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I humored him, hoping to come up with enough substantial evidence to prove my point. But he was right. I was always the one walking (or running) away from him. Even when he hated me, he never backed down.
“Fine,” I chirped. “I can stick around and see what you have planned. Only because your stunt with the water tower last night was pretty impressive.”
Finally, he broke down the barrier of our friendly morning vibes. He put down his coffee cup and walked around the counter to pull me into his arms. “And what about everything after the water tower? Do I get any points for all of that?”
Before I could answer, he started kissing slowly up and down my neck—refreshing my memory.
“Maybe. Just a few,” I teased.
His lips drew to mine. He pressed against them just as gently as he had been kissing my neck. I melted into it and tasted the swirl of strawberries, maple, and vanilla all over again. How could any man’s lips, and his pancakes, taste so damn good? The hormones and chemicals exploding in my brain were just playing tricks on me, I decided. Either that or Keith had magical powers, which was a funny thought to have. Kyle always teased that magical powers would be exactly what it would take for any man to win over my heart for good.
As he pulled me closer to him, I was starting to get an idea of what a relationship with Keith would be like. At the moment—it felt so much better than anything I had ever imagined as a teenage girl. It was so tempting to consider the possibilities, and it was honestly a welcomed, albeit complete pivot, from my usual doubts and questions. It was almost scarier than all my usual anxieties, too. In those, I was always expecting the worst. This new optimism about “the potential of us” required me to forget everything from our past and dive headfirst into a new future with blind faith. Moves like that never made sense to me. I preferred careful calculations based on evidence and historical data. That’s what made me such a good businesswoman. It was also what made me so wary of relationships…and Keith in particular.
When the kiss ended, it felt like I had stepped into a fairytale. Keith’s eyes were sparkling so bright, the birds were chirping, and the blue sky outside was full of big white fluffy clouds and sunshine. It was a perfect day, only made more perfect by being in his arms.
So, of course, I just had to go and ruin the moment. At least long enough to catch my breath and get a grip.
“I should call and check on Claire…just to make sure Chris made it home last night to be with her.”
“Sure,” he smiled sweetly, but hesitated in actually letting my hand go.
I finally slipped away from him. This time, I planned on coming back, but not before retreating to the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. I turned on the faucet to buy myself a minute of staring at myself in the mirror, sinking in disbelief that I was letting things with Keith go this far.
After splashing some of the cool water on my face, I dried my hands and dialed Claire’s number. I was biting my nails with a worried expression by the time I returned to Keith in the kitchen.
“Everything okay at home?” he asked.
“She didn’t answer. I hope she’s okay,” I sighed. “Maybe she’s napping?”
“I’m sure that’s it,” he assured me.
I wanted to just relax and enjoy the morning, but I knew if I let it go that easily, I wouldn’t be able to think about anything else. I decided to call Chris just to be safe.
“Lana, is everything okay?” he answered.
“That’s what I was hoping to find out from you,” I replied. “You made it home to Claire last night, right?”
“Of course I did,” he laughed. “Bowling isn’t an overnight activity, and I do live with her, you know.”
I bit my tongue, electing not to express how little faith I actually had in him or the validity of his bowling activities.
“Have you talked to her today?” I pressed.
“Yeah, I saw her before work. She was fine. Why? What’s up?”
“I can’t get a hold of her.” As I said the words, the panic in my chest grew.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” he groaned, as if I was being annoying for caring when there were obvious reasons to be concerned. “She probably just took her pain meds and fell asleep.”
“Yeah. Sure.” I paced and chewed on my bottom lip. “That’s probably it. Alright, well…Thanks.” Thanks for nothing, I thought.
“What did old Chris have to say?” Keith asked.
I stared blankly at him for a second or two before realizing what he’d asked. “Huh? Oh. He said she’s probably taking a nap.”
“See? Just like you thought. I’m sure everything’s fine.” He walked over and pulled me into his arms again. “Now…where were we?”
He wagged his eyebrows and sucked me into another long, steamy kiss. As much as I hated to admit it, that provided all too good of a distraction from my worries about Claire.
