Page 9 of Fragile Kiss (Fragile 2)
Amelia had a point. She would always talk to Lillian like this, challenging her perspective even when she didn’t necessarily disagree. “I’m playing the devil’s advocate here, hon,” she would always say as a disclaimer before making her counter-opinion. “It helps put things in perspective.”
Lillian always got mad at her for that, but now that Amelia had been gone for a few years she appreciated it more than she had ever expected she would.
“Maybe it’s good for him,” she mumbled, losing a good chunk of her ego. “Maybe I’m wrong.” Even after her death, Amelia was still winning arguments. Either way Lillian still didn’t want to think about it until she had to, and not even then.
Amelia had always encouraged Lillian to do her best to live in the moment.
The door opened behind her and Cayden stepped out, his hair wrapped up in a towel like a turban. “Enjoying the evening air?”
At the sight of his towel turban, she pressed her hand against her mouth and snorted, trying to stifle a laugh. “Wow, so fashionable.”
“I always do my hair like this, what are you talking about?” He bent at the waist and ferociously rubbed the towel through his hair to dry it, then draped the towel over his bare shoulder. He stared at his shirt covering her body. “I like the way you dress. I’m not complaining.”
She smiled, not sure how to respond.
“The food should be here soon.”
“Good. You look like you’re about to fall over from starvation.”
“Me? Look at yourself!” Jokingly, he wrapped both hands around her arm. “I think you’ve shrunk, Lil.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” Now wasn’t the time to talk about her illness.
“Well, anyway. Can I fix you a drink? Get you something?”
“I have some water.”
“What about some wine?”
Lillian’s eyes lit up. “Wine?”
“Yes, wine. I got a bottle yesterday just in case...” He trailed off and cleared his throat. “Is red okay?”
“Red’s the best.” Her mood lifted, and she followed him inside, making light conversation for a few minutes until the food came. Neither of them mentioned anything throughout dinner about him leaving again or their plans for the future. They kept it casual, almost like they were just getting to know each other.
But the elephant in the room was huge, and it had to be acknowledged at some point.
After they ate, they cleaned up without talking. It wasn’t a passive-aggressive sort of silence; it was a silence that understood it wasn’t time to talk about the obvious yet. Lillian considered going home, but before she could decide whether to go or not Cayden pulled her back in the bedroom. He lay his head on her chest and fell asleep in an instant.
She tried to fall asleep, but her mind kept her awake for what seemed like hours. The moon rose higher, and no matter how peaceful it made the trees look or how lovely its light was glinting off the wind chimes just outside the window, she couldn’t pull her mood back together.
Eventually, she managed to asleep. Surprisingly it was a deep sleep, black and dreamless. She eased out of it, feeling like she had just been run over. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust. The room was lit by a small lamp in the corner, its light radiating warm through the orange lampshade.
That’s the ugliest lamp I’ve ever seen. It was her first thought, and she wanted to change it for him. Get him a new one. Maybe find an old one from an antique sale and fix it for him. Then she realized they weren’t together, and that would be overstepping their boundaries.
Grunting, she sat up and looked around. Cayden wasn’t in there anymore. Something at the other end of the house thudded and she got to her feet slowly, feeling achy.
“Cayden?” she called.
“Yeah, in here.”
Something in her had feared he’d left already, but hearing his voice made her tension release. She stuck her head in the living room. Cayden knelt on the floor, zipping up his suitcase. When he saw her, he stood and pulled on his shirt.
He’s going. It was really happening. Today had been just a fling, after all. “Are you leaving now?” she asked, her voice high and stressed.
“I have to go to the airport now,” he replied simply.
“Right now?”
