Page 7 of Dangerous Curves

The problem is I had that. I had every single thing she just mentioned, but I pushed and pushed until I pushed him away completely. This is some sort of karma I’m sure. I do deserve this. “Kyn, not everyone is destined to have the all-consuming, passionate type of love. Some of us are meant for the kind of love that you’ve earned.”

“I don't know what the hell that is supposed to mean, but you should never accept anything except that all-consuming, passionate type of love. It’s the only type worth fighting for.”

I shake my head. “That’s not true. You need more than love. You need to be partners. Where you end, he needs to begin. The two of you need to be a team and meet each other fifty, fifty while understanding that some days it'll be eighty, twenty.”

“I don’t disagree with you. You do need all of those things you just listed but you don’t have that with Ronin. You know it. I know it. Hell, he probably knows it. The two of you are out of convenience,” Kynlee states. She’s not wrong. I stab a piece of lettuce with my fork. Kynlee’s head drops back and she groans. “Could you ever order anything but a salad when we come out to eat?”

“It’s my favorite thing,” I lie to her.

Kynlee gives me her ‘yeah right’ look. “No one’s favorite food is a salad.”

“Mine is.” My tone is defensive so she backs off. I didn’t mean to bite her head off, but I hate when she starts in on what I eat. I know she means well, but she doesn’t get it. Kynlee stays the perfect size no matter what she eats or how many kids she has. I, on the other hand, can just think about eating something and I gain ten pounds. Yes, I’m a much healthier size and version of myself than what I was a few years ago, but when I look in the mirror, I still see the old me. I don’t know how to turn that part off. I watch what I eat, exercise regularly and count calories like it’s an Olympic sport. The struggle is real. The rest of lunch is pretty quiet except for when Willow wants or needs something.

After we finish eating, I pay for the meal. It’s the least I can do. Kynlee protests, but I win in the end. As we head outside she stops me by grabbing my arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you in there. If I crossed my best friend line, I really am sorry.”

“You didn’t. That’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to push my limits and be brutally honest with me, even when I don’t want to hear it. I know you always have my best intentions at heart. Sometimes, what you say though, is not what I want to hear, but it doesn’t mean I don’t need to hear it. I love you Kyn.” I pull her in for a hug.

Kynlee sighs. “I love you too. I know these past few years have been a rollercoaster for you and I know that you have this bad habit of staying when things get comfortable. I just want you to have so much out of life. You deserve it.”

I pull away and smile at her. “I already have so much because you’re my non-biological sister.”

“Okay, that’s not fair. You know I’m pregnant and hormonal and saying shit like that will make me cry.”

I laugh. “I’m not sorry, but don’t cry because then I’ll feel bad.” Willow reminds us she has dance class in a bit. “You two better get going.” I hug Kynlee and Willow goodbye one more time before heading to the parking garage. On the way to my car, I can’t help but wonder what I should do about Ronin.

Six

Jaxx

I make it to Inkredible purely on instinct. There’s not a single part of my mind that remembers making the drive from Gary’s office to Ace’s tattoo shop. My heart has been beating erratically since I was told about the job. The idea of somehow being linked back with Kenndirx is too much, too overwhelming-- too everything. I pull my helmet off and take a deep breath of the salty California air. Ace’s tattoo shop is just a few blocks away from the ocean so it smells incredibly fresh in this area.

My heart aches at the memories that come along with the beach just beyond these few blocks. So many nights I spent with my feet in the sand, next to a bonfire, surrounded by friends, Kenndrix next to me. I can still smell her soft floral scent mixed with the ocean’s. It’s been so long. Leaving Kenndrix is still the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. For so long, I had hoped she’d show up and realize I only left because I wanted her to trust in me, in my love for her, in us as a couple. She always had so many doubts. I thought if I walked away it would make her see what we had, but my plan backfired. In the end I lost the thing that meant the most to me. To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever fully recovered.

I hear “Crazy Train” playing behind me, the alert when you open the door to Inkredible. When I look over my shoulder, I see Ace coming towards me. His chocolate brown hair is longer than normal so it’s slicked back. A lot of his colorful tattoos are showing in his navy blue t-shirt. Black shades cover his eyes and his snake bite piercings are missing. “You want to tell me why you’re standing out here looking like someone ran over your dog?” I sigh heavily. Ace pulls his shades off, tucking them into the collar of his shirt and turns towards me. “That bad?”

I run a hand through my messed up hair. Without thinking, I start to pace. “I got a job opportunity.”

“Well last I checked that’s a good thing.” Ace stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He knows there is more to the story so he’s waiting. Ace is my best friend, and has been for most of my life. The thing about Ace is that he’s a man of very few words but he’s the best at advice.

“It is. It’s a great job.”

Silence falls between us as I continue to pace. “Okay, you want to tell me what the hell is going on? You’re starting to make me nervous with all your damn pacing.”

“It’s with Kenndrix’s production company.” I stop pacing and face him. Some part of me needs some of his advice. I need him to tell me how to handle the possibility of seeing Kenndrix again because right now I have no freaking idea.

“Shit,” Ace says, with a low whistle.

“That doesn’t help!”

Ace chuckles. “I’m sorry man, but you had to know that this was a possibility.”

“No, no I did not!” I run a hand through my hair and pull at the ends in frustration.

“Come on, man, you did. You’re both working in the movie industry. You’ve made a pretty big name for yourself as a stuntman and she’s done really well with screenplay writing and now her production company. This town may be big, but the Hollywood elite is not. It was bound to happen. Why are you freaking out anyways? You’re with Poppy and it’s been a few years.” Ace gives me a curious look. I turn away from his scrutiny and begin to pace again. “I’ll be damned,” he says quietly.

“What?”

“I’m not sure how I missed it all this time. You’re still in love with Kenndrix,” Ace says, shock in his voice, eyes wide.

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