Shay woke up the sound of Chance whining for her attention. "What do you want, baby boy?" She asked, still half asleep. That's when she heard the knock at her door. "Aahh. that's what." She crawled out of bed and threw on a pair of shorts and walked out of her bedroom, to the front door. She opened it to find a sweat drenched and panicky Kellen standing on the porch.
"Took you long enough!" He said as he walked into the house.
"Dude, you have a key. Use it." Shay rubbed her eyes against the glare of the morning sun. "What time is it?"
"Almost eight. You slept in later than usual." Kellen said as he headed for the kitchen. "Can I make breakfast?"
"Mm, coffee first, then food." Shay said with a yawn. "Why are you wet?" she asked
"It's sweat, I jogged here." Kellen said, pulling the coffee and starting a pot.
"Dude, you live across town!"
"Yeah but Henry lives like a mile from here."
"Oh. Well where is he this morning?"
"Umm." Kellen looked down at the coffee pitcher in his hands. "Probably just now realizing that I left while he was in the shower."
Shay gasped. "Honey no. You didn't. What happened?"
"I told Henry I loved him this morning, I-I-It just slipped."
Shays eyes widened. "Oh, Oh damn."
Kellen put a pan on the stove and let it warm up and put bacon on to cook. "We were laying in bed watching T.V. and he was reciting lines from the show. I was laughing at him and then it just came out. We both went wide eyed and then he kissed me and said he was going to go take a shower."
Shay waited a few seconds for him to continue, and when he didn't she ask "and then what?"
"And then I left. I ran here. And you took a long ass time answering the door." he said as he flipped the bacon.
"Okay pause, is your car still at Henry's?"
"No, we drove together last night because we were staying at his place. So I left my car at home."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know Shay."
Shay got up and grabbed a carton of eggs and another pan. As she started the eggs she looked over at Kellen. The pain and confusion on Kellen's face tugged at Shay. "Honey, listen to me. You gotta make a decision. You need to think about what you want from Henry. If you can't do a relationship, that is okay, but you gotta tell him. But if you want this boy, you're gonna have to take a leap of faith. You're gonna have to risk your heart before you can have his. I know it's scary, but you gotta figure out what it is that you want and go from there."
"I want him. I do. But what if it turns out like the last time?"
"Then we do what we did last time. Honey, you're not alone. But if you don't take that chance you're gonna wonder about it. If you let him go without trying, you're gonna regret it."
"How do I fix this? He probably hates me now since I dipped out."
"No. I imagine he's just confused and scared like you. Give him a call after breakfast, just take a breath and eat, then handle that. One thing at a time."
Kellen nodded his head as he took the bacon off the pan and put it on a plate. He turned towards the counter and grabbed the bread. "Want toast?" he asked as he grabbed himself two slices.
"Yeah two please." Shay answered as she took the eggs off the stove. They sat and ate as they talked about the bachelorette party the night before. Once breakfast was done, Shay grabbed the plates and put them in the sink. "Do you want a ride over there?" Shay asked
"Yes please. I'd appreciate it. I'm gonna call him real quick and let him know I'm on my way over to talk to him about my disappearing act." Kellen said as he got up from the table.
"Sounds good. Just let me know when you're ready."
As Shay started the dishes, Kellen came running back into the kitchen. "He just pulled into the driveway!"
"Are you gonna answer the door?"
"Are you crazy? What if he's mad?"
"Kellen James. Would you be happy if someone told you they loved you and then dipped out as soon as you left the room? Of course he's not fucking happy! Grow a pair and answer the door. And if he smacks you, just know I support it."
Kellen gave her a pouting glare and walked to the door. He opened it and Shay peaked around the corner. Henry's eyes were wide as he saw Kellen was who opened the door.
"'Y-you forgot your keys at my house, I was just gonna drop them off with Shay. I didn't know that you'd be here."
"Thank you, I was going to come back after I left here. Can we step out and talk?"
"Sure."
Shay went back to the dishes and finished them up before going to hop in the shower. As she turned on the water and got undressed her phone beeped as a text came through. She opened it to see a message from Lilly.
Lilly: Good morning sunshine!
Shay smiled as she read the text and responded: Hey you. How'd you sleep?
Lilly: Just having some morning coffee before I get ready. Definitely needing some go-go juice this morning. Lol.
Shay sent a laughing emoji before hopping in the shower. When she got out she got dressed and went to the living to check on Kellen and Henry. They were still outside talking. She watched them for a few seconds and smiled as they hugged. Kellen kissed Henry on the forehead and Henry walked back to his car. Kellen opened the front door and Shay gave him a smile. "How did it go?" She asked.
"He understood why I freaked out. I explained everything and told him I wanted to give him and I a chance."
"What did he say?"
"He said he would like that and we can talk more about it over lunch."
"Well good. You better be buying."
"Whose side are you on woman?"
