Painting Sky (40 page)

Keith took his time making me come a second time, and then he crashed with me, leaving us both panting and sweating against the other.

I snuggled against him. I felt his brain working and feared what was coming next. If he said we had made a mistake again, I’d punch him where it hurt the most.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and you don’t even realize it,” he mumbled against my back, clinging to my body like a lifeboat. I tried to turn, but his hold tightened. I relaxed again. I decided his comment was supposed to be heard and not addressed.

What did he mean? Ryan was the best thing that had happened to him: he had been by Keith’s side all through his childhood, when he’d needed friends the most. Ryan was his lifeboat, not me. If what we’d done ever came up, it would destroy their friendship.

We’d been doomed from the start. I understood his side, then. I couldn’t be the one to break this house apart—or our families apart, really, because our parents wouldn’t remain friends after my breakup with Cody. Ryan and Keith’s breakup, or Keith and I getting together to become their worst nightmare.

Tears escaped my eyes without my control and I clung to his hand on my stomach, trying to feel his heartbeat on my back.

“We can’t do this again.” I found myself saying in a frail voice. Keith stiffened against me, but didn’t say anything. “It will hurt us both in the long way if we keep this up.” I managed to turn to him and kiss his lips lightly. I picked up my clothes and got dressed quickly.

The next day, I was even more tired, if that was possible, and I had drawing class in the morning. I got dressed quickly and met the boys downstairs. Ryan had a major hangover and Keith was silent at the counter.

“So, K-man, any luck last night? You disappeared early, but I didn’t see a walk of shame this morning.”

“Ry, dude, your sister is right there,” Keith argued, upset. “And no, no girl last night,” he said, staring hard at his mug, like the coffee had done something to him. “I’m focusing on my work right now.”

“Sure—the art show in February. How’s that going?” Ryan asked, while I poured my own coffee.

Keith shrugged and went to the sink to wash his mug and Ryan’s. “Slow, as usual. It’ll pick up in the end—it always does.” His eyes flickered to mine for a second.

My brother nodded. “Will you let me come see it, this time?”

His comment surprised me. Ryan was Keith’s best friend and he hadn’t seen his work on display? That was certainly strange, but I chose against getting between them.

“Do you need to go to school today?” I asked after a couple minutes of silence. Apparently Keith wasn’t going to answer my brother.

Keith nodded and picked up his car keys. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

I kissed my brother on the cheek, grabbed my stuff, and met Keith outside. I was giddy. I had no idea how I was supposed to react to last night. Ignore it? Mention again how wrong we were for each other? I’d let him choose.

Keith chose the former. He drove in silence and parked the car in front of the art building. “I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before, but I’m the model in today’s class.” His hand went through his hair and his eyes didn’t meet mine. “I just found out this morning.”

“Okay,” I mumbled, because what else could I say? I don’t want anyone else ogling your glorious body? I grabbed my backpack and shut the door behind me. A few feet away, a hand grabbed my arm.

“It’s the last time. I’m going to tell Elizabeth I’m quitting the modelling thing. I don’t need the money, anymore, and it’s kind of tiring.” His eyes searched mine for approval.

I heard the reason he didn’t share: I don’t want to face you, naked, in a room full of people. Not knowing if I should feel flattered or not, I shrugged and gave him a small smile.

The class wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be, with Keith there, and I finally got praise from the professor.

“Well, well, Keaton, you might have some talent, after all. That’s the best drawing of the class. Keep up the good work.” I hadn’t even noticed her come up behind me to check my work, but my heart swelled with pride, and my day got a little bit better. Keith’s eyes met mine and he winked. This was why we’d started drawing each other at home: so I could improve. I guess it had worked. It was a pity we couldn’t keep up with it, though.

I went to study in the library for a couple of hours. I was already tired from being there when I received a text from Keith asking me to wait for him for another hour. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and it wasn’t too cold for a December evening, so I decided to take the bus and walk the rest of the way home. I texted him my decision, which brought about half a dozen protests.

When I started up the path to our house, a man appeared in front of me and startled me. He could have come from our house, but we usually didn’t have visitors, except for the parties. He stopped a few feet from me and tilted his head to the side, like he was studying me, and smirked. It was so similar to Keith’s smirk that I felt shivers run up my body. I could turn and run to the street, but, if his intentions were to hurt me, he could easily catch up with me. He had some fat on his belly, a buzz cut, and he was probably covered with tattoos, from what I could see on his neck and hands.

“Hi, there. Don’t be scared.” When someone started with that in the middle of a forest, it was reason enough to start running. I didn’t, though, because I knew it wouldn’t be enough. I prayed for Keith to come home soon, but I knew he was still in a meeting. “I know Keith and I knew his grandfather.”

