Impossible Love: An Unforeseen Destiny Novel Book One (27 page)

“That’s‌…‌that’s different.”

Different? What does that mean?

“Our little girl is grown up, Brian. You—”

“And I think it’s time for you to use the restroom,” I interrupt Staci, hitting her leg.

“Um, yeah, I have to pee.”

We stand, and I nudge her toward the bathroom door. I’m not sure who to be mad at more.

“Why do you like making Brian uncomfortable all the time?” I ask when we step into the girl’s room.

“Why is he even here? We can’t go anywhere without him showing up.”

“I don’t know. Maybe because he always ends up joining us?”

“See, I told you he liked you.”

I blow out a breath and eye the ceiling. I’m not sure when my mundane life became so complicated.

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know how I didn’t see it,” I say, glancing back at Staci.

“You didn’t want to see it.”

“I guess. But still, go easy on him. I feel sorry for him.”

“Oh, please, don’t feel sorry for him. Brian’s far from innocent.”

I tilt my head and study her for a moment. “What did he ever do to you?”

She waves her arms, brushing me off. “No worries, it’s nothing. Let’s go have a drink. Did you check out the guy at the end of the counter? He’s hot, hot, hot.”

I laugh. “Fine. Whatever. You win. I’ll let it drop for now, but play nice.”

We arrive back to our stool just as Jill and Melinda from our nursing program show up.

“I’ve missed you,” Brian says when I settle into my seat.

“I’ve missed you too.”

“We really need to catch up. Meet me tomorrow at the coffee shop.”

I hesitate. “I have a lot of studying to do. I have to double up in case something happens to Mom.”

“We’ll just have one cup of coffee. You’ll probably need it after tonight.”

“We both know the better choice is water.”

He chuckles. “One drink. I’ll bring my books, and we both can study.”

“Okay.”

I sip my drink while the music changes over to a slow song.

“Dance with me,” Brian leans over and whispers in my ear.

“That wouldn’t be a good idea,” I say, shaking my head.

“Why? Because of your
boyfriend
?”

He pronounces boyfriend like it’s a dirty word, and my hackles rise.

“Come on. Just one dance. For old times’ sake.”

True, we usually dance, but that was before. Would I want Kai dancing with a girl? Fire inflames the pit of my stomach. Hell, no I wouldn’t. The idea alone enrages me into a ball of jealousy fury.

“Brian, it’s not like before.”

“What? We can’t be friends now? It’s one meager dance.”

Is he really pulling the friendship card? I glance over at Staci, and she’s deep in a conversation with Jill. Melinda is working the room taking various pictures of everyone. I sigh.

“One dance, that’s it.” Conceding, I stand and wobble. The drinks, I’m afraid, have worked their magic. I need to slow down, or I won’t be doing anything tomorrow but nursing my sore head.

Brian leads me to the dance floor, but this feels all wrong. He’s my friend, sure, and up until seven weeks ago, I considered him to be close. Technically, there shouldn’t be any problem with us dancing together, but I still don’t like it.

Brian grabs me in his arms, and we sway to the beat of the music. I wrap my arms around his neck, and his hands fall to my waist as he pulls me closer. Being next to him feels off, but I’m committed now. I lean my head against his shoulder and close my eyes wishing like hell Kai was in my arms instead. He tightens his hold, and for a brief moment, I believe it’s Kai. Then reality kicks in, and I stop and shake my head.

“No, I can’t do this, Brian.” I don’t want to tell him it’s because I miss Kai so badly I could throw up. I mean it literally makes my stomach roll.

He sighs, but lets go and follows me to my stool. Melinda returns to the bar the same time, appearing flushed.

“I think I got what I want,” Melinda says as she plops beside Staci.

Staci smiles at her but turns a worried look my way.

I wave her off and give her a sign that I’ll be okay.

The rest of the evening, I’m not really okay. The weight of missing Kai plagues me, and I’m not enjoying myself. The blaring music makes talking impossible without having to yell, and I want my phone. It’s midnight. I want to know if my “I love you” text has been sent yet.

“I’m going to head back to the dorm,” I yell to Staci and hold my hand out for my phone.

