NEVER YOURS

Five

"I'll see you tomorrow." Charlotte addresses me as she places her phone and chapstick in her bag.

It's early evening and we're closing up.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. My first day was great, all thanks to you."

"You know what would make your first day even greater? If you'd come to my birthday party tonight. It'll be epic."

"I genuinely wish I could. I have a date."

"You moved here two days ago and you're already going on dates? What am I doing wrong?"

I laugh, stepping out of the shop with her.

"I've known him for a while and we coincidentally bumped into each other yesterday."

"That's a relief for me. I can't even get my damned crush to look at me. Is it because I'm too old to be having crushes?"

"How old are you? Twenty three?"

"Twenty five."

"I swear you haven't aged a day since twenty three. Your crush is missing out."

She makes a face.

"You're too nice, Allison."

"No, really, I mean it. Does he know you?"

"He does."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"Where would I get the balls for that? Anyone who approaches the person they're crushing on ends up heartbroken or embarrassed. Mostly both. Imagine approaching a guy and he rudely tells you you're not his type?"

"If he's rude, then you'll get a reason to stop crushing on him. If he politely turns you down, you can move on with your life knowing that you gave it a shot. If he confesses that he actually likes you back-"

She laughs, cutting me off.

"There's no chance for that."

"How would you know?"

"Because I've known Cameron for about three years now. Trust me, I'd know if he liked me back. The guy never even looks my way."

"Wait.. The guy you have a crush on is Cameron? As in the manager?"

"Yup. Now you get it when I say that he'd never be interested in me. I know a few girls that he's hooked up with in the three years I've known him but he's never paid any attention to me. Maybe I should get that plastic surgery after all."

My mouth drops open before I realize she's kidding.

"God! I was about to start a long lecture about why you should only get cosmetic surgery for you, not for a man!"

"I'd die before I did that for anyone, least of all a man who never even notices my presence."

"That's a relief. Hey, I have to request for an uber, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I hope you have the best birthday ever."

"You're taking a cab? Come on, we'll give you a ride."

"We?"

"Heidi and I. She works right around the corner so she picks me everyday on her way home. We can drop you off on our way."

"Heidi is your friend?"

"She's my sister. Twin sister, if we're being precise. We bought a house together, bought a car together....all that romantic stuff. It's a pity we look nothing alike."

"Fraternal twins then?"

"Yeah." She places her hand on the small of my back as she scans the parking lot. "She better get here before Cameron walks out. His car is still here."

"Cameron scares you a lot, huh?"

"Scare me? He terrifies me. You're carpooling with us, right? Heidi won't mind."

The idea of having a friend or two excites me, so I shrug.

"I'd love that."

**

"Get in, loser!" A young woman who I assume is Heidi yells as she pulls up on the side of the street.

Charlotte blows out her breath, turning to give me an apologetic look.

"I forgot to mention that my sister is crazy. Come with me."

"Who is the new beau, Charli?" Heidi inquires, sticking her head out of the car and sparing me a cheeky grin.

"She's my new colleague. Her name is Allison."

"That name sucks. I love it!"

"Heidi!"

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding." She leans over and pushes the passenger door open before she turns back to us. "Allison, sit shotgun. Charli will sit in the back."

"That's okay?" I ask Charlotte who's already getting in the backseat.

"For sure. You'll hate it."

I understand what she meant the moment Heidi pulls out of the parking lot.

She's a crazy driver. Totally, absolutely, one hundred percent insane.

The gas peddle is flat under her foot, and she's keeping her eyes right ahead, one of her hands on the wheel while the other crams potato chips into her mouth.

"Are you serious?!" I yell when she drives past the car that has been ahead of us this whole time.

"Chill. We'll be alright." Charlotte explains from the backseat. "She's mad but she's never had an accident."

"What's the hurry for, though? It's barely five thirty."

"We have a party to prepare for. Did Charli invite you? It'll be epic."

"Charlotte said the same thing, but unfortunately I won't make it."

"She's going on a date." Charlotte laughs. "I can't relate."

"That's because you won't go out with men. You realize that you actually have to say yes to a man to go on a date, right?" Heidi points out, pushing more chips into her mouth.

"The men who approach me have issues. Six baby mamas, married, jerks, jobless, doing drugs, shorter than me....you name it. I'm single not desperate."

"Um, no. The only problem with the men that approach you is that they're not Cameron. Like, seriously, get over him. You're way beyond his league anyway."

"Are you only saying that to make me feel better?"

Heidi nods all too eagerly.

"Is it working?"

"Not really."

"The guy is coming to our birthday party tonight. If you don't talk to him, I'll tell him everything."

