Reckless by S.C. Stephens

Kiera.”
    I held her back just as tight, holding in my own tears. “Stop, you’re going to make me cry,” I warbled. She released me, and I rubbed her shoulder. “And I’m not
going anywhere yet. I still have to work tomorrow, remember?”
    Jenny sniffed and swiped her fingers under her eyes. “I know. I just . . . I hate goodbyes.”
    I swallowed the lump in my throat as I watched Jenny let out a slow, controlled exhale. “It’s not goodbye yet. And I’ll be back.”
    Jenny brightened as she swished her hand. “Oh, I know you will. Besides, I’ll be visiting you guys whenever I can.” Her sudden grin was exhilarant; it matched the glow of her
platinum hair. “There is one good thing about you leaving Pete’s, though.”
    Not quite sure what that could be, I gave her a blank expression. Jenny bounced on her toes and exclaimed, “We get to throw you a party tomorrow night!”
    I cringed. I really didn’t want to be the center of attention at a going-away party. Seeing my reaction, Jenny schooled her features. “Oh, don’t worry. We’ll keep it real
low-key. Just some cake in the back room.”
    Somehow, I was sure that wouldn’t be the case.
    Driving back to my empty home in Kellan’s Chevelle, I was suddenly struck with loneliness. Kellan had only been gone for a couple of weeks, but it felt like forever. Our little white
two-story house looked cold and uninviting as I approached it. There was just something about Kellan being here that made the house seem alive. His energy filled it with life, with music.
    As I unlocked the door, I dug in my bag for my phone. It was late, but it probably wouldn’t be too late. Kellan was sort of a night owl. He was also an early riser, so if I did miss him, I
wouldn’t have to wait too long to hear his sultry voice.
    I closed and relocked the door as I dialed his number. He picked up almost instantly. “Hey, you. How did you know I was thinking about you?”
    I laughed at his greeting. “Because you’re always thinking about me.”
    “Very true,” he husked. “I miss you. Are you coming up soon?”
    My smile was blissful as I hung up my bag and jacket. “Anna and I will be on a plane Friday morning.” Anna had taken the Fourth of July holiday weekend off of work so she could
safely deliver me to Los Angeles. Surprisingly, it had been Dad’s idea. But Anna was up for any sort of adventure and had eagerly agreed. In fact, she would have put us on a red-eye right
after I finished at Pete’s tomorrow, but she had a very important doctor’s appointment the next day.
    “Good. I’ve been prepping our room. You’re gonna love it.”
    My grin got even wider. “Our room?”
    “Yep.” I heard the sounds of other people laughing and wondered who else was awake at this hour. “And, I’m not sure if I mentioned this or not, but bring your suit. The
house has a pool.”
    Kellan and the band were staying at a house that the record label owned. From what Kellan had told me about it so far, it was nice, so I wasn’t too surprised that it had a pool. It seemed
like pools were a lot more common in California than they were in Washington. We had espresso stands on every corner; they had pools in every backyard.
    Trudging upstairs, I told Kellan how excited I was to join him. Staying at this house by myself was a little scary at times. I’d even gotten into the habit of writing in bed until the
early hours of the morning; immersing myself in my romantic memoir stopped me from thinking about the possibility that a boogeyman was lurking in the closet. Having Kellan verbally tuck me into bed
also helped to ease those late-night fears. His voice always had a soothing effect on me. Well, perhaps “soothing” wasn’t the best word. While his voice always affected me, there
were definitely times when the sultry sound that came out of his mouth was anything but relaxing.
    With the phone glued to my ear, I got ready for bed. Because I missed him, I threw on a shirt