Five Years of Fame [COMPLETE]

15. Their First Date

Winter, Year 3, Month 2

After he met Kelly, Anton started hanging around more. At first, it was under the excuse of checking in on Reeve. And his concern seemed completely genuine. But during that fall, after the three of them would sit out in the California sun, eating whatever food he had brought over, Reeve would head inside to take a nap and Anton would stick around for at least another hour until Kelly had to ask him to go so she too could get some sleep.

Even when Reeve started working again, trying to find the ground beneath her feet, there was Anton. He was running out of viable excuses to always be stopping by.

He finally found the courage after Christmas. Reeve had come home with a renewed spirit, some life had come back to her. On this particular day, the three of them had spent the cold LA afternoon looking at houses online back in Boston. When Reeve's eyes grew tired, she declared their search a bust for the night. She went up to bed. Kelly stayed behind to clean up. Anton stuck around to help out.

"So."

"Hmm."

Kelly's hum harmonized with the running water as they stood at the sink.

"I was wondering, if you know, you might want to -"

Anton's last words came out too loud. He had been compensating for the flow of water but Kelly had shut it off suddenly. She was watching the soap bubbles as they formed and then popped on the load of dishes.

"I can't."

"What? What do you mean? You don't even know what I was going to ask you."

"I do. And I was afraid it was coming."

Anton deflated, his chest slowly sinking, his near-constant smile faltering.

"I'm sorry, Anton. I can't."

"Is it because you work for Olivia? 'Cause I could ask her. I'm sure she'd be fine-"

"No. It's not that."

Kelly wanted to kick herself for letting such a perfect excuse fly right by. She had even helped it take off.

"It's been nice having you around. I've appreciated your company. But my job is my priority. Not my personal life."

Her answer was the truth and it was sincere. She let Anton see just a flicker of the regret she felt for having to say no. In other circumstances, she wasn't sure she would have even said yes. She hadn't been in a relationship since college, nothing even remotely resembling a relationship. From what she had come to know about Anton, he didn't do anything halfway. Not his music, not his career, certainly not his love life.

He took a deep breath to let her words sink. He slowly started nodding his head.

"Alright. I understand. I do. And I appreciate your honesty. Just-"

Kelly had already started in on the dishes again when Anton lay a soapy hand on her forearm.

"Just, if things ever change, if you ever reach a point when you would like to go out, will you call me?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"Only if you promise to keep things friendly and casual between us. No moon-eyes."

Anton nodded, trying to suppress a smile at the sound of the phrase 'moon-eyes' coming out of Kelly's all-too-serious expression.

"I promise."

Kelly extended a soapy hand and Anton met it with an equally soapy shake. They had an agreement.

An agreement that they both lived up to.