Page 46 of Nicki's Fight

“I’m so sorry for the wait, guys, what can I get you?” I said in a rushed, slightly out of breath voice.

“Just coffee for me, please,” the taller man said.

The other man was busy looking down at his menu.

“I think I’d like the…” he looked up at me, and time seemed to stop as eyes as familiar to me as my own caught on my face. His skin went from tan to a sickly shade of grey in less than a moment as he gasped.

“…Nicki?”

His voice was soft, almost reverent. I froze.

“Kaine,” I whispered finally, feeling a blush spread across my face.

His companion moved, and it finally got my brain functioning. He was obviously older than Kaine by quite a bit that meant this could only be…

“…Lee?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow in question. He stood, reaching his hand out to shake mine while Kaine remained frozen in his seat.

“Good to see you, man! How’ve you been?” Lee asked.

“Um, good, I guess?” I mumbled.

Though I was talking to Lee, my eyes kept flitting nervously to Kaine who still sat in the booth, dumbstruck.

“When did you get back in town?” Lee asked, as he sat back down, his worried glance hopping back and forth between Kaine and me. Kaine sat in the restaurant booth, still as a stone, his face pale as he stared at me in shock.

“Um, a while now,” I said, nervously shifting from foot to foot.Fuck! This was so unfair of me. After seeing him the other day at the university, I’d at least had the chance to get used to the idea of running into Kaine or his family somewhere. This was like a bolt out of the blue for him.

I saw Erika glance our way curiously, so I struggled to get back on my server script.

“What… What can I get you guys?” I asked, looking around the restaurant nervously. I couldn’t bring myself to lock eyes with Kaine again. I couldn’t breathe when we did.

“Just coffee for me,” Lee answered. “Kaine, what did you want?”

Kaine finally stirred when Lee said his name, his eyes dropping to his hands as they gripped the menu. His knuckles were white, and I saw the conscious effort he made to relax them and lay the menu down.Shit. This was not going well. I recognized the look on his face. He was about to run. They sat there for a few seconds.

“Kaine?” Lee asked again, softly.

“I… I’m sorry. I can’t…” Kaine paused, taking a deep breath. “I can’t do this.”

He slid out of the booth suddenly and bolted for the door. Lee stood quickly and threw some cash on the table and ran out after his brother.

I whipped around and watched as Kaine tore across the asphalt toward the Circle. A low stone wall was all that separated the parking lot from the traffic on the Circle. His hands were buried in his hair, and I could see him fisting his hands to tug hard on the strands.

I ran to the door and was about to run out after them when Erika called me.

“Everything okay over there, Dominick?” she asked.Shit. I hated when people used my real name.

“Um, yeah, fine,” I said, unable to tear my gaze away from where Lee raced out to where Kaine was pacing.

“Eat and run?” she asked, coming over to stand beside me. I shook my head quickly.

“No. Just… just someone I used to know.”

I heard Lee call out to Kaine as I closed the door and stepped back inside. Erika went back to the hostess stand and began rolling silverware up in napkins.

I hesitated at the door for a moment as I watched Kaine and Lee talk. I saw Kaine shake his head at something Lee said. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could guess. Kaine looked…lost. Devastated. Angry.

Lee leaned in and wrapped his arms around his brother and pulled him close. I saw Kaine’s chest heave as he started sobbing.