Kael and I didn’t talk again as we checked out separately. We both had to show our ID cards, his active duty and mine a dependent ID. He was a gentleman and helped me load my car and carry the bags into my house, and he even asked if he could help unpack them. I hated that my brain was trying to figure out why he was so nice to me. I mean, he was also sort of rude, but he did thoughtful things. I wish I had a friend to confide in, to talk about this feeling that was distracting me. My mother always warned me that love was the most dangerous thing humans could feel, aside from greed, which would be the cause of the end of the world, but that was another issue for a different day. It wasn’t that I was emotionally unstable, I could say I was attracted to this stranger who I’ve only known for two days, but I was a logical person. It was more the feeling of owing him something for his kindness. I couldn’t accept kind gestures or compliments from people if I didn’t feel worthy of them.

But as much as he made me feel flustered and a little bit paranoid, I was starting to kind of like the way I felt around him. We weren’t doing anything wrong. Nothing. We were grocery shopping, sharing a living space, and talking about nearly every thought I had.

“Everything okay?” he asked, after all the groceries were put away. It took half the time with him helping and I didn’t have to tell him to recycle the paper and plastics. You’d be surprised how many people I knew who didn’t recycle.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just in my own head.” I summoned his words and used them to avoid answering his question. He let out a breath and didn’t look directly at me. My eyes followed his movement from the fridge, to the cabinet to grab a glass, and back to the fridge. He poured himself some water, splashing a little onto the floor. I liked the way he silently used my kitchen as his own. He had become familiar with my little house in such a short time.

“So we’ll be gone until like five, but we always have our phones on at work. If my brother comes by, let him in? And try not to let him leave.”

Kael nodded. I watched as he cleaned up the splashed water that I’d assumed would dry on the floor with the rest of the random spillage that had accumulated since I’d mopped two weeks ago.

Elodie came walking down the hallway with her short hair soaked, staining the shoulders of her gray T-shirt. She was wearing her black scrubs that had an elastic waist, her favorite.