“Yes, Si, I got your peppers. And don’t come whining to me when ya ass is burning.”
“Oh hush.” I laughed.
“So, you want to finish The Haunting of Hill House?” He asked.
“What episode are you on?”
“Where we left off, together.” We both stared at each other for a moment. That small detail communicated more than either of us wanted to admit. Despite everything, neither of us had kept going without the other.
After washing my hands, I plated both our plates with chicken and fries. We cozied up on the couch watching television like the last two weeks hadn’t nearly broken whatever this was between us. And I get it. Two weeks to some may seem like nothing, but to me, it felt like a lifetime.
Kier looked more relaxed than he did in the parking garage the other day. He was less defensive and less tense. Every now and then, I’d catch him looking at me for a second too long before focusing back on his food.
“You still ain’t answer my question,” he said eventually.
“I told you, Kier, you have to let all the episodes play out to understand how they tie together. I’m telling you, Haunting of Hill House is a masterpiece.”
“Si, really? I’m not talking about Hill House,” he said, pausing it on the TV. “You a nerd.” He shook his head.
“Oh, then what question?”
“When are you coming back outside with me?”
I rolled my eyes softly. “Kier…”
“What, Si? Summer not over.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “It is literally the middle of September.”
“No,” he corrected calmly. “Summer over September 21st. I looked it up.”
“Kier!” I fell out laughing, and he joined in. “Why would you look that up?”
He stood eventually, carrying both our plates toward the kitchenette while I watched him.
“Because the only thing more important to you than horror is keeping your word. So you said you’d spend the summer with me. We got six days left, but I wanna know if we can extend our arrangement for an additional two weeks.”
“And why is that?”
“Well, for one, you ghosted a nigga so you have to make that time up. And I got an award show next weekend,” he said over his shoulder. “Kaori up for Song of the Year.”
“Congratulations! That’s big.”
“It is.” He turned toward me. “I want you with me Sibley.”
I looked down into my wine glass for a second before answering. “You sure that’s smart?”
“See,” he said, walking back toward me slowly. “That’s your problem right there.”
I glanced up at him, shrugging and shaking my head.
“You still trying to decide if you fit in my life instead of realizing I created a place for you in it.”
Kier stopped directly in front of me then, close enough for me to smell his cologne again, close enough for me to remember exactly how it felt standing against him.
“For once, Si, let your heart lead, not your mind.”
And somehow that almost made me emotional all over again. Kier grabbed us a blanket and pressed play on the remote. For the first time in weeks, I stopped fighting myself long enoughto just feel him. I snuggled up against him while he watched the show. While resting on his chest, I listened to his heartbeat. Then I closed my eyes and tried to, for once, listen to mine.
