Bedmates Soulmates

'Bryce gave his life for my mother. It was raining heavily that day. There was a car accident. Bryce saved my mom, but he died on the scene. Deborah and her mom were left with no one to look atter them, so my mother took them in."

Kira listened in silence.

She hadn't expected Deborah to have such a traumatic past.

It reminded her of her own father.

Maybe she had been one of the lucky ones.

At least her dad was still alive, though comatose.

"I was away at college when Deborah moved in. I didn't really get to meet her till much later. Her mom passed away soon after her dad's death. I guess the woman died of a broken heart, as they say. When I met Deborah, she'd fallen into a deep depression. She attempted suicide more than once."

Kira gripped the armrest, stunned.

"It was the summer break. I came home, heard a noise from Deborah's room. I knocked. She didn't open the door. It was the middle of the night. I had to break down the door. She'd swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills, I drove her to the hospital. Doctors had to pump her stomach."

A big explosion came on the silver screen.

The action movie had begun with a high-speed car chase scene.

Kira paid no attention to it.

She found Austyn's hand in the darkness and held it in hers.

'Deborah was beyond miserable. She said she was left all alone in the world. She'd lost the will to live. I was...I was feeling guilty over her dad's death. And her mom's. Deborah was two years younger than me, and had already gone through so much. I thought, I thought I should take care of her. So I...

Austyn stopped when he sensed Kira's body going stiff.

Maybe he'd said too much

He probably shouldn't have talked about another woman in front of his wife

He squeezed Kira's hand and was about to end the conversation, but Kira returned the gesture and said in a voice full of pity, 'That's so sad. I didn't know she had such a harrowing past." Austyn stared at her.

He couldn't see her face clearly in the flickering light cast fro

She was genuinely sad about Deborali

Which puzzled him.

from the screen, but he thought her voice sounded sincere

Shouldn't she, the current wife, be jealous of Deborals, the ex-girlfriend who'd almost become his wife?

Why was she sympathising with Deborah?

Austyn voiced his question out loud. "You're not jealous?"

Kira rolled her eyes. "Why would I be jealous?

'Because I'm talking about my ex-girlfriend."

And one time Hancée.

And the filt

woman he ever loved.

Kira played with his fingers. 'How old were you when you dated Deborah?"

*Twenty, twenty-one"

Kira did the math in her head. 'I was in secondary school when you were twenty-one. Just a kid. But you were already an adult. Of

course you would have other relationships before me. That's a given. Why should I get upset over something that happened a long time ago? Austyn was at a loss for words.

Kira added, 'It's only natural for you to fall in love at that age."

Hot Much CIF & Relationship

Not Much Of A Relationship

She wasn't jealous of Deborah, not after knowing her story.

Kira was keenly aware of the nine-year age gap between her and Austyn.

He was so much more mature than her.

Of course he would know more people than her and have more experience, including romantic ones.

In fact, Kira felt it had been a small miracle for the two of them to meet.

Other men Austyn's age would either be married with kids or at least in a stable relationship.

Yet he was single and unattached, almost as if he had been waiting for her.

Almost as if the two of them were meant to be.

That thought brought a smile to Kira's lips.

Austyn watched her face, half shrouded in darkness.

He could sense her mood.

She was happy

She wasn't jealous.

He didn't know if he should teel relieved that she was so magnanimous, or peeved that she didn't seem to care about his past.

But one thing he did know for sure-Kira Hewitt would never cease to amaze him.

Kira felt the intensity of his gaze.

His eyes were shining so brightly in the reflected light from the screen.

"What's wrong?"

'Nothing.' He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

They tasted buttery.

"I just suddenly realised that you're truly wise beyond your years."

Kira was so naïve in some ways, ye

The more

yet so mature in others.

re he got to know her, the more he was drawn to her.

She was like a mystery box, full of surprises.

Kira narrowed her eyes. "Why do I feel like you're buttering me up? Are you trying to put me on a high horse so I can't get mad the next time you talk about your ex-girlfriend?'

It sounded like something Austyn would do.

The man's sleeve was full of tricks.

Austyn laughed and ruffled her hair. 'You're overthinking."

'I have to,' Kira defended herself. I have to marshal all my brain cells when I'm dealing with someone ten-no, twenty-times smarter than me."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I wasn't talking about you.' Kira snorted. 'Go on. Don't change the subject."

They were leaning close together, their foreheads almost touching

The theatre was filled with the sound of explosions and engines revving and guns blazing.

"There's nothing much lett to say, Deborah and I had been together since that day at the hospital. But I was often away at college. Then

I joined the army after graduation, which meant I spent even less time at home. I got to see her maybe once, twice a week. Sometimes months would go by without us meeting up. There was a faraway look in his eyes.

Come to think of it, we never went on a proper date like this one. I never went to the mall with her, except one time for Christmas shopping. We watched movies at home, never at a theatre like this one." Kira sighed. 'Now I feel bad for Deborah. It didn't sound like much of a relationship."

Her comment threw him.

Austyn cast his mind back and realised that Kira was right.

He and Deborah rarely did any of the things normal couples did.

It must not have been a fun relationship for her.

She had to take medications for her depression and go to a psychotherapist

Her asthma kept her indoors most of the time.

When he was away, she must have felt so lonely...

Kira waved a hand in front of his face. 'Hello, Earth to Austyn. What are you thinking so hard about?"

'Nothing

Kira rested her chin on his shoulder. 'Go on

"The movie has started. We should-

'The movie's not as interesting as the story you're telling."

Austyn narrowed his eyes. 'Why do I get the feeling you're enjoying this?"

Like she was watching a drama.

Kira munched on the popcorn, her voice muffled. 'Absolutely not, I promise. I'm just curious."

Austyn felt her cheek move on his shoulder.

She had two lunches and two ice cream cones

How could she still find room in her stomach? 'Go on, go on."

'Like I said, we didn't really go out on dates.'

Deborah was younger than him.

And maybe because her father used to work for his, I

Deborah always treated him with respect and courtesy.

They had a very civilised relationship, without much passion.