Worry was quickly morphing into frustration and then anger. How could they be so blasted irresponsible and inconsiderate? He even called Jack, hoping his friend would convince him there was nothing to worry about. That backfired, and they both ended up worried. Not calling him regarding a change in plans was a big no-no between himself and Brianna. Even if Keila didn't think about him, he expected Brianna to, in the same way he would think about her. He was wearing a pattern in the carpeting when their jovial voices assaulted his ears. The giggling duo came through the door, without an obvious care in the world.
As soon as Bri saw him there, she called out, "Hey, babe! Larry said you were—"
"Oh, shit!" Keila said, much louder than she intended.
"You got that right. Have either of you even looked at your phones, in say, the last two and a half hours? No, don't bother digging them out now. When you do finally look at them, you'll see half a dozen missed calls and messages from me to both of you. Keila, there might be one or two from Jack, too." Michael had obviously loved the look that ghosted her face. It was fleeting, but it was definitely worrying. "Where the hell have you been in this weather?"
Bri and Keila were still standing on the tile in the entryway. Things seemed safer at the distance they were from the source of displeasure currently facing them. Michael had stopped mid-pace at the furthest end of the coffee table. When he turned to face them as they entered, he placed his water bottle down and crossed his arms over his broad chest. It was like facing down a bear. He had pulled himself up to his full stature. Keila had never been in the direct path of his upset, preferring to retreat when it even seemed like he and Bri were about to have one of their discussions. It didn't matter that he'd removed his wet shoes. Even in socked feet that sunk into the deep plush chocolate brown carpeting, he was an imposing figure.
"Stop gaping at me and give me an answer immediately, Brianna!"
"I think I should excuse—"
"Don't you move one inch, either, young lady."
"Michael, you said you were going to work late and probably wouldn't be able to take any calls before seven, at least."
"There better be more words coming that explain how not answering your phone has anything to do with that."
"We decided to call it quits early and headed to the mall. I wanted to look for some shoes for our trip. Then we got some dinner, and when we passed the movie theatre, there was a show about to start, so we popped in. We didn't even realize the snow had picked up so much until we got outside."
"Did I pop into your mind along the way, you know, during all those impromptu steps? A text, Brianna. A voicemail. We don't exist in this world alone, or would you prefer to have no one to answer to or worry about you, or—"
"Michael, no, you know that's not how I feel. I just didn't think about it. I'm sorry."
Well, she was feeling pretty low at that point. He was right. She never considered that he might be worried. She hadn't considered him at all when the idea of changing their plans took root. However, for Michael, when his plans changed, she was his first thought, and now she felt lousy.
Keila felt she had endured the scene long enough. Maybe he was justified in being irritated, but this was their issue and not hers. She really wanted to believe it wasn't her issue. Michael did cover all their bills and he asked very little, beyond them both maintaining excellent grades, being safe, and checking in. Keila provided a cover story for Bri's family as to how she could afford her lifestyle and Keila sold her mom and grandma the same story. She'd only gotten mouthy with Michael once, after too little sleep and not enough coffee, and the tongue lashing she'd received made her rethink ever snapping at him again, until now.
"Look, we got it. We were inconsiderate. Spoiled little brats are probably what you're thinking. No matter. We're sorry. Now, I'm going to my room to finish studying. Is that okay?" Keila gave him all of her pent up, guilt-ridden, too cold attitude.
He was in the foyer with them in what felt like a single step. Keila took a tiny reflexive step back.
"Little girl, not only am I old enough to be your father, I'm damn well footing the bills around here like I am and deserve a lot more respect than that. You've used your one free pass for snapping at me."
Keila didn't exactly remember his scolding, at that time, making her feel like she'd gotten a pass on anything, but he obviously believed that she'd reaped the benefits of his notion of going easy on her. Michael took her left arm and turned her sideways, never giving her the chance to put her bags down, and landed five full strength smacks to her behind. It was more to make a point than to cause any real damage. The girl had on tights, a dress, and a wool coat. She was more stuffed animal than girl, but it was still a really sobering moment. He turned her to face him and looked her square in the eye.
