I was halfway through telling her about a ridiculous customer at the jewelry shop when I saw her.
Alexis.
Walking through the front door of the bistro with two other women, all of them dressed in business casual, clearly on a lunch break from campus.
My entire body went cold.
Truth noticed immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, but my voice came out too tight.
And then Alexis saw me.
Her face lit up, and she was already moving toward our table before I could think of a way to stop her.
“Amai!” she said, her smile bright and genuine. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
I stood automatically, my mind racing, trying to figure out how to navigate this without destroying everything. “Alexis. Hey.”
She leaned in and kissed my cheek, her hand resting briefly on my arm. Then her eyes shifted to Truth, curiosity flickering across her face.
“This is Truth,” I said, the words coming out before I could stop them. “A colleague.”
I felt Truth go still across from me.
Alexis extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alexis. Amai’s girlfriend.”
Truth shook her hand, her expression carefully neutral. “Nice to meet you too.”
“We’re just grabbing lunch,” Alexis continued, gesturing to her friends waiting near the hostess stand. “But I wanted to say hi. I’ll see you tonight for dinner, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice flat. “Tonight.”
She kissed me again—this time on the mouth, quick and possessive—then smiled at Truth one more time before walking back to her friends.
I sat down slowly, my heart pounding, my mind spinning.
Truth was staring at her water glass, her jaw tight.
“Truth—”
“Don’t.” Her voice was quiet. Cold. “Just don’t.”
“It’s not?—”
“My business,” she replied bluntly.
The waiter appeared with our food, oblivious to the tension crackling between us. He set the plates down with a cheerful smile and disappeared again.
Neither of us touched our food.
Truth’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at it, and something shifted in her expression—softened, warmed. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth as she picked it up and typed a quick response.
Jealousy hit me like a fist to the gut.
“Who’s that?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
She looked up at me, her eyes cold. “That’s not part of the contract. My personal life is not your business.”
