Last July

Chapter twenty two.

Nine fifteen I walked into Tino's, heading straight for the bar. I pushed my way through the horde celebrating something that I didn't care to take an interest in and grabbed a stool. I waited impatiently for tino, busying myself with an engraving that some one had bothered to draw obviously while waiting on their drinks.

"So what is it gonna be tonight?" Said tino walking over. " haven't seen you in a while and it's not just here"

"Anything stronger than bourbon or whiskey is good"

He placed a glass filled with vodka down before disappearing again. I was yet to understand why Gale was doing this. Nothing made sense. I didn't even bother the ask if she was seeing anyone. Eventually if she was I'd figure it out. Five years, five years and this was the worst I've seen in our relationship. A woman blatantly lying and avoiding the guy she was planning to spend her life with spelt either loss of interest or something was seriously up. I never neglected gale, never allowed her to feel unwanted or even overburdened. I was fully supportive of her career and the only time I ever complained of time which was more than fair in my part considering she was always away more than half of the year anyway; was when she was in holiday.

"You're gonna have a permanent frown if you keep this up you know" someone whispered.

Glancing over my shoulder, I found kenzy shaking her head at me and taking a seat.
She seemed okay from the waist up but checking the last place I'd seen the wound I realized she wasn't okay. Her feet was bandaged at the area and for the first time in weeks I felt like shit for actually allowing her to leave like that yesterday.

"Its already permanent" I replied waving at tino to get her a drink.

"No" she shook her head again. "There's a possibility that you can be saved"

I doubted it. I wasn't the everyday smiling lunatic. Sure smiling took less muscle but if I smiled everyday all day, I'd never get paid.

"What are you doing here this late?"

" Oh" she stared into her drinking swirling it around. "I was at the lake and the rain started and I got trapped until an hour or so"

I hadn't even realize the road was wet coming over. There was remnants of rain drops across her blouse and the edges of her hair glistened in the soft light. More than likely she had to stand under the awning of the boat house through the shower likewise since there wasn't a seat out. Another drawback from being at the lake at certain times of the day. Only a year ago, the boat house was usually left open but since the town folks started to forget about it, Mr. Henderson had closed it up. It was his plot of land heading into the forest anyways so it'd only make sense, just in case any delinquents might have the idea of hiding out in the shed.

"Wow" she said her face lighting up. "I'd never think I'd hear that song here. Dance with me"

She grabbed hold of my hand before I could even consider what she only just uttered.

"Wait!" I said calling out to her as she pulled us to a empty spot. " Ziploc. Your leg"

"Its not as bad as it looks. I got him to learn it with me so we could dance together. I really love it" she said stopping finally but still holding my hand in her iron grip.

Him? Meaning her ex?
The music was a popular Spanish song that tino played quite often, but I wasn't aware of the dance she was refferring to and unbeknownst to her, I wasn't a dancer either.

"Its really simple so you can drop the concerned expression" she said laughing. " here let me show you"

She place my left hand on her shoulder and the other against her hip swing her hips to the sides before stepping backwards, forwards, wining away me before running her hand through her hair standing upwards. I blinked a few time trying to understand what just happened. She slowly pulled her hand from my grasp giving me a faint smile before walking a little distance away. I noticed our little charade had drawn a crowd including tino who was amused clapping his hands around the bar.

"Maybe it's too intimate on second thought" she said walking to the exit.

" You're letting her go again idiot" I said to myself.

I caught her by the hand as she passed my truck and she stopped just like she had done yesterday but wouldn't meet my gaze. There was something about kenzy despite her crazy thoughts of her being unable to interact with people. She was a likable character, easy going, maybe lives a little too much in her head but she was rather warm. When I finally caught a glimpse of her eyes I realized why she had walked away that fast. It wasn't embarrassment rather something much worst. She was still hurting over what transpired between them and though at the moment I was intrigued to ask what it was, I buried the thought at the back off my mind. It was a delicate subject after all and the look in her eyes told me she wanted to desperately rid herself of the nightmare.

"Don't ever do that again"

"Right" she's said giving me a fake smile.

"No don't do that again" I repeated. "At least not in public and not before teaching me the steps first"

Her eyes grew large for a moment and tiny smirk travelled her lips. "Is that your way of asking me to each you salsa?"

" No that's my way of telling you not to embarrass me like that"

She laughed giving my hand a squeeze

"Is Phillisa coming to get you tonight?"

She shook her head. "I haven't seen her since yesterday morning and her phone is at home so she doesn't have a clue where I am"

Maybe she was out with Brian again. That's the only viable explanations for either of them being MIA.

"How are you getting home then?"

"The same way I've done it last night and the same thing I'm doing now"
She walked home? My feet came to a halt and my grip tighter around her hand pulling her to a stop. Was she crazy?

" you can't walk home this late ziploc"

"I did. Nothing happened just like you said. I wasn't kidnapped"

I meant during the day. It was night now! F***

"You can't walk home this late ziploc, anything can happen on the way home"

"I'm not a child andrew!" She shouted pulling her hands from mine and folding them across her chest.

"You're not a full adult either"

"I'm twenty six"

"You're twenty five" I corrected. "You're still a child"

She snickered rolling her eyes. "I take care of my own expenses and live on my own and I've been in a relationship likewise" she stepped a few inches closer to my person. "And I can guarantee that I did a while back a child cannot"

I swallowed at her statement calling the imagine back to mind and I felt my dick twitch. I believed her, a child won't call or cause my mind to spiral like it had almost half and hour ago.
I held up a hand in defence. "I'm only staying you should be more careful"

Her features softened and she took a few steps back. "I know" she said looking up at me. "You're the only one besides Phillisa that treats me like an adult andrew. It's disconcerting when you don't" .

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Authors notes: hey guys......so this is interesting😏 are our little friends getting cozy or what?

Are they getting better at annoying each other or will summer just remain the same boring summer? Definitely smoke and mirrors here💃

Thanks for reading and commenting.😍

Until we meet again charms💕