Chapter 3

 

 

Kate woke to the smell of waffles and thoughts of Reed. Stretching and smiling, she hurried into the living room but Reed’s bed was empty. Then she spotted him in the kitchen. He wore Ember’s I will kill you if you touch my stove apron, and was cooking waffles with Brittney and Ember.

“Good morning!” Reed said brightly. “Hungry?”

“Starved,” she said.

She walked to him and leaned up to kiss him. “I like waking up to find you in the kitchen.” She wiped stray flour off his cheek.

“Breakfast is almost ready,” Brittney said.

“I love your waffles,” Kate said.

“Oh these aren’t Brittney’s,” Ember said. “These are Reed’s.”

“I didn’t have everything here so I had to make do,” Reed said.

On her way to the table Ember lowered her tone so only Kate would hear. “He refused to go to the store. Said that wasn’t part of the date.”

Kate’s smile widened and she wrapped her arms around the chef. “I suspect it’s going to be a beautiful day.”

Marta yawned and entered the kitchen. “Why so early? It’s not even eight yet—not that I’m complaining about the breakfast.” She grabbed orange juice from the fridge and drank from the jug.

“Don’t do that,” Ember said, swatting her with a towel. “We aren’t savages.”

“You do it more than I,” Marta countered.

“Only when it’s almost empty,” Ember said.

They sat down to breakfast and Kate scooted closer to Reed, marveling at how easily he inserted himself into the meal. They talked and laughed until Reed glanced at his phone and frowned.

“We’d better get going,” he said. “We have class.”

“I don’t have class until—oh.” Kate grinned. “I forgot I’m going to yours.”

She dressed quickly and he vacated the bathroom for her to brush her teeth. Kate skipped the shower but brushed her hair, and then did a touch of makeup before exiting. Reed was already tying his shoes.

“Your roommates have a pool going on how long it takes for us to get tired of each other.”

“Oh?”

“My bet was the full two weeks,” he said, flashing his easy smile. “If I’m right, I get ten from each of them.”

“Then let’s prove them wrong,” she said.

“You can’t tell her the bet,” Marta protested from the kitchen where she was still eating. “That’s cheating.”

“I agree,” Brittney said.

Reed grinned and stood, catching Kate’s hand. “Ready?”

“Let’s do it,” she said.

They left and took her car, for obvious reliability concerns, and went to his class. She enjoyed the lecture more than she’d anticipated and then they sprinted to make it to her class. Throughout the day they rushed between classes, pausing only for a quick lunch before running off to another. True to Reed’s word, they spent every minute together, and she couldn’t recall ever being so happy.

Despite the proximity with Reed and the joy it inspired, a cloud hung over them, and several times he received texts from Aura. At first she was hesitant to speak about Aura, but when she voiced her concerns he didn’t hold back, and they talked several times about their worries.

To talk about Aura felt good but also strange. Kate had rarely held back with Reed, but this was the first time it was hard to speak her heart. The effort required seemed to draw them closer together.

The conversation shifted to many other topics, one of which was new boundaries. It was her least favorite part of the day but she tried not to show it. She was more than ready to take their relationship further, but tried to respect Reed’s desire to take it slow.

Their time bled into the evening and she relished every minute. Reluctant to abandon him even to her own room, she remained on the couch until well after midnight and they were both falling asleep to their second movie.

The next day was Saturday and they went shopping, picked up things from his apartment, and played a game of basketball with Jackson and Shelby. The blondes joined them, making the game chaotic and filled with shouting and laughter, especially when Ember kicked the ball across the court, where it clanged off the backboard and bounced into the street.

“GOOOOAAAAAAAAAL,” Jackson called.

Saturday merged into Sunday, where they took a walk and a picnic before opting to go swimming at the school pool. Monday they dived back into classes and did homework in the evening.

The week passed in a blur of smiles, kisses, and pushing each other’s feet off the couch as they both tried to study on their laptops. The proximity ratcheted up the intensity of any physical contact, the kisses growing heated and passionate, his hands caressing her back and waist, but never wandering lower or higher.

