Forced to have the Player's Kid (Book One of The Great Age Plague Series)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Hey," I said as I answered the door, seeing a shivering Keon out in the cold. I felt a tugging at my heartstrings, but then shook my head to clear out the feelings. No more drama. Maybe today I could simply have fun with my new.... friend.

"Hey, look I'm so--" I held my hand up, casing Keon to silence instantly. Like me, I knew he didn't even really like talking in the first place, much less admitting mistakes and apologizing. He gave me a grateful half-smile, but his steely blue eyes watched me hesitantly.

"Let's just forget about it, okay? I have too much going on right now to worry about that kind of stuff. Do you just wanna... I don't know... watch Disney movies or study for class or something?" I asked. Keon's smile grew, exposing his lip ring I hadn't noticed he was biting the entire time. When Keon nodded, I reached across him to shut the door, took his hand, and led him into the back yard.

After running upstairs to grab my books and tell Josh he was welcome to join us (note that the arrogant prick only smirked and told me have fun but not to get pregnant again), I joined Keon on the back patio overlooking the ocean. Handing him a knit blanket, we both settled at the deck table with my Adult Living book and his notebook. We both had that class at different hours and thought maybe it would be a good time to study for the test on Friday, since, being nerds, we had both already did our homework due the next day.

"I wonder if Josh even completed the essay yet," I said casually, snuggling up in my soft blanket. Keon chuckled and began writing up the note cards.

"Well, bare in mind Josh actually has a social life and works out a lot. Unlike us," said Keon, making me laugh. It was true, I hadn't even lifted weights in over a year. Even before the pregnancy a little bit of belly pudge was forming, but I had never really worried about this because my mom used to be chunky and I always thought she was beautiful. Well, before the plague she was chunky. Images of my mom on the scale complaining about her thighs came flashing in my mind, and before I knew it my smile disappeared and I was fiddling with the note card nervously.

Keon must have noticed my change of mood, so he took a break from writing note cards to eye me calmly yet with concern, his blue eyes probing my face. I looked up to meet his eyes and noticed they were the same color as the ocean on that cool, dreary day-- grey, light blue, and, unfortunately, a little bit lifeless despite rolling across my face the way the waves rolled toward the mansion. Shaking my head, I looked back down shyly. It was hard for me to make eye contact sometimes. Being able to see that side of a person while simultaneously revealing my own thoughts made my knees quake. Too vulnerable.

"Something wrong?" asked Keon, as if reading my mind. With a sigh, I pushed away my anxiety and made the executive decision to be honest. I didn't have a lot of people left in this world I could trust; at least with Keon, I could begin building something.

"Just missing my mom. It hits me sometimes, out of nowhere," I confessed. My eyes found their way toward the ocean, and the rolling of the waves hypnotized me, calming those fluttery parts in my chest.

"Yeah, I understand... To an extent, I suppose, um," Keon said, his eyes joining mine before gazing out at the ocean as well. Sparing a glance, I could see the reflection of the grey waves rolling around his blue eyes, and in that moment, I swear, I could feel a push and pull toward him. Josh may have been the stars to me, shining bright above-- so close, yet to unreachable-- but Keon was the ocean. Keon was deep and mysterious, yet full of a cold, tumultuous kind of life that drew you to him. Both men were equally confusing, terrifying, and beautiful in a way.

"You suppose?" I said, returning to the conversation to distract myself from my thoughts. Keon shrugged, looked down, and played with his hands, before glancing back up at me, then back to the ocean, nervousness taking over his micro movements.