Page 14 of Whispers of the Water

“Carlos,” Rune greeted, smiling at him. “When did you start working here?”

Carlos shrugged, glancing briefly at Bassel, who seemed very interested in the menu all of a sudden. Carlos turned back to Rune. “I haven’t been here long. Bruno was short staffed here, and since it’s busy season, I offered to help out.”

“Ever so thoughtful,” Avana said with a bright grin. “I hope you’re enjoying your work here.”

Carlos waved a dismissive hand, his handsome face lighting up once more. “I am actually. Speaking of work, what can I get everyone to drink tonight?”

Carlos took our drink orders and retreated with one final glance at Bassel. As soon as our waiter was gone, Bassel let out the breath he’d seemed to be holding the entire time.

Akira nudged him, a smirk on his face. “Carlos looked pretty good, didn’t he?”

I gave Rune a questioning look, and he leaned in to whisper, “Carlos and Bassel dated for a bit when we lived here. They broke up, because they didn’t want to do the long-distance thing, but we all know Bassel is still in love with him.”

Giddy at the idea of Bassel in love, I watched everyone tease him relentlessly. It was light hearted jabs at him, which he swatted away, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t keep the color from his cheeks. The big, bad kitty had a soft spot for Carlos.

Ardley had just finished telling a story that had everyone in stitches when another unfamiliar voice called out to Rune.

I turned to find a beautiful brunette standing behind Rune’s and my chairs. Her vibrant brown eyes held Rune’s with a curious tilt. “Wow, you’re really back in town. Aidan said you were coming in to finally form a bond with her.” The brunette’s gaze flicked over to me, and they sharpened as she assessed me. “Or maybe not. Who’s this?”

“Talia,” Rune said, his previously cheerful voice suddenly cold, “this is my girlfriend, Bria.”

I mustered up the best smile I could under the scrutiny of her stare. Something searing hot filled the back of my throat, and it burned like rage. This complete stranger’s open hostility toward me, paired with the reminder of Aidan, had my blood boiling inside.

It took everything in me to keep my voice even as I said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

She grinned, but the gesture didn’t quite reach her eyes. She turned back to Rune. “What about Aidan?”

Rune let out a frustrated sigh as he turned in his chair to face her. “What about her, Talia? I’m trying to enjoy a nice dinner with my girlfriend and our friends. If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to get back to that.”

Her pretty features morphed into a grimace. “Whatever.” She narrowed her eyes on me. “Enjoy Aidan’s leftovers while you can. It won’t last long, seeing as how he belongs to her.”

I laughed, all humor removed from the sound. My patience had been snuffed out like a flame on a passing breeze. “Rune doesn’t belong to anyone. Not me or Aidan. And you forget. I’m the one sitting at this table, not Aidan. I’ll let that speak for itself.”

“Ha!” Ardley boomed from the other end of the table. “Well said, Bria; well said. Hey, Talia, girl with the stick shoved up her ass. You’ve had your petty fun. Run along now before we have to make you.”

Ardley’s threat made Talia swallow hard, and after sparing one more moment to glare at me, she finally stormed off. I bit the inside of my lip and bunched up my dress in my hands beneath the table. My stomach was in knots from the intense conversation, and I had to work hard to breathe evenly. It was true that her words didn’t hurt, but damn, they definitely had an effect on me. I was a tangled, swirling ball of frustration, embarrassment, and outrage.

I mean, really. Who the fuck did this girl think she was, confronting Rune and me when we were out for dinner with our friends? It was infuriating!

Feeling my emotions getting the better of me, I quickly excused myself and made my way outside. The wind coming off the ocean quickly soothed the furious heat in my cheeks. I closed my eyes and tilted my face into the breeze as I walked across the outdoor patio to the overhang above the water. There were only a few couples out here braving the autumn chill, so the space provided enough privacy for me to cool my head—something I really needed at that moment.

I folded my arms against the wooden deck railing. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried focusing on that.

Breathe. In and out. In and out.

Salty sea mist kissed my face, and I angled my head toward the cold spray.

I was beyond annoyed with the direction this easygoing dinner had gone. Aidan wasn’t even with us, but I somehow couldn’t escape the dark cloud that was her. It was a small town, so of course everyone knew each other and their business. Aidan and Rune clearly had a history that was being shoved in my face. It had my stomach curled into dozens of tight knots. I knew I said I didn’t care what Talia or Aidan or anyone else thought of me, but damn it, I did. Talia’s words stung like a fresh cut, and no matter how hard I tried to ignore the insult, I couldn’t. It clung to the edges of my mind like glue.

Opening my eyes, I stared down into the water. The waves lapped against the legs supporting the deck, and I attempted to focus on that sound. The memory of Aidan rushing toward Rune and throwing her arms around his neck like they were long lost lovers surfaced in my mind. Jealousy coated my insides, and I clenched my fists tightly on the railing as the waves below began to rise higher before crashing back down in an angry rush.

How dare she? Rune was clearly there with me, yet she acted as though I were dirt beneath her shoes. And how messed up was that? I was Rune’s girlfriend—at least, under the pretense of this charade—but Aidan didn’t give two shits. What kind of person makes advances on someone who’s spoken for and then goes on to belittle that person’s partner?

A narcissistic bitch, that’s who.

The water farther out began to roll higher, rushing toward the deck only to bleed out into the rest of the current before it could reach the patio.

I couldn’t help but wonder as I watched the raging sea if it was wrong of me to be jealous of Aidan. Rune had blatantly rejected her, but hadn’t he also said no to me? He and I weren’t really dating. I had no claim on him. The thought made a crevice form down the middle of my heart. We’d been so close to giving into our mutual feelings.

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