The next seven days were some of the longest of Kieran's life. It was, he reflected, one of the great ironies of the universe that the more you're looking forward to something, the slower time seems to pass. So it was with him as the day of the Florida trip crawled ever closer. Often it seemed as though it would never arrive, but at least he had time to prepare.
On the upside, he was able to see Katie just about every day, both in and outside of school. She seemed eager to spend every spare minute with him, and he was happy to reciprocate. They talked in between classes, they talked as they walked to their next class, they ate lunch together, and in the afternoon he'd pick her up in his truck and they would go do something together. Sometimes they went out to eat before watching a movie at his place, other times Katie would suggest doing something else. At her urging, Kieran went with her to the local art museum and they spent three thoroughly pleasant hours walking through the galleries until closing time. It was his first time being in any sort of museum at all, and he found it much to his liking. Another time she took him to the library, and they spent hours browsing the shelves while Katie urged him to pick a book he felt like reading on their upcoming flight.
Kieran wasn't much of a reader by nature. There simply hadn't been time for it. When he wasn't at school, he was usually busy at his father's shop. But now, thanks to Katie, his horizons were slowly being expanded. Slowly and steadily, she was giving him a taste of what it was like to live in her world, to appreciate the finer things in life: fine art, music, literature. She even took him to see a live orchestra at the city's concert hall, courtesy of the free admission her family name allowed her.
I never knew how much I was missing out on, he reflected mournfully. But then, until Katie walked into his life, he hadn't had any inclination to branch out. His mother's tragic passing robbed him of that, as it had so much else. For so long, Kieran was sleepwalking through life: he got up, went to school, worked, went to bed, and got up the next morning to do it all over again. He went to school and worked hard at the auto shop, and at some point finally convinced himself he was better off keeping everyone and everything else at a distance.
I was so wrong. Katie showed him that. Her kindness, her innate goodness, was what finally coaxed him out of his shell. For the first time in three long, miserable years, he was starting to feel happy. The grief was still there, and perhaps it always would be, but Katie smoothed its jagged edges and helped salve the wounds it made in his soul.
There was no condescension from her, though. Not even a trace of it. Katie wasn't taking it upon herself to civilize a barbarian, rather she was simply showing him some things she enjoyed to see if he enjoyed them too. More often than not he did--to Katie's absolute delight. The two teenagers were becoming very close very quickly. The bond of close friendship between them felt so natural, so right. It was as if they'd always been friends.
Kieran was unable to forgive himself for thinking Katie had a snobbish bone in her body. She was, if anything, more down-to-earth than most. She respected him, respected his choices and his goals and his aspirations. She was the antithesis of the stereotypical rich girl.
It wasn't just a one-way street, though. Kieran also took it upon himself to give Katie a look at his world, too. He taught her how to open a glass bottle using the edge of a table and instructed her on the basics of car maintenance. It was important, so he told her one hot afternoon, that she know how to do some rudimentary repairs if necessary. Katie was all too happy to learn, and the first time he'd seen her in a pair of borrowed overalls, her face smudged with oil and engine grease and her strawberry blonde hair stuck to her face with sweat...
Even then, she was still beautiful. No matter what she was wearing, or what she was doing, Katie took his breath away.
Kieran shook his head, the way he always did when his mind began to wander in that direction. Do not even think it, he snarled at himself, as he counted down the seconds until the dismissal bell rang. Do not even think about trying to turn it into anything more than what it is. It doesn't matter that she's kind and funny and she makes you feel alive for the first time since Mom died, it doesn't matter that she's the most beautiful woman you've ever seen, it doesn't matter how bright her smile is or how much she makes you laugh or that you spend every spare second with her or that you stayed up till 1 am texting her last night.
I can't fall for her. I will not fall for her. We are friends. She is my friend. That is enough.
It has to be enough.
The preparations for the trip went smoothly, to Kieran's relief. Katie was good to her word and quickly obtained permission for both of them to be absent from classes during the duration, while Kieran's father was more than happy to give him the time off work. "Go and have fun while you're still young," he'd said, when Kieran told him about Katie's offer over dinner. "She's right: you've more than earned it. I'll hold down the fort while you're away."
Kieran wasn't sure what Katie's parents thought of her travelling out of state with someone of the opposite sex. Some would say the situation had a whiff of impropriety about it, but if Mayor Petersen and his wife felt any reservations, Katie didn't share them. Kieran was happy not to press the matter. The last thing in the world he wanted was for Katie's parents to even know he existed.
Katie was waiting for him in her usual spot, which was right by his truck in the parking lot. Kieran's serious expression broke into a broad smile and he hurried over to join her.
"Hey!"
"Hey, you." Katie beamed. "How was your afternoon?"
"Boring as hell. I could barely concentrate." The words tasted like acid on his tongue, because they weren't true. People were starting to notice how much time Katie was spending with him, and the school's rumor mill was already kicking into overdrive. More and more, Kieran was noticing how girls put their heads together and whispered when he walked by, and many of the boys sent him dirty, envious looks during class. No one outright confronted him about it, but it was clear the rest of the student body was starting to draw their own conclusions. Kieran hated the scrutiny, but did his best to ignore it. What other people thought wasn't his problem. And it's not like Katie sees me that way in the first place. We're just friends, nothing more and nothing less. That is enough. It has to be.
"Why, are you excited for the big day tomorrow?" Katie teased, jarring him back to the present. She leaned in a little, and Kieran couldn't help noticing that an extra button on her uniform blouse was left undone. It exposed a small glimpse of creamy smooth skin and the gentle swell of her breasts, just enough to be tantalizing without venturing into immodesty. An accident, surely, he thought. Katie would never do something like that on purpose. The button just came undone and she didn't notice, I'll bet.
He was wrong, of course. Katie was giving him a sneak peek very much on purpose, teasing him a little to see how he reacted and test the waters.
"Yes," he said, tearing his eyes away with an effort. Katie's blue eyes sparkled with mischief, but she pretended not to notice. "More than anything. I can't believe it's almost here."
