A Different Slice

49 - Answers (Naomi)

Her voice came out shaky. "I wish that you'd told me instead of him."

"Me too."

Silence hung between them, and it bugged her that she couldn't read his reactions. This all felt odd and off between them. But if speaking to him confirmed anything, it was that she missed him, regardless of the secret that he'd kept from her.

"Do you want to come over?"

"Only if Jake can be there too. I'm not good at talking about what happened. It brings up a lot of terrible memories."

The image of Kieran outside of her work, breaking down, tugged at her heart. She bit hard on her bottom lip. That night, she had walked away while he was in pain. She had been in shock, but he'd also been there for her countless times. "He's welcome too."

"I can text you when we leave." His tone was flat.

"Ki..." Was she supposed to call him Kieran or Matt? "I'm sorry for leaving you after I found out."

The line was quiet, and Naomi assumed she'd discovered what had pissed him off. But she had a right to be upset with him too. He had given her a reason to doubt his love and sincerity. His secret was shocking, and he'd never even alluded to it. But she didn't want to have that conversation over the phone, and she suspected he didn't either.

Since he didn't respond, she added, "You two can come by anytime. I'll be around all day."

"Okay, I'll talk to Jake and see when he's free. See you later."

"Later," she said, the words stinging. No 'I miss you'. No 'I love you' or 'Can't want to see you'. Dread weighed her down like an anchor. The line clicked off, and Cleo snuggled closer to Naomi. Naomi squeezed her tight and stroked her soft fur. It almost seemed like she would join the ranks of the brokenhearted again.

Now that it was more likely, she realized she couldn't lose Kieran.

Kieran and Jake arrived an hour later. Jake greeted both her and Shivanna with a smile and Kieran tried to do the same, but his action seemed forced. He wore an old t-shirt she'd never seen and a pair of worn jeans. Cleo trotted up to him and awaited the attention he gave her with a genuine grin. Stroking her fur relaxed him enough that Naomi went for a hug when he stood. She sensed he was holding back, but after a moment, they both melted into the gesture, and he stroked her back. Relief flooded her body.

As they pulled away, Jake asked how they wanted to proceed, speak alone or as a group first. Naomi figured it was better to get all the cards out on the table first and then patch up their chipped hearts. She asked Shivanna to stay too, as it would help to have a second set of eyes on Kieran to see if she was misinterpreting his unease or if he was that cold toward her now.

Jake looked around the room at the three of them, settling his gaze on his brother. "Kieran, would you like to tell them about Katy? Who she was, the future you planned together."

It surprised Naomi that Jake still called his brother by his fake name. Although Jake was very entrenched in his routines, so maybe it was his practice now.

"Do they need to hear that?" Kieran asked.

"It's helpful to give them context and show how important she was to you."

Kieran nodded like a child following their parent's instructions. "Katy was... She..." He looked at Jake.

"Start with how you met." Jake's voice was far more gentle than it ever was with Kieran.

Kieran took a deep breath and ran his hands along his jeans. "Katy..." He blinked away tears. "Katy worked in a bakery near my apartment. At first, I went for the baking, but I kept going back to talk to her. She was this... she brightened your day with her smile and kind words, and the way she cared about each person who walked through the door."