Round Two

Four - Kim

Kim

And she left.

No, she ran.

And it took me hell not to go after her.

Zuri Okoro.

She hadn't changed much; same dark eyes and pretty brown skin, although maturity had softened her edges in all the right ways.

“Hey.” Annabel, or whatever her name was, slid back into the restroom. “What's up with her?”

“She's just an ex.” I shrugged, my breaths still uneven.

“Oh.” It took a second before her lips curved into a sultry smile. “Anyways, where were we?”

She eased her way towards me. “You said something about how pretty my eyes are.” Her small hands gripped the collar of my white shirt and pulled me closer till her breaths were fanning my face. “And how plump my lips are.”

A small smirk found my lips, however tight on my face, and it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. I tried to force my mind into the moment; to want her, to want anyone. But those endless pools of darkness…

“I have somewhere to be at.” And I pulled away from her.

Her face fell. “What?”

“Have a lovely night.”

And I exited the restroom. No kisses. No quickie. Just one Nigerian-American girl living rent free in my mind.

•••

It was almost midnight by the time I got back.

The penthouse was silent. Too silent.

I loosened my tie and tossed it on the marble counter, the soft thud echoing louder than it should have. The city lights spilled through the glass walls, painting everything in gold and shadow — a view men would kill for.

And yet all I could see was her.

The way her lips parted when she said my name.

The way her eyes turned misty, like she was going to cry.

The way she ran like I was the danger.

I leaned against the counter and exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my face.

Five years.

Five years, and I still knew why she ruined us. Why she left me. Why she broke me.

Five years, and she still had the power to unmake a room just by walking into it.

Why now, Zuri?

Of all the cities. Of all the restaurants.

I scoffed quietly and made my way toward the bathroom.

“Fate has a twisted sense of humor,” I muttered to no one.

The lights flicked on with a soft hum. My reflection stared back at me from the mirror — sharp suit, composed face, a man who looked like he had everything under control.

Lies.

I undressed slowly, every movement heavy, mechanical. When I stepped into the shower cubicle and turned the knob, cold water rushed down, biting into my skin. I welcomed it. Needed it. I leaned forward, resting my hands against the glass frame, head bowed, letting the water drown out the world.

But it didn’t drown her.

Her voice crept in, uninvited.

The way she used to say my name when she was angry.

When she was overly excited.

When she was tired.

When she was breaking.

“Tell me why, Zuri?! f*****g tell me why?!”

My own voice echoed in my head, raw and younger, full of disbelief.

“Go away, Kim… please.”

My jaw clenched.

I slammed my palm lightly against the glass, not in anger — more like frustration that had nowhere else to go.

Why wouldn’t you tell me?

Why did you look at me like I was the enemy when all I wanted was to understand?

The water streamed down my back, soaking my hair, tracing every scar I pretended not to remember. Every late night. Every silence. Every word that went unsaid.

And now she was back.

Not as the girl who once curled into my arms.

Not as the girl who whispered dreams into my chest.

But as a stranger who ran from me in a restaurant bathroom.

I straightened slowly, dragging a hand through my wet hair, breathing hard.

Whatever this was…

Whatever game fate thought it was playing…

It wasn’t done with us.

And neither was I.