Love Burns

by Adrian J. Smith

  Jessica smiled, her full pink lips coming to a curve. “It sounds rough, but it also sounds like you’re headed in a direction.”

  “Yeah. What about you? What’s got you so off tonight?”

  Pulling herself up on Becca’s trunk, Jessica crossed her ankles and leaned back with a big smile on her lips. “My divorce finalized.”

  Becca did a double take. “Wait…! You were married?”

  “Yeah, very briefly. It did not last long. We’d been engaged for a long time, three years. He was in the military, so he’s been moved three or four times in that time span. I forget how many for sure. Anyway, he was about to be moved again, and we decided to just go get hitched, because why else should we wait? But two weeks before he was supposed to fly back here, I got a very interesting phone call from his girlfriend.”

  “His what?”

  “Uh-huh. His girlfriend. They’d been seeing each other for months. She had a son who was about five who had gotten into his phone one afternoon and had seen some texts from me, some…not-safe-for-work texts, if you know what I mean.”

  “I know what you mean.” Becca, intrigued, pulled up to sit straight on the trunk of her car next to Jessica, fascinated at how this story was playing out. “So if he was cheating, why did you get married?”

  “Stupidity? I don’t know. Once a cheater, always a cheater, right?”

  “True, for the most part.” Becca thought of Bradley, wondering if he would ever attempt to settle down with someone and stay with them rather than jumping from man to man as a way to avoid cheating. She shook the thought from her head and focused on Jessica.

  “Anyway, she and I decided to confront him together, because she didn’t know he had a fiancée. That was not a fun phone call, by the way—the first one when she’d figured it out. She cussed me out for a good ten minutes before I could even get a word in edgewise. Eventually, I flew out there, met up with her and when he showed up at her house for a booty call, there we both were.”

  “You’re kidding.” Becca’s eyes widened.

  “I’m not. This sounds ridiculous, though. She broke up with him. I broke up with him. But the next day he was back here, begging me to give him a second chance. You know, all that drama. I caved. We eloped a week later in an attempt to prove we could do it, and three weeks later, I found out he was cheating again. We were only married six months. Trust me. I’m better off.”

  “Sounds like it. So, you’re…bi then?”

  Jessica nodded. “You could call me that. I really just like to think I don’t discriminate.”

  “Ah.” Becca licked her lips and stared at the restaurant they had eaten at.

  “So, I signed the papers this morning, unexpectedly. I didn’t think I’d get them for another week or so, but my lawyer called and said she had them for me. That’s what threw me off tonight. I’m sorry I made for not good company.” Jessica covered Becca’s hand with her own and gave a light squeeze.

  In a fit of brevity, Becca picked up their hands and kissed Jessica’s knuckles. “Maybe we could try again sometime next week.”

  “I’d like that very much. I probably should have rescheduled to begin with, but since it took you months to call, I didn’t want to wait.”

  Scrunching her nose, Becca nodded her agreement. “I can understand that. Try again next week? I’ll have to let you know what day, though, since I don’t have my new work schedule yet.”

  “Oh yes, the new job.” Jessica wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “That definitely takes priority. Can’t have you jobless again. Wouldn’t be good.”

  “For sure,” Becca agreed. She didn’t want to get off the trunk of her car now that they had finally seemed to find their flirty rhythm again. Jessica had yet to let go of her hand, so she got the sense the feeling was mutual.

  When she turned back to face Jessica, she connected with her in a brief and awkward kiss. Jessica pulled away and let out a sweet giggle. Becca smiled and took the chance to try again. Kissing Jessica deeply this time, she closed her eyes. Every thought she had was of Kimberly—their last kisses, their first kisses, heated kisses, quick kisses, stolen kisses.

  Forcing herself to continue, Becca reeled from unrequited emotions. Kimberly had never shared how she felt with her, which had left her in the dark the entire time. Jessica, however, seemed to be the complete opposite. Becca opened her eyes and stared into Jessica’s beautifully rounded face and her long blonde curls that moved in the gentle breeze. This was where she needed to focus her attention. Like she’d decided earlier, it was time for her to move on and take charge of her own life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kimberly rode the elevator up the high-rise to Bradley’s apartment. When she got to his door, Michael, on the other side, yelled and screamed. She knocked, and it wasn’t long before the door popped open and an exasperated Bradley looked at her like she was a knight in shining armor.

  “I don’t know what to do with him,” he confessed.

  “What’s wrong?” Kimberly entered the apartment and set her keys on the counter. Michael ran up to her, stopped short of her and let out a wild scream before running to his room and slamming the door. Shaking her head in shock, Kimberly looked to Bradley for some answers.

  “He’s been like this all day. I don’t know how you do it.”

  “Well, what’s he so upset about?”

  “I told him he had to pack up because you were coming, and he had to clean up the toys so he could go back to your house. He didn’t like that. Told me he never wanted to go back to your house, then this all started and hasn’t stopped. It’s been nearly an hour now.”

  “Oh, boy. Did he say why he didn’t want to go?”

  Bradley grimaced and crossed his arms. “I’ll give you one guess.”

  “I’m gone too much?” she posited, not sure where to begin.

