Page 52 of Until Forever

I had never seen the inside of Keith’s house in the daylight, or in any light for that matter. I looked around his room and was surprised by what I saw. It was simple and sparse, but it wasn’t as messy as I expected. He didn’t keep much, but he took care of what he did own and cleaned up after himself. I remembered him saying he liked to keep things simple. I just never realized that somehow translated into him being so neat and tidy, rather than the grungy bachelor I expected with beer cans, pizza boxes, and dirty laundry strewn all over the place.

Just as I was getting ready to climb out of bed and start hunting down my clothes, Keith appeared in the doorway. He was carrying a tray with pancakes, strawberries, juice, and a small vase of wildflowers.

“How did you put all of this together?” I asked. My stomach growled as he placed the tray next to me on the bed.

He let out a nervous laugh and ran his hand down the back of his head. “Well…don’t get mad. I wasn’t banking on anything happening last night. I mean, I didn’t expect anything from you. But I thought just in case things turned out the way they did…with us coming back here and you staying the whole night…I wanted to be prepared.”

I sliced into the syrup-drenched pancakes with my fork in one hand, gently touching my fingertip to the flower pedals with the other. “You bought flowers and everything!”

“Oh, no. Those actually grow in the yard,” he explained, pointing out the window.

I glanced in that direction and could see the most beautiful line of tall grass and wildflowers growing along the edge of his property.

“If you don’t mow some parts of your yard and you let it grow wild, it’s supposed to be good for the ecosystem,” he told me. “It attracts more wildlife and is good for the bees and stuff.”

“And it looks lovely,” I smiled, finally taking a big bite of the pancakes. The taste of bittersweet strawberries, maple, sugar, and vanilla exploded across my tongue. I closed my eyes and moaned, “Mmmmmmm. Oh my god, Keith. You cooked these?”

“Yeah,” he answered, blushing a little. “I’m not a good cook or anything. Don’t let this fool you. But I can cook a mean breakfast.”

I only responded with grunts as I scarfed down every last bite on the plate. I hadn’t tasted pancakes that good since Mrs. Halstead was still alive.

When I was finished eating, I was suddenly very aware of how naked I was—Something I managed to forget while I was so enraptured with food.

“Um, do you think you could do me a favor and…,” I pulled the sheets tighter around my chest and pointed down the hall to the living room—the last place I remembered having clothes on.

“I have something even better for you,” he said as he stood up and walked over to this dresser. He handed me a stack of folded clothes. My clothes from the night we got drenched in the rain, and he loaned me his sweats to wear home.

“I forgot all about these,” I admitted. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll, uh, give you a minute.”

We were both smiling and laughing awkwardly under our breath as he left the room. I didn’t mind getting dressed in front of him. He really had seen it all before. But there was something so sweet about how he didn’t make any assumptions. He was polite and respectful. I couldn’t help but enjoy it, even if it did mean denying myself a little morning fun. Because it would have been nice to sample a little more of what we had the night before. The morning was so beautiful, though, and something in me wanted to enjoy Keith’s company in a way that wasn’t between the sheets.

Once I was all dressed, I found Keith back in the kitchen making coffee. I studied more of his house, noting it was the same as the bedroom. Simple, but clean. I wondered if he also cleaned his house in anticipation of where last night might have led?

“This is a nice place you have,” I told him as I looked around.

“It’s not much, but it’s home,” he smirked, pouring us both a cup of coffee. “I’m sure it’s nothing like those fancy apartments you’re used to in LA.”

“Uh, actually, I just live in a studio above the shop. My friend Kyle lives next door. His place is bigger than mine, which is kind of funny since I’m technically his boss.”

“A studio? Really? Huh.” He paused and took a long, slow sip of his coffee. “I say you should kick Kyle out and take the bigger apartment.”

“And the higher rent?” I laughed. “No, thank you. Besides, Kyle has a lot more guests than I do. He needs the space. If I start feeling cramped, I have the ocean to escape to, or I can always go hang out next door. Of course, I spend most of my time in my office downstairs.”

“I’d like to see it all some time. I’ve never been to LA before.”

I stared down at the coffee swirling in the mug that my hands were cupped around. “Maybe…you can visit sometime,” I offered sheepishly.

Did I really want that? To invite Keith, of all people, into the world I had created for myself outside of Silver Point? Something swelled in my heart, telling me that I really did want it. But I couldn’t question it too hard either way. It would probably never really happen.

Before my mind could slip too far down its usual rabbit hole of questions, Keith commanded my attention again.

“How much longer do I have you for?” he asked with a big grin. “I have a few ideas in mind for how we can spend our day, but…I guess that depends on when you plan on running away from me.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, come on. I’m not that bad.”

He dipped his head in laughter. “You don’t think so? Think about it. How many interactions between us since you’ve been back can you name that don’t involve you storming off or walking away from me?”

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