3
ALEIDA
My eyelids flutter open in the stark morning light. It leaves me confused for a moment. Wasn’t it night like a second ago? Why is it that every time it feels like I sleep too little? Turning on my side, I reach out for my phone and cancel the alarm.
I can’t wait for my day off.
After stretching out on my too-small bed, I get up and tiptoe to the door. Opening it an inch, I check for any signs of Brad. None as far as I can see. The apartment is quiet, and Keegan sleeps on the couch. Did Brad already leave? He never leaves before nine. I don’t get how he keeps a job by never showing up on time.
I visit the bathroom and try my best to ignore the reflection. Without money, and working so many hours, I have grown weary of my looks. My blond hair lacks shine, black circles always accompany the bags under my eyes, and having just woken up doesn’t help.
Usually, I wouldn’t care. I don’t give two shits about what Brad thinks of me—even when he never hides his thoughts. He tells me I should lose weight, do something about my hair, spend more on cosmetics to improve my skin. As if I had the money for it. As if I’d keep sharing a house with him if I did.
I brush my teeth, tame my hair, then leave the bathroom, aiming at the closet on tiptoes. As I’m about to enter my bedroom, I notice something dark on Keegan’s hand. I narrow my eyes, approaching his sleeping form without a sound. Had to learn to do that when Brad plays until four in the morning, then wants to sleep until ten.
Keegan’s knuckles are busted. Dried blood and dark bruises. It wasn’t there yesterday. What happened? Did he get into a fight? I step even closer, hovering over him to study his face. And, as expected, he’s got a purple bruise next to his left eye.
He slams his eyelids open, staring at me in surprise, then jerks into a sitting position, like a zombie rising from the grave. I jump back, a gasp locked in my throat. “Oh, my God, Keegan,” I complain, pressing my palm to my racing heart.
He shoves a hand through his hair. I don’t get how he keeps it so smooth looking. Men are lucky like that. I bet he washes it with the cheapest body soap. “Sorry, Aleida. You surprised me.”
“I didn’t make a sound.”
“I heard it either way,” he mutters, then throws his legs down. “What time is it?”
“Seven and something. I start at ten today.” And I make my way back into the bathroom to dig into the cabinet for a first aid kit. Kneeling in front of Keegan, I pick up gauze and reach out to clean his knuckles.
Keegan’s always been fast. I remember him playing ball with the other kids, and how fast he’d run to the goal. Everyone would cheer him on and he’d throw me a grin before we were forced back home too early. He’s always been fast, but never like this.
His hand is a blur, fingers closing tight around my wrist. I jerk back, but his hold is unrelenting, stopping my motions. My heartbeat races as I meet his eyes, pressing my brows together in question. What’s up with that? His body is all taut, as if I shocked him.
The place where we touch buzzes, vibrates as if I’d grabbed a live wire. Shivers race up my arms, down my back. I swallow hard. “Keegan?”
He releases a shuddering breath, but doesn’t let me go. “Sorry. You surprised me.”
I chew on my bottom lip, then reach for his hand with my free one. “It’s okay. It’s just me.”
Another deep breath. Keegan relaxes against the couch, elbows on his knees. I tilt my head up to maintain eye contact. He’s close, his smoky scent clinging to my lungs. Strangely, my mouth waters. I never reacted to Keegan like this, but so much has changed. We’ve grown up. He’s not the same boy I met all those years ago. His gaze rakes down my face, and it might be wishful thinking, but I swear it locks with my lips.
And it’s not even about being best friends. The greatest relationships come out of the best friendships. It’s not even about that, it’s just that... The cool guys never looked twice my way, and Keegan? I’ve never even heard of him having a girlfriend. I can’t put my hopes up just to get my heart broken. He’ll leave in a few days, and I’ll be alone and lonelier than ever.
As if reading my thoughts, he jerks his hand back. So fast it’s like he’s only now noticed he’s been holding onto me. I do my best to pretend nothing’s happened and go back to clean his wounds.
“What happened anyway?” I breathe in a whisper before blowing on his knuckles.
“Nothing,” he says.
“Nothing?” I arch an eyebrow, looking up at him. “You beat upnothinglast night?”
His lips press into a thin line. “Nothing you need to know.”
Ouch. Well, that’s the best way to push me back behind the line. To put me in my place. I shrug, though my heart squeezes in my chest. “Okay. Be mysterious then. I won’t ask again.” Keegan makes a sound in his throat, then clears it. I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. “I waited for you last night, but you didn’t show up. Did Brad let you in?”
“What?” he asks in a voice sharp as a razor.
I gape up at him. What is he so worked up for? “You got in somehow, and I didn’t open the door for you. Did Brad let you in?”
Keegan licks the corner of his mouth. It distracts me for a moment. “Met him leaving with a backpack late evening. I think he was going to stay over at his friend’s or something.”