Karma

6| The Other Karma

"Who are you looking for?"

I looked at Ayden. "What? No one."

Ayden sat his beer down on the table as he studied my expression. "Nate, we've been here for over an hour. Ever since the minute we walking in, you keep darting your eyes around like your looking for someone."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm scouting for for women."

It was a lie. A weak one. So weak, I didn't even know why I bothered. Ayden wasn't an idiot. When he asked to get a drink, I should have asked where he wanted to go first.

After the therapy session with Karma two days ago, I've been keeping to myself. I've had a lot on my mind, and this time, it wasn't all about a certain brunette. Even though the pool part of the session seemed to help my balance on my bad leg a little better; it was still hard to even walk.

I guess you can say I've been wallowing ever since I walked out of the hospital. I was pissed at myself for waiting too long to get into physical therapy. I should have stared it months ago. Now it seemed to be too late. I had no one to blame but myself with that one. So, I stayed in bed with a few bottles of Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker Blue, and Jose Cuervo to keep me warm these past two days.

Then Ayden busted into my room to drag me out of the house. To Down-The-Fucking-Rabbit-Hole. The past two times I've been here-coincidentally enough- I had run into Karma. So, yeah. With my luck. . . she was going to walk in any minute.

"That's bullshit," Ayden drawled and picked at the buffalo wings in the center of the table. "You're looking for Karma, aren't you?"

I averted my eyes and dipped one of the wings in some ranch dressing. "Well you know what they say about Karma. It finds everyone."

"Ha! That's not going to work this time. I know Karma is an ex-girlfriend."

I grimaced. "Lanie?"

"Yeah."

"Goddammit." I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "What did she tell you?"

Ayden shrugged his left shoulder and took a swig of his beer. "Not much, actually. She told me that Karma was as close to her as Harper is. She said you guys dated senior year and then had a messy break-up and she took off to Florida."

That was a pretty decent summary, actually. Lanie hit it right on the head. I wasn't pissed that she told Ayden. As much as I didn't want people digging into my life and my past, I kind of owed them one for meddling in their love life.

"Yeah," I breathed and rubbed absently at my bad leg when it cramped. "I was shocked as hell when I first saw her after all that time."

Intrigue, Ayden leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. "Is there still something there?"

I shook my head. "No, there's nothing there. Besides, that was a long time ago."

"So what? Time is irrelevant. I don't know what you did, but you were, what, eighteen? You were a kid. Both of you were. You're older now. Coincidence has clearly brought you guys together."

"Or Karma brought us together. Not her, the other kind." That's the only explanation. There was something cosmic going on here. Looks like Karma brought Karma back into my life. It was a punishment. One I deserved.

"You like her." Ayden said quietly.

I would always like Karma. It was the other L word I steered clear of. "She's been friends with Lanie since they were little kids. I've known her forever. She's a friend."

"Friend my ass."

"Can we change the subject, please?" I was tired of talking, thinking, and dreaming about Karma. I needed to focus on other things. Other priorities.