Still by Rae Lamar

Three | Gravity

"I'm not staying long."

Kiva Burke forced those words from her mouth in a rush. Not so much for him but for herself. Because this whole closure thing was a cover and she needed to remind herself that this momentary indulgence still came with boundaries...even if she couldn't really remember exactly what they were as Dylan Davis stared at her as if their past had been rewritten and repurposed as a Luther love song.

"Then I guess we better make the most of this...before you leave me."

Though his last three words triggered her teeth to clench, Kiva smiled with closed lips and wary eyes. He moved to stand in front of her, the scent of his cologne doing dangerous things to her common sense. Her sassy stilettos erased the five-inch deficit she usually experienced in his presence, giving her a favorable vantage point. She squared her shoulders and met his intense gaze with one of her own in a perfectly legit stare-down.

"I don't want to fight with you, Ki."

"Who's fighting?" She pivoted and made her way to the sofa, her tread unsteady, her emotions at odds with her purpose. Because her purpose was bullshit and she was quickly losing control of the situation as she always did with him.

Nothing changes if nothing changes...

Lowering herself to the trendy sofa, Kiva sat her even trendier bag in the empty space beside her. "I'm just here to say hello in person."

"That's all?"

Her mind instantly flashed back to their last interaction a few years ago when Dylan was in between girlfriends and she was hell bent on doing the same thing then that she was still failing to do in this very moment. That time, Kiva's heels were in the air in less than fifteen minutes, a passionate reunion that initiated another fruitless fantasy for seven months only for them to end up at odds and giving up on each other once again.

Still, she thought fondly as her eyes closed. Those seven, glorious months...

Kiva bit her lip, realizing that she was doing it again. Fantasizing about what she knew would never work...because they'd tried, too many times, resulting in too much confusion and too much hurt. At some point, she had to accept the truth. That just because you love someone doesn't mean you're supposed to be together.

"This time will be different," she said with finality as she opened her eyes and stared up at him. "I'm engaged now."

"Congratulations." Still standing, Dylan's face remained expressionless as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his tailored pant. "So...what? You're here now to do the before-you-get-married-get-closure thing?"

Kiva shrugged. "Don't we all have a script that we want played out?"

After a brief pause, Dylan nodded his concession. "Are you going to feed me my lines or do I get to freestyle?"

"Improvisation would be my preference...that way we can make the most of this as you said before." Shrugging out of her jacket, she tossed it on top of her bag and made herself more comfortable. "The floor is yours."

He raised a brow. "Me first?"

She nodded.

"When I'm alone in my room, sometimes I stare at the wall..."

Kiva's hand shot up as she shook her head.

"You said I get to freestyle, Ki. What's the problem?"

"Plagiarism." Crossing her arms, she pinned him with a steely stare. "Try again. The truth this time."

Dylan grinned at his words being tossed back at him. "I have missed you so much."

Kiva's heart swiftly soaked up his sentiment, but she remained resolved. "I have been trying to keep my distance."