Perfect Strangers

“With regards to what?” He asked, shutting it behind her then leant his body up against it.

“You know, with Casper, defending me and that,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“It’s nothing no other man wouldn’t have done for you, Myla.” He replied folding his arms across his body.

“I doubt that very much.” She loosened her hair down from its hold and shook it out. Kai slouched up against the door, mesmerized as she did so. The sun was shining behind her, the bright hue danced along her locks as they flowed to a standstill around her shoulders, her face was animated and her mouth was moving silently.

Her smile faded and a frown formed, she placed both hands on her hips. “Kai!” She snapped, jolting him from his daydream.

“Uhm, …sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, Casper never once stood up for me the way you did back there.”

“Oh,” he whispered, standing himself upright against the door, “well, surely one of your other boyfriends have in the past?”

Her neck turned crimson, she looked away from him and dragged her fingers through her hair. “No,” she replied. She swiveled around and headed towards the steps of the house.

Pushing himself away from the door, he half jogged after her. Locking his hand on her wrist he spun her around to face him. She pursed her lips and she drew her eyes up towards the sky. “You have had other boyfriends, right Myla?”

“Yes,” she snapped quickly.

“You’re lying, Myla, I can tell.”

Forcefully yanking her wrist away from his hold, she fixed her gaze on his face. “You can tell? Jesus Christ, Kai you’ve known me what, a week? And you already think you know me?”

Raking a hand though his hair he shook his head, “No, I don’t think I already know you, but the color of embarrassment that started on your collarbone has worked its way up your neck and is now spread all over your face, and that pulse in your neck is pounding away like it’s about to explode all over the damned place.”

Oh crap, this is embarrassing. She glared silently at him, scrunching her nose up and closing her eyes as she exhaled through her nasal passage. “No, I haven’t had a boyfriend since Casper,” she replied meekly. Now please shut the fuck up!

She heard him inhale harshly at her admittance. “Look at me, Myla,” he ordered. Opening her eyes slowly, they instantly locked on his. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, how long have you been split from him?”

Don’t tell him, Myla. Don’t do it. “Eight years,” she whispered. She diverted her eyes again to the sky as she fought back the humiliation coursing through her body. She could hear his brain ticking over as he mentally did the math. Please don’t say anything. Don’t say another damned word.

“Eight years?” He watched her face wince when he repeated her words. “You’ve been with other people sexually in the last eight years though, right?” He stood expectantly waiting for her to answer, but he already had it in the form of her silence and the glistening of water that lay on the edge of her lids, of which she was so desperately trying to hide. She turned away from him. She hasn’t had a man in eight years? Fuck! That needs to change. Calm down Kai, keep your dick in check. “Myla,” he whispered taking another step closer to her.

“There you two love birds are, we were beginning to think you had gotten lost,” came the voice of Stan as he swung open the front door.

“Hey dad,” Myla replied enthusiastically, grateful at the reprieve her father’s interruption would give her and kissed his cheek. “We went for a drive. He isn’t here is he?”

“Do you seriously think I’d let that cretin step one foot inside this house again, Myla?” He asked with a stern look.

Smiling, she wandered off into the house. Kai slapped Stan’s shoulder as he walked passed. “You did good today, Rhett. I’m kind of pissed you didn’t punch him though,” Stan chuckled closing the door.

“I’m saving that for another day,” winked Kai before following Myla into the kitchen.

They stopped dead in their tracks inside the doorway, the kitchen was packed with people, and a silence filtered around the room, all heads turned in their direction. “Mother, what’s all this?” Myla asked stiffly.

“This?” She questioned as she waved her hand around the room, “this is a small gathering of family and friends to celebrate the wedding, and of course so everyone gets to meet dear Rhett.”

Myla’s eyes did a quick sweep of the room, she took in many familiar faces of old neighbors, friends, and the dregs of their family tree. She felt Kai take a step closer to her back and nudge her hand a few times with his before sliding his fingers in hers and gripped her tight.

“Great to meet you all,” he said confidently over her shoulder. Smiles, nods, and hellos broke out across the room and the noise level gradually resumed to normal.

“Eight years is a long time without pleasure, Myla,” he whispered in her ear.

“I’ve been busy, what do you want me to fucking say?” She snapped. She kept her fake smile firmly on her face.

“Just so you know, Capulet. That’s going to change before we go home,” he replied breathlessly.