She squeezed my hand. “But don’t go back blaming. Go back owning. Your hurt doesn’t erase your part in this.”
27
Khloe
My phone buzzed against the nightstand.
Kairo:Let me know when I can come upstairs to talk.
My heart started to race. I knew he was home. I had seen his truck pull into the driveway on the camera sometime after midnight, but he never came upstairs. I never felt the mattress dip beside me or woke up tangled in his arms like I secretly hoped I would. But at least he came home. Our house was too big for us both to exist and never run into each other.
I typed back quickly.
You can come now.
The three dots appeared almost instantly, then disappeared. I sat up in bed, pulling my knees underneath me, suddenly aware of how loud the silence felt. Every small sound made my heart race
Then I heard his footsteps on the stairs. The bedroom door opened, and when he stepped inside, my chest hurt at the sight of him. He looked tired. I knew that look. That was Kairo when the world sat on his shoulders.
“Hey,” I said softly.
“Hey,” he said, smiling a little.
We just… stood there. Two people who had loved each other most of our lives suddenly unsure how to exist in the same room.
He started to speak first. “Khloe, I’m so sorr—”
“I know,” I interrupted. “And I’m sorry too.”
“I should’ve communicated better,” I continued, my voice shaking. “I expected you to just know what I needed instead of saying it. If I would’ve just talked to you more… we probably wouldn’t be here.”
Before I could say anything else, he crossed the room and grabbed my face in his hands.
“Baby, it’s not your fault.”
Tears filled my eyes instantly.
“I made you feel empty,” he continued. “And I’m sorry for that.”
I cried, and he leaned down and kissed me. When I pulled back, I sniffed and laughed through my tears.
“Have you been smoking?”
He blinked, then laughed. “Yeah. These are the same clothes I smoked in with Kordai yesterday. I thought I packed another outfit but apparently my mind was everywhere. I only packed underwear and two shirts that were yours.”
I laughed harder, wiping my cheeks. “It smells like yesterday.”
He grinned, pulling his shirt over his head. He dropped it to the floor, kicked off his pants, and walked toward the bathroom. “I’m gonna shower.”
The sound of the water starting calmed me. I sat there for a moment, just thinking. We weren’t fixed. Not even close. Butwe were talking. breathing, and existing together again. After everything, that felt like enough.
I stood up and gathered his clothes from the floor to toss them in the hamper. Something about doing small, normal things felt comforting. When I picked up his pants, something hard pressed against my fingers inside the pocket.
I frowned and reached in. A plastic card slid into my hand. I looked down, noticing that it was a hotel key.
My heart dropped straight into my stomach. My mind didn’t even hesitate. It ran straight to the worst place possible. A hotel. Another woman. Revenge.
My eyes burned instantly.
