Page 92 of Mine to Ruin

“It’s not that I am not siding with you, but he told you they are friends and work together. So, it must have been important if he went to her.”

“It’s like she is always waiting for her moment to trump me.” I cross my arms, jealousy barking in my brain. The look on Tara’s flawless face tells me she understands.

“But you are not in a competition with her,” she reminds me. “You’re the one he’s with.”

I hear Kian’s ringtone, but I let it go to voicemail.

“I whined enough,” I tell her with a smile before getting up. “Come on, let’s enjoy our day.”

We pick up our bags and drive downtown. We visit all the galleries offering her a position as an art conservator, and she says to me, “What if more than one wants me? Or worse, what if no one wants me after my interview”

I roll my eyes at her and say, “You got an internship at the Louvre, no one else. You know what that means. Trust your talent and hard work.”

We are eating ice cream in front of a fountain when a familiar frame, clad in a leather jacket shows up, his black eyes on Tara. She fidgets and looks everywhere but at him.

“Tara, Ellia.”

“Hey, Kendrick,” I say.

Tara lifts her gaze and mumbles her greeting.

“Where is Kian?” he asks, eyes scanning the crowd.

“It’s just the two of us,” I say, not wanting to get into it.

“Want some company?”

“Actually,” Tara starts, but I interrupt her.

“Yes, of course, but you have to eat what we’re having.”

“Oh, all that sugar? I am sure it will be awful,” he says with a smile. But his gaze never leaves Tara. He strides off to order his ice cream, and I elbow Tara in the ribs.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“You like him.”

Two red dots paint her cheeks. “He keeps turning up, and we hung out a few times. That’s all.”

“Sure, that’s all.”

Her eyes go round, and she avoids my gaze. There is definitely more to it.

Kendrick comes back, ice cream in one hand, texting with the other. When he reaches us, he slides his phone in his pocket and sits next to Tara.

“I know a place where, even if I melt, it will be worth it.”

“But…” Tara says, but I interrupt her again. She needs to get out of her shell.

“It’s fine with me,” I agree.

She gives me a look that tells me she knows what I’m doing. But we climb into his truck anyway.

Kendrick stops at the zoo and Tara and I grin in anticipation. I find a bench by the big cat enclosure and stare at the amber eyes of a lion, the king of the jungle, his power and grace entrapping me. When Kendrick and Tara reach me, I usher them to go ahead. The proud and big animal reminds me of Kian, and I sigh. He roars at me while I stare back at him. He rounds his cage a few times and plops on the ground, his eyes boring into mine.

As if I’m under hypnosis, my mind wanders to Kian, his lips on mine, his declarations of love, his passion igniting on my skin. I close my eyes, and a whiff of his scent invades my nostrils. I open them, and he drops on the bench next to me.

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