Reed’s ability to keep his hands in check was at the same time gratifying and frustrating. He proved time and again that he respected the physical space between them, a respect that could only be admired. But there were several nights where she wished he let his passion overcome his caution. And each night he kissed her goodnight and retreated to the air mattress on the living room floor.

Unwilling to miss out on the festivities, Jackson and Shelby were frequent visitors at Kate’s house, and the six of them crowded onto the couches for movies and games. Brittney had a rarely used Wii that saw a lot of action, with Shelby schooling all of them on Mario Kart while Brittney bested them in bowling. At the end of the game, Ember complained she was better at actual bowling, so they went to the local bowling alley to see if she was right.

“You beat me by one pin,” Jackson complained.

“It’s still a win,” she insisted as she put away her ball.

“She’s right, Jackson,” Shelby said, and then her smile turned smug. “And I beat you too, remember?”

Jackson laughed sourly. “I want a rematch.”

“Anytime,” Shelby said sweetly, patting his chest.

Several times others joined the group, including Tanner, Ember’s new boyfriend. The guy was on the chess team but looked like an underwear model, right down the flowing lock of blond hair. He was shy and quiet, and unfazed by Ember’s outbursts.

Ten days into the marathon date the consistent lack of sleep caught up to all of them, and irritations mounted. It started when Marta tripped over Reed’s shoes and spread like a disease, with the girls all making snippy comments.

Kate new it was only temporary but noticed Reed retreat to the living room to do more homework, even though she was pretty sure he was already done. Annoyed, Kate followed him and asked about it. She spoke softly, but her voice carried enough acid that he looked up.

He stared at her until heat rose into her cheeks but she couldn’t back down. Then he carefully put his laptop aside and stood. Without a word he wrapped his arms around her and simply held her gaze.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Hugging you.”

“Why?” she ground the question out.

His smile was cautious. “Because it’s hard for me to be upset when I look into your eyes. I’m hoping the same applies for you.”

Her lips twitched in irritation but her annoyance withered beneath his bright blue eyes. She scowled, inexplicably attempting to hold onto the anger before it could dissipate, but he merely held her bound, a slight smile on his face.

“I hate you a little bit,” she finally said.

His smile widened. “Does that mean you’ve let go of your irrational anger?”

“Irrational?”

He feigned panic. “Er, just anger. I meant just anger. Can we go back to staring into each other’s eyes?”

She laughed sourly. “Do you ever get angry?”

“Once,” he said. “When Harold Blackwell stole my pencil in the sixth grade.”

“Seriously,” she said. “Do you not get angry?”

“Of course I do,” he replied. “But I think Jackson has rubbed off on me. He just thinks everything is so funny.”

“He’s irritating too,” Ember muttered, walking toward the door.

“That’s just because you’re like his sister,” Reed said with a laugh.

She opened her mouth to retort and leveled an accusing finger at Reed, but all at once tears filled her eyes and she left without a word. The confusion on Reed’s expression matched Kate’s until Brittney entered and joined them.

“I forgot you didn’t know,” Brittney said, reading their features.

“Know what?” Kate asked.

“Ember lost her brother when they were teenagers,” she said. “Car accident. I think someone lost control on ice and skidded into her car.”

“I’m sorry,” Reed said. “I didn’t know.”

“She doesn’t talk about it,” Brittney said. “I don’t think even Marta knows.”

“Knows what?” Marta asked, striding to them. When Brittney shared the story again Marta grimaced. “That’s terrible, but why did she start to cry? We’ve talked about brothers all the time. And she has a younger brother.”

“I think Reed was a little too accurate,” Brittney said. “Ember likes Jackson and Shelby a lot, and Ember conspired with them more than the rest of us on during the dating challenge.”

“Should I . . .” Reed gestured towards the door.

“Probably not,” the three of them said in unison, and then Kate said. “The only thing Ember hates more than arrogant guys is talking about her feelings.” Reed nodded but his expression was reluctant, so she put a hand on his arm. “Seriously, just let it go.”

The previous anger had dissipated and Kate and Reed got ready to leave, but Kate caught Reed glancing to the door, his expression thoughtful. She wondered again what it would take to make Reed angry.