In the cafeteria, you didn’t have to come… again.
I watch my screen for a reply but figuring he’ll just come find me instead, I put it back into my purse and watch the entrance. Two minutes later, he waltzes in with that megawatt grin on his face, carrying a tray of coffees in one hand and a bike helmet in the other.
“Well, who put a million bucks in your pocket?” I chirp.
“Huh?” He retorts, a confused expression on his face.
I shake my head. “Never mind. Bad joke. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
He thumbs over his shoulder. “I can leave and take these coffees with me if that’s what you want?”
I signal for him to pass me one and he chuckles while pulling out the chair opposite me. “How’s Sam?” He asks sincerely.
I shrug my shoulders. “She’s tired, confused, all that good stuff. But I think Cindy’s going to be okay.”
“She has an excellent support system, she’ll be alright,” he says, winking at me.
I can’t work out if he’s talking about Sam or Cindy so I smile and take a mouthful of warm coffee, it tastes like heaven compared to the sludge they serve in here and I audibly moan. I notice Lewis stiffen and I look up into his eyes. He’s studying me with a look I can’t decipher and it makes me shift in my seat.
“So… Are you just here to deliver coffee?” I ask, not being able to come up with anything else on the spot.
He leans forward over the table. “Just here as part of that support system is all, Steely.”
I stiffen. “Don’t call me that.”
He holds up his hands. “Didn’t mean anything by it, was just trying to lighten the mood.”
I narrow my eyes. “Yeah, well it’s Keeley.”
He chuckles lightly. “Oh I know, I just love watching you get riled up.”
I sit back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest and can’t help as my lip quirks up in the corner at his admission. We stay studying each other and I start to feel uncomfortable under his gaze but I daren’t look away. I’m not losing this staring competition.
Finally, he relents and shakes his head.
“So stubborn,” he mutters under his breath, and I smile in triumph.
His own smile spreads across his face and he leans back in his chair. “Rain check on that ride?”
“Huh?” What’s he talking about? He taps his helmet and it clicks. “Oh, yeah, another time maybe.”
He shakes his head with an amused look on his face. “You’re not very good at giving definitive answers, are you?”
I shrug. “I don’t like to commit and plan things in advance.”
He raises his brow.
“And why is that?” He asks, knowing full well that he isn’t going to get the answer he wants.
I keep quiet for a few seconds then clear my throat. “I’d better go and tell Sam you’re here, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”
I scrape back my chair and he latches onto my wrist as I walk past. “Not everyone is out to get you, Keeley.”
A few beats pass and he lets go of my wrist, leaving me to walk on.
I stand outside Cindy’s door not wanting to interrupt her and Sam, but I desperately need a few more minutes to myself without Lewis breathing down my neck.
Not everyone is out to get you.
I know that, it just feels like they are, so why bother making plans just to end up disappointed when they’re canceled or I’m stood up? It’s happened plenty of times before so I don’t see why it would be any different this time.
Before I can change my mind, I knock on the door in front of me and push it open. I completely forget Cindy has lost her memory and have to explain who Lewis is, making me go bright red. Cindy laughs and it stuns me, I’ve never heard her laugh before.
I’m embarrassed so I hightail it out of there, deciding I can’t put off seeing Lewis any longer, I text him and tell him where the waiting room by Cindy’s hallway is. He rounds the corner in record speed.
“Is everything alright? You look a little flushed,” he states, sitting in the chair next to mine.
“Yeah, I think everything’s going to be okay, it’ll just take time for her to get back to her normal self… well… hopefully not her normal self.”
Hell, I hope not. I don’t think Sam can cope with anymore heartbreak.
We both turn at the same time at the sound of footsteps. Sam walks toward us and says, “Kee, I need you to take me home.” Her eyes are full of something I can’t quite decipher.
“Everything alright?” I ask, standing up.
“My mom’s okay health wise apart from her memory, but she’s going to rehab, she’s finally going to get better, Kee.”
I feel warmth spreading through my body and hug her. She pulls away and looks me in the eyes.
“She’s just given me her first advice as a proper mom too, she said I need to go to him, to Connor. Well, she practically pushed me out of the room herself. I’m not ready to fully forgive her just yet, but it’s a step in the right direction.” I gawp at her not knowing what to say. “But with Connor I’m ready to finally let go, Kee.”