“Aida,” he greeted.
The coldness in his voice startled her. Despite her astonishment over seeing him and her anger over his abandonment, her pulse thundered through her veins. She’d never been happier to see someone, and he couldn’t look more unhappy to see her. Fresh hurt tore through her, and she released his wrist. She didn’t know who she was angrier at, him for being such an asshole, or herself for briefly forgetting he was an asshole.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I came to see Kyle and Cassidy,” he said.
“Oh. They’re my roommates.”
She sounded pathetic, and she had no idea why she’d said it.
“I know,” he said. “I only came to see my family.”
She somehow managed to keep her face impassive while inwardly she recoiled as if he’d slapped her. The way he said it made it clear she was not family. She didn’t understand any of this. Why had he left her? Why was he acting so cold to her now? Who was this man she’d trusted with so much only to have him toss her aside as her father did?
What is wrong with me?
As soon as the question ran through her head, rage followed it. There was nothing wrong with her. Her father was a piece of shit who walked out of her life when she was two, and Julian wasn’t much better. She refused to let them drag her down. They were the broken and fucked-up ones, not her.
Okay… after the island, she was a little fucked up, but she wasn’t an emotionally stunted asshole for absolutely no reason.
“It was good to see you,” he said.
“Oh.” Realizing she sounded like an idiot by continuing to say, oh, she added, “It was good seeing you too.”
“Aida!” She turned to find Owen hurrying down the street with her purse and coat. His breath bloomed out of him as he stopped and held her coat out to her. He barely glanced at Julian before focusing on her. “I locked the door and brought you these.”
“Thank you,” she said.
She took her coat from him and slipped it on. It did nothing to ease the iciness encasing her, but she didn’t think anything would defrost the chill in her soul. For years, she dreamed of seeing Julian again. She’d never known what would happen if they ever did see each other again, but she’d never imagined he would stare at her like she was a nuisance.
She didn’t know what she’d ever done to him, and she didn’t care. His issues were his own to deal with; her life was going perfectly fine without him in it. Still, she’d gone from almost slugging Owen to resisting the impulse to punch Julian. She had to get out of here and away from them.
“Owen, this is my…” She couldn’t bring herself to say friend when they weren’t friends anymore. At one time, she considered him her best friend; now, he was the same as every other stranger on this crowded city street. “This is Julian.”
Julian didn’t make any threatening moves toward him, but Owen stepped away. Every human recognized a predator on some level, and their instincts steered them away. Owen had a right to be nervous. It would only take him a second to tear out his throat and toss it aside. However, he couldn’t kill a man for having the woman he loved when he willingly walked away from her.
“How do you two know each other?” Owen asked.
“We were friends once,” Aida said. “But we haven’t spoken in years. Have a good visit with Kyle and Cassidy.” She barely glanced at Julian before she smiled at Owen. “Did you set the alarm?”
“No, I didn’t know if Nicolette changed it at some point,” Owen answered and glanced nervously at Julian.
“She did.” Nicolette changed the code whenever someone stopped working at the gallery. “I have to make sure everything is all set.”
“It would be appreciated,” Owen muttered. “I’m not in the mood to have my work walk away.”
Aida managed a smile as she started down the street with him. This time, she would be the first to walk away. She felt Julian’s eyes boring into her back, but she refused to acknowledge him again.
“Who was that guy?” Owen asked as they neared the gallery.
“No one important.”
When they returned to the gallery, Aida took her keys from Owen. He’d remembered to lock the door before leaving, but all the lights remained on. She unlocked the door and pushed the door open. He followed her inside and trailed her while she turned off the lights.
She was reaching for one of the switches but pulled her hand back when it trembled too much to work right. Clasping her hands together, she took a deep breath as she steadied the riot of emotions tearing through her.
For years, she wondered what became of Julian, if he was safe or thinking about her too. She repeatedly questioned why he left in such an abrupt, dismissive way and always assumed she’d run into him again one day and get her answer. It seemed the answer was that he couldn’t stand to be anywhere near her.
Now that she was away from him again, she didn’t know if she wanted to scream or cry more. She’d never cared for anyone as much as she did Julian, and she meant nothing to him. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to shed them as she threw back her shoulders and turned the light off.
It was one freaking kiss! Get over it, you moron!
Still, she found herself pondering how many other women he’d kissed since leaving her.
“I’m going home,” she told Owen as she finished turning everything off and met him in the middle of the room. One of the motion sensors remained on, and its dim glow spilled across the floor. “I’m exhausted.”
“Come on, getting out and having a few drinks will do you good,” Owen coaxed.
Alcohol was the worst thing to mix with her temper right now, especially if Julian was in the bar with Cassidy and Kyle.
“No, I’ve had enough of this day. Besides, I need some sleep before Nicolette calls,” she said.
His face fell, but for once, he didn’t try to push her. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah,” she muttered and ignored the protest of her stomach. Not even a cheeseburger could entice her into seeing Julian again. She’d make do with her leftover chicken parm.
She led Owen to the door, saw him out, and locked it behind him. Turning, she slid her keys into her purse and surveyed the paintings on the wall. Most of the time, they gave her a sense of calm, but that wasn’t working tonight.
Reaching into her purse, she felt the inner pockets to make sure she still had her pepper spray and knife. They remained safely stored in their proper place. Feeling stable enough to face the world again, she set the alarm and locked the gallery before moving to join the people on the streets.