  Shaking his head, Bradley looked her up and down. “Becca.”

  “Oh.” Kimberly’s face fell. She let out a breath and looked to Michael’s door, really not sure how to deal with his sudden dislike of her house and him missing Becca so completely.

  Michael had been through so many changes since the stability Becca had brought, and she was sure this was all a reaction to that. He’d started daycare proper and was only expected to be there for a short period of time before starting a brand-new school. Kimberly had been gone more frequently than she had in the past, and Bradley was attempting to parent in ways he hadn’t before.

  “I’m sure he’s struggling with everything that’s going on. I’ll go talk with him.”

  “Please do, but then you and I need to have a chat.”

  The tone of his voice set her on edge, but she ignored it as she made for Michael’s room and knocked on the door. “Can I come in, kiddo?”

  “Don’t call me that!” he shouted through the door.

  “Okay, may I come in, Michael?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I need to talk to you, so maybe when you are calm and ready to talk, you can come out here and talk to me and Daddy, okay?” He didn’t answer. She knocked again and pressed closer to the door to make sure she didn’t miss anything he might have said. “I need you to acknowledge what I said.”

  “Fine!” he shouted, nearly knocking Kimberly back a step with its forcefulness.

  “Okay, Michael. I will check back in a few minutes to see if you’re calm, but if you decide you are, you can come out and talk to me and Daddy when you feel ready.”

  She walked to Bradley and sat at his counter next to him. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Guess I’m going to be here for a bit. Did you have somewhere to be?”

  He shook his head. “But since he’s holed up in there, that gives us time to talk.”

  “Great,” Kimberly muttered. That was exactly what she wanted to do, talk to her ex-husband, because she was pretty sure—once again—where this conversation was going, and she’d much rather talk to a friend, if she’d had any.

  Bradley gave her a hard s
tare. “Tell me why she really quit.”

  “She quit because she didn’t want to work for me anymore, like all the rest of them.”

  “Not like the rest of them. Becca lasted months, almost five months if I remember correctly. None of the others made it anywhere near that long.”

  Rolling her eyes, Kimberly stared at Michael’s door, silently willing him to leave the room to end this conversation between her and Bradley.

  “Come on, Kimmie. Why did she quit?”

  She peeked her tongue out of her mouth before she clenched her jaw, determined not to talk about it.

  “It’s affecting Michael. I deserve to know.”

  “I don’t know why she quit, okay? She just up and quit one night after an argument that I certainly did not see coming. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t think she would do it, but she did. I don’t know why. Stop asking.”

  Bradley softened. He relaxed his posture and ran a hand up and down her arm. “Tell me what happened.”

  Grunting, Kimberly stared at the floor but started anyway. “We started a relationship, of some sort, I don’t know what you’d call it. We had sex, a lot.” Her cheeks heated. “Then she just up and quit one night.”

  “Okay, whoa, slow down. Something else happened.”

  “I don’t know.” Kimberly tossed her hands in the air, really wishing Michael would decide he was calm enough to come out of his room.

  “Kimmie, think about it. What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” she repeated. “We had talked about making sure Michael didn’t see anything that was going on, so it was awkward, and of course, I paid her because I was her boss and that was awkward, but…”

  “Did you tell her how you felt about her?”

  Kimberly balked. Heat ran from her face, and she turned to look at him with wide eyes and fear in her heart. “What do you mean how I felt about her?”

  “Kimmie.” He whispered her name with a sigh. “You didn’t just fuck the girl senseless every night and not tell her how you felt, did you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, yes, you do.”

  “I don’t love her.” Kimberly pouted, crossing her arms as if to protect herself from anything else that could break through her hard exterior.

  Bradley raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “First, I don’t believe that. Second, I don’t think you believe that.”

  She squinted at him, still avoiding answering as best she could. Michael opened the door, and she thanked the heavens she now had a proper distraction. He popped his head out and stared at her. She opened her arms to him, and he ran to give her a hug. Kimberly dragged him up to sit in her lap and pressed kisses into the side of his head.

  “Wanna tell me what’s going on?”

  “I’m mad,” Michael stated, matter-of-factly.

  “Mad about what?” Kimberly asked, softening her tone of voice.

  “Becca left without saying goodbye.”

  “Yeah. I know. That really hurts, huh, bud?”

  He nodded then buried his face in Kimberly’s neck. She curled her arms around him in a hug and held him close. She felt the same way. He didn’t know, but she hadn’t even gotten a proper goodbye, and her heart ached the same if not more than Michael’s. Blinking back sudden tears, Kimberly looked over at Bradley, who watched quietly from his stool.

  He mouthed the word ‘love’ to her, and she rolled her eyes at him. Perhaps there was something to what he was saying. Maybe it wasn’t love but the fact that she hadn’t actually told Becca how she felt. She thought she had, but they hadn’t spent much time talking. They’d spent most of it wrapped up in each other.

  Kissing Michael’s head again, Kimberly waited for him to decide cuddles were enough and to leave her embrace. He was never one to sit still that long, and definitely not when snuggles were involved. He was beyond independent, and her heart broke that she had in essence caused him any pain through her own stupid and very selfish decisions.

