Page 90 of Zane

Kelsey thought back. “Yeah. I think you had two totes that you brought to Tampa that you said were just keepsakes and stuff.”

“I think I’d like to take those back as well.”

It took about twenty minutes to shift furniture and boxes around to locate the totes, and in the process, they found the boxes containing his knives and other kitchen tools along with their winter clothes. Kelsey slid the totes into the back seat, then put the other boxes into the trunk.

Once they were back in the car, Kelsey said, “Where do you want to go for food?”

“What are you in the mood for?” he asked.

“I hate to tell you this, but I’m in the mood for breakfast.”

Zane chuckled. “Why would you hate to tell me that?”

“You never liked going out to eat for breakfast once it wasn’t morning anymore.”

“Why?”

“You said it was because of the type of restaurant we had to go to in order to get me what I wanted.”

“Ahhhh. Well, I still sort of feel that way, but I don’t mind if we go somewhere that serves an all-day breakfast.”

After a short discussion and consulting their phones, they made their decision and left the storage place. It didn’t take too long to get to the restaurant, and soon they were seated at a booth.

It wasn’t too busy in the restaurant, likely because it was just after two in the afternoon. Zane took longer than her to peruse the menu, but when their waitress returned with their drinks, they were both ready to order.

Zane ended up opting for a burger and fries, while Kelsey got pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. She was really hungry, so she hoped they didn’t take too long to bring them their food.

“Do you mind that we’re staying with Lee and Rori?” Zane asked.

The question came so out of the blue that Kelsey just stared at him for a moment. “Why would I mind?”

“I know that this is not exactly what you would have chosen,” Zane said. “I just want to make sure you’re comfortable staying there still.”

“I’m fine,” she told him. “But I’ll let you know if that changes.”

“Seeing all the furniture and boxes in that storage unit reminded me that we once had a whole apartment. That we lived together, on our own.”

“Yeah, but I don’t mind staying with Lee and Rori. They’ve both been great. I’m more worried that they might not want us sticking around.”

“They’re fine with it,” Zane said. “I think Rori would actually be upset if we left. She’s taken a liking to you.”

“I really like her too,” Kelsey told him. “But are you okay living there?”

Zane nodded. “Which is good, because I don’t think it would make much sense to rent an apartment here.”

And she doubted that he wanted to be alone in an apartment with her. It would probably be a bit awkward.

She missed their apartment in Tampa. Or rather, she missed what they had together in that apartment. She missedthem.

When the food arrived, Kelsey realized that this was how they’d spent the second half of their first evening together. Because they hadn’t wanted their time together to end when the restaurant closed, they’d found a twenty-four-hour restaurant, and she’d had breakfast that night too. And Zane had ordered a burger and fries.

Without even realizing it, they’d recreated that time. She decided not to tell Zane about it, though she wasn’t sure why.

However, unlike that evening, this time their conversation had lapses and silences that felt heavy. She knew it was partly because of Zane’s injury. Though he didn’t say anything, she could tell that his head was hurting because he frequently touched his temple and forehead as he ate.

When the waitress brought the bill, Kelsey wasn’t sure what to do. Previously, Zane would have picked up the bill. However, this was an odd situation.

Zane reached out and picked up the bill before she could decide what to do.

---