7
KAI
Kai’s Hotel Room
“I need to go out,”Alejandro says in a clipped voice.
I nod.
“Do whatever you want,” I say.
Francisco is sprawled in a chair by the window, a drink dangling from his hand.
I lie on the bed. Clothed. Shoes on. A drink on the nightstand, the ice cubes crackling and melting.
“There’s alcohol, if that’s what you want,” I say as he pivots to the door.
“I need some fresh air,” he says on his way out.
The door closes a moment later. The silence in the room gets dense and quickly prolongs.
Francisco says nothing, his eyes pinned on the city skyline while I take a swig.
“Maybe next time you shouldn’t pull back so hard…” I murmur.
A soft smile creases his lips.
He’s still not looking at me.
“Are you really talking about me?”
“Who else?” I say, grinning.
He flicks his eyes to me, observes me for a second, and shakes his head, his smile fading.
“What if I didn’t pull back because I played a game?”
We share a stare for a few good seconds.
“Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?”
“I’m not saying anything. You’re doing it all the time. He does it too. And suddenly, it’s my fault because she slipped away.”
“That’s not what I just said.”
He breathes out a chuckle.
“Listen… What else was there to do?”
He empties his glass and sets it on the table next to him.
“If it was up to me, I’d still be in the hotel room with her.”
I clench my jaw but look at him, poker-faced.
“Why didn’t you do it?”
His lips purse and press together, his stare going blank.