A Different Slice

26 - Game Night (Kieran)

"Fun enough to take a two-hour detour before arriving," Landon remarked.

Had it taken two hours? The clock reading 11:15 confirmed her words.

"What consenting adults do in their free time is none of our concern." John wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulder.

Naomi's cheeks had reddened. "We lost track of time at the Forks. But we'll join in the next one."

"Lucy, it's your turn," Jake remarked. He was the only person focused on the board. She picked up the dice and rolled while the others returned their focus to the game.

Kieran sat on a pillow on the floor since they were out of spots.

Naomi sipped her caesar and nudged Kieran's knee with her foot. Her sincere smile brightened the room. "Thank you," she mouthed, playing with the bacon in the glass with a coy grin.

"Anything for you," he whispered, hoping she'd be the only one to hear it.

After finishing his turn, Austin shifted to look at Naomi. "How long have you known Kieran?"

"A few months. We met in... was it April?"

Kieran nodded. He remembered everything about that night. How she was both radiant and shattered. How her heartbreak faded each time Kieran made her laugh. But mostly their effortless friendship and how she trusted him with a secret she hid from the man she loved.

"We were clubbing for reasons that seem ridiculous now. When our nights crashed and burned, Kieran helped me through it and has done the same ever since." The way she beamed at him made him feel like the most important person.

"If Jake wasn't lurking in grocery stores tweaking his app for the four hundredth time, it might have been a one-off meeting, but thankfully it wasn't." Kieran grinned at Naomi. She had changed his outlook and reminded him how he should be treated.

"I can't imagine if we hadn't met. I'd be miserable."

"You have plenty of friends who've helped you through it."

"Not in the ways you have." That smile would give him a heart attack soon.

Austin studied them then glanced at the board. "You've got at least ten minutes before we switch games. The view from the balcony is stunning. I couldn't get over it the first time I saw it."

"Did you want to go?" Kieran asked.

Naomi set her drink on a side table and nodded.

He shifted off the uncomfortable floor. He led her toward the sliding doors to the balcony, opening them for her before they both stepped out in socked feet. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her torso.

"I can get you a sweater."

"It's okay."

"I've been told I produce a lot of body heat."

Naomi laughed and inched closer to him until she was against his side. He gently placed an arm around her shoulder. "Is this okay?"

She nodded, and her big brown eyes stared into his. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair, to brush her cheek with his thumb, to explore the softness of her lips. As his heart beat quicker and blood rushed downward, he closed his eyes to shift his thoughts. There had to be a conversation first. Jake and Austin had both stressed that, and he owed it to Naomi.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"More than okay. Everything with you is more, in the best way."

"Kieran, I..." She broke her stare and gazed at the city lights. "Some days, I can't believe that you're real."