and you and Lili.”
“Sounds good,” I replied.
A band was just warming up on stage, and Lili and I made our way around the back of the crowd and headed up the flight of stairs to the second level. It reminded me of Bougainvillea a little. I felt Lili’s tiny hand slip into mine, and I shortened my long stride to accommodate hers.
“Sorry,” I told her absentmindedly.
“No worries.”
People were packing into the place now, and with all the faces I did recognize, the one I needed to see was missing. We walked around, hand in hand, and with each step, I felt my heart growing heavier.
He left me. He brought me here, told me he didn’t want us to be separated, and then marched away from me without a backward glance. If I didn’t do anything wrong, then why is he being such a shit to me? What was I supposed to do?
Lili came to an abrupt halt, yanking hard on my arm.
“What is it?”
But I really didn’t have to ask. It was as though my eyes were drawn magnetically toward a shady corner of the bar, finding Phil seated with his back braced against the bar top. Next to him—seriously, right up and pressing into his side—was a petite gorgeous creature, wearing a mini jean skirt that left little to the imagination, a green halter top that filled out in ways I had lost hope of ever doing so myself, and yellow stilettoes. She was gloriously tan, and her hair was the color of caramel.
Phil’s arm was around her shoulders, and he was leaning down, saying something in her ear. She smiled and nodded.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
With everything going on around us, Lili’s extremely loud outburst should have gone unnoticed, but I guessed Phil recognized her over the volume of the crowd and the pounding music because he looked up, looked over, and found us frozen to the spot.
“Oh my God, Kenna. Oh my fucking God,” Lili raged.
My whole being, my soul—which had bits missing from it already because of him—was in a state of utter shock. My brain was trying to scramble for anything I had done this evening with GianFranco to deserve to witness this horrific scene of intimacy between the love of my existence and that woman. Because that was what that was. Whatever was between them was intimate.
I felt my heart shatter.
I don’t deserve this! I did nothing wrong by having a conversation with GianFranco. There was enough space between the two of us for Phil to bust his massive ass in between and demand that he leave me alone. I had only wanted to know how GianFranco had felt, pulling off the greatest guitar solo of our generation. I really don’t deserve this…
Phil rubbed the heel of his hand over The Tattoo.
I looked down, breaking eye contact with him, not wanting him to see how badly he had wounded me. I had a feeling he already knew though.
“Is there a restroom around here?” I asked Lili, still looking at the floor.
“I saw one over—”
“Kenna.” His voice was too close.
He must have hauled ass the second I’d looked away. His boots materialized in front of my blurred vision.
“It’s cool, Phil. We’re just looking for the restroom,” Lili snarked, tugging at my hand. “You can go back—”
“Stop it,” he said softly. “She’s a friend of mine, and that’s all she is. She’d like to meet you—both of you—if you can fuckin’ rein it in, Pygmy.”
“I’ll just go to the restroom then,” fumed the Pygmy. “Do you want to come with me, Kenna?”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
“Kenna—”
“I just need to…” I forced my dry throat to push my voice out, cringing inwardly at the tremble in it.
His hands came up and cupped my face, bringing my gaze up to his. “She’s just a friend.”
“Was she always just a friend?”
Sadness crept into his hooded eyes, and he slightly shook his head.
Lili kicked him in the shin. “Douche!”
“Ow! You little shit!”
Despite her tiny stature, Lili was strong, and she yanked me out of his reach and started marching us toward the ladies’ room.
“Damn, Lili!” I snorted, torn between laughter and crying. It made the threatening tears leak out.
“Fuck that shit!” she raged. “How dare he dismiss you like he did and then turn around and cozy up to another woman! I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes! And where is Lewis?”
This evening had started