“What do you mean?” Kira stirred her drink lazily with the straw, not looking up.
“It’s not like you to show up at a bar alone.”
She cocked an eyebrow at me, her expression sharp and guarded. I could almost see the gears turning, the instinct to fire back with something snarky—she always saved her sharp edges for me. But then her posture shifted. Instead of lashing out, she softened. “Maybe I just needed a drink.”
“Fair.” I nodded, though my gut told me there was more to it.Personally, I needed several drinks, but that was neither here nor there.
Kira took a small sip, her eyes on the glass. “Don’t you need to take care of your other customers?”
I leaned in slightly, dropping my voice. “None of them are as important as you.”
That earned a flicker of a smile, the corner of her mouth tugging upward despite herself. “You as a bartender suddenly makes a lot of sense. You must flirt your way into all the tips.”
I gasped, putting a hand to my chest. “I would never. My charm is entirely unintentional.”
Her laughter was soft but real. Then I sobered, an uncomfortable realization creeping in. “But I wouldn’t flirt with someone who has a boyfriend.”
The atmosphere shifted. Whatever lightness Kira had been holding onto slipped away in an instant. She set the glass down with a deliberate motion. “Xavier and I broke up.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“You broke up?” I managed, keeping my voice neutral, or at least trying to.
Kira nodded, her eyes on the condensation pooling at the base of her glass. “A few days ago.”
I didn’t trust myself to respond immediately, so I busied my hands by wiping down the bar, though my focus stayed on Kira. I should have felt bad—and maybe a part of me did—but mostly, there was this treacherous flicker of relief.
Unless…
“Did he do something?”
She took a small sip of her drink, like she needed the burn to get through it. Then, quiet but steady, “He was the one who trashed the CCC.”
My grip on the glass tightened, knuckles whitening. Ragesurged through me, hot and fast. I wanted to punch something. Xavier, preferably.
“That motherfucker.” I tossed the bar towel onto the counter and pushed off it like I might actually go find him. “Where does he live? Let’s vandalize his place in return. Spray-paint his Tesla or whatever overpriced crap he owns.”
Kira let out a short, almost surprised laugh. “Tempting. But I’m not one for revenge. When I figured it out, I told the police and ended things.”
I exhaled through my nose, trying to reel the heat back in. “He didn’t deserve you anyway.” The words were out before I could stop them.
Kira’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing in that way that always made me feel both wary and amused. “I’ve told you I don’t care about what I do or don’t deserve. Besides, you’re hardly the authority on that.”
“I may have done you wrong, but that doesn’t mean I think no one should treat you right.”
She simmered down and nodded. “Now you can see why I want to take a night to drink quietly and avoid answering questions from my friends aboutwhat happenedorhow am I feeling.”
“It sounds like you have great friends.” A customer flagged me down from a table. Damn it. “Take all the time you need. Drinks are on the house. I’ll be around.”
I darted over to clear the table and brought them another round, moving as fast as my legs would carry me. Any hope of a quiet lull in the evening quickly evaporated. Instead, it was an onslaught—group after group demanding drinks so complex they could’ve doubled as science experiments.
Normally, I’d embrace the chaos. Anything to keep my thoughts from wandering.
Tonight, all I could do was steal glimpses of her.
Kira chatting with the middle-aged woman beside her,nodding as if she were a seasoned therapist. Kira ordering an exotic cocktail with the kind of confident ease that made me question how she’d ever dated someone as bland as Xavier. Kira laughing when someone bought her a shot, her head tilting back like she didn’t have a care in the world.
If my only privilege for the rest of my life was catching fleeting moments like these, I’d count myself lucky. They were more than I deserved. Yet some cavernous part of me ached for more.
