The Reunion

Chapter 8- Kaia

"If you smell bad, I'm going to make sure I walk far enough away from you, so people won't think we know each other." Emily said after they gave their coffee orders to the cashier at the local shop. It was a cute little spot they frequented a lot. So much, that the employees should know their orders by now.

Kaia laughed, "I told you earlier that I would. I ran laps with the girls this morning." Kaia had run enough that she finally felt the tide of emotions retreat. She knew her hair looked greasy and wet, and she was sure there were a lot of fly-away hairs sticking in all kinds of directions. But she didn't care. A glance at her shirt, and eh, she didn't care that there were still sweat stains around her neck. She wasn't going to run into anyone she knew anyway, aside from Emily. Despite her protests, she knew Emily didn't care in the least.

Emily crinkled her nose comically.

They had agreed to meet up for coffee and hang out. Their usual plans to have girls' dinners at least once every two weeks, but now that Emily had gotten married, those dinners had become few and far between. Kaia couldn't fault her for that. If she were married, she would want to have every dinner she could at home. And, seeing as Kaia hadn't dated anyone seriously in over two years, there was little hope in having couple dates any time soon.

"So have you been on any dates lately?" Emily asked as if they hadn't just been patiently, and silently, waiting for their coffee orders. Somehow reading Kaia's train of thought.

Kaia groans.

"What? I'm living vicariously through you. Or bi-cariously if you will."

"You messed around with one girl in college. Everyone does that." She snickered. "I think that's like the equivalent to trying a different vegetable as a child. Everyone must try the vegetable once. It doesn't mean you're bi, Em."

"Yes, but it wasn't like lima beans for me. Beans are just... eww." Emily made a face at the thought of the beans she hated. Then she began laughing bordering on hysterics, "ha! I didn't even try to make that pun. Look, I never said I didn't like it. Lima beans I hate," she pointed a finger to the ceiling, "what I did back then, I did like. Thank you very much." She wiped invisible dirt off one shoulder for emphasis.

Kaia wasn't arguing that. "Well, my answer is still no."

"What about your date with Jessica?"

"Went flat. I mean, she was as stale as an opened sleeve of crackers."

"Okay, have you opened your dating apps since then?"

"Are you asking me so you can swipe through the options?"

"Of course, I am. I don't get to do this anymore."

Kaia rolled her eyes. "Because you're married."

"I'm not looking for options for myself. Simply seeing what's out there."

"Or reminding yourself that what you have is a lot better than what's out there?"

"That's an added bonus, yes. I do pity you swimming in such a shallow dating pool."

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Kaia asked, successfully changing the topic, maintaining possession of her phone.

"I want to go to the central market. I need some fresh produce." Emily gracefully spun on her heel to face towards the door.

"You know, we could have gotten our coffee there instead of here. They have their own stall in the market now."

Emily looked over her shoulder, "oh, I know. I'm planning on getting another when we get there."