Nothing Left to Hide Ch 13

Chapter 13

Saturday and Sunday

Megan left Saturday morning for the trade show.

She expected to be home sometime Sunday evening. Before leaving, she stood near the front door with her bag and looked suspiciously between Blake and Kelly.

"Behave."

Blake frowned. "We're adults."

"That wasn't reassuring."

Kelly laughed.

Megan pointed toward the kitchen. "Don't burn the house down."

"We know how appliances work," Blake said.

Megan kissed him.

Then she hugged Kelly.

Something about the hug lasted just slightly longer than Kelly expected.

Megan pulled away.

"Have a good weekend."

"You too."

Then she was gone.

The house became extraordinarily quiet.

Blake and Kelly stood there.

Alone.

Kelly looked at him.

Blake looked at her.

"Well," Kelly said.

"No."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

Kelly smiled.

They survived several hours.

Barely.

Eventually Kelly told him about the conversation she'd had with Megan.

Blake stared at her.

"She knows?"

"Yes."

"That you like me?"

Kelly winced.

"When you phrase it like that, I regret telling you."

Blake laughed.

"Does she know I like you?"

Kelly looked at him.

"You like me?"

Blake realized what he'd just said.

"Fuck."

Kelly smiled.

There it was.

The line they'd spent all week circling.

Neither crossed it immediately.

Instead, Kelly reached for his hand.

Blake looked down.

Then he took hers.

Their fingers intertwined.

Kelly's teasing expression disappeared.

"This is a bad idea."

"Probably."

Neither let go.

The first kiss was almost cautious.

The second wasn't.

When they separated, Kelly rested her forehead against his.

"Still a bad idea?"

"Yes."

She kissed him again.

"Okay."

The taco joke eventually caught up with both of them.

What had spent days existing as innuendo became something real between them, and afterward Kelly lay laughing against Blake as though she couldn't quite believe the absurd joke had followed them all the way here.

Later she looked at him.

"Seconds?"

Blake stared at her.

Kelly smiled.

"Taco boy."

"I'm going to throw you out of my house."

"You live here with me."

"Technicality."

The afternoon became quieter.

They watched old movies on the couch. Kelly stretched her legs across Blake's lap, and somewhere during the second movie she fell asleep against him.

Blake didn't move her.

That was when the situation became more dangerous.

Sex he could categorize.

This was different.

Kelly sleeping against him felt comfortable.

Natural.

He liked having her there.

Saturday evening Megan called.

Kelly answered.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Watching old movies."

"That sounds suspiciously wholesome."

Kelly smiled.

"It is."

A pause followed.

Then Megan asked, "Everything okay?"

Kelly looked at Blake.

He looked back.

"Yeah."

And Kelly meant it.

That night, she went to bed with Blake.

There was no joke attached to it.

No dare.

No excuse.

Lying beside him in the dark, Kelly finally whispered, "Do you regret it?"

Blake turned toward her.

"No."

Kelly studied his face.

"Me neither."

They fell asleep together.

Sunday morning, Kelly woke wrapped around him.

For a while neither moved.

Then Blake opened one eye.

"Morning."

Kelly smiled.

"Morning, taco boy."

"Get out."

She laughed and pulled herself closer.

Megan came home Sunday.

She took one look at them and knew something had changed.

She didn't demand details.

Instead, she called a meeting.

The three of them sat together while Megan established what became the household's strangest policy.

"I don't want a report."

Blake nodded.

"Good."

"I don't want a timeline. I don't want to know who did what. I don't want to know where anybody slept."

Kelly stared at her.

Megan continued.

"But nobody lies."

That mattered.

"Not wanting details is different from lying. If something happens that affects all three of us, if feelings change, or if somebody becomes uncomfortable, we talk."

Blake nodded.

Kelly did too.

"Everything else?"

Megan shrugged.

"Don't ask, don't tell."

Blake smiled.

"I like this policy."

"Within reason."

"Still like it."

Megan looked between them.

"And nobody makes this weird."

Kelly laughed.

"You realize that's impossible."

"Then nobody makes it weirder than necessary."

Kelly became serious.

"Are you really okay?"

Megan didn't immediately answer.

Finally she said, "I think so."

Kelly nodded.

It wasn't a perfect answer.

It was better.

It was honest.

Megan looked at them again.

"I was gone thirty-six hours."

Neither spoke.

"I came home and you both look like teenagers whose parents got home early."

Blake laughed.

Kelly covered her face.

And somehow that was enough.

For now.