Page 1 of Fragile Kiss (Fragile 2)
CHAPTER 01
Lillian wiped the last dish dry and stacked it in the cabinet with the others. A light early-autumn breeze drifted in through the open window. Normally she would’ve stopped, closed her eyes, and taken a deep breath to enjoy the smells and feeling. She loved fall. It was a magical time, with its golden air and warm-toned leaves. Normally she was alone, just like she was now. And it didn’t bother her.
Normally.
Her being alone was exactly the reason she didn’t stop and embrace the moment like she usually would have. The wounds of her decision a few days ago were still fresh and, in the time since then, she’d done everything possible to distract herself.
She hadn’t dated anyone in a long time, and she and Cayden had only been together for a little while. But that small amount of time was enough for him to make a major imprint on her heart.
How could I have let myself be so vulnerable with him? She bit her lip at the thought, and with a wince stopped biting. It was tender from her chewing it so often when her mind got lost in the past.
Shaking her head, she wrung out the dishcloth and leaned against the counter. To think that he could ever have been with someone like me long-term is just ridiculous. I can’t believe I led myself—and him—on. I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming until it was the end. Or, I saw it coming and was just in denial.
It was pretty sad to break up with him the way she did. She realized it after the fact, of course. The second she pressed “send” on that message she felt numb, and the reality of the situation hadn’t hit her until morning. And the morning came after a long, fitful night of tossing and turning.
She knew her mind was starting to sink into the dark places again, so she pulled it back up with a deep breath, drawing the golden air deep into her lungs. “Get a grip, Lillian. You’re a strong woman who runs a successful business and has two adorable cats as housemates. You don’t need a man.”
Yes, her job was successful. She loved her cats. Her illness, Crohn’s, was getting more and more under control every day. But none of that took the pain away from the fact that Cayden hadn’t responded to her breakup text.
She couldn’t keep her mind away from it. Her eyes began to moisten, and she jumped up and down a couple of times, thinking for some reason it would help with the emotional breakdown. He seemed so caring. I never thought he would be the type to ignore something like this. At least an “okay” would have been nice. Something.
But there had been nothing.
Maybe she was wrong for having expected some reaction from him. He was a crazy-sexy, young, built personal trainer now living in Los Angeles. His client had hired him to basically move over there with her and her husband while she searched for the “perfect” trainer to replace him. He’d been gone for weeks, and even though he texted and called every day and sent plenty of photos, she knew the crowd he was a part of. Hot, fit, model- looking people who liked to work hard and play hard.
I like to work hard, she admitted. It’s the playing hard I need to work at a little. Back in the day, when she lived above the nightclub with Amelia, she played hard. A couple of times it got her into some serious predicaments that scarred her even now. Her playing hard phase had quickly come to an end.
Cayden, however, had been slowly teaching her how to play more in life. Not serious playing all the time, but more in the little moments of every day. He never knew he was teaching her these things, but his playful energy was so infectious she couldn’t help but lighten up from her usual stressed, over-analytical state.
And here I am, exactly as stressed as I used to be. She missed Cayden. Being in her house was hard enough emotionally. Everywhere she looked, she saw him. On her bed, sprawled on his stomach and sleeping soundly. In her front yard, trimming her plants and cutting the grass. Lounging with the cats on the couch. The damn cats adored him!
He wouldn’t get out of her head, and she wanted him there so badly that she couldn’t bear to think of him not feeling the same. She couldn’t admit yet that he didn’t feel anything for her. She tried to tell herself that she was jumping to conclusions, but his literal lack of response spoke more than his words ever could have.
There had just been silence in the long hours since she’d pressed send.
Something warm brushed against her leg and she flinched out of her daze. Black Cat stared up at her with his bright eyes, and let out a meow.
“I just fed you.”
The cat just stared, unwavering.
“I just fed you an hour ago, cat. Wait till later.” She trudged to the laundry room to get the load of towels out of the dryer and the cat followed her, acting strangely clingy. She stopped, the bundle of towels in her arms, and looked back at Black Cat. “You’re not hungry, are you?”
He rubbed his body against her legs again, weaving in and out.
Something started to feel strange about the way he was acting. “What is it?” she asked, waiting for an answer from her pet. “Where’s Gray Cat?” Lillian quickly piled the rest of the towels in the basket and carried it out, looking around for the other cat. Something was going on. Black Cat typically wasn’t this touchy-feely with her.
In the living room, she set the basket on the arm of the sofa and put her hands on her hips. Gray Cat was down the hall, staring straight at the front door; she could’ve been mistaken for a statue. Black Cat continued to rub his head against Lillian’s ankles.
“What the heck’s going on with you two?” She whistled and tried clapping her hands to get Gray Cat’s attention, but only her ears twitched at the noise. Something out there had the cats’ attention, and they wanted her to know about it.
Cautiously, she tiptoed to the front door. Neither of the cats had raised the hair along their spines or fluffed their tails out like they did when they felt threatened. Both looked completely normal, just extremely fixated on whatever it was.
She drew near to the door and peered through the peephole.
At the same time, a loud knock sounded from the other side.
Frightened, she jumped back before she could see anything and pressed her palms against her rapidly- beating heart. “Dammit,” sh
e whispered to herself with a little breath. She wasn’t expecting anyone today. Or ever, really. Stupid sales people, she thought. Lucky for them I look ultra-grubby. Probably will just frighten ‘em away.
Unlocking the front door, she swung it open and stared straight, then slowly looked up.
There, standing before her, looking frazzled and stressed and in desperate need of a shower, was Cayden.
“You broke up with me?” His voice was loud and strained.
Her jaw dropped to her feet. “I...”
“Through a text?”
Her words got stuck in her throat. She shook her head quickly.
“You broke up with me through a text, Lil? In what world is that okay?” Cayden shifted his weight to one side and rubbed his face. “What did I do wrong, Lil? Can we talk about this?”
“Cayden...I...” She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here because you broke up with me through a text a couple of days ago and this was the first flight I could take back. Can I come in?”
You can always come in, she caught herself thinking, but just stepped aside. The way Cayden stepped into the house and lumbered down the hall to the living room was different than the way he had walked before. It took more effort. He was slouching a little more than he used to.
“You okay?” she asked before she could stop herself.