“Sure thing.” Staci digs in her purse and pulls it out. “I’ve been checking, and there’s nothing from your mom.”

“Thanks.” I grab the phone and immediately look at the display. A Facebook notification that I’ve been tagged in a photo sparks my interest. I open the Facebook app and click on the picture. I choke, almost swallowing my tongue. There on the dance floor are two people dancing rather close. Brian and me.

Shit.

No, no, no. I hurry up and untag myself. There’s no way Kai would understand that photo if he saw it. I’d yell at Melinda, but really, it’s not her fault. I should’ve never danced with him.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. As I chastise myself, I try to remember to breathe. Kai isn’t a huge Facebook person, so I doubt he even saw it. Besides, he hasn’t sent my text yet, so maybe he isn’t even on his phone. Yeah, Kai hasn’t seen it. There’s no way he’d let that slide.

**~~**~~**

Kai~

I fucking don’t believe it.
My right hand squeezes my bottle of
Corona
as I stare down at my girlfriend snuggling pretty close to golden-boy M.D. on the dance floor. His hands splayed across the span of her lower back sends raging heat rushing through my body.

Fuck!
I need to maintain a neutral expression.

Glancing up to Bethany’s smirking face, I take a deep breath. “So. She can dance with her friends.”

“Pft. Really?” Bethany says, snatching her phone away. “You honestly believe the crap you’re spewing? Because I don’t. She’s playing you, Kai.”

Of course, I don’t believe what I’m saying. I’m pissed to no end. But there’s no way I’m letting Bethany know how I feel.

“Go back to your table, Beth. Even if I was single, we’re still through.”

Bethany’s eyes narrow as she glares at me. I really don’t want to hurt her, but her vendetta against Kayla and me is getting old. How many times do I have to tell her to back off, I’m not interested?

“So, what? You’re staying celibate and being the good little boy while she gets to tramp around?”

My hands curl into fists. How’d I ever think Bethany was a nice person? And how’d she even see the damn pic anyway? I’m sure she’s not friends with Kayla on Facebook.

“It’s just a dance, Beth.”

“Whatever, you’re just going to be making a bigger fool of yourself.”

“That’s on me then.” I turn to face the bar. Conversation closed.

Beth huffs, but I hear her shuffle away. Thank God.

“Bro, what the hell was that about?” Kamp asks, plopping next to me. He motions to Laney for another drink.

“She showed me a picture of Kayla dancing with someone.”

“What? Why the hell was she dancing with someone?”

“Who the fuck knows?” I try not to act as mad as I am, but I’m so pissed, I can hardly think straight. I know one thing, I definitely don’t like some other guy’s hands pawing my girl.

“I’m sure there’s an explanation. Let me see the picture.”

“It’s on Facebook. Wait a sec.” I pull up the app and click on Kayla’s profile. Scrolling through her feed, I can’t find the photo anywhere. “Hmm, the picture’s gone.”

I grit my teeth as Kamp gives a quick nod. If the picture is so damn innocent, then why did she erase it?

“I know what you’re thinking, but Kayla isn’t that type of girl. Do the smart thing and call her. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

“I’ll call tomorrow.”

“Call now. You’ll feel better knowing the truth,” Kamp orders.

“It’s five in the fucking morning. I can’t call now.” Jesus, this seven-hour time difference blows. Long distance is hard enough, but with the time difference thrown in, it’s a double whammy.

Kamp grunts but doesn’t say anything else. I shouldn’t take this out on him, but still. I better stay up late so I can call her in the morning. I know one thing: she has some explaining to do, and I’m getting drunk.

Chapter
Forty

Kayla~

The mini-throbs inside my head remind me why I don’t drink. I take another sip of coffee and try to focus on the words in my textbook. The low hum from the Hot Beans neon sign hanging in the window distracts me. Although, I don’t know why I’m even bothering to study, now. Brian will be here any second.

So much for trying to get homework done.

My opened book may as well be back at the dorm, no more than what I’ve accomplished. I can’t concentrate. Kai has neither called nor texted and the cell silence is stifling. He’s never missed my morning wake-up text. So the one night we don’t spend talking, he doesn’t send one. My gut twists at the direction my thoughts lead.

