She was holding back and I couldn’t figure out why. “Yeah…AJ’s bringing Kira to the wedding, I’m sure, and…they just got engaged.”
My heart leapt in my chest and I clutched my throat lightly. A smile twitched at the corner of my mouth out of habit, but it quickly faded when I reminded myself that I didn’t have to fake for anyone. My legs felt numb and I couldn’t find words.
“You there?” Deanna asked when I failed to respond.
“Yeah…I’m here. That’s great,” I lied. “Good for him.”
She wasn’t buying it. “I know you’ve moved on and all, but…I know what he meant to you once upon a time and I just wanted you to know.”
I nodded. “When did he do it?”
“Tonight. Just now. He invited Karl and me out along with some other people. We knew something was up, but we had no clue it was this.”
“You’re there right now?” I asked, not bothering to hide the shock in my tone.
“Yeah, I snuck into the bathroom to call you as soon as that rock was on her finger.”
Despite how bitter Deanna sounded over the phone, I was aware of the fact that she actually liked Kira. By default, the two of them hung out on a few occasions because AJ and Karl still hung out. Considering the fact that they all still reside in or around the Fairfax area, it just made sense. I had a feeling that her misplaced anger was more or less because she didn’t want me to be hurt by the news.
“You good?” She asked sympathetically.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Me and AJ…that was kid stuff,” I replied, trying to convince myself that this was the truth. “Everyone has a first love, and rarely ever does it mean that they get to ride off into the sunset together. I’m happy for him. Really.”
Deanna made me talk to her for a few more minutes and then rejoined the celebration awaiting her. I, on the other hand, stayed there, propped against the bathroom counter, thinking.
In my heart, I believed that, on some level, I was happy that AJ had found happiness despite the way I’d left, but…the sensation of my stomach being turned upside down led me to believe otherwise.
Engaged?
Wow…
Chapter Two
AJ
Kira’s arms were still tangled around my neck. I was pretty sure she was crying, but her face was hidden from me. The cheers and applause of our friends, coworkers, her parents, and my mother, still hadn’t died down yet. She was completely blindsided and I loved that I somehow managed to surprise her despite her best efforts to figure out why I insisted we go out to eat in the middle of the week.
I came in from work to find her standing at the fridge in a pair of black yoga pants and tank top, trying to decide what to cook. When I caught her around her waist and kissed the side of her neck, she melted against my chest.
“Let’s go out tonight. Just you, me, Karl, and Dee.”
I could see her scrunch up her face without even looking. “It’s only Wednesday, sweetie. Let’s wait until Friday. I’ve been busy cleaning all day because this is the first day I’ve had off since I don’t know when, and –“
Nothing but a kiss would shut her up, so I planted one on those constantly moving lips of hers. She welcomed the gesture and didn’t put up much of a fight after that. While she went upstairs to shower and slip into that little, black dress that I love, I paced in the foyer, pulling the ring from my pocket every so often just to stare at it.
The subject of marriage had come up between us a lot over the last few months, but there was no pressure on either end to change our status. Still, I knew that our love was mutual and we were in this for the long haul. Giving her a ring and my last name seemed like the next logical step. Hell, we’d already purchased a house together, which was way more paperwork than getting married, so…
When she stepped out into the hallway and approached the top of the stairs, I quickly snapped the ring box shut and shoved it into the pocket of my suit jacket.