Ruin:Part One(3)

"We haven't met." His eyes avoid mine. "I have to get to work."

The natural reaction would be to ask where that is. I should want to know how he fills his days and what those perfectly manicured hands do that affords him the expensive watch around his wrist and the silver cufflinks that pop into view every now and again beneath the cuff of his jacket.

I shuffle slightly on my feet, pulling on the hem of the blue sweater I'm wearing. I should thank him. How do I do that? Do I tell him that I appreciate the orgasms? Do I applaud him for gifting me with the talents of his tongue? "Thank you for letting me stay here last night."

"Kayla?" My name falls from his lips in a low rasp. "You have somewhere to go, don't you?"

"Yes." I have a place I can go to. I don't belong anywhere right now.

"You're sure?" Concern blankets over his expression. "You can stay here for a few days if you need to."

Pity. It's there in his eyes. I see it. "I'm sure," I lie. It's not a complete lie. My best friend will take me in. She'll hold me while I cry over Parker's rejection. She'll make me laugh with stories of the moments in college when life felt easy and the future seemed uncomplicated.

"Last night was fun." He stands in place, his back to the door. "I'm glad we met."

I'm glad we f*cked.

Those are the words I'm tempted to say. I am glad he took my body and mind to a place where nothing but pleasure mattered for a few moments. I'm grateful that I didn't have to immediately face my life again. The pain that had been biting at my chest since Parker left me is dulled now. I don't want that to be temporary. I want today to be the first day when I don't feel suffocated with sadness.

"I need to go to the …" he stops himself. The details of his life outside the walls of this room don't matter. He knows they don't.

I nod, fishing in my purse for my smartphone. I'm not good at this part. I don't know what to say as we walk away into the world again. Our brief encounter will become a fond memory in weeks and the details will be so muddled in a year that I'll struggle to recall his face. I glance at him again. No, wait. I won't forget that face. He's as handsome as any man you'd see layered in a beautiful suit on the pages of a magazine. His hair is cut short, but it's still long enough that a woman's yearning fingers can get lost in it. His jaw is sharp and bold, yet there's a tenderness woven into his smile that is disarming.

He steps towards me, his hand leaping to cup my cheek. His eyes catch mine in a warm gaze. "You're amazing, Kayla. Truly. Amazing."

My lips part slightly as if I'm going to say something back but the words don't come. I just stare at him wanting to soak in every detail.

He leans down and slides his lips over mine in a tender kiss. "I'll never forget you," he whispers against my lips.

"I'll never forget you," I repeat back into his beautiful mouth. I won't. This is a man no woman could ever forget.





Chapter 3




"You can stay here as long as you want." Alexa reaches to hand me a trio of soft, white towels. "You can use these to have a shower now, and then you'll always find some in the cabinet in your bathroom."

I'm grateful for the hospitality, but more than that I welcome the literal and figurative embrace she's given me since I walked through her door fifteen minutes ago. She wasn't expecting me. Her face was a twisted mix of joy and confusion when I stepped off the elevator and into her arms. Alexa Jackson is one of my closest friends. She knows my heart. She understands the sacrifices I made when I left New York three months ago to go back to Boston.

"Where's Noah?" I ask, not necessarily out of curiosity, as much as greed. I want her all to myself for the day. It's Tuesday, which means she'd normally be at school, teaching her young students about history and science, but it's spring break so her time is mine.

Her face softens. "He's got a few shoots today and then he's meeting his father for a late lunch."

I sigh in relief. Alexa's fiancé is an in demand photographer. Although his core business is now centered on children and infants, he does an occasional spread in a magazine. He's talented, accomplished and very eccentric. My time with him has been limited up to this point but now that I've taken over their guest room, I'll be seeing a lot more of him.

"Do you want to talk about Parker?" The effortless ease with which she says his name tears through me. I haven't been able to utter his name since he walked out of our apartment. I've avoided every image or reminder of him.

I lower myself to the edge of the queen sized bed I'll be calling my refuge until I can sort through my life. "There's not much to talk about."


She settles next to me, her hand reaching for mine. She cradles it gently in her lap. "Is it over?"

I hear the words clearly. I don't react. I just stare at her hand and the large diamond ring that is catching the natural sunlight streaming through the window. She's going to plan her wedding soon. She'll marry the man of her dreams and her life will start on its course towards a happily-ever-after that she rightly deserves. I deserve it too though and now I have to confess that my prince charming pulled the rug out from under me without any warning.