Emmett disappeared into the house and began to dish up dinner.
Ten minutes later, while his phone buzzed irritably in his pocket, he made his way carefully over his driveway, up over the planter and through the rose hedge, across the ragged lawn, and into the entryway that still had an army’s worth of spiders keeping guard.
His hands were full of dished-up dinner and dessert.
And he had a rose between his teeth.
Keegan threw open the door. “It’s about ti…. Oh.”
Emmett grinned wickedly through the rose and looked at his laden arms.
“Oh, geez—I don’t know what to grab! Here. The plate with the cookies, and the rose….”
Oh, that was better. Emmett had the platter of pork chops and the bowl with a simple salad in a soft-sided ice chest dangling from his arm, and now he could use both hands.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Keegan grimaced, then turned around and shouted into what was probably the kitchen. “You assholes had better clean your shit off the table in about two minutes, or I’m swiping it all into the trash can, capiche?” Then he turned to Emmett, shaking his head. “Man, you asked for it.”
Emmett nodded. “I certainly did.”
Keegan managed to wipe off the table while Emmett put the insulated chest on the counter and pulled out dinner. In the meantime, two guys built like linebackers and one with the delicate build of a dancer kept walking through the kitchen going, “Hey, that smells good. Is there enough for everybody? Cookies? Kee, make your friend share!”
“Hands off, moochers,” Keegan muttered, scowling at them all until they rolled their eyes at him and left. “I’ve been waiting all day for this.”
Finally they were situated, complete with the cloth napkins that Emmett had picked up from Pier 1 that day, and the little placemats too. Emmett put the rose in a glass, so it could sit on the table, and the roommates had apparently retreated to their separate bedrooms, where they were all watching their own television or computer, with the volume at full blast.
Emmett listened to the cacophony and remembered how Flora used to adapt whatever she’d been planning for dinner or a holiday to include him.
It was time for Emmett to adapt.
“So,” Keegan said, trying not to look too embarrassed, “you’ve done it. The grand romantic gesture. And I have to admit—” He took a bite of his pork chop. “—it’s not bad. So what was the meaning of all of this?”
At that point, one of the linebacker roommates wandered down the stairs. “Kee, we got any milk?”
Emmett sighed. “Look, man, I’ll give you a cookie if you just go away.”
“Yeah, but do we have any milk to go with that?”
Keegan shrugged weakly.
“I don’t know,” Emmett said, giving up. “It’s your refrigerator.”
“Yeah, but the milk in there is expired.”
“ Take the fucking cookie and go !”
“Okay okay, touchy! Man, I hope you’re not that loud in bed! That’s embarrassing!”
Emmett turned toward Keegan, who was now laughing helplessly on the table. Well, now Emmett knew. He knew why Keegan had pushed his way into Emmett’s life, and he knew why he was not that impressed with families.
And he definitely knew what he had to do.
“Kee?”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s eat dinner, grab your stuff, and go over to my place.”
“Oh my God, thank you.”
“For permanent.”
“Oh Jesus, really?” Keegan leaped up from the table and ran into his arms. Behind him, the roommate wandered disconsolately to the table and started picking at Keegan’s dinner.
“Oh my God, yes !”
They left everything there. Emmett had made enough for leftovers, and they ate that , in peace, over Emmett’s counter, a duffel bag of Keegan’s first round of clothes sitting on the floor in the kitchen.
After Keegan took his last bite of succulent pork chop, closing his eyes in appreciation, he said, “Did you mean to ask me to live with you on the first date?”
“Mmmno,”
Ten minutes later, while his phone buzzed irritably in his pocket, he made his way carefully over his driveway, up over the planter and through the rose hedge, across the ragged lawn, and into the entryway that still had an army’s worth of spiders keeping guard.
His hands were full of dished-up dinner and dessert.
And he had a rose between his teeth.
Keegan threw open the door. “It’s about ti…. Oh.”
Emmett grinned wickedly through the rose and looked at his laden arms.
“Oh, geez—I don’t know what to grab! Here. The plate with the cookies, and the rose….”
Oh, that was better. Emmett had the platter of pork chops and the bowl with a simple salad in a soft-sided ice chest dangling from his arm, and now he could use both hands.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Keegan grimaced, then turned around and shouted into what was probably the kitchen. “You assholes had better clean your shit off the table in about two minutes, or I’m swiping it all into the trash can, capiche?” Then he turned to Emmett, shaking his head. “Man, you asked for it.”
Emmett nodded. “I certainly did.”
Keegan managed to wipe off the table while Emmett put the insulated chest on the counter and pulled out dinner. In the meantime, two guys built like linebackers and one with the delicate build of a dancer kept walking through the kitchen going, “Hey, that smells good. Is there enough for everybody? Cookies? Kee, make your friend share!”
“Hands off, moochers,” Keegan muttered, scowling at them all until they rolled their eyes at him and left. “I’ve been waiting all day for this.”
Finally they were situated, complete with the cloth napkins that Emmett had picked up from Pier 1 that day, and the little placemats too. Emmett put the rose in a glass, so it could sit on the table, and the roommates had apparently retreated to their separate bedrooms, where they were all watching their own television or computer, with the volume at full blast.
Emmett listened to the cacophony and remembered how Flora used to adapt whatever she’d been planning for dinner or a holiday to include him.
It was time for Emmett to adapt.
“So,” Keegan said, trying not to look too embarrassed, “you’ve done it. The grand romantic gesture. And I have to admit—” He took a bite of his pork chop. “—it’s not bad. So what was the meaning of all of this?”
At that point, one of the linebacker roommates wandered down the stairs. “Kee, we got any milk?”
Emmett sighed. “Look, man, I’ll give you a cookie if you just go away.”
“Yeah, but do we have any milk to go with that?”
Keegan shrugged weakly.
“I don’t know,” Emmett said, giving up. “It’s your refrigerator.”
“Yeah, but the milk in there is expired.”
“ Take the fucking cookie and go !”
“Okay okay, touchy! Man, I hope you’re not that loud in bed! That’s embarrassing!”
Emmett turned toward Keegan, who was now laughing helplessly on the table. Well, now Emmett knew. He knew why Keegan had pushed his way into Emmett’s life, and he knew why he was not that impressed with families.
And he definitely knew what he had to do.
“Kee?”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s eat dinner, grab your stuff, and go over to my place.”
“Oh my God, thank you.”
“For permanent.”
“Oh Jesus, really?” Keegan leaped up from the table and ran into his arms. Behind him, the roommate wandered disconsolately to the table and started picking at Keegan’s dinner.
“Oh my God, yes !”
They left everything there. Emmett had made enough for leftovers, and they ate that , in peace, over Emmett’s counter, a duffel bag of Keegan’s first round of clothes sitting on the floor in the kitchen.
After Keegan took his last bite of succulent pork chop, closing his eyes in appreciation, he said, “Did you mean to ask me to live with you on the first date?”
“Mmmno,”
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