My gaze wanders back to the humming noise.
Shut-up
. I lower my gaze in frustration and peer out the window for any signs of Brian. The sooner I catch him up on what’s happening, the sooner I can head back to the dorm. A pang of guilt washes through me. Brian is one of my best friends. I shouldn’t be treating him badly.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

My head snaps to the fist knocking on the window, and I half-smile, waving back. The white cardboard sign “Under New Management” blocks half his body, but those blue eyes are unmistakable. Brian’s here.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Brian says walking up to the table. He places his backpack down and turns toward the counter. “Do you need a refill?”

“Hey, yourself. No, I’m good.” I close my book and check my phone one more time. I’m not sure why I keep looking. It’s too early for him to send me something.

“Looks like someone woke up not feeling good today,” Brian teases as he sits across from me.

“I can’t believe I drank that much,” I say, scowling.

“Sounds as if you needed a night out.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“How’s Cara doing?” Brian asks after a short pause.

“Not that great, but she’s holding her own for now.”

“What’s the planned course of action?”

Brian listens to every word spilled about Mom’s condition. When I first discussed Mom with him, I had glossed over the details. Now that we’re face to face, I can openly talk about it. One thing about Brian being a pre-med student, he’s genuinely concerned and interested.

After answering his questions, a silence falls between us. His fingers grip the coffee cup tightly while his thumb taps impatiently on the side. He’s stewing about something, and I have a feeling the direction of the conversation is heading south.

“So, boyfriend, huh?” Brian asks.

And there it is, that awkward situation of discussing another guy. Of course, if Staci hadn’t brought up the fact about Brian liking me, I never would’ve given it another thought. Now, I’m worried about his feelings. I don’t want to drone on about how much I love Kai.

“We met during a tour on my first day there.”

Brian sits stone-faced during my brief monolog about Kai. I recap how we met and how great Kai was during the time I needed someone the most, but I refuse to delve deeper. It’s too uncomfortable talking to Brian about Kai.

“Hmm,” Brian says when I finish.

My eyebrow rises along with my hackles. “What does that mean?”

“I just wonder why you’d choose to be with someone who can’t physically be with you. It seems like you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek. Part of me wants to defend Kai, but then again Brian may have a point. Doubt about us working out still lingers in my mind. And no matter how much I love Kai, four thousand miles is a lot of land and ocean between us.

“Hey, maybe it’ll work out,” Brian says as if he senses my discomfort.

“It has to,” I mumble and then glance at the recent notification on my phone. I narrow my eyes.
Kai posted a picture on Facebook? At five o’clock in the morning?

Opening the app, I hold my breath and try to remain expressionless at the horrid display in front of me.
What the hell?
The draped arm around Kai’s neck isn’t the worst part. No. The worst part is the smug expression displayed across Bethany’s beautiful face. It’s as if she’s directly telling me, “I told you so.” Bile rises in my stomach as her parting words on New Year’s Eve, “you’ll be completely forgotten,” replays through my memory. The bitch. Why would Kai post this?

“What’s wrong?” Brian asks, not missing the sudden change in my temperament despite my best efforts.

“Nothing.” I shake my head. The last thing I need right now is for Brian to see this.

“Something’s got you upset.”

“It’s nothing.” I reopen my textbook, knowing full well the point is useless. “Let’s get a little studying done.”

Brian lets out a frustrated breath while pulling out his notebook. “Fine, but I’m always here for you.”

I glance up, and our gaze connects. “I know.”

**~~**~~**

Kai~

I shut the alarm clock off and glance at the time. Six o’clock. My fucking head throbs. Why did I drink so much? I stumble out of bed and make my way to the kitchen in search of water and a couple of aspirin. I better get some control over my headache before calling Kayla.

Fuck it. I can’t wait any longer. I grab my phone on the end table and dial her number. I need to find out why she was dancing with golden boy M.D.

“Hello,” Kayla answers curtly.

Her sharp tone pisses me off even more. I’m the one who should be angry. Not her. I swallow down my frustration and take a calming breath. Now isn’t the time to prove who’s right and who’s wrong.

“So how close are you with golden‌…‌uh, Brian.”

“What? Wait a minute‌…‌Brian, I’m going to step outside.”

Brian? She’s with him now?