Page 21 of From My Past

“Um,” I start to answer, but really, I’m almost embarrassed. He left me in the early morning after we had spent the night together. He’d made toast and coffee, leaving it on the side table for me and left.

“I’m Kieron. You look familiar. Very familiar. Do we know each other?”

“I think we met back in college once. Cash or card?”

“Card.” He said and handed over his credit card. “When?”

“When what?”

“When would we have met? What year?”

“Um,”

“Don’t lie to me, baby.”

With the use of a pet name, I melt. But I still don’t know if I should say anything, I still don’t know if I should bring attention to the embarrassing morning after a wonderful, breathtaking night we shared.

“About five years ago.”

“You’re Talia. My Talia.” He said without any hesitation and a smile.

“My name is Talia. And you’re Kieron.”

“You remember me.”

“Yes, I do. Clearly, you did not.” I said with some sass and I crossed my arms over my chest. He stood there with his mouth slightly agape so I got to work. I ran his card and wrapped up the speaker. The receipt printed and I wrapped it around his credit card, holding it out for him to take. I knew my facial expression was hard and not at all friendly, but it hit me hard that that evening that I hold dear to my heart, a memory I cherish, was nothing more to him than a quick fuck.

“I think I went about this the wrong way.” He said, taking the receipt and card from my outstretched hand.

“What do you mean? Is the speaker not what you need?” I asked, putting on a falsely positive customer service voice.

“No, Talia, the speaker is fine. I meant, I should have just come in here and said, ‘Hi Talia, how are you?’ I knew exactly who you were, I knew I’d find you here. Trenton told me he had seen you and I couldn’t hold myself back anymore.”

“Yeah, okay.” I said with a huff and a small eye roll.

“No really.” He said, he moved around the partition, and I stepped back. He noticed my flinch and immediately stopped. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t - I wouldn’t - hurt you. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I nod, believing him. It was just an instinct at this point though, to flinch when a man comes at me quickly.

“It’s okay.”

His expression changes and his eyes zero in on my face. I did my best to cover my bruises again, but obviously the layers and layers of concealer and foundation weren’t enough.

“I’m fine.” I said with a shrug and let my arms fall. I stepped back into the spot in front of the register and really didn’t know what to do now. I didn’t know what he wanted from me; I didn’t know how to proceed from here.

“Talia,” His hands balled into fists and I could tell that he was struggling to keep his breathing under control. “What happened?”

“I fell.”

“Yeah, right.”

“No, really.”

“Don’t lie to me.” He said through clenched teeth.

“I’m fine. Back off.” I stand up straighter and try to be more intimidating than this 6’3”, leather jacket wearing, entitled man who thought because he rocked my worldoncethat he could just come back and demand answers about my life. I haven’t seen this asshole in years,years, and he has the gall to ask me intimate things.

Kieron must have seen the fire in my eyes because he does indeed back off.