I felt the cold polish touch my skin and I jumped a little, dragging the white paint farther down my toe. Thinking too much about him distracted me from being able to paint my toenails properly. I really needed to get it together. I took a sip of the steamy sweet water in my mug and felt the wetness from the end of my braid moistening my back through my PJs, when a knock at the door made me jump. A visitor was the last thing I wanted right now, and I definitely wasn’t expecting anyone, but there it was. I stood up and looked around for my phone so I could check to see if anyone had called. Austin? I couldn’t find my phone, so I gave up and tiptoed to the door as the knocking came again. This time harder. Like the side of a fist pounding against my fragile screen door. I yanked it open to see Kael standing there; his hand was midair and he looked surprised to see me. It had started to rain again, and a mist floated around Kael, clinging to the cotton of his sweatshirt.

“Hey, sorry—is Elodie here?” he asked, trying to look past me.

He was wearing black pants and a gray sweatshirt that had big letters across the front and some sort of seal under them. I tried not to look for too long, but instinctively caught his eyes with mine. A car passed us with its brights on. I loved the way tires sounded on rain-slicked pavement. The street was busy with a continual shushing noise. Even the rain couldn’t keep traffic away.

“Elodie’s not. I’m here alone.”

As I started trying to think of all the things I wanted to tell him about my shitty day at work, Kael smiled at me. It wasn’t a big smile, but it was there, and the corners of his lips turned up, his eyes bright under my porch light.

“Wow. Home alone on family-dinner Tuesday? Who would have imagined?”

“Ha, funny guy is back? It’s actually quite nice to have some quiet. I had the worst day today.” I licked my lips and kept the bottom one between my teeth for a moment. I didn’t even know where to begin.

He looked around, down at my pajamas. I followed his eyes with mine and became hyperaware of how thin the material was, how tight, and how braless I was. He was a friend, a gentleman, and he looked away from my body.