"He's what?" Charlotte gasps.

"I texted him from your phone last night; invited him to the party. It'd have been really rude of him to say no to one of the employees, so he asked for the address. I invited Ace too for the sake of formality. The two are like best buddies, right? Bet they'll show up together."

At the mention of Ace, I half turn to look at Heidi. I don't want to miss anything. If he'll be there, I'm cancelling on Kane.

I need to see the guy that has custody over my daughter, and I need to find a way to get close to him. That's the only way I'm ever seeing her.

"Ace's daughter has been having a cold these last two days." Charlotte points out. "Plus, I doubt he goes to social events hosted by his employees. The chances of him actually showing up is nil."

"That's just sad. I still hope Cameron makes it though."

"I hope he doesn't. I'll be nervous the entire time."

"You're twenty five, Charli. You should be able to talk to a guy. I'm sure he doesn't bite."

"Oh, I bet he does." I joke in a bid to chip in to the conversation, and Heidi laughs.

"He won't bite unless she begs for it. Knowing Charli, she'll beg the minute she's drunk."

"If Cameron is coming, I'm gonna cry myself to sleep. I can't take it."

I turn slightly to look at her.

"You don't have to engage him. Just be nice and polite and see how he acts around you."

"Or be a slut and see where it goes. Bet he'll love it."

Charlotte shakes her head at her sister.

"I can't believe I'm related to you."

***

Georgia is watching me as I pace the living room. I just requested for a cab, but it's still eight minutes away, so I'm cussing my life choices as I wait.

Why am I even going to meet Kane again?

Oh, right, because he nags a lot.

And because I kinda wanna see him again.

"What are you doing?" Georgia finally asks. She's eating popcorn and watching some show on Netflix.

"Pacing as I wait for the cab."

"You're taking a cab? This Kane guy can't pick you?"

"I don't want him to know where I live."

"You don't trust him?"

I give her a pointed look.

"I haven't seen this guy in a long while. I can't know for sure if he's still the same person."

"And yet you're meeting him. At night. All by yourself."

"In a public restaurant. Georgia, Kane won't hurt me, but that doesn't mean I want him all over my business. If he hears a word about a daughter we had together, he'll probably go crazy. I don't want him knowing where to find me in case that happens. I don't want you to get involved with this mess, so I'm keeping him out of your house."

"Fine. Then take my car. It's small and kinda rickety but it gets the job done."

"Don't you think it'd be easier if I just took a cab? I won't have to worry about getting lost, and I'll have someone to drive me if I happen to have a glass of wine at dinner."

"Fair enough. If Kane is a d**k to you, punch him."

"He'd probably punch back." I grin when she goes pale. "It's a joke."

"Your brother will harass me if you get hurt."

Marcus doesn't even know I ran into Kane. He'd go crazy if he found out that I'm meeting him tonight.

"My brother knows I'm a grown woman so he'll hold me accountable. Plus, Marcus would never get mad at you. He's always been so gentle with you."

Georgia's cheeks turn red.

"You should go. I'll see you in the morning."

Picking my bag, my set of spare keys and and my phone, I walk out of the apartment. I opt to take the staircase since my uber is still two minutes away, and I use that time to freak over my dress code.

I'm in regular jeans, soft boots, a tank top that I haven't worn in a while now and a trenchcoat on top. My hair is washed and straightened and my face is slightly made up. That means I only have mascara, eyeliner and lipstick on.

I don't look hideous but this is not my best look either.

I'm not trying to impress Kane. I just want to talk to him, have dinner, then go home. If this was a real date, I might have considered wearing a dress and one of those nice sandals packed somewhere in the unopened boxes.

The uber lady is a very quiet woman.

That's a bad thing because I'd have loved to b***h about the weather all over again. It's just too cold and it pisses me off that no one even acknowledges it.

I glance at my phone when it pings.

I have a text from Marcus.

'Update?'

I type back 'later', then I lean back against the seat, enjoying how different and beautiful the city looks at night.

**

Kane is very surprised to see me. Bet he thought I wouldn't show up.

I spot him the moment I walk into the quiet restaurant, and my heart beats evenly when he readily stands up.

I watch him as I approach him. I can't believe how much he's grown. I can't believe what difference ten years can make to a human being.

He's still athletic, for sure, but he's no longer a cute seventeen year old. He's painfully good looking and he's all roughed up and matured. His facial features are sharp and sculpted, and his eyes are wild and intense.

I swallow hard, noting how he absently glances at his watch.

He appears to be as nervous as I am.

"Alli-" he whispers when I get to him, taking a small step to me, then he promptly slips his arms around my shoulders and hugs me to himself.