Keith’s POV
I slam my phone to the couch and startle Keaton on my laps. He looks at me for a second then turn to the TV again. Stupid Blake! She broke up with me because I didn’t want to sleep with her. She’s been asking for it since we started dating few months ago. Screw that stupid doll! I can find another girlfriend!
“Keith!” Kennedy screams my name.
“What?!” I bark.
“Dad asks if you want Chinese food.” She rolls her eyes to her phone.
“Yeah.” I shrug.
Dad, Kennedy and I have the same temper. We regularly annoy each other with our savage attitude but Kennedy is more tolerable than dad. Kennedy is talking to dad on her phone while playing with Kat. At least Kennedy never bothers Kat the way she bothers me.
“Dad is going to buy Chow Mein for dinner.” Kennedy talks to Katherine.
“That’s it?” I ask her.
“Duh! Orange Chicken, too.” She rolls her eyes at me.
My phone buzzes. I bet it is Blake, regretting all the things she said.
Michael
Where r u?
Me
Home
Michael
Dude, it’s Saturday
ME
Dad won’t let me out
Michael
Babysit?
Me
Finals week
Sometimes I do think that my best friend is a real idiot. We have to take our final exam tomorrow, and he is still not taking it seriously. We plan to go to college. Though I got accepted to both NYU and UCLA, I only told my dad that I got to UCLA. I still don't know where I'm going to be honest.
Keaton seems to enjoy Tom being dumbfounded by Jerry. He points his finger at the TV and giggles. He is so cute! I wish my mom could see him being cute like this. I miss her so much. She deserved better. Just when I am enjoying my time with cute Keaton, my dad comes home. Kennedy and Katherine are already running to him.
They head to the kitchen to prepare dinner. I hope he will let me to eat in my room. I could use study excuse, I think. I put Keaton in my arms and walk to the kitchen.
“Put on some clothes! We're expecting a guest.” He looks at me then back to the Orange Chicken.
“A woman you picked on the side of the road?” I frown.
My dad looks pissed. He straightens up his back and put his two hands on his waist.
“Our neighbor!” He lets out a sigh. “Now go put on some clothes! No need to brag about your new muscles.”
I roll my eyes and hand Keaton to him. He never likes me working out to impress Blake. I listen to his words and head upstairs to put on some clothes. My dad will not let me eat the food in my room because we are expecting a guest. I put on whatever t-shirt I find on my closet and wear it like a champ. As I am running downstairs, she is entering the door. That red.
Lara’s POV
I was just about to close the door behind my back when those blue eye starring back at me. There he is on his way down. It’s Saturday night. Doesn’t he have a girlfriend or something? I turn my eyes to the girls who are so welcoming.
“Hey, Kids!” I wave at them.
Katherine is already dragging me into the kitchen along with Kennedy. Kyle and Keaton joins us soon and Keaton is legit smiling at me. He is cute. My peripheral catches Keith but I decided to ignore him anyway. I don’t know where to sit so, I am waiting for someone to tell me where exactly to sit. The kids are already sitting and I feel so awkward. Well, there are ten seats including both the ends of the table. Kyle must be sitting at one of the ends and the kids are sitting in the middle. If I study the cutlery that are placed in front of every seat filled on the table, the seat next to Katherine must be the one for me.
I pull out the chair and the troubled young man barks.
“That’s mom’s chair!” He glares at me.
“Keith!” Kyle snaps at him.
“Sorry!” I push the chair back.
“You can sit on my chair.” The sweet Katherine gives up her chair for me.
Katherine pulls out her mommy’s chair and sits on it like a true princess. It was alarming. Really. When he marked his mom’s territory. I bite my lips and sit on Katherine chair right in front of the trouble himself. Thank God I am sitting in the middle of the two sweet princesses.
“Thank you for the… err, pads?” Kennedy whispers to me.
“Are you okay, honey?” The first time of period is not easy.
“Yes, I was using one of Nana's pad while waiting for dad, but it's too uncomfortable.” She giggles.
“What are you girls talking about?” Kyle is feeding Keaton some porridge.
“Secret.” Savage Kennedy.
Everyone starts to dig in and so do I. I am starving, but I start to feel a laser on me. My eyes don’t want to find out where the laser comes from because they know exactly that it's coming from Keith's. At this point, I feel so uncomfortable and unable to eat my food properly. I start to chew my food really slowly to prevent any discomfort, but it’s too late.
“Where are my manners?” Kyle suddenly speaks. “I should introduce the two of you.” His eyes going back and forth between me and Keith.
“No, we actually have met before.” I chew on my cheek instead of my food.
“You have?” Kyle shift his eyes to Keith.
“Yeah, when you took Keaton to the Hospital.” Keith Responds.
I should have told him that I have met his son but I didn’t feel so good about it.
“Keith was going to pay Lara. He thought she was a nanny.” Kennedy is roasting her brother.
“Shut up!” Keith barks.
“It’s okay.” I shake my head.
