7. Kiernan
KIERNAN
Ithought things would be awkward between us, but I hadn’t cared when I jumped on the opportunity to spend the day with Indie.
Somehow, they weren’t.
We spent the day together exploring the town, and while I was technically new to the area, I was more familiar with it than I let on. I’d visited my uncle on several occasions, so I mostly knew my way around, but I would use any excuse to get to spend time with her.
She showed me all of her favorite spots and I made mental notes of which restaurants and coffee shops she preferred.
Being with her was easy. Fun. And I enjoyed doing Super Platonic Friend Things (a term coined by Indie, SPFT for short) with her almost as much as I enjoyed having her lips wrapped around my cock.
I avoided thinking about that, though.
Most of the time.
After spending half the day visiting nearly every part of town, she led me through the park. It was just a walk together, but it was also everything. The soft trickle of a water fountain reached my ears and we followed it to a small clearing at the edge of the park where a marble statue of a lion stood in the middle, spitting water from its large mouth. We sat on a bench nearby, watching the water dance in the fading sunlight.
There were more people around than I’d expected, but I didn’t mind.
Until a mountain of a man caught Indie’s eye as he walked toward us. The look on her face was a mixture of glad to see you and oh my god, no.
She popped up from her seat and the hug she gave him was one of deep familiarity. Jealousy prickled at my skin. I wanted her to look at me like that, hug me like that.
It had been a year since our time together. She could be married now for all I knew, and I was still pining after her like a love-struck puppy. What if this was her husband checking in on his wife giving her new boss a tour of the town?
She didn’t have a wedding band. I’d looked.
For a fraction of a second, I imagined what it might be like to shove him into the fountain and hold his head under the water as he thra?—
She released him and turned to me, smiling. Her grin was disarming in all the best ways.
“Kiernan, this is Owen. He’s my—” I stood to greet him, holding out my hand to shake his, but we both froze midway because of the panicked look on Indie’s face. “Oh, my god. Owen. There’s Mark. Do something. Anything. Please,” she said in a hushed whisper. Owen’s face morphed from confusion to amusement and then Indie said, “Kiss me.”
My heart dropped into my fucking stomach.
As I scanned the surrounding area, my eyes landed on a tall figure moving towards us. His shuffling gait and leering expression set me on edge and my hand instinctively moved to the small of Indie’s back.
Owen nudged her away from him, toward me. “I am not kissing you,” he grumbled. “Grow a pair.”
“First of all,” she retorted. “That’s misogynistic. And second of all, I thought you were my friend,” she hissed.
“I am your friend. The kind of friend who holds your hair when you puke or like… pisses on you if you’re on fire. But I am not fucking kissing you.”
Whoever this guy was, I liked him a lot.
“Fuck, he’s coming.” She looked at me with a desperation in her eyes and I had no idea who Mark was or why she thought someone kissing her would ward him away, but all I could think was absolutely the fuck not.
The desperation melted away when I pulled her body flush with mine.
I was un-fucking-done when she looked at me like that. The same way she did the night we met.
Like she needed me, and I didn’t care for what. Whatever she wanted I would give it to her. I didn’t need an explanation. I was hers to do with what she wanted.
“It won’t be the first time,” I said, raising an eyebrow in question.
Her throat bobbed, but she nodded, giving me permission. Owen groaned and I glanced toward him, rolling his eyes.
No. His eyes didn’t roll. They yeeted themselves out of his skull.
And then I kissed her tentatively on the lips. Soft. Sweet. Everything else faded away.
I wanted to maul her.
As my fingers brushed against the side of her neck, she sighed and leaned into me. And for a too brief moment, she kissed me back, giving me more than I”d expected. My insides melted into liquid magma.
She pulled away, her lips slightly parted. But then she shook her head and forced a cough, abruptly ending the moment. The spark in her eyes vanished as she reverted to her friendly demeanor.
Owen looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here, but stepped forward and held out his hand again. This time, I took it and shook it without interruption. “I’m Owen. Indie’s roommate,” he explained.
I willed my face to maintain a neutral expression, but I was a little shocked. At least he didn’t seem to have any kind of romantic interest in her. “Kiernan. Indie’s…”
“Boss,” she finished for me.
I glared at her out of the corner of my eye. “Nice to meet you,” I said to Owen.
“Ditto,” he replied.
“So…” A question lingered in the air.
“It’s nothing,” Indie finally said. “Mark is just some loser that I went on one date with, and he’s remained super creepy for long after. He’s harmless. I would just rather not have to deal with him.”
I wasn’t convinced she truly believed he was harmless, but I nodded my understanding. At least he’d been dissuaded from approaching by our brief show of affection. He was nowhere to be seen now.
We chatted with Owen for a bit longer and once he left, I suggested we end our day early. Indie seemed rattled and a little upset after the kiss, and I wouldn’t ask her to fake it for me in the name of her showing me around more.
Even if I did want to spend the entire day with her.
I was pretty sure it wasn’t exactly the kiss that had her feeling uneasy.
As I pulled into her driveway, she let out a long sigh and slumped against the passenger seat. ”Thanks for everything.” The kiss is what she didn’t say.
She gave me a weak smile. I could see the tension in her body as she avoided making eye contact.
I made a mental note to ask her more about Mark when the time was right, not wanting to push her further when I knew she was flustered about it.
My heart clenched as she turned and strode towards the towering apartment complex, her black boots clicking against the pavement. I longed to chase after her, to beg her to stay just a few minutes longer because I couldn’t get enough of being in her presence, but I knew she wouldn”t want that. My fingers gripped the steering wheel as I watched her disappear into the building, desperate for a glimmer of hope that maybe one day she would change her mind about us so I could take care of her in all the ways I knew she needed.