I chewed my lip. A million thoughts were rushing through my head, and most of them were negative. Melany was amazing, and I couldn’t deny the chemistry I’d felt with her during our night together. On the surface, she seemed like she’d be prissy and stuck up, but she was the complete opposite. She was a total sweetheart, she was interesting, she had amazing taste in music… But then again, Max had also been those things. His true colors hadn’t shown until later.
You’re gonna get fucked again, and not in the good way. Don’t do it.
And yet, I felt something that I thought would be gone from my life forever—longing. I would’ve liked to go out with Melany again and get to know her better, to see where things would go… But I just couldn’t get past the warning alarms. I’d learned my lesson. I couldn’t bear to go through that hurt again. The wound in my heart was still fresh and gaping.
“It was a one-time thing, Melany.”
“Kendra…”
“I should to get back to my performance. My audience is leaving.” I held the flier out to her.
“Keep it,” she said. Her gray eyes flashed over mine, and I could see the disappointment in them. “In case you change your mind. I’ll be there.”
“Okay,” I said. I put the piece of the paper into my pocket and sat back down on the ground, averting my gaze as she left. She was just a one night stand. I don’t even really know her.
So why do I feel so stupid about this decision?
I drew in a quick breath, raised my sticks, and then let everything out into my beat.
When I got to work that afternoon after my time at the Riverwalk, Patti, one of my co-workers, pulled me aside in the employee break room as I was putting my backpack away in a locker.
“He’s here,” Patti hissed.
“Who?”
“Brandon Miyaguchi.”
“Who’s that?”
“The owner, dummy. He’s doing his inspection today.”
I nodded, but in truth I was only half-listening. I’d been distracted the entire day since Melany had re-inserted herself into my life. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The two sides of my mind were fighting over how I felt about the whole thing.
She’s just a stranger, and it’s time to forget about her. You’re feeling weird because she was the first person you’ve been with since Max, but that’s it. Follow through and she’s bound to hurt you.
And yet, it felt like I wanted her image to come into my mind. I kept fighting the thoughts but they returned, carrying warm excitement with them. When I went out to start my shift, my thoughts were bouncing between daydreaming about her and berating myself over feeling anything for her.
“I’ll have the Melany ramen, with extra Melany, please.”
I stared slack-jawed at the lady, my pad and pen in hand. “I’m sorry,” I said. “You wanted the…?”
“The maximum miso ramen, with an extra side of chashu.” She held up the menu and pointed to it.
“Oh, right. Will that be everything?”
“Do you guys do crab Crawfords here?” her husband asked.
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“Crab. Croquette. Crab croquette. Do you have them?” He gave me an incredulous look.
“Yes, sir,” I said quickly. “We do have an excellent creamy Crawford—I mean, croquette. Would you like one?”
“Okay. One of those, and please, if you could tell me about your toro tuna sushi? Where is that sourced?”
“Um.” Huh?
Suddenly, I heard a George Benson song start playing on the restaurant’s radio, sending my thoughts flashing back to Melany’s apartment. If I focused hard enough, I could recall the taste of her lips on mine, the feeling of her hands on my body… I remembered the way I felt walking the Riverwalk with her—how comfortable and open I was.