“No, thank you, Mr. Russo. I appreciate you letting us have this table last minute.”
His hands clasp in front of him as he fiddles with his red tie. With black suit pants and a crisp white dress shirt, it’s obvious he’s the one in charge of this place. “Of course. It’s the least I could do. I’m so sorry about your father,” he adds, his tone somber.
Immediately, that bit of warmth I held vanishes. “Thank you.”
He seems to regret his condolences, quickly turning his attention to Kat. “Is there anything I can get you, dear?”
Dear. He’s forgotten her name. I know she hasn’t been here as much as me, but she came with me a handful of times.
“No, thank you,” answers Kat. She tries to put a smile on her face, but it’s not real. Kat gives up halfway through. That scares the hell out of me. She always could do that. Smile when everything was going to shit.
With a nod, I think he’ll leave us to it, but before he turns, he asks me, “You doing okay?”
“I’m glad to be out.”
“You have everything you need?”
I’ve known this man for almost as long as I can remember. What Reed said has me questioning everything.
“Can I get you dessert?”
I didn’t think I could eat another bite, but Kat perks up when she hears about dessert.
“Chocolate cake sound okay?” he asks her.
“Sure does. Maybe to go?” she adds and he says, of course. That’s what he always says. He’s amenable to men like me.
He glances down at our hands on the table as Reed comes back into the room. “What happened to your hand? You need anything for that?”
It’s kind of him to ignore the matching bruises Reed and I are sporting. I flex it, stretching out my fingers and shaking my head as Reed takes his seat. “I tried to become a handyman and did something dumb with a hammer. Won’t make that mistake again.”
“Be more careful,” he scolds, smiling with his eyes.
“Hey, Nello,” I say before he can exit the room completely.
“What’s that, Cill?”
“If anybody asks, we were here a little earlier. In fact, we've been back here all day.”
He nods shortly, his gaze staying on mine. “You got it.”
The moment the door closes, giving us privacy once again, Reed speaks, “Well, you didn’t kill me. So I take it, what I said about what happened and about your uncle–”
Readjusting in my seat, I cut him off. “We’ll talk about it later,” I tell him and then glance between the two of them. “I want to,” I start but shut my mouth as the waiter enters the room.
He brings chocolate cake packaged in a little black box tied with a red ribbon, halting the conversation.
I’m short with him, but my voice is as even as it can be. “Just the bill and a few more minutes, please.”
“I want to talk about you two,” I tell them both the moment the stiff silence greets us once again. “What the hell happened to you?” My gaze is solely on Kat.
She swallows thickly and pulls her hands into her lap. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not yourself.” I know it’s hypocritical coming from me, but it’s true. “You’re scared and unsure and you,” I say and bring my attention to Reed, motioning toward him, “you fucked Reed … was that before or after you ended it with me?” I didn’t mean to say that last part. Fuck, I don’t want to know. “I never thought you’d do that. What happened to my hellcat?”
“I—” Kat looks down at her chocolate cake, then back up at me. “I lost everything. I lost you … and then … I felt like I didn’t deserve you.”
Tears shine in her eyes and her face flushes. It kills me to see her this way. She isn’t like she used to be. This strong woman who could handle anything. Hell, maybe it’s me who remembers her differently … or maybe it’s just because we were kids who didn’t know shit.
I grab her hand again. “I love you, Kat.”
Her eyes meet mine, disbelieving and filled with tears. “Cill …”
“I love the woman you were,” I tell her and make sure she’s staring back at me when I continue, “and the woman you are now. Let me see you smile again. I want to make you smile again.”
“I don’t know if I can do that right now,” she murmurs.
I let my mind unravel, every thought slipping out, “You weren’t scared of anybody. You didn’t cry yourself to sleep at night. You didn’t refuse to smile. And you didn’t fucking cheat on me.”
Her eyes come to mine, glossy with tears. She doesn’t deny it. That it happened before she ended it with me. Fuck. Dread pricks across my skin.
“Why?” I’m barely paying attention to Reed anymore. He hasn’t said a word and I can’t look away from Kat. “Why did you do it?” My throat’s tight and dry.