The man knew her well. Very well. That was proving to be very helpful. Endearing, even.
Is that a rhetorical question? It’s Monday.
She half expected him to throw in her face the fact there were only two more days in the workweek before holiday break, but the wise man held his piece.
Kelli glanced around the room and considered tidying up a bit. It was a brief lapse she recovered from quickly. Instead, she turned on the TV to watch the episode of “Ellen” she’d recorded.
Colm let himself in just as the show ended. He’d always had a key to her place—or, she should say, she’d always kept an extra key at the Collins Dorm in case she ever locked herself out. She wasn’t sure exactly when Colm had taken it from the tiny dish of “extra” keys that resided on a small table in their living room and added it to his keyring, but since it meant she didn’t have to get up and let him in, she was cool with it.
Mojo hopped up from the couch instantly, rubbing around Colm’s ankles. He’d stolen her cat, the fickle feline perfectly content with Kelli until Colm showed up. Then it was like Kelli was invisible.
His arms were laden down with Chinese take-out boxes, and she laughed when she saw him carrying an honest-to-God case of wine.
She placed her hand on her heart. “Colm. My hero.”
He tilted his head and stared at her for a second like he was waiting for something.
“What?” she asked.
“Paddy gets a marriage proposal and all he ever does is bring you a glass of wine. I’m carrying a case here, Kell. And juggling takeout.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll let you go down on me after dinner.”
“You’re a cruel, cruel woman.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
Colm carried the food and the wine into the kitchen, Mojo hot on his heels. He bent down to pick up her cat, rubbing behind Mojo’s ears, cooing ridiculous—but sweet—words to the tiny creature.
“Who’s a good kitty? Who’s the sweetest kitty in the world?” Mojo rubbed her nose against Colm’s cheek, as big a fan of his beard as Kelli was.
He put Mojo down, opening a can of cat food to put in her bowl.
Kelli considered standing up to help him dish their dinner out and pour the wine, but her body was rejecting all thoughts of movement. It really had been the day from hell. Usually she had more energy, but today had zapped every ounce of it.
He returned to the living room with two glasses of wine, setting them down on the coffee table. “Damn. You really did have a rough day.”
“Look that good, do I? Personally, I blame the fucking Elf on the Shelf.”
He grinned, though clearly confused. “Why’s that?”
“Parents put those things out in December with the threat that Santa has eyes and ears everywhere in the home. So the little bastards get their shitty behavior out with me so they can look like angels at home. Next year, I’m putting an elf on the freaking bookshelf in the classroom in September and telling them my elf is the Head Elf and his word is law with Santa.”
“A dastardly plan. I like it.”
“Plus, today was the holiday open house, so all the parents showed up,” she called out as Colm returned to the kitchen. The two rooms were connected with an open island separating them, so she could still see him, still talk to him as he rummaged around for plates, forks, and napkins.
“Do you know how exhausting it is to smile and be pleasant all fucking day?”
Colm was grinning when he returned with the food. Rather than claim one of the empty chairs, he plopped down right next to her on the couch, bending forward to give her a quick kiss.
“It sounds absolutely terrible,” he said, commiserating just enough that she knew he was half serious, half teasing. Which for her was actually the right mix.
Somewhere along the line, they’d fallen into a nightly routine where they ate dinner together in the living room after work, watching the local news or some repeat of a sitcom, like they were an old couple who’d been married for a hundred years. Then, they either went for a walk along the waterfront or to the pub or…more often, straight to her bedroom, where they spent hours tangled up together doing the naked mambo before falling asleep, only to wake up the next morning for a rinse and repeat of the previous day.
Kelli would have thought such an existence would bore her by now, but the truth was, she loved it. Loved not eating and sleeping alone. Loved having someone to bitch about her day with. Loved listening to him gripe and groan about his.
“Two more days. Just two more days,” she said, picking up the plate of sesame chicken he’d dished out for her. “And then I’m free for two whole weeks.”
“Yeah. You are.” Colm started eating his Mongolian beef, falling uncharacteristically quiet. Typically, he was talking her ear off about work or his current case or sharing the latest in Caitlyn’s morning sickness saga. The poor woman couldn’t hold anything down until early afternoon. According to Colm, his cousin had discovered a completely new shade of green whenever he described Caitlyn’s complexion just before her mad dash to the office bathroom.
But today…nothing.
“You okay?” she asked, putting her plate down when it became obvious something was bothering him. He wasn’t looking at her, but he wasn’t watching TV either. Instead, he seemed very deep in thought.
Colm sighed. “What are we doing, Kell?”
“Eating Chinese?”
He gave her a “really?” look that confused her even more than his question.
“What do you mean?”
“What is this? Between us?”
Shit. She was suddenly sorry she’d asked. It was easy to just roll with whatever this was as long as they didn’t discuss it, or define it.
She’d sworn off men and dating back in October, and at the time, she’d meant that vow with every fiber of her
