Kittenfish: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romantic Comedy by Brenda Lowder

Author:Brenda Lowder [Lowder, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Wanderer Press
Published: 2020-07-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

On Tuesday night I decide to spend more time on my photography hobby. I go to Centennial Park and take pictures at the fountains. The trees are lush and full in the early spring. But since it’s Atlanta, it’s already hot and humid enough to feel like summer almost anywhere else. Beams of sunlight stream through the leaves, casting interesting shadow patterns on the ground. I’m thrilled with the new battery pack Tarek gave me, even if it came from him. I haven’t really spent that much time thinking about him and our closet interlude, but when I do, it feels like a tiny victory. A moment, a blip out of time, when the biggest player on the dating scene today experienced an instant of insecurity.

After a couple of happy hours practicing, I take a break to review my shots, zooming in on them to check sharpness and focus. I’m proud of my progress. I’ve taken several that could be contenders for Giselle’s online gallery. Maybe I can finally put up Giselle’s website I’ve been pretending is broken. She has new work to exhibit.

When I get home, I download my photos and choose a few for Facebook. I spend some time sorting and then put the best ones into folders for the portfolio I’m building of Giselle’s work. I’m so focused on what I’m doing that I jump when the doorbell rings.

I quickly check my phone for texts in case Kya or Blaire had messaged to say they were coming over, but I don’t have any. I ignore the bell since it’s probably a salesperson until there’s an insistent pounding followed by, “Marissa!” called through the door. I peek out the peephole.

Tarek.

What the hell is he doing here? I resist the urge to rub my backside, so sharp are the recent memories of his being in my apartment.

But of course that was not the last time I saw him. I resist rubbing any of my other body parts, too, and crack open the door.

“Hey,” I say through the narrow slit.

He raises his eyebrows, a restless energy shifting him in and out of my three-inch view. “Hey, yourself.” He glances down the hallway then back at me as I stand there not opening the door. “Can I come in?”

I switch my weight onto one foot and stand like a flamingo, I grasp the doorknob to keep my balance. “Why?”

He blinks at me. “What do you mean, why?”

“I mean, define your purpose in being here. What would you do if you were to be allowed inside?”

He rolls his eyes. “Kya asked me to bring you something.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” I throw the door wide and usher him in.

He hands me a book and a bottle of wine. Chardonnay. My favorite.

I hadn’t been expecting the book. I barely remember Kya threatening to lend it to me months ago. And I certainly was not expecting wine. Kya had stopped being my enabler since my convalescence and return to work.

“What’s this for?” I hold the bottle up and wiggle it at him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.