Page 28 of Rekindled

Nine

Istomped the last of the snow off my boots and crossed the threshold of the cabin. We’d returned from the lounge half an hour ago when Zyair asked for my help with bringing in more chopped wood for the fire.

After the talk I had with Maven sitting at the bar at the lounge, I was feeling a lot lighter in my spirits. We held a civilized conversation. No screaming match, no baring of the teeth. A simple exchange that reminded me of the wonderful talks we used to hold with each other in Colorado. She was always good company. A part of me feared we'd lost that element between us when all we were doing earlier was arguing. Good to see that hadn't changed.

I smiled to myself as I made my way into the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge.

The ladies had separated from us guys when we returned from the lounge earlier. While Zyair and I hauled in wood logs, Maven and Journee hung out in the living room by the fireplace. I watched for a bit as Maven tossed her head back while laughing at something Journee said. Only for a moment, Maven and my eyes met across the room. I took a swig of my beer while maintaining eye contact with her. She smiled, forcing her eyes off me to focus on Journee.

Zyair entered the kitchen, pulling open the fridge to grab a beer of his own.

"Wanna chill out by the fire pit? Turn on the deck's heater to battle the chilled night."

"Nah." Zyair moved his eyes off me and I followed his line of vision to his wife. He licked his lips slowly when she met his eyes and I chuckled to myself. "I think I'm going to spend the rest of the evening with my wife testing out our bedroom’s heater."

My chuckle turned into a laugh. I bowed my head, agreeing. "Can't say I blame you."

"What you should do is stroll over there to Maven and inviteherout on the heated deck to chill by the fire pit."

I scratched the back of my head and exhaled, stealing another glance at her lounging by the fireplace in the living room. She still wore her jumpsuit, but she kicked her heels to the side. In her hand was a glass of red wine, which she sipped casually between words with Journee.

"We squashed our beef, but I don't think it's going to get any further than that tonight."

"How do you know that?"

"I know Maven." I paused and sat back to take another swig of my beer. "Maven is tough. It'll take a little more than a talk at the bar to get her to sit with me and speak cordially."

Zyair shook his head.

"Honestly, I think the bonding was more so because I saved her from ol' dude." I licked my lips. "Truth be told, she probably thought I was the lesser of the evils."

"All I'm saying is, you'll never know unless you try," Zyair insisted.

I sighed.

Zyair leaned on the island across from me. "I've never known you to doubt yourself so much."

"It'sher, man." I stole another look at her. "She makes me do things that I wouldn't normally do and feel things that are usually foreign to me. Youknowme."

"Hmph," he huffed. "I do."

"When have you ever known a woman to have me this stuck on her?" I grabbed a seat on the island's stool. "Maven and I happened unexpectedly. That wasn't the plan."

Zyair wrinkled his brows.

"That night when you asked me last minute to accompany you on your date with Journee and her friend, I really was just going to hang out. I figured, I'm hungry, there's gonna be food there." I shrugged. "Might as well."

He nodded.

"But then..." I focused my eyes on Maven for another beat. "She and my eyes met from across that crowded restaurant when she and Journee walked in and I just—"

"Fell—"

"Hard," I added. "Then..." A boyish grin spread across my lips and Zyair found amusement in that. "She non-verbally invited me into that bathroom and we did that thing lovers usually do."

"Mmm-hmm," Zyair hummed, fighting back his smile.

"And the shit was beyond what my wildest expectations for that night could have been. I knew the moment we hooked up that this wasn't my usual hookup. This woman had pulled off the impossible; gaining my interest after all was said and done. But still." I held my finger up for emphasis. "Still, I doubted what she and I had. I doubted what I experienced with her that night, would ever be anything more than what it was. And I was wrong as hell."

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