Page 27 of Unhitched

If this is real, then I’m going all in. “Is that what you really think about me?” Tears spring to my eyes, but I hold them back.

He scans my face. Is he taking in my vulnerability, or is the mask thick enough? “You say you want all these things for your life, but you’re so distracted by shiny objects.” Another hit.

I can feel Angela’s eyes on us. I’m surprised she hasn’t cut in again, but I don’t know how therapy works.

“I’m just trying to do things that make me happy.” Because that feels like the only thing I have control over , I add to myself.

Kace stares, not adding anything, and Angela’s voice breaks through the tension. “Kace, do you mind sharing how you believe adulting should work?”

Something between a sigh and a groan leaves him. “It’s not that complicated. You come up with a plan to make sure getting what you want goes smoothly, and then you stick to the plan no matter what.”

Oh. This is about his ex. “Kace.” I touch his arm, feeling his body heat through his sweatshirt. “I’m not going to leave without warning like Ruby.” He’s never told me what happened with her, but based on the little I do know, I get the impression she tore herself from him.

He pulls his arm away. “How do you know her name?”

Whoops. It wasn’t easy, but Chloe and I went down a social media rabbit hole until we found Kace’s ex.

It was hard, considering Kace has no social media, but eventually, finding Kace’s LinkedIn and searching through his connections took us down the right path.

I shrug. “I did what I had to do. You don’t tell me anything. ”

He takes a breath with a slight shake of his head, like he’s letting go of my invasion of privacy. “It doesn't matter. You say now that you won’t leave. Like she fucking said.” I hate that I was right about her leaving him. “But you can’t sit still to save your life.”

My face scrunches as I pull my fists into my sleeves.

He’s not talking about me, right? Because there’s never been any romantic interest between us–at least not from him.

But maybe he means as a friend? Or maybe he’s talking to Ruby.

“No. I’m going to be here as long as you let me stay.

I like being here.” I realize I mean the words as soon as they’re out.

Are there downfalls or frustrations from living with Kace?

Yeah. Space is an issue for sure. Would it be nice if we did things together like friends?

Of course. But I like being in his presence, and his space feels comfortable for me.

“Yeah, we’ll see if you’re singing the same tune in three months.”

My brows furrow. “What?” Seriously, is he talking to me ? “I thought you wanted this to be temporary?”

“No.” His eyes widen like he surprised himself with the admission, but then they flick to Angela for a moment.

“I mean. Fuck. I don’t know why we’re here.

” He runs his hands through his hair, and it really hits me that he’s struggling–although with what I’m not quite sure.

The way his thoughts are whiplash, it’s like he can’t decide how he feels or what he wants to admit.

He tries to stand and leave, but I reach for his hand. His gaze snaps to where our skin touches. After a moment, he glances back at the door like he’s contemplating leaving anyway, but resituates himself on the couch, leaving his hand in mine .

Angela clears her throat, and both of us look toward her.

I’m shocked she hasn’t caught onto our ruse, or worse, pointed out that we’re terrible together.

I mean, we aren’t together, but aside from that, there’s no level of understanding between us or clear form of communication.

Yet, for some reason, I don’t want to leave.

There’s something comforting and grounding about the warmth of his hand holding mine.

“How much quality time do you two spend together?” Angela asks neither one of us in particular.

Kace jumps in. “None. She’s off playing around with crazy ideas. She doesn’t plan anything. She jumps on ideas spur of the moment without a single thought.”

He keeps mentioning “having a plan.” Is it really that simple for him? Would making a plan create a monumental shift? I tuck that piece of information away for now. “Me helping Chloe was totally planned. And my new business venture is thought through, thank you very much.”

He raises one brow.

“Kace, would you like to share your true concerns about Mya’s ideas?” the therapist asks.

“Yeah, Kace. Tell her about my plan that’s so stupid even though YOU acted on it first.”

He tries to pull his hand from mine, but I hold tight. Flashing through a range of emotions from anger to conceding, he says, “I don’t think she’s being safe.”

“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. Plus, I have a taser.”

He rolls his eyes. “You shouldn’t trust everyone the way you do.”

“You shouldn’t distrust everyone the way you do,” I snap back. I haven’t heard him mention friends, family or even coworkers. Why does he care so much about me ?

“Okay,” Angela says. “Do either of you want to elaborate?”

“No,” Kace and I say at the same time. I’m not sure what his reasoning is, but I’m now self-conscious about an idea that sparked so much excitement. I just really think that I could help people during their breakup process.

“That’ s alright. Is there a way to compromise? Is it something that you could do together? Maybe that way, Kace, you could understand better why Mya is so excited. And Mya, maybe you could give Kace the comfort of knowing you’re safe. Is that a possibility?”

Kace is about to object, his hand tensing in mine.

“Actually…” I tap my chin, and his eyes snap to mine.

“Do you want to?” My face lights up with hope.

I love the idea of having a sidekick on my missions, even if he’s a little grumpy.

We’d be like Shawn and Gus from Psych . He might even provide ideas and necessary points of view I don’t consider.

I can see Kace’s concern about safety, especially if I turn this into an actual business.

Plus, I don’t know… I think I want to get to know Kace better.

He’s a kaleidoscope. Every time he’s twisted, he shows different colors, and I want to understand all of his patterns.

“We talked about getting out more. Not staying at home,” I remind him, hoping he remembers how we agreed that the best way to get over our exes was to avoid holing up and being depressed.

He narrows his eyes. “Why do you need a side hustle anyway?”

“I like trying new things.” I shrug. “Plus, multiple streams of income. Duh.”

“Your current business has plenty of potential with how good you are. Why can’t you focus on that?”

The compliment feels more like a slap in the face. “You think my crafts are good?”

He sighs. “Of course I do, Mya. You’re extremely talented.”

My heart warms, and the feel of his hand in mine shifts from tense to comforting. “Thank you.” I take a breath. “It’s just… I love crafting, but I love this new idea too. I want to give it a try. Please?”

“I think it’s a bad idea,” he grumbles.

“Please, Kace,” I beg him with puppy dog eyes, going in for a kill shot with my thumb brushing across his.

His jaw flexes as he grinds his teeth. “Mya. ”

I sigh, my grip on his hand relaxing.

“Kace,” Angela says. “Are you open to sleeping on the idea?”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll sleep on it.”

My heart remains deflated. I can’t imagine him changing his mind.

“You set up this appointment today,” the therapist adds with her eyes still locked on Kace. “Is there anything else you want to touch on before we’re out of time?”

“No.” He unlinks our hands to rub his palms against his jeans. “I already got more than I bargained for.”

“Alright.” We both look at Angela as she clasps her hands together on her lap. “I think we made some progress today. I’d love for you two to come back in a couple of weeks for a follow-up.”

Kace stands like he’s more than ready to get out of here. “Thank you,” I say, as I follow him out the door.