The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

behind the counters.
    Kayden’s eyes brighten when he sees me and I know right then and there that he’s buzzed. “Yep, we thought we’d get started early,” Kayden says to Seth as he picks up the bottle and hands it to him. His eyes lock on me and I’m thrown back to all the fun moments we had together, the ones that leave me hope even though things look grim right now.
    He smiles as he pushes up from the table, the legs on the chair scraping against the tile. He takes long uneven strides as he curves around the table and Seth steals his seat.
    Kayden’s hair is styled and flips up around his ears. He has on a dark gray shirt and a pair of loose-fitting jeans that hang at his hips. He’s also put a few leather bands on his wrists to try and cover up the bandage on it and his face is clean-shaven, which makes me worry because that means he had to use a razor.
    “Hey,” he says as he crosses the kitchen in long strides and winds around to the cupboard area.
    “Hey,” I reply, rotating around, so I’m facing him and my back is pressed into the edge of the counter. I give a fleeting glance at his arms, checking for fresh wounds. Everything looks great, except I can’t see underneath the bandage.
    He abruptly stops and his forehead creases as his eyes lazily scroll up my body, lingering for a moment on my chest before resting on my eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a dress.”
    I shake my head with my elbows bent and my fingers gripping the counter. “That’s because I haven’t. Not for a long time anyway.”
    His gaze is relentless and makes me grow fidgety. Finally, his eyes lock on mine and even through the subdued sea of alcohol, I see the real Kayden still lives on the inside. “You look beautiful.”
    “Thank you,” I say quietly and tuck a few strands of my hair behind my ear. “I think—”
    His lips come crashing down on mine and I suck in a deep breath through my nose as my legs start to give out. His warm tongue enters my mouth and he tastes like Jack and smells like cigarette smoke. His hand grabs my waist and he holds my weight up as our bodies crush together. He angles us back, our legs entwining, and my heart knocks in my chest. The edge of the counter jabs at my back, but I don’t care. All I care about is him.
    My hands slip up his strong arms and knot through his hair. In the back of my mind, a rational voice is screaming at me to stop, because he’s drunk and confused and I need to stop it.
    “What are you doing?” I slant my head back a little. “I thought you needed us to be friends.”
    “I do,” he assures me, sounding choked up and then his lips touch mine. I’m trying to pull away, yet at the same time I’m pulling him to me. I’m conflicted. Muddled. I’m a terrible person.
    His long fingers spread around my hips and his fingers dig into my skin as he picks me up and sets me down on the countertop. My head bangs against the cupboard as his hands move around to the front of my thighs and he splays my legs open. Moving between them, his fingers sliding farther up my legs until his thumbs are grazing the sensitive inner section. For a moment, I forget where I am and who I am and open up my legs wider, allowing him to get closer.
    “Um, I hate to break this up.” Seth’s voice slaps me back to reality and I instantly jerk away, panting and slamming my head against the cupboard again. “As much as I love you guys, I’d rather not see how far this is going to go. You guys should probably save the groping for later, when you’re alone.”
    Kayden rests his head against my shoulder, breathing abundantly, and his body is tense under my hands. “Sorry,” he whispers to my collarbone and then he’s pulling away, leaving me more exposed than I already was.
    I blink my eyes and adjust my dress as far down over my legs as it will go, and then I hop off the counter. I run my hands through my hair, trying to fix it in place, and I struggle not to cry from the stabbing sensation in my heart.
    Seth arches his eyebrows at me. “See, dresses aren’t so bad.”
    I press my lips together, because it’s not funny, and yet it is. “I guess not.” My mouth sinks to a frown. It aches in every part of my body. All I want is to be with him in a stress-free situation where we can enjoy one another, be real, be us.
    His shoulders move up as he lets out a low laugh and then extends his hand out to me. “Come on, baby girl.” He touches my bottom lip that’s