Just Like That

1. "let it go"

Noticing how emotional all my overthinking was making me, I decided to get up from the fountain and head back inside to say my goodbye's for the day as I needed to take care of some business myself.

I peeled the sliding glass door back only to let Dylan out.

"Dylan, hey. Where'd you come from?" I asked, not having realied he was in the house all along.

"You know I'm always around," he joked, giving me a warm hug.

I forced a chuckle and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"What's wrong," he observed the sad look that overcame my tanned face.

At first I didn't wanna say because I knew he'd tell his best friend all that I said but I needed to vent.

"It's Kaign," I admitted.

Dylan's head tilted. "What'd he do now?"

"He's been... distant. I barely see him anymore and when I do, it's like he wants nothing to do with me," I spoke what I found to be true, letting it all out.

Dylan's blonde, sparse eyebrows furrowed and he said,"Huh. Maybe it's this promotion, he's killing it at the angency, you know that."

I swallowed and tried to see where he was coming from. Dylan did have a point; Kaign was a phenomenal real estate agent who worked for a successful business owned by his father and uncle.

Coming to the realization that I needed to cut my boyfriend some slack, I decided to put my feelings aside and be a better girlfriend who was more understanding and patient.

"You're right. Ugh, what would I do without you, Dylan?" I let a warm smile form. The corners of Dylan's lips turned up, too, as he put an arm around my torso.

"You'd be perfectly fine," he said,"Kaign, on the other hand, he'd be nothing."

"I swear he likes you more than me sometimes," I rolled my eyes, my head resting on Dylan's boney shoulder.

Dylan laughed out loud and responded with,"It seems that way sometimes, huh?" I lifted my head from his thin body and nodded, giggling.

"Well I should go, these lands aren't gonna scape themselves," he laughed about his work.

When he reached the gate, I yelled out after him,"Hey! We still on for dinner tonight?"

"Uh-huh," he sounded back.

"Cool. Hey, bring a friend," I said optimistically.

"Who?" He asked as if he had so many options to choose from. I just took it as he was a player which is why I'd never seen him tied down.

"Um, Lexi, the one you were telling me about the other day?" I tried jogging his memory to a conversation we had days prior.

"Oh, right, her! Okay, see you tonight, I'll bring the dip." he volunteered and showed himself through the gate as we waved until I waved back and went inside.

======

After knocking lightly on Kaign's bedroom door, I let myself in and tiptoed across the carpet to collect a few things I had left in there.

I looked around and saw that Kaign was in the bathroom. Sneakily, I opened a drawer to the stand beside his bed and kept a few items of mine inside in hopes that he'd see it and get the idea that I wanna move in with him already. Hell, his three bedroom, one story house beat the studio apartment I stayed in since the three of us - Kaign, Dylan, and I - moved to Miami after graduation.

I wasn't originally planning to move to Miami after graduation but when Grayson and I cut communication I decided to completely move on from him and focus solely on my relationship. Only, Kaign had already bought the house and Dylan was staying with his family being that he was born and raised in Miami, while I had to search and settle for that shitty place I call home now.

Kaign's excuse for not letting me move in yet was because he didn't want to "spend too much time together" and "grow bored of each other". I suppose it made sense, I mean, I was never one to be clingy.

As soon as I dropped my bra in the drawer, I shut it in a hurry and darted away from the bedside stand, trying to act casual.

In the knick of time, Kaign opened the bathroom door and walked towards me, adjusting the silver designer bracelet on his wrist.

"Don't worry, I'm just leaving," I beat him to the punch before he could kick me out like I thought he would.

"Oh, babe, did you send me those pictures we took of that single-family detached house from last week?" He asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"The pictures I took, you mean? Yes, sir, I sent them, sir," I grumbled, putting my white low-top Converse on.
"And stop calling me 'sir', you make it sound like I'm some evil dictator," he told me in all seriousness, adjusting his button-up shirt.

"You are," I mumbled under my breath.

"Hey," he cooed, pulling my body in between his muscular thighs, covered by the slacks he was clad in. Kaign went on to say,"hey, are you mad at me?"

I shook my head to disagree but that was a lie.

We walked with our arms linked out the front door and to my car as I was ready to go.

Kaign opened the door for me like a true gentleman and I eased in the driver's seat. Rolling the window down, I said,"I love you, Kaign," and waited for him to say it back.

"You too," was Kaign's short response before he closed his eyes to kiss my cheek.

I exhaled deeply, kind of frustrated. Every time he went to kiss me, even on the head or cheek, he would close his eyes. He claimed it was because he "still gets nervous to kiss someone so beautiful". In the beginning, it was cute and believable.

Starting the car, I put it in reverse and slowly backed out of the driveway.

"Bye," I said, waving my hand from behind the lightly tinted windshield of my 2019 white Toyota Camry XSE.

"It's not bye, it's see you later," Kaign corrected me.

My teeth gritted. "Bye," my reply came off harshly.

"No, for real, I will see you later. Dinner, remember? Make sure you bring something!" Unhumored by his wit, I just flashed a big, fake grin until I was sure he could no longer see me.

Once I reached the first stop sign down the road from his house, I let out an aggravated groan.

THUD! I let my forehead hit the steering wheel and kept it there for a moment as I took a deep breath in an out.

Eventually, I collected myself and continued to drive where I needed to go with one hand, the other balled up in a fist that prompted my head up lazily as I stared blankly at the road, my elbow resting on the door.

THAT'S what I had to deal with whenever he requested my presence!

I tried telling myself to let it go and be more tolerant but I wasn't sure how much longer I could take it.