“Actually, I think I need to go back upstairs and lie down,” I tell them. “I think breakfast was a bad idea.”
“Go ahead, baby girl. Ain’t nothing but water sports on the agenda today, and I know you don’t want to do any snorkeling with a messed up stomach.”
“You’re right, I don’t.”
Brick and I were supposed to go snorkeling together.
I decide to take the back set of elevators to go to my room, because I don’t want to run the risk of running into Brick and Lisa’s little reunion. Of course, it’s just my luck that the two of them are sitting in a private seating area in the back lobby, tucked away like they’re sharing a very important private moment. My legs are still moving forward toward the bank of elevators, but my eyes are stuck on the two of them, especially her.
She’s the exact opposite of what I thought she’d be. Online you can find a lot of not-so-great pictures of her, but in person she’s… perfect.
She’s a little taller than me, gorgeous figure, natural looking makeup and a smile brighter than the sun. She doesn’t fit the profile of a manipulative reality star. Looking at her now, she’s exactly the type of woman I could see marrying Brick, giving him a ton of gorgeous babies while simultaneously building her own lifestyle empire. They’d be a power couple.
They’d be so annoying.
I’m almost home free when Brick catches me out of the corner of his eye. His serious stare holding me in place. He says nothing, but he doesn’t have to. Our pact is a broken agreement, or maybe it never really existed in the first place.
What happened here will stay here.
I keep walking as a few random tears fall down my face. Never once did I think that if I saw Brick with someone else that I’d react so intensely, but I was fooling myself. I’m not a one-night-stand type of girl. I’ve never been that woman. When I sleep with someone, feelings get involved. It’s just how I’m built. I made a huge mistake sleeping with him. This was bound to end badly. When am I going to learn?
Once I arrive at the elevators, I press the up button repeatedly, hoping my urgency will make one come fast and lift me out of hell and back into purgatory where I belong.
I feel him before he even says a word.
“Kaya.”
“Don’t say another word,” I say, facing the elevator doors. “Just go back to her.”
He walks closer behind me. So close that I can practically feel his warm cinnamon breath on my neck. I guess the two of them had breakfast.
“I’m not with her. Turn around, Kaya.”
“No.”
“Turn the fuck around when you talk to me. I need to see your eyes.”
“I don’t want to talk. I just want to pretend this never happened.”
“You want to pretend thatInever happened? You know we can’t do that, beautiful.”
“Don’t call me that! And I think the woman sitting in the hotel lobby makes it quite obvious that we can.”
“This is not where I wanted to have this conversation.”
“You think I want to chat about this after what I just saw? I told you if you wanted to end this to just be man enough to tell me. Why doesn’t anyone ever tell the truth anymore?”
“Who’s anyone?” he growls at me. “Are you comparing me to your ex?”
I turn around so I can finally face him. How dare he be angry with me?
“You,” I challenge as another tear falls. “I’m talking about you!”
He moves forward and uses his thumb to rub away a few of the tears on my face. Then he sticks the thumb in his mouth and sucks them away. It would be moving if I wasn’t so angry with him.
“I’ve never lied to you, Kaya, and I didn’t want to tell you like this, but you’re so stubborn, you leave me no choice.”
“I leave you no choice? Please, just go back to your woman. She’s waiting for you.”
