Page 83 of Trust Issues
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MAXWELL
I was usually excited for Friday’s because it meant I’d get to spend my weekends with Kyle. But for the past two Fridays, I only managed to spend time with Owen. Not that I didn’t like spending time with my brother, but I could tell I was getting on his nerves.
No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t stop talking about Kyle. It’s like she lived in my head and wouldn’t be evicted no matter what I did.
I kept replaying the wild look of hurt and anger in her hazel eyes when she saw Tiana in my car. I was so fed up that day because Tiana kept trying to worm her way back onto my dick. I remember storming out of the office at lunchtime with her hot on my heels.
I walked out to the parking lot, hit the button on my key fob and hopped in. She hopped in too. All the stuff Kyle saw happened in a split second. I didn’t even have time to put her out of my car.
It was honestly the worst timing I’d ever experienced in my life.
Did I have a chance to explain that shit to Kyle?
No.
Of course not.
It burned me up every time I thought about it and Owen was the one who had to hear it all. I decided to give him a break tonight though. I’d chill at home and watch TV alone. That’s what I’d been dreading. When I hung out with my brother, I stayed at his apartment until I got tired then I came home and climbed in the bed. Now I’d have to face the loneliness of not having my best friend by my side.
I walked through the lobby and tossed a lazy wave at Mark before getting on the elevator. I prepared myself to look at Kyle’s door and hear her music seeping into the hall. Music I knew she listened to because she didn’t want to hear my door close.
I was a little shocked when I got off the elevator and didn’t hear anything coming from her apartment. Maybe she was back in the dating world and she went out. The thought choked me.
Thankfully, something pink on the floor distracted me on the way to my door. Tiny pink squares laid out in a line straight down the hall.
Pink Starbursts.
I bent down and picked them up as I walked, scooping each one into the palm of my hand until I reached the end of the trail at Kyle’s open door. I walked in and found another trail leading to the couch. I closed the door behind myself and walked over. Barkley was all over me the minute he heard me come in.
I missed him too.
I had no idea why the hell I was following Kyle’s crazy ass candy hunt but I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t intrigued. Once I was done petting Barks, Kyle walked around the corner looking like a whole goddamn snack. She looked so good that I immediately stood to my feet to get a better look at her.
Her locs were up in a high ponytail and she had on a white sundress that gathered at her little waist and dipped low at her perfect tits. I had to find my composure quickly. She knew damn well she was wrong for looking like that. She knew she was wrong for treating me the way she’d been treating me too. That’s why the fuck she was standing there looking at me with those big hazel pools and that sexy ass dress.
“Kyla, what the hell is this all about?” I asked. I managed to sound much more annoyed than I really was.
“I need to talk to you. Sit down…please.” She gestured to the couch and I sat with a sigh. Barkley climbed in my lap and we both waited to hear what the hell she had to say. “Max, I was wrong for cutting you off like that. I was wrong for breaking up with you over something so trivial. I was wrong for hurting you.” Her smooth, mocha throat dipped and her bottom lip quivered a bit.
“I wasn’t trying to fuck Tiana. I wasn’t even trying to entertain her, Kyle. That shit happened so fast that nothing registered until you got pissed.”
“I know,” she said holding her hand up. “You don’t have to explain anything, Max.” She sat beside me and slipped her hand into mine. Not to hold hands though, to steal a Starburst. When I watched her dainty fingers unwrap the paper, I noticed how red the sides of her fingers were. Irritation flooded me. I snatched her hand and held it up to get a better look. She tried to yank it back but I wouldn’t let her budge.
“What the fuck have you been doing to yourself, Kyla?” My voice was softer than she expected. I could tell she was bracing for me to be angry. When I didn’t give her what she expected, she broke down. Tears shimmered in her eyes before rolling down her cheeks.
“I’ve been a fucking mess, Max. When Owen came by to talk to me yesterday something he said really hit me hard.”
“Owen?” I frowned. “Why the fuck…” I shook my head and let Kyle’s hand go so she could wipe her face.
“He said that he’d hate to be in love with me because I crush hearts and act like I’m the one hurting. He was right. I realized that I hurt you when you asked me not to. I didn’t trust you because I was scared. I was scared that you would hurt me so I pulled away and hurt you first and it was so fucking stupid.” She looked up at the ceiling to stop the tears but they kept rolling. They rolled down her neck and over her collarbones. I used my thumb to wipe them away until they glistened against her skin.
“I picked at something small until it was festering and huge and I am so fucking sorry. I just…I don’t know how to trust.” She sounded so hopeless that it made my chest ache.
“All you have to do is know. Know I’d never hurt you. Know I’d never let another woman threaten where you stand in my life. Maybe I should have said this to you sooner but…” I took a deep breath and steadied myself for the words about to leave my mouth. “I love you, Kyla. I’m so fucking in love with you I can’t see, hear, or think about anyone else.” Kyle blinked repeatedly and drew in a staggered breath. Electricity rippled from her to me. I could feel it through the tips of her fingers.
“You love me?” She asked quietly.
