Page 43 of Kept

This was, after all, just another facet to being the Pet. Jump when they say jump. Strip when they say strip. Be at an art gala when they tell you to be there.

I had no one to blame but myself for getting into this situation.

Sean had taken up an open table in the library. Thanks to his new girlfriend, whoever she was - he had yet to mention a name or if she was even a fellow Bourdillon student- his unwelcome attention had finally cooled. I didn’t feel awkward in the slightest when I dumped my bag on the empty half of the table.

“Hey, Jane.” He didn’t look up from the textbook he was focused on.

“Hi, Sean.”

And that was it. I gathered the full cart of books Mrs. Clarke had left for me and picked my way through the non-fic until the sun went down, and weeded several outdated monographs that needed replacing.

When I had a sizeable stack of serviceable texts that just needed new binding or page glue, I stopped for a break and made myself a small cup of coffee. Sean stretched and put aside his last book.

“The fine print is killing my eyes,” he grumbled. He’d taken out a pair of silver-framed reading glasses.

“I can get you a magnifying glass instead,” I offered, riffling through my bag for lip balm, but he shook his head.

“Nah. I’ll just suffer looking like a nerd.”

I sipped the coffee and burned my tongue. “You’re a Chem student, Sean, you’re a nerd no matter what you wear.”

His mouth spread in a grin. “Wow, thanks, Jane. Glad to know how you see me.”

“Nerds stick together, right?”

He really was so much more pleasant to be around when he wasn’t looking at me like a dog gazing mournfully at a hamburger just out of reach. I left my stuff in a mess on the table and ran for a quick bathroom break, wondering if Rhett would be around tonight.

When I got back to the library, Sean’s face was creased in a scowl. I shoved the school magazine back in my bag after glancing at the clock. Ten minutes to lock-up. “What’s wrong, Sean?”

I was taken aback when he glared at me, but a second later it passed. He just looked strained. “Headache.”

“Advil?” I shook a tiny bottle, and he just shrugged and slammed his book shut. The pouting look of consternation hadn’t left him.

“I’m just going to go home and sleep it off.” He dumped his books on the cart and walked back out with a word.

I gazed after him, utterly mystified by the switch. He’d been laughing when I left, and furious when I came back five minutes later.

With Sean, who knew? I had a feeling he was a puzzle I was never going to figure out.

I swept my stuff back in my bag. My cell lying on top of the mess, the screen lit up. A new message had popped up while I was in the bathroom and my heart stuttered.

I’d been careful to program my phone so code names showed up on the lock-screen instead of their real names when I got a new message. If anyone asked, they were old friends from Northeast. Vincent was programmed as Josh, Gabriel was Don, and Rhett was Brent.

I had a new message from ‘Brent’:I missed you. You know where to find me.

I breathed a sigh of happiness. Rhett was back, and the message had come in at the perfect time.

I locked up, shut off the lights, and found my way to the staircase that led to the roof. As soon as the metal door creaked open under my touch, someone else jerked it open the rest of the way, and I suddenly found myself ensnared in an embrace and warm lips on mine.

I threw my arms around Rhett’s neck and kissed him back, ignoring the fact that the last time I’d seen him he’d been cold. Right now, he was burning me up and taking me with him.

Being wrapped in his arms had the same comfort of coming home.

“Where’ve you been?” I asked, kicking the access door shut with my heel. “I missed you, too.”

It wasn’t the sort of thing a pet should say to their owner, but they were training me well in honesty.

“Family troubles.” Rhett raised my chin and kissed a line down my throat. There was a harshness to his touch tonight that was unlike his usual self. “Remember them?”

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