This offered some kind of relief, but not much. This man gave me the chills and I wanted him to leave. I didn’t have an answer for him, so I just nodded. I wanted him to step aside, so I could go home, but he just stared, smirking, and made me feel disgusted.

“You Keith’s girl? Jane, something?”

The fact that he knew my name alerted all parts of my brain. Should I have been relieved or freaked out?

“Keith’s will be arriving any time now.”

“I should wait for him and have a reunion, but, I’m afraid I don’t have much time, now. I’ll be back another day. Bye, Skylar.”

Not many people knew my middle name. The fact that only Keith called me that made me shudder. Were they friends? This man seemed to be in his forties or fifties—not the kind of crowd Keith hung out with. Was he in trouble with the wrong people? I was scared and not even the lock on the door behind me calmed my nerves. That man had trouble written all over him.

I decided to keep the visit to myself. If he wanted to talk to Keith, he’d try again. Maybe he was just passing through, though. I texted Keith to let him know I was home safe and I settled in my bedroom to study.

Keith got home late and brought take-out with him, reminding my stomach that it had needs. My brother joined us a few minutes later.

“Family dinner? How cozy,” Ryan said, sitting on the couch between me and Keith, and stealing a box of Chinese food from the coffee table. We spent the entire dinner talking about the classes Ryan had and laughing about the shenanigans my brother had gotten into. This time, he’d been caught making out with a girl by the college president. It wouldn’t have been a problem, if the girl hadn’t been his daughter. In the end, everything ended up okay, but I always worried about him and the messes he seemed to get himself into.

“This is fun. I like hanging out with my sister and best friend. I’m glad you worked out your differences,” Ryan said, licking the chopsticks before throwing them into the empty box. I eyed Keith from across the couch and saw his smile falter before he replaced it with his fake one.

“Sure, bro. She’s annoying, but bearable.”

I knew he was joking and doing it for Ryan’s sake, but my insecurities always came to the surface around him.

Ryan messed with my hair, pulled me to him, and kissed my temple. “We have a week until Christmas. Are we all going home?”

Keith shifted on the couch, but I wouldn’t let him miss Christmas again. “Sure, the four of us,” I answered, disentangling from my brother’s hold. “You two need to go, too.” Keith didn’t seem convinced, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. First, I didn’t want to spend a week apart from him, even if we weren’t together. Second, family was important, no matter how he felt at the moment. If something happened to his parents, he would feel devastated that he’d missed the last few Christmases with them.

“Sure Jane, we’ll go—but only if you buy the presents. I have no patience for that Christmas spirit shit. I’ll give you money and you can write my name on the cards, deal?” Ryan said.

I don’t think Ryan had ever bought a gift for anyone; he’d always guilted someone into doing it for him.

“You’re so lazy, but… sure, if that’s your condition...” I trailed off, not happy.

“I can take you to another town tomorrow that has some trendy shops.” Keith said, picking up the TV remote and turning up the volume. I nodded, not finding my voice steady enough to respond out loud. He wanted to spend time with me alone? Was that wise? No, but I didn’t care. The butterflies in my stomach wouldn’t let me say no.

Next day came too quickly. I had so much to study for finals that it hadn’t left me any time to make a list—something I needed every Christmas.

“You plan too much, Sky. I’ll go to the grocery store to buy those Christmas cookie boxes: done, no trouble, and no one gets jealous of anyone else’ presents.” He said, when we got in the car.

I rolled my eyes and turned the radio down. “You’re a guy—no one expects much effort from a guy. But a girl? Women always have to think about a million things at the same time, which, during Christmas, means presents for everyone… and from everyone, because Ryan always lays it on me on at the last minute, Cody wants to split my presents with him, and Matilda always forgets about someone. For years I’ve had to have a couple of presents as a backup plan.”

Keith surprised me by laughing and hitting the steering wheel. I hadn’t said anything funny. “Oh, I see,” he said, taking a breath. “I never noticed before, but you’re one of those Christmas nuts. You know, people who have to have the holidays completely planned to the tiniest detail.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes. “I’m not,” I said petulantly. “I just want everything to go as planned.” He continued to laugh and I realized I’d just agreed with him with other words. Whatever—I liked Christmas, with the smell, the cheesy songs, the food, all of the family reunited, and, of course, the presents.

I always liked to give away presents and watch everyone’s reactions the most. I never had an answer when people asked me what I wanted for Christmas: I had everything I needed. Well, this year, I would have liked to have Keith, but that would have been a miracle, not a present.

Years of practice of present-shopping had made me an expert, and I’d almost finished my list by the end of the day, with just a small break to eat a burger with Keith. True to his word, he walked back to the car with bags filled with cookie boxes. I shook my head at his shrug.

“I just hope you’re not going to ask me to wrap those.” Almost all of my presents had come with the shop’s gift bags, which would save me hours of work.