"Believe it or not, I'm your side babes. I just don't want you doing something you'll regret later. I can see you like him, otherwise you wouldn't have been spending almost every day around him. And running off like that is a sure way to make him not be around."
"I know, I just panicked and I told him that I panicked and he understood. I just wanted to come in and tell you I'm heading back to his house so he can get dressed and then we are going to lunch."
"Okay honey, go have your fairytale ending for the both of us. I have errands to run before work before I meet Lilly for dinner anyways."
Kellen stopped in his tracks. "Lilly? As in Henry's sister's best friend Lilly?"
"Yep. She wants to have dinner today."
Kellen bounced up and down like a little kid. "I WAS RIGHT!" He yelled in excitement.
"Dude it's just dinner, chill out."
"Natalie saw Lilly put her number in your phone last night. And we had a bet as to how long it would be for you two to go out on a date. I bet today for lunch or dinner, Henry said tomorrow and Natalie said she would be surprised if yall didnt go home together last night."
"Man y'all are something else. Yes we are having dinner." Shay said as she pulled out her phone.
Lilly: Still on for seven?
Shay: Perfect. See you then.
L: What should I wear?
S: Something casual will be perfect.
Kellen laughed. "You have fun. Let me know how it goes."
"Again, it's just dinner."
"Again, let me know how it goes." Kellen said as he walked out the door.
Shay went to her room and put her makeup on and fixed her hair for work. She decided on a black ruffle short sleeve crew neck, a pair of dark blue jeans and black sneakers.
Shay drove around town for a few hours picking up some new icing tips she needed for the store and picked up the ingredients for tonight's dinner and then headed to work. She spent the day focusing on orders and researching cake ideas for a wedding request. She did her best to not focus on the upcoming events for tonight. But occasionally she let her mind wander to what Lily may wear for tonight. She could hardly believe Lilly would look any less beautiful in a pair of jeans than she did in the dress she wore last night. Shay developed an aching feeling between her legs. God, that dress. She thought. Shay closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the memory for a moment before looking up and seeing it was 5:15. She saved her research and got up and cleared her prep station and closed the store. She grabbed her dinner ingredients out of her office fridge and headed home.
She texted Lily and asked if she liked wine.
Lilly: I'm a sucker for pink moscato.
Mmmm. Noted. She thought. On her way home she stopped at Abby's bottles and brews to pick up a bottle. As she got home she let the boys outside and set her kitchen up to cook. She set the oven to 425 degrees and got to work preparing the salmon. She laid it on the baking sheet and lightly coated the fish with olive oil. She sprinkled a little bit of pepper and a generous amount of everything bagel seasoning. She sliced a lemon into thin slices and arranged them around the salmon. She popped in the oven and turn to wash her hands before starting on the broccoli. She looked at the clock and it was a little after 6. She put a skillet on the stove and let it warm up. dropped her fresh green beans, butter and minced garlic into the pan and cooked on a low heat, turning the beans every few minutes. Once the beans were done she opened the oven and checked on the salmon. It was cooking nicely, but still needed a few more minutes. The aroma of the everything seasoning and lemon filled the kitchen and made her mouth water. She flipped the beans one more time before adding shredded parmesan and a little bit of salt and pepper. She covered the pan to keep them warm while waiting on the salmon to finish up. There was a knock at the door. Shay opened the door to find Lily. She wore a simple cream colored shirt with a pair of faded ripped jeans white tennis shoes. Her wavy hair fell around her shoulders. Did she get highlights? Shay wondered. As Shay stood there staring she heard Lily laugh.
"You don't look so bad yourself, stranger."
"Uh hum, sorry. Please come in. You look fantastic." Shay responded
Lilly followed Shay to the kitchen. "Mmmm. That smells amazing. What's for dinner?" Lilly asked.
Shay smiled. "Everything bagel salmon and garlic parmesan green beans. And also..." Shay reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle from the bag she got from Abby's. "Pink moscato"
Lily's eyes widened. "You really outdid yourself Shay."
Shay grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and set them on the table and poured them both a glass of wine. "I'm glad you like it. Salmon should be done about now." She pulled the salmon out of the oven and checked it. Perfect. She thought. She put one filet on each plate and added the green beans. She sat one plate in front of Lily and sat down across from her with her own plate.
Lily immediately tried the salmon. "Oh my god, this is fantastic! When they say everything seasoning goes on everything, they mean everything!"
Shay laughed out loud and took a bite of her own. It really was delicious. She waited for Lily to finish her bite and take a drink. "So what did you want to pick my brain about?" Shay asked.
"Honestly I just wanted a reason to see you again."
"Oh yeah?" Shay raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah. You're cute when you're nervous."
Shay rolled her eyes but Lily winked when she saw her smile.
"And what makes you think I'm nervous?" Shay asked.
"Well if i did notice how you forgot what you were doing when you opened the door a minute ago."
"Can I not simply admire a beautiful woman on my doorstep?"
"Hmm. I suppose there's no harm in that."