No

Feet came toward her little hedge wall.

Please. Please, don’t let anyone perceive me right now. Kira’s inner monologue shouted to the unreplying universe.

But her hopes quickly dashed as the clicking of heels stopped.

“Um… are you ok?” A gentle and lightly nervous voice said softly in her direction.

Kira didn’t respond, she couldn’t. She just broke back down into quiet broken stifled sobs.

A familiar face stooped down below the corner of the hedge and peered toward her. A face that had changed her life these last two months. A face that had shattered her relationship and her few plans.

Unfortunately the face recognized her too. “Oh, honey.” The woman said as her face scrunched up in pity. “I’m so sorry, he said you two were done.”

Kira just nodded. Tears still streaming down her cheeks.

“And you come back and see… oh honey I’m so sorry. This must be a nightmare.”

An awkward moment passed before the woman continued.

“I know it’s probably uncomfortable, but can we talk? Preferably somewhere more comfortable. I’d prefer we don’t get interrupted by… him and complicate things further.”

Kira just continued to stare numbly. Weeping and just wishing this would end.

Slowly, carefully, the woman reach out and offered a hand.

After a long and uncertain number of heartbeats, Kira reached out and took it.

What else am I going to do? She thought, glumly. Remain weeping behind the shrubbery?

The woman, despite her heels, had no difficulty gently hulling Kira to her feet and softly wrapping a cardigan around her shoulders.

Kira wasn’t cold, she didn’t know why the woman did it, but somehow helped. Kira’s wrapped around her body, to grip the soft cloth on either side and hold it close. She continued weeping, but walked with the gentle stranger.

…

The woman lived a couple blocks away, at least it seemed so, as Kira entered a nice but modest looking apartment in the shade of woodsy little complex.

Kira was sat down on a soft little sofa and wrapped in a blanket. The woman disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes and returned with two piping hot mugs of something steaming.

The woman handed her a cup and carefully sat down on a floor on the rug across from her. She blew over her mug, steam swirling in Kira’s direction as she attempted to cool her drink more quickly.

Kira sniffed her new drink. It smelled faintly herbal.

She looked up and asked in a near whisper. “What is this? A tea?”

“Green tea, more specifically.” The woman replied with a nod. Then went back to trying to cool the liquid.

Kira looked at the mug for a moment, soft light falling through the faintly colored hot liquid, then stared back up at the women.

“Did you know? When you two started… did you know he wasn’t single?”

Guilt immediately wracked the face across from her. “Not when he first hired me… but it didn’t take long to notice once we were in the apartment.”

“Hired? So you two aren’t… a thing?”

“No. I needed money and he said he needed company. I should have stopped when I saw he wasn’t single, but… like I said I needed the money. I did quit when you saw us the first time though… Said I couldn’t do it anymore. It wasn’t long till he told me you two were finished and we… started up again”

Kira paused and stared at her tea again. The woman eyed Kira’s mug a little nervously. Apparently wondering if giving a woman who may be upset with her scalding liquid was a bad move. Kira wondered too.

“What’s your name?” Kira asked, voice flat.

“Chloe.”

“I’m Kira.”

“I know.”

Andrew, bucking as he came into Chloe and shouted Kira’s name, played unbidden and unwelcome through Kira’s mind.

“Right.” Kira responded, still flatly, “it doesn’t bother you that he uses my name?”

“That didn’t start till after the break up. Believe it or not you leaving hurt him, even if he deserved it… He’s grieving it weirdly, but he’s still in pain.”

“Good.”

Chloe barked a quiet mirthless laugh at that, before looking again at Kira’s face.

“Can I ask a question?” Chloe asked.

Kira shrugged. “Sure.”

“Why go back?”

Kira kept staring into her mug. “We’re not too different Chloe. I need money too.”

Chloe grimaced empathetically at that. “Damn, sorry to hear that.”

Kira just nodded. Still reeling from everything. She found she wasn’t angry at Chloe though. How could she be? They were practically the same person.

Chloe piped up. “Want a job? I know The Pearl’s hiring.”

“The Pearl?”

“It’s where I work. I’m uh… well I’m a dancer.”

“Andrew go there?”

“No, we met online.”

Kira took a long pull from her mug. The liquid still burned some, but it was soothing and tasty.

“I guess I’d give nearly anything a shot right now.”

“You need a place to stay? Chloe asked, a blonde eyebrow rising concernedly.

“No, I’m good. A friend is taking care of me. For the moment anyway. She needs me to start chipping in with rent soon.”

“I’m glad. When you want to start?”

Kira drank again and concerned. She was so freaking tired of feeling stuck.

“Tonight too soon?”

Chloe looked at her, again seeming to try and guess Kira’s mind. “No, not if you want to.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Rest for now. Feel free to watch tv or take a nap for a couple hours. We don’t open till 8:00.”