Dangerous Games

A NEW PLAYER ON THE BOARD

Kali brightened when Samuel walked in the door. Giovanna had some friends over, and Kali decided to hole herself up in the room while she entertained her friends.

"Hey, you. How did it go?"

"We fixed the problem."

He dropped his bag and then his jacket, looking drawn and exhausted as he dragged himself to the bed. Kali crawled to meet him, managing a kiss before he collapsed on the mattress.

"Must have been tiresome."

He groaned, "Amongst other things."

Kali nodded. She helped him out of his sneakers and peeled his T-shirt off. When she got back beside him, he opened his eyes to look at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, resting a hand on his chest.

"Flora knows everything."

"I don't understand."

"About our marriage and my mom's involvement in our break up. She knows everything."

"How?"

"Best guess is Christen."

"Christen?"

"Flora came by the office not too long after you left. She said she just found out the truth, and it doesn't take a genius to piece together who at that party would care to tell her."

"How would she even..."

"Probably at the garden." He grumbled, sitting up. Her hand fell to his lap, and he took it, gazing at her fingers. "We must not have heard her join us, or she had been there before me and didn't make a sound. One way or the other, she found out and told Flora."

"So what happened?"

"Everything. You were right. We can't have a moment of peace without something going wrong."

"I am guessing it wasn't an easy conversation."

"Not at all."

Even though she feared to know what happened and what he felt, she drew him into her arms. It wasn't easy for him. She knew that much. His head rested on her chest, and his arms went around her waist. She smiled, stroking his hair as she rested her head against his neck. He didn't speak, and she didn't push, only offered her presence.

As they sat there, she couldn't help but wonder what happened at the office. How bad it was, and how much it drained him.

"I am sorry." He whispered, pulling away. She touched his cheeks as their eyes met, and she noticed the pain in them. "I hate that I can't stop hurting you."

"You aren't hurting me."

"Yes, I am."

Kali kissed him swiftly. "I promise you are not. This is hard, and it only seems to be getting harder. Especially for you."

"Depends on perspective."

"Want to talk about it?"

He looked away, nodding. "I guess we have to. From what she said, we'll be seeing more of her."

"What did she say?"

"She forgave me for lying, said she regretted doubting me. She wanted us to return to how we were before, now that there were no lies between us."

Kali swallowed the panic that flared and drew herself together before he could notice her reaction. She couldn't be jealous, could she? He had warned her that things could get complicated, and she decided to start a relationship with him.