When 20-year-old Kara Bennett moves to Boston to escape her post-high school drama with her daughter, she didn't expect to fall straight into it in the form of Austin Mayer.
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All Kara Bennett...
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KARA DIDN'T TELL ME DEREK WAS COMING TONIGHT.
Perhaps it was a tiny detail that she missed, but my anger toward this increased as the meeting went. Derek was the king of the table, making inner jokes that I didn't understand, charming people in Korean, and being the golden boy. It was how he always was; the same reason why Nick recommended him for Kara in the first place.
Kara didn't glance at me during the dinner if not to check on Sophie, and she seemed to listen to every word out of Derek's mouth carefully. I knew I should have trusted her and shouldn't have gotten jealous over something like this, but I couldn't walk past it. They were exes, even if it was so short and not too serious.
Kara left me in the dark, and I was now blindfolded. I was more like a babysitter than a boyfriend next to her. I thought if she didn't invite me over, would I feel worse or better? She misunderstood me in the car. We didn't even have a good talk over the situation. Was that why she avoided me? Didn't this make things worse?
Sophie was the only one that kept me sane at this moment. Her presence and grins soothed my nerves and made this fucked up situation less painful. I'd drink my ass off if she wasn't here. She tasted the Korean dishes and pulled her tongue out if she disliked it or asked more if she liked them.
Soph suddenly blushed and pulled her mother's arm. After a moment of a whisper, Kara glanced at me and cuddled her. "We'll be back," she said and walked toward the restroom. When she was out of sight, since the seat between Derek and me was empty, I looked at him.
"Hey."
"How's it going, man?"
"Great," I replied with a tight smile. "We're good."
Derek clenched his hands and offered me the same kind of smile. "I can see that." His intention was hidden within his words, and he didn't even hide it. "Thanks for coming." He leaned forward and whispered, "Sorry if you feel a bit out of place."
A part of me hoped this was coincidental, but it seemed like he invited Kara in the first place. When did they meet, and why didn't Kara tell me? I fisted my hand under the table. "Anything for my girls. I belong to them."
When Derek pulled back, we stared at each other until Kara came back shortly. He was the same guy that told me there was nothing between Kara and him. What changed? Did he regret letting her go?
I slumped in the chair when Kara came back. I took deep breaths to calm myself down, but it didn't exactly work when the man who challenged me sat next to my girlfriend. I wanted to leave this place immediately. I contemplated the idea a bit, then I decided to give it a shot. If we stayed here a bit more, I'd have said something I would regret. "Can we leave?" I whispered Kara.
"Why?"
"Kara, please," I said, closing my eyes. "I just need to talk."
She looked at me and paused before she nodded. She turned to Derek and said something to him. Then, we finally rose from our seats and said goodbye to everyone at the table. When we walked out of the restaurant, and the chilly air hit me, I felt much better. Kara was behind me when I walked to the car.
