Page 30 of Rekindled

"Oh?" Journee crossed her arms and turned to face me more. "What happened to the Maven swearing she was going to see what locals she could wrangle up for the night?"

I cringed at my earlier comments. "He wasn't a local though."

"Yeah, yeah."

From the time we returned to the cabin, Journee and I linked up by the fireplace with a bottle of wine and some laughs. After Kai helped me out at the bar, we joined Journee and Zyair on the couch in VIP, enjoyed each other's companies and about an hour more of the atmosphere. The night was young, but the spot was not. A lot was different to me during this trip. There were more couples than usual in attendance and the singles who were there were so dusty, crusty, and thirsty, not even an entire shelf at the bar could blur the obvious.

Journee and Zyair spent most of the night at the lounge flirting and cuddling between Kai and I. After a while, I insisted that we just head back to the cabin to chill by the fire.

"Was it dry tonight or was it just me?"

"I didn't think it was dry," Journee replied, taking a sip from her wine glass. "Everything was the usual at the lounge. I think you've just outgrown some things and tonight made that clear for you. You got a chance to see things from a fresh vantage point."

"Hmph."

At the corner of my eye, I spotted Zyair swaggering into the living room. He focused his attention on his wife. At his presence, she did a double take. I watched them share a look that had Journee giggling beside me.

They were so cute and perfect for each other. From the first time I met Zyair, I knew that he wasn't like any of the other guys Journee had ever introduced me to. Journee worked as a script writer for a film studio. Having only a small amount of hours to divvy up between spending time with family and friends, she always made time to date. She'd always been the relationship type between us two since we roomed together in our early 20s. We'd met each other through an ad I posted at a local coffee shop seeking a roommate to help tackle the rising New York City rent. The moment we met, we clicked and have been tight ever since.

Over the years, I couldn't tell you how many boyfriends Journee introduced me to. She was a major believer in love and no matter how many times love knocked her down on her ass, she always hopped back up ready to try again. Her persistence definitely paid off with Zyair.

She glanced at me and was about to say something when I told her, "I already know. Go ahead." I fanned my hand playfully. "Have a good night."

She bit her bottom lip and giggled some more before looping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a tight hug. "Merry Christmas Eve, best friend."

I closed my eyes and hugged her back. "Merry Christmas Eve, bestie."

"Despite it all." She leaned away to balance herself on her hands to stand up. "I'm glad you made it out here. I missed you."

A warm smile pulled at my lips. "Same. Now go."

Her smile turned into a full blown beam as she turned on her bare soles and walked her way to her husband. When she was close, he lifted her up off her feet causing her to squeal as he wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her off to their bedroom.

I grabbed my almost finished glass of wine off the rug below me and turned to face the fireplace to watch as the flames danced on the charred logs. Sitting there alone, I played back the tail-end of Journee and my conversation regarding me outgrowing some things. I knew what she meant by that. Saw the evidence myself when I attended an award show after-party two months ago in California. The vibe just didn't fit anymore. I used to get my life socializing with new guys and getting to know them. The anticipation before arriving at the club was always fresh and made the experience all the better.

Tonight, something was off. Yes, Kai was there, which could make things awkward. I hadn't seen him since Journee and Zyair's wedding eight months prior, and even then, we exchanged very few words and kept our distance from each other. But there was something else within me that just didn't find it fun anymore to meet anyone new.

"Hey," I heard behind me. I turned my chin to my shoulder, following the sound of the voice. Kai stood a few feet behind me with a beer in one hand and the opened bottle of wine Journee and I were working on in the other. We'd poured ourselves a glass and left the rest on the island in the kitchen. "How about a refill by the fire pit?"

I couldn't hold back my smile. Next to the fireplace, the fire pit on the heated deck had always been Kai and my spot. In that instance, I was curious how the experience would be between us with Kai and I in this new place between war and peace.

"I was actually about to turn in."

He tilted his head to his right. "Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but we haven't yet decided who gets the bed in the guest room or the couch here in the living room."

I twisted my lips to one side.

"Maybe we can discuss that out there, you know, more civilly than we did earlier?"

I thought about it for a moment, turning away to face the fireplace to hide my smirk.

"Plus, I got wine and wine always makes decision making easier with you."

I snorted a laugh, and he chuckled.

"Okay, sure," I conceded. "Let's go."

I followed him out onto the deck and inhaled the pine-scented air the moment I stepped out. The night was dark. I could only see the black sky with dots of silver. In the distance, the mountains and trees appeared as shadows and were barely visible, but they still shaped the landscape perfectly. Aspen was not New York City, and I loved that. The silence here was soothing and so was the darkness.

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