Page 29 of Coincidentally Kismet

“Staring at the bowls won’t clean them, Cameron,” Daveed chides, sounding a little annoyed but more concerned than anything as he walks into the galley.

“So-Sorry, I was just thinking this is a lot of waste. People must be overmixing, and you know, maybe we should do something about it,” I say, trying to convey my one-hundred-percent loyalty to his bottom line.

“Oh, so that’s what we’re doing now?” he asks, crossing his arms and leaning back against the counter.

“What?” I play dumb.

“Evading, trying to drum up some financial woes to distract me from my sweet girl and why she’s been acting like a distracted mess for days,” he murmurs.

“Fine, I’ll spill. But can we go out back? It’s kind of personal,” I plead, playing to his inner drama-loving queen. The last thing I need is the salon gossip mill spinning, though I’m sure Micah has done enough sharing as it is.

Daveed opens the back door and sweeps his arm, directing me to go out first. My butt hasn’t even finished settling in the chair when the events of the past couple weeks come spilling out of me.

“So, remember the ex I told you about? Well he . . . he lives here.”

“What? This is a sign,” he gasps, clutching his heart.

“No, it’s definitely not a sign. It’s just my shitty luck,” I groan, covering my face with my hands.

“How could you say such a thing, sweets? The universe is always giving us exactly what we need.” He’s clearly offended by my lack of faith in fate, but it feels like a cruel joke.

“And what about this is exactly what I need? Do tell.” Challenging Daveed is never wise. He always has some pesky truth bomb hidden up his sleeve to make you question life.

“Let me ask you something. Did you love him?”

“Of course I did. And I think a part of me always will. But he said he didn’t love me. He threw away our plans.” I plead my case, but I can tell he isn’t convinced.

“Did he? I seem to recall you saying that he dumped you when he chose the service over college. There was something about money involved, was there not?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t explain how one minute he could love me and the next we’re just done.”

Daveed raises a single eyebrow and asks, “How’s he been acting when you’ve seen him lately?”

“Fine. I guess.” I’m not exactly sure how to answer that. It’s not like he’s been rude to me. I mean, we have banter, but that was always the fun part of being around him. It’s just that seeing him is so random and piles on top of my already anxiety-riddled, uncharted course in life.

“Let me get this straight. The love of your life, the one that got away,theWilliam Fucking Davenport, saunters back into your life, and all you can muster is fine, you guess?”

“Okay, so it’s been infuriating. He’s as gorgeous as ever and here I am, not at my best. But then, I also don’t care what he thinks because I’m mad and I don’t think I could ever trust him again,” I admit.

“What does Will think?” he asks, slyly.

“How should I know? He’s the king of mixed signals, flirty and protective or bantering one minute, and then cold as ice the next. I mean, he seems like he’s the same Will, but then again, he’s not. He’s so much harder than he used to be, more tentative, cautious, not trusting...” I trail off with a sigh.

“That’s Uncle Sam for ya, always hardening up the boys for battle.”

Laughter bursts from my lips, and Daveed hits me with a funny look before he hears it too. “Should I start calling you Uncle Sam? You know, since you also have a way of hardening up the boys, Daveed?” I ask, giving my eyebrows a wiggle.

He cackles. “You absolutely should, but it has to be our little secret.” He presses a finger to his lips. “I don’t know how Luka would feel about being called a mere boy.”

“Noted, you’re secret safe with me.” I zip my lips and mimic throwing away the key.

“In all seriousness though, Cameron. I know you’re on some mission to reinvent yourself, but I don’t think that means you can’t also reconnect with the past. People come into your life for all kinds of reasons. Relationships all have beginnings and ends, could be a breakup or a death or simply just deciding to pursue other avenues, but you have to remember one thing. The only, and I mean theonlything that matters is how you conduct yourself in the middle. If you’re his friend, show him the love and support that you would give any other friend you have. Then if he walks away, you can hold your head high knowing you were the best you could be while it lasted.”

Daveed’s truth bomb lingers heavy in the air, exposing my soul. I don’t think I did everything right the last time I was with Will. I didn’t understand him when he said he was joining the military. I was so desperate to hold on to what we had, I didn’t consider his circumstances. Yes, he said he didn’t love me, but I remember the look on his face when he said it. He didn’t mean it.

Maybe that’s why I’ve held on so long, it’s unfinished business, a wound that never healed. While I know I’m not ready for anything more than friendship, maybe this is my chance to redo it and right those wrongs. I feel gutted. I’ve been on a high horse for five years, alternating between wanting him back and being so hurt that now even the most basic of things make me doubt myself.

My phone dings and I hesitate, not sure if my conversation with Daveed has come to an end. After some awkward eye contact, Daveed excuses himself, telling me I better look at it—and that I most certainly better keep him in the loop or else I’llbe solely on ear-candling duty for the foreseeable future. You would not believe the weird shit that people have inside their ears—my stomach turns at the thought. Ugh, will I ever not be nauseated again? The jury is still out.

---