The Sweetest Devotion

𝐗𝐈.

    "Tell me about it. I haven't kissed Keith, so there's that," I said.

    Jadyn snorted. "Lame."

    "I know."

    "So what did y'all do?"

    Guilt washed over me at how I left things. "He tried to feed me."

    "What an asshole," Jadyn responded dryly.

    I managed to loosen up and laugh. "Stop."

    "So, he offers you loyalty, dick, and food? Not seeing the problem here."

    The problem was this was a recipe for disaster. "He could break my heart."

    "Take that risk, girl, that's what glue is for."

    I rolled my eyes. Jadyn was no help. "I feel bad, he went out shopping because he didn't have any fish thawed out, and I bailed while he was gone."

    "Kennedy!" Jadyn chastised.

    "I know." I cringed. "I didn't do it on purpose. There was a false alarm with my dad."

    At once, Jadyn understood. "I'm sorry, K, is he doing any better?"

    On Sunday my father had experienced some minor muscle cramps in his shoulders, causing my mother to panic and take him to the hospital. I couldn't blame her for the dramatics. This whole ordeal had us all on edge as we had no agency over my father's health. It was an uncomfortable feeling, sitting around, watching, waiting, hoping for some sort of miracle that would make my father's condition bearable at the most.

    He was in and out of the hospital, with some prescribed pain meds for the cramps. Being there in the thick of it, I could see what Cain had alluded to. My father was prideful, insisting that he was fine and my mother was overreacting. But I could see him wincing as he was helped back into bed from his wheelchair. I could see his gritted teeth. I could feel his rage.

    He hadn't asked, but right then I conceded, allowing myself to stop fighting this marriage to make one part of my father's life easier. A sacrifice if you will. It was pathetic, but seeing with my own eyes how my father tried to fight defeat, was a blow I couldn't recover from.

    "He's adjusting," was all I could say on the matter.

    "I hate this for him and you," Jadyn said. "Especially you, because you must feel obligated to help in anyway."

    She knew me too well.

    "How are things with the script?" I pushed for a subject change, if only to spare myself from dwelling on my predicament.

    Over on her end, Jadyn groaned. "Ugh. I was trying to go romance-less, but now I'm thinking my girl deserves a little love in her story. I mean, it's not like coming-of-age stories with guys don't feature love stories."

    "Love is nice, Jay."

    "I wouldn't know. It's been a while over here. Twisted or not, you're the one swimming in prospects."

    Prospects. Right.

    My only true prospect was Cain. With Keith, somehow, I had to manage to keep a wall up while sleeping with him. A task he seemed intent on making a challenge.

    He asked about my father. Something small, humane, but left me feeling antsy.

    I hadn't called or texted him to explain my abandoning him further, and he hadn't called or texted me to ask for an explanation. This was how it would work. No emotional ties. No questions. Just a phone call or text when either of us was horny.