The branches outside Kelsey's kitchen trembled in the wind and gentle raindrops tap-danced on the windowpane.
As if on cue, Shaun approached his own kitchen window, a mug in his hand, staring straight in her direction as she sat at the table.
To lighten the awkward moment, Kelsey forced a smile and waved before turning away as casually as she could manage. She didn't wait long enough to see if he waved back. Then she grabbed her house keys, a light coat, and one of the large umbrellas hanging by the door.
The ten-minute walk in the rain refreshed her. It didn't help clear her mind, exactly, but it did keep her from sitting nervously at home and thinking about Shaun.
As she approached her street again, she decided she wasn't ready to return home just yet, and walked to Maeve's place instead.
Kelsey liked Maeve a lot and they'd spent a good deal of time together. Maeve reminded her not to take life too seriously and enjoy each day as it came. But even though she had Maeve's address, she had never visited her at home before. They always met at Brian and Sarah's, at Kelsey's, or in town.
When Kelsey arrived at Maeve's cottage, she knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She tried again. Still nothing. She turned to leave, but at that moment the door swung open.
"Look who's here," Maeve said, her scarlet lips breaking into a smile. She wore a dressing gown and looked like she had been in the process of doing her makeup. The only thing she'd managed to finish entirely was her lips. Half of her hair was straightened and silky, and the other looked like a perm gone wrong. One of her eyelids was swathed in a smoky gray and the other was as creamy as her cheek. She opened the door wide for Kelsey to enter.
The heavy scent of flowery perfume and hairspray almost knocked Kelsey out. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to disturb you. Are you getting ready to go out?"
Maeve skidded through the living room to what Kelsey assumed to be the bathroom. "I'm going out on a date, but I'm here long enough for a chat. I always have time for that."
Kelsey wasn't sure whether she should join Maeve in the bathroom or stay where she was. After a moment of standing awkwardly, she lowered herself onto a pale pink leather sofa.
She'd never seen a place more suited to its owner. The sofa perfectly matched the walls, and framed photos of Maeve flaunting different hairstyles adorned them. There were a number of brightly colored pieces of clothing hanging on chairs and the TV, and issues of Lady Style magazines were spread out on the glass coffee table as well as on the carpeted floor. Kelsey bent down and picked one up. She skimmed the glossy cover and raised an eyebrow at the date. The magazine was two years old.
"Are you coming?" Maeve chirped from the bathroom.
Kelsey placed the magazine back where she'd found it and stood up. "Okay."
In the bathroom, she perched on the lip of the bathtub and watched Maeve apply her makeup.
Maeve swept the mascara wand along her eyelashes, her mouth slightly open. "So, what's on your mind?"
"I've nothing on my mind." Kelsey shifted. "What makes you think that?"
Maeve screwed the cap back onto the mascara tube and picked up the eyeshadow brush to get to work on the other eyelid. "It's written all over your face. Spit it out."
Kelsey stood up and turned to sniff the potpourri bowl on the windowsill, debating whether to tell Maeve about Shaun. Dreara was a small town. If Maeve ended up telling just one person, the whole town would know by nightfall.
"How's the sexy neighbor? I know there's something going on between you two."
Kelsey whipped around too fast and an unwelcome blush crept into her cheeks. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Well, I tried not to bring this up and hoped you'd tell me yourself, but everyone is talking. Apparently you were seen at the farmer's market a while back, exploring each other's mouths. You go girl." Maeve winked at her in the mirror.
The tips of Kelsey's ears prickled with heat and she avoided Maeve's eyes. "Well, I... we did kiss, but nothing more happened after that."
"I don't understand what you're waiting for. If I were you and my lips locked with his, I'd have humped him right there on a sack of potatoes." Maeve placed a tissue between her lips and pressed them onto it. Then she squinted as if she'd just realized something. "Kelsey O'Neil, you like him, don't you? You want all of him... and not just his dick."
"Wow, the words that come out of your mouth are shocking sometimes." Kelsey laughed and sat back down on the tub.
"So, is it true?"
"I do like him."
"Bullshit. You're completely in love with this guy. Your eyes say it all. What's stopping you from giving it a try with him?" Maeve raised an eyebrow.
"He's so secretive about his life and I can't go through that with another man. I don't want any surprises down the road."
"If you show him you have the hots for him, he might open up to you. He seems to like you enough, or he wouldn't have kissed you in front of the whole of Dreara."
"Maybe." Kelsey twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "But there's also the problem of him not being a one-woman man. I'm not into sharing."
"Sorry, girl," Maeve said. "I can't help you with that one. All I can say is, you'll continue to ask these questions as long as you don't give it a shot. I say take what you can get. You never know."
Kelsey pursed her lips and sighed. "Maybe you're right."