  He didn’t need to get dragged into anything of the sort. Sighing into his hair, Kimberly looked over at Bradley and shrugged. He probably was right. She hadn’t told Becca how she felt because she’d never analyzed how she felt.

  Michael shoved off her lap and stood next to her. “Can we stay for dinner?”

  “It’s up to your dad, but I’m not cooking.” She said the last with a glance at her ex, making sure he understood she was exhausted and did not want to be thrown under the bus again with making them all dinner.

  “We can order in,” he supplied. “My date for tonight canceled anyway.”

  “Oh goodie,” Kimberly answered sarcastically. “I’m your back-up date.”

  “Never my back-up, always my first.” He kissed the top of her head as he went for his drawer of menus. “Chinese?”

  “Indian.”

  “Indian it is.”

  Michael went to play on the floor with whatever toys he’d left there that Bradley had attempted to get him to clean up, leaving Kimberly to her own devices. After Bradley ordered the food, he leaned over the counter and planted a kiss on her cheek.

  “For what it’s worth, Kimmie, I really liked Becca. She held her ground with me. I appreciated that.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “Maybe, but I liked her.”

  “I don’t think you’re the only one.” She risked a glance at their son. “I think you may be right.”

  “Of course, I’m right. I’m always right when it comes to matters of the heart. That’s why I’m a cardiologist.”

  Snorting, Kimberly rolled her eyes at his antics. “How long until the food gets here?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  “Fine. Enough talk about this. Let’s focus on him.” She nodded in Michael’s direction. Bradley got the hint, and they both went over to spend some quality time with their son.

  * * * *

  Becca’s new job had entertained her for thirty-six hours a week, and she spent the rest of the time completing her summer courses. With two weeks to spare between summer classes and student teaching, Becca was giddy. She was already planning and in communication with her host teacher about who would be doing what, when and where. She wrote out her first official lesson plan then laughed because she wouldn’t even get to teach for two months into the school year, until she had sufficient learning from her host teacher.

  Deciding to keep her part-time job at the grocer, Becca changed her availability to evenings and weekends only, knowing it would drop her hours and money would become even more sparse than it was before. Drew was still letting her stay at the apartment, but it was certainly cramped, not to mention Becca would have a forty-five-minute commute one way without traffic to contend with.

  Sighing, she put the final touches on her lesson plan then checked her new campus email she’d been assigned to use while she taught there. The email flashed with the subject line ‘Roster’, and her stomach dropped. This was going to be it. This would tell her how difficult her semester was going to be.

  Licking her lips and straightening her shoulders, she prepared herself to read through the email. With one last deep breath, she opened the list up and skimmed it. Right there, toward the end of the names, was Michael’s. Michael Thompson. Age five. Birthday, July 18.

  She’d missed his birthday. Her heart sank. Tears stung the backs of her eyes. It was stupid. She shouldn’t be so put out by the fact that she’d missed his birthday. He had only been talking about it for months, but still, to have missed something so special weighed on her heart.

  Then it hit her. She’d have to see Kimberly. She’d have to deal with Kimberly. And most likely, Kimberly wouldn’t even know she was Michael’s teacher until she showed up one day and saw her, because her name wouldn’t be given to the students—maybe even the first day of school. Knowing Kimberly, she’d make sure she was there.

  Groaning, Becca rubbed the bridge of her nose. What would she even say to her? “Hey, how’s it going? Mess up
anyone else’s job lately?” Bitterness left a lingering taste on her tongue.

  Letting out a grunt, she dropped her head to the table and banged it lightly twice before sitting up again. She would have to come up with something better than that, but she had almost two full weeks. She had time to prepare. Kimberly would probably be caught totally unawares. That did give Becca a distinct advantage.

  She closed her laptop and put together everything she would need for her meeting with Miss Knorr the next day. They were going to start the detail planning and set up the classroom in the next week. The wait time was finally over, and she was so close to the end of school she could taste it. This was all she had left. She only had to take one other class while she taught, so she could spend more time in the classroom than a normal student if she wanted.

  That was it. Her focus had to be on the class and on Michael, not on her past whatever-relationship with Kimberly. That was how she’d get through the semester and make it to graduation. Becca got dressed for her date with Jessica, changing her focus to something positive rather than negative.

  She put on a light coat of makeup, some red lip gloss and spiked up the back of her short red hair until it sat perfectly against her head. She was ready to be her new self. Jessica pulled up outside the apartment to pick her up on time, and Becca ran out to the car, slipping into the passenger seat.

  “Where to?” Becca asked as soon as she buckled her seatbelt.

  “Do you want to go anywhere? Or would you rather just hang out here for a while?” Jessica asked, glancing back up at the second-floor apartment. “I mean, I’m not really wanting to go to the movies tonight.”

  “We could stay here. My roommate is out and won’t be back until late, if at all, depending on how their night goes.”

  “Let’s do that.” Jessica grinned. She parked the car, and they both got out and headed up to the apartment.

  Becca opened the door and dropped her purse onto the table and spun in a circle. “Well, this is it. Not much to it. It’s pretty small.”