"Now, you can go to your room and finish studying."
She didn't need to be told twice. Keila was mortified. Unbeknownst to her, he and Brianna were feeling the same way. The inhaling and exhaling of breath was the only sound filling the room. Keila took off to the right of the apartment. It was an ideal roommate set up. The foyer and living room separated identical sized Jack-and-Jill master bedrooms with bathroom suites.
As she stood against her closed door, Keila tried to catch her breath. She was in the midst of a real WTF moment. On top of it all, at some point, she had to call Jack.
"Keila?"
"Um, oh, sorry. I must have spaced. Thinking about a few months ago, when I got to experience Michael's wrath up close."
"Ha, snowstorm Michael. It's what we call it now. Trust me, he was just as horrified as we were."
"I was a little freaked out when he first came to my room to talk, but I'm glad he pushed. It would've been way more awkward if he hadn't. His being right is exhausting."
"I'll be sure to tell him you said so. At least, your talk didn't involve a hairbrush."
"It also didn't involve hot makeup sex, so we're even."
"We both made some apologies. I wasn't thrilled with him, either." Brianna remembered that day vividly as well.
"Michael. How could you? Keila is never going to speak to me again."
"Instead of worrying about what Keila is going to say to you, you better worry about what I'm going to say to you."
Bri held her ground and stared at him as a myriad of emotions crossed his face. Some were still a simmering upset, but now they were mixed with worry and a hint of regret. She knew every nuance of his looks and she knew this one meant she'd be waiting to face the music a little longer. He would make things right with Keila first. Resigned to the fact, she followed his eyes to her bedroom and accepted his dismissal.
From the look in her eyes, Keila knew she wasn't the only one thinking back on the past. She'd shared the conversation she had with Michael when he came to her room like she eventually shared everything with Brianna. Thinking about it nearly made her tear up at how much love he'd given her over the years. The number of good things in her life, thanks to Michael and Brianna, were immeasurable.
Michael knew he needed to calm down. He did what he did for the girls because he loved Brianna and, by extension, had come to love Keila. He understood their age and occasional acting out, but letting them get away with it wasn't the way to bring about the growth and change he wanted for them. The issue wasn't Brianna. They had an agreement. They were in a relationship. Those things did not apply to Keila. He knew he'd crossed a line and he needed to fix it. He had been so worried about them and allowed his imagination to conjure up all sorts of dastardly outcomes. Their defense and attitude only served to ratchet up his displeasure instead of settling it.
He downed his water and went into the kitchen to recycle the bottle and grab one of the organic juice smoothies they kept on hand. There was no way something this blue was found in nature. According to the label, the thing boasted no added sugar, no additives, no preservatives, and more fruit than seemed possible to squeeze into one bottle. He was amused by their pseudo health kick. Th
ere were tons of vegetables in the refrigerator that usually went bad before they got used, and a cabinet full of junk food that always needed replenishing. They were funny like that.
"Keila, it's Michael, may I come in?" He reminded himself that any capricious reaction she had would be his fault.
"Yes."
The bed was covered in textbooks, loose notes, notebooks, and at least four different color highlighters. It seemed neither knew how to start this particular awkward conversation. Keila said to come in, but it was obvious she wasn't any more anxious to engage than he was. He shouldn't have swatted her. That, they could agree on, for sure. He didn't think it was possible for her not to know it, too. Never in doubt that the girls talked about things, Michael was clear that theory and application were two different beasts. Knowing something theoretically was completely different from experiencing it firsthand and without warning.
He placed the juice on her nightstand and received a thank you on autopilot. No eye contact.
"Can I sit?"
Keila pulled her legs up and crossed them, before dropping her book back on her lap.
"I'll take that as a yes."
More silence.
"Keila, I need to apologize. What I did out there—it's just you both really had me worried. I thought you were somewhere stranded or, God forbid, worse. Regardless of that or my feelings or what I said, I know I'm not your father."
More silence. This wasn't what Michael was accustomed to when dealing with anyone. At a minