.
“Something changed, though. Maybe him … maybe you. Or maybe the problem was nothing ever changed. Regardless, you realized you wanted more, but he’s having a hard time letting go.” He shakes his head. “But what do I know, right?”
“How did you—” I stop myself, balling my trembling hand into a fist in my lap.
“I told you, it’s a skill,” he adds,
Ben: I’m not sure if it’s the way you felt in my arms or the way you always laughed at my jokes that’s making this so hard. Perhaps it’s the man you make me want to be. I can’t quit thinking about that crinkle in your nose when you smile, but if it’s what you truly want, I’ll try. I’ll keep telling myself I’m over you and hope I might start to believe it. I doubt that’s possible.
My head is spinning, and all of the air is leaving my chest as if I’ve been punched in the gut. Years together and he has never managed to put two romantic words together, let alone something so eloquent. I glance down at my black dress— the black dress. A tear escapes. Damn it Ben. My thoughts are swimming in a whirlpool of confusion.
“Kenzie,” Aiden begins. He can see me, through the smoke and the cloudy exterior I try to put up. He sees the pain, everyone can see it. I hate I can’t hide it. “What’s wrong?”
I gasp, shaking my head. My heart feels as if it’s shrinking into a pile of dead ash by the moment. “I’m so sorry. Just ignore me,” I force a laugh through my watery gaze and tight throat.
He reaches across the table, placing a hand just short of mine. I wonder if his skin is warm, if his flesh would be comforting to me or alarming. “I’m a pretty good listener,” he offers in a tender tone.
His sincerity surprises me. The concerned eyes and empathetic smile seem different from the man I worked alongside all day.
I laugh again, hoping it diminishes the perceived drama that I’m sure it must sound like I’m spewing. “Just guy trouble.”
“Ah, I see.” He sits back and smiles in a way that makes me think he has jumped to the wrong conclusion.
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think you do.” I’m not one of those pathetic girls that desperately chases after a man who doesn’t want her, and from his glare, I can see he thinks I am exactly that pathetic.
He presses his lips together, crossing his arms. “Let me guess…” He taps his chin with a single finger as he studies me.
I lift my eyebrows. “This should be interesting,” I snark.
“No, come on now, give me a chance,” he continues. “I’m good at this stuff.”
“What stuff is that?”
“Reading people,” he answers.
“Is that right?”
He lifts his shoulders casually and shrugs, and I catch a quick flutter of his eyes. “I can’t help it. It’s a talent I was born with.”
I go to bite the inside of my jaw, trying to stop myself from throwing down the gauntlet, but it’s too late, my tongue is quicker than my teeth and the words leap from my mouth. “Okay then, let’s hear it. What is it you think my guy trouble is?”
“You don’t need me to tell you, you already know.”
I smirk though inside I’m relieved. “Exactly. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He’s no longer looking at me with humor in his eyes. There’s a seriousness to them now. Like the one he got when he was in work mode at the studio. “No Kenzie, I know exactly what I’m talking about.”
He leans forward, eyeing me from side to side. I swallow hard. He continues, folding his hands in front of him, “You thought you had met Mr. Right. Everything was headed toward that big final happily ever after and wedding bells. But something wasn’t right.”
He pauses. He doesn’t take his eyes off of me as I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I want to tell him he’s wrong, but so far he has hit the proverbial nail on the head.
“Something changed, though. Maybe him … maybe you. Or maybe the problem was nothing ever changed. Regardless, you realized you wanted more, but he’s having a hard time letting go.” He shakes his head. “But what do I know, right?”
“How did you—” I stop myself, balling my trembling hand into a fist in my lap.
“I told you, it’s a skill,” he adds,
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