Chapter 18 Seth
SETH
It’s been three days since Kayla stormed out of my life. I’ve tried to call her, but she won’t answer. And after what I did, I don’t want to force her. If she doesn’t want to speak to me, I have to respect that decision.
Felix mewls at me, rubbing against my leg. I bend down and stroke him absentmindedly, but he swipes at my hand with his ears back.
“Not you too, buddy.”
It seems everyone’s against me. Felix gives a pitiful meow and saunters over to his cat bowl—his empty cat bowl.
“Sorry, buddy.” I’m even letting the cat down now. But the last few days have been a miserable blur, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I fed myself, let alone the cat.
Taking a can of tuna from the cupboard, I open it and fork the entire contents into his bowl.
Felix purrs happily as he eats, easily forgiving me.
“If only women were so easy to please,” I mutter.
The phone rings, and Bronn’s number comes up.
“We’re going out for a drink.”
“Nah, man…” I start to protest, but he cuts me off.
“It’s a team thing. Everyone will be there. No excuses.”
The last thing I feel like doing is going out for a work outing, even if the security firm is made up of all my best ex-Army mates.
But it’s not doing me any good moping around the house.
“Fine. I’ll be there.”
A few hours later, I’m at the Sea Hopper bar, slumped on a bar stool and trying to act interested in the conversation. But it feels like something is missing.
Every time the door opens or someone walks past, I look up thinking it might be Kayla. It’s a stupid thought. We never came here. We barely went anywhere apart from her apartment.
Lyle’s talking about the new motorbike he got, but I can’t get interested. Bikes have never been my thing. I’m a computer guy. I don’t know shit about mechanics. Tony listens to him intently, while Kieren looks like he wants to be anywhere else but here.
Kieren finishes his beer and slams the empty bottle on the table a little too hard. He signals to the waitress to bring him another. His eyes are red-rimmed and he darts them around the bar, as if he’s expecting someone.
He’s been jumpy as fuck for the last few months but I’ve been too preoccupied to notice.
Bronn has his arm around Adrianna, who he’s clearly besotted with, and she’s the reason he’s pulled us all together. Adrianna’s sporting a large diamond on her ring finger, and he wanted to tell us their happy news.
I’m happy for him, I really am. But it’s hard to watch a couple so much in love when your own heart is breaking.
Adrianna heads to the ladies’ room, and Bronn watches her walk across the room. He can’t take his eyes off her. The goofy smile on his face is so out of character I wonder if she’s bewitched him.
Adrianna disappears through the door of the restroom and Bronn finally looks at me. The smile slides off his face.
“What’s happening man?” Bronn takes the stool next to mine and fixes his intense gaze on me.
There’s no point trying to hide it. Bronn knows me better than anyone.
“I did something stupid.” I take a sip of cold beer, wondering where to begin.
“Was it because of a woman?” he asks.
I nod slowly.
“It’s always because of a woman,” he mutters. “That pretty young thing you did surveillance on?’
I look at him sharply, wondering if I’m that obvious. “How did you know?”
Bronn chuckles. “Man, I’ve known you a lot of years. I’ve never seen you react the way you did when you saw her photo.”
He’s right. I was gone from the moment I saw Kayla’s image.
“I should have listened to you. We shouldn’t have taken that job.”
I fill Bronn in on what’s happened and how stupid I’ve been, how I’ve destroyed any trust Kayla might have had in me. By the time I’ve finished talking, Adrianna is back, and she’s heard most of the story too.
They’re both looking at me, their eyes round with sympathy, confirming that I’m a big ass and there’s no coming back from this.
“I think it’s kinda sweet,” Adrianna says.
Bronn chuckles and gives her a pat on the bottom.
“Yeah, because you’re a little twisted, brat.” They share a private look that’s way too intimate for me to witness.
I take another swig of beer, wondering if I’ll ever have a relationship like theirs.
“Have you told her how you feel?” Adrianna asks.
Bronn rolls his eyes. “Here we go. My fiancé the matchmaker. Watch out, Seth. She’ll have you proposing before you know it.”
She gives him a playful punch on the arm, and they end up kissing. I look away because it’s way too over the top for me, all this public display of affection.
But Adrianna has given me an idea.
When the sin is so big, the forgiving gesture has to be bigger. I’ve got to do something that will make Kayla understand how I feel about her, something that will be so overwhelming that it trumps the way that we got to meet.
I push the stool away from the table and stand up abruptly.
“Where you going?” Bronn asks.
“To get my woman back.”
There’s the sound of clapping and cheering as I head out the door, but I don’t look back. It’s time to show Kayla how big my feelings are for her. It’s time for a grand gesture.