Kyle’s POV
Keith have already met Lara. He didn't say anything about it. Well, he never really says about anything unless he needs me to pay for something or to pick a fight. Lara must feel so uncomfortable right now because Keith forbid her to sit on that chair earlier. That’s why I never bring a woman in my house after all. It’s been three years since the accident with his teacher and he still refuses to forgive me. It was an accident. A mistake.
Now I see the way he looks at Lara. He might think that there is something between me and Lara. I hope there is something between me and Lara, but I don’t know if she will ever want me because I have four kids. Most women just want to play and don’t want to be with my kids. Lara. Lara is different. I could get high by just staring at her.
“Is something wrong with the food?” I see her scrapping her plate without taking any bites.
“Oh, No!” She shakes her head again. “It’s great.”
“Are you sick?” Kennedy asks her.
“No, honey. I am fine.” She lies.
“My grandma said when you are not eating the food, you must not feel well.” Katherine suddenly acts like an adult.
Lara chuckles weakly. She tucks her hair behind her ears and turns her body to Katherine. Her smile is hiding something that she doesn't want to reveal.
“I am fine, honey.” She tells Katherine.
“Oh my god, do you have an allergy?” Kennedy asks her.
Keith suddenly giggles. I was hoping that he would keep his mouth shut all night long. My eyes immediately shoot an invisible laser towards him, but he is so unbothered.
“Only an idiot would eat the food that they’re allergic to.” Keith cynically joins the conversation.
“What is wrong with you?! She could get sick!” Kennedy spits.
“I am just saying!” Keith hisses.
“Kids!” I have to raise my tone for them to stop fighting. As always.
“No, honey!” Lara helps me out. “I am not allergic to any of this.”
“See?!” Keith barges in. Again.
Even though Lara said that she is perfectly fine and does not have a single bit allergy to the food that we are having, there is something that makes her feel down. To be honest, she does not look very good. She looks like she could throw up in any moment now.
The dinner went well despite of Keith’s rude behavior. He offered to take Keaton to bed while Kennedy and Katherine are left to clean the kitchen with me. The wicked mind of mine emerges, so I send Kennedy to take Katherine to bed so I could be alone with Lara.
Lara is kind enough to help me out even though she keeps her distance from me. I understand. We are cleaning out the table, but I can’t keep my eyes on the table. She is wearing a simple cream dress with a wavy short sleeves. She bends a little to reach a further spot on the table. A very minimum glimpse of what is hiding underneath that dress are visible.
I want to walk over to her and bend her over the table. My hands are itching to reach her small waist then run down further. I shake my head before I really make her do what I want.
“So, what do you think about New York?” My brain needs something to ignore the fact that I am a real idiot when it comes to her.
“Well…” She takes a deep breath. “It’s great.”
“Great?” I bring my eyebrows together, but I couldn’t hide a smile.
“It’s still unfamiliar to me.” She shrugs. “I'm still trying to fit in.”
“You’re doing really great at fitting in.” I hide my hands behind my back, preventing them from reaching out for her.
She looks at me for a little while then blooms a tiny smile to add more sparks in my stomach. Her trembling lips are fold together as she tries to hide her widen smile as she puts her head down for a split second.
“I really think that I am failing.” She laughs.
“What? No! Absolutely not! Look at you, having dinner with your new neighbor.” I mirror her laughter.
“Having dinner with my hot neighbor is a good start, but I still think that I am totally failing.” She continues her laughter.
If I am not mistaken, she just called me hot. Well, it’s not the first time that a woman actually calls me hot, but she is not like everyone else. She makes the word actually hotter than anything. I am sure she just realizes that she called me hot by now. She stops her laughter all of a sudden and looks extremely panic. She looks everywhere, probably looking for an exit because she is embarrassed. She clears her throat and folds the kitchen cloth neatly.
“Well, everyone needs a good start.” I pretend that I did not hear the word.
“Yup.” She still avoids the eye contact.
“I moved to New York when I was fifteen, in the middle of the Semester.” I tell her.
“You must be popular, though.”
“Hmm… Probably.” I joke.
“What??” She chuckles. “Hello, confidence!”
“You must have been really popular.”
“Not that I remember it.” She weakly shakes her head.
“No way!”
“Way.”
“I mean, look at you!” I feel the need to point out her beauty with my two hands. “You’re so beautiful.”
“They got more attracted to the leggy blondes.” She keeps her head down.
Lara straightens up her back and looks down at her own legs.
“As you can see, my legs are shorts.” She shifts up her legs back and forth, feeling unsatisfied.
They look pretty to me, actually, but of course I don’t want to sound my thoughts to her. I just… I couldn’t stop looking at them and guess what’s hiding under the fabric of her skirt. While I am busy staring and Lara is busy shifting her legs, a surprise comes to me. I have been trying to keep my hands to myself and she ruins that in the moment. As she squeaks and loses her own balance, I keep my hands out to help her.
She falls right into my arms and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
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