Brendan.”
A pair of locks disengaged and the door cracked open to reveal a very sleepy woman’s face. Her eyes squinted against the midday sunlight. The room beyond her was dark.
“Sorry to wake you up .”
“ No problem. Someone already beat you to it,” Kim mumbled, drawing the door inwards and shuffling away. “Come on in.”
Brendan stepped through the door and closed it behind him. Thick curtains kept out most of the light, but enough leaked around the fabric to reveal a third occupant in the modest apartment.
“Are you following me?” he asked the woman decked out in running gear.
“I got here first,” Casey pointed out, “so I should be asking you that same question.”
“Right.”
Kim, wearing a t-shirt and gym shorts, disappeared into the bathroom and reappeared wearing a long cotton bathrobe. While she fumbled with the coffeemaker, Brendan looked around.
The small apartment was essentially one big open living area that served as kitchen, living room, and bedroom. The only door led to a small bathroom that featured a shower stall, a sink, and a toilet. Next to the bed, a pair of matching old armoires loomed, probably containing the remainder of Kim’s clothes that weren’t strewn all over the place.
“Sorry for the mess,” Kim called over her shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Brendan said. “I should’ve called first.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. I turn my phone off after I work a late shift.”
Brendan took a seat on the small sofa situated in the middle of the living space. The sofa faced the two big windows, between which stood a small media console and a medium-sized flat screen TV. Brendan couldn’t see a cable box, but a PlayStation 3 sat on a shelf under the TV.
“Why are you here, anyway?” Casey asked, pulling up a small plastic chair from Kim’s desk. Her skin gleamed with a sheen of fresh sweat.
Kim wandered over and sat next to Brendan on the sofa, now tightly clutching a mug of coffee.
“Honestly, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go,” he explained.
“Glad I’m your last resort,” Kim said as she sipped at the piping hot caffeine fix. When she caught Brendan watching her, she added, “Oh my gosh, how rude. I didn’t offer you any.”
Kim started to get up, but Brendan put a hand on her shoulder and gently ushered her back down.
“I’ll grab some if I want some,” he assured her. “No problem.”
Casey muttered something and went to get a drink from the kitchen.
Other than the different color of eyes, Kim was a carbon copy of her older sister. The resemblance resurfaced the surprise Brendan had felt waking up next to Michelle’s naked body that morning.
Damn, had it just been that morning? It was unreal how slow ly time moved when things went rough, yet good times shot by in an instant.
Trying to remain cognizant of appearances, Brendan asked if it would be okay to crack the blinds open. If Kim’s mom showed up and found the three of them sitting around in the dark, with Kim wearing her pajamas, who knew what rumors could result? As if things weren’t interesting enough already, or, maybe it was merely wishful thinking on his part.
When Kim agreed, Brendan drew back the curtains and fumbled with the rod that twisted to operate the blinds. A gear or something was stripped inside the mechanism, so the rod freely spun in his hand. He looked back to Kim for some helpful hints, but she grinned and gave up nothing. At a loss, Brendan grabbed the drawstring and yanked down on it, pulling the blinds halfway up the window.
He turned back around and Kim gasped.
“What is it?” He stepped towards her quickly and sat down next to her.
She reached out and gingerly touched his face.
“I forgot you’d been in a fight,” she said absently, preoccupied with examining his healing wounds.
“You should see the other guys .”
Kim shot him a skeptical
A pair of locks disengaged and the door cracked open to reveal a very sleepy woman’s face. Her eyes squinted against the midday sunlight. The room beyond her was dark.
“Sorry to wake you up .”
“ No problem. Someone already beat you to it,” Kim mumbled, drawing the door inwards and shuffling away. “Come on in.”
Brendan stepped through the door and closed it behind him. Thick curtains kept out most of the light, but enough leaked around the fabric to reveal a third occupant in the modest apartment.
“Are you following me?” he asked the woman decked out in running gear.
“I got here first,” Casey pointed out, “so I should be asking you that same question.”
“Right.”
Kim, wearing a t-shirt and gym shorts, disappeared into the bathroom and reappeared wearing a long cotton bathrobe. While she fumbled with the coffeemaker, Brendan looked around.
The small apartment was essentially one big open living area that served as kitchen, living room, and bedroom. The only door led to a small bathroom that featured a shower stall, a sink, and a toilet. Next to the bed, a pair of matching old armoires loomed, probably containing the remainder of Kim’s clothes that weren’t strewn all over the place.
“Sorry for the mess,” Kim called over her shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Brendan said. “I should’ve called first.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. I turn my phone off after I work a late shift.”
Brendan took a seat on the small sofa situated in the middle of the living space. The sofa faced the two big windows, between which stood a small media console and a medium-sized flat screen TV. Brendan couldn’t see a cable box, but a PlayStation 3 sat on a shelf under the TV.
“Why are you here, anyway?” Casey asked, pulling up a small plastic chair from Kim’s desk. Her skin gleamed with a sheen of fresh sweat.
Kim wandered over and sat next to Brendan on the sofa, now tightly clutching a mug of coffee.
“Honestly, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go,” he explained.
“Glad I’m your last resort,” Kim said as she sipped at the piping hot caffeine fix. When she caught Brendan watching her, she added, “Oh my gosh, how rude. I didn’t offer you any.”
Kim started to get up, but Brendan put a hand on her shoulder and gently ushered her back down.
“I’ll grab some if I want some,” he assured her. “No problem.”
Casey muttered something and went to get a drink from the kitchen.
Other than the different color of eyes, Kim was a carbon copy of her older sister. The resemblance resurfaced the surprise Brendan had felt waking up next to Michelle’s naked body that morning.
Damn, had it just been that morning? It was unreal how slow ly time moved when things went rough, yet good times shot by in an instant.
Trying to remain cognizant of appearances, Brendan asked if it would be okay to crack the blinds open. If Kim’s mom showed up and found the three of them sitting around in the dark, with Kim wearing her pajamas, who knew what rumors could result? As if things weren’t interesting enough already, or, maybe it was merely wishful thinking on his part.
When Kim agreed, Brendan drew back the curtains and fumbled with the rod that twisted to operate the blinds. A gear or something was stripped inside the mechanism, so the rod freely spun in his hand. He looked back to Kim for some helpful hints, but she grinned and gave up nothing. At a loss, Brendan grabbed the drawstring and yanked down on it, pulling the blinds halfway up the window.
He turned back around and Kim gasped.
“What is it?” He stepped towards her quickly and sat down next to her.
She reached out and gingerly touched his face.
“I forgot you’d been in a fight,” she said absently, preoccupied with examining his healing wounds.
“You should see the other guys .”
Kim shot him a skeptical
Similar Books
