Hostage

Bonus Chapter II

Keenan's POV

She was in a robe.

She was staring at me, cheeks tainted red, her mouth hanging slightly open.

I could smell the soap on her skin, the banana shampoo in her hair which was still damp. I could tell she had just taken a shower.

Made a lot of sense why she didn't pick up when the receptionist called.

Seven months and she was still the same.

Yes, her hair was shorter now, but she was still my Kimberly. Still the same shy, brown eyed girl that had walked into my office that day.

And it was overwhelming, seeing her after all this time.

Finally seeing her after all this time.

I was itching to touch her.

To reach out to her and touch her, to hug her, to pull her close and tell her that I had missed her.

But doing that right now would have been extremely awkward considering the time that we had spent apart.

I could tell that she was holding her breath. I could tell that she was waiting for me to say something, anything to ease the tension. I could feel the anxiety steaming off her, the tension between us causing a tingling sensation on the palms of my hands and on the skin behind my neck.
I drew in a deep breath and then lowered my gaze, flicking my tongue quickly over my lower lip.

"I," I breathed. "I hope I'm not too late." I started. I wanted to tell her to breathe but it might have embarrassed her. So I drew in a deep breath and then exhaled, hoping that she would catch on and mirror my movements.

At first she didn't.

But then after a moment that seemed like forever, she drew in a deep breath and then exhaled softly.

"H-Hi. Hey." Hearing her voice again sparked something in me that I couldn't explain. "Hey." She breathed again, softer this time, offering me a small smile. And like a moth drawn to a flame, I wanted to be closer to her. But I could only stare at her from where I stood, watching her appear so close, but yet so far.

She, who was mine, but wasn't really mine if that made any sense.

I realized that time apart had been worth it.

I had needed it.

Needed the time to heal, to gain control over my life again.

It was the only reason why I was able to face her today, to stand before her and not be a complete and utter mess.

"Keenan," She breathed. "You're here." I could see her chest heaving heavily as she took a step backwards, opening the door a bit wider, offering me a silent invitation. I could hear the tremble in her voice . It was almost as evident as the the sight of her hands shaking as she held on tightly to the doorknob.

She was nervous.

I took a step inside and then another, my hand accidentally brushing against hers as I walked past her. I heard her inhale sharply and then I heard the door shut softly behind me.

For a moment, silence dominated.

It was piercing white noise against my ears, and it was squeezing the oxygen right out of the room, screaming out for me to say something.

"I didn't think you were going to come." She started softly, breaking the silence, causing me to turn around. "I mean," She continued, fidgeting with the sleeves of her robe. "I'm glad you're here but I didn't think you would show up but you're here." She said, her voice thinning. "Uhm... you should sit." She said, motioning to the bed. "You can sit." She added quickly before she bit down on her lower lip.