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“This is a surprise,” she said in a sing-song voice.
“Sure is,” I said.
“Do you like my dress?” She let go of me and did a twirl, stumbling slightly.
“It sure is something,” I replied, steadying her.
She was drunk.
“Who are you here with?” I asked, looking around. I wanted to make sure she was taken care of before I left. Despite our history, I still cared about her.
She looked around and squinted one eye. The classic Kiera’s wasted face.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I forgot.”
She giggled before slinging her arms around me once more.
“Let’s get you home, Kiera.”
I wrapped my arm around her waist and half carried her through the club. Before going outside, I called Armand to bring the car around. The last thing I needed was to be seen in the papers with Kiera in a white dress. They’d probably claim it was our engagement party.
The doorman let Armand in and I passed Kiera off to him.
“See that she gets home, please,” I said.
“And you, sir?” asked Armand, raising his brows.
“I’ll Uber.”
“You’re not coming?” asked Kiera with a pouty face.
“Not tonight, sweetheart. Get home safe, okay?”
The doors to the club swung open and I could see the flashes of cameras instantly go off. I was happy to be hidden inside the darkness of the club.
After a short Uber ride home, I took a hot shower and washed the day away before climbing into bed. I thought my nerves would keep me up, but it was actually the opposite. Knowing I would possibly see Addison in the morning made me fall asleep quickly. I wanted the morning to get there as fast as possible.
The next morning, I woke up at six and quickly dressed for the day. I met Armand down in the parking garage. On our way out of Manhattan, I had him stop at a coffee shop. I had the idea of bringing some tea for Addison. I read that it helped with morning sickness.
I had been Googling various things about pregnancy while I ate my dinner last night at home, before going to Freddy’s party. I wasn’t sure if Addison had any symptoms yet, but I saw the tea as some sort of peace offering.
We arrived at her apartment just past seven. I had no idea when she left for work, but figured it wasn’t this early. I had Armand park out front and felt odd for staking out the place, but I would do whatever I could to at least talk to her. Thankfully, Armand didn’t ask questions. He never did, which was why I liked him so much.
Time ticked by slowly. I was going restless in the car, but I knew if I went up to her apartment again, there was a chance she wouldn’t answer the door. Or worse, she’d send her friend out. I wasn’t sure if it was her roommate or what the situation was. It was better to wait down here.
Finally at 8:20, the door to her building opened and I saw her step outside into the warm sunlight. She wore a pair of faded jeans and a pin-striped blue button-down. I smiled to myself. I had never seen her dressed down, but I liked it. Then my nerves caught up with me. I took a deep breath as I opened the car door. She had already begun to walk down the sidewalk.
“Addison,” I called.
She stopped and turned around. Her face dropped when she saw me. I half expected her to turn and keep walking, but she stayed put. I climbed out of the car, grabbing the tea from the cupholder and walked toward her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking around like I had just flown across the world when really I had just driven over a bridge.
“I had to see you. I stopped by yesterday, but…”
“I know,” she said sharply.
“Look, I’m so sorry for being such a dick. I was just surprised and didn’t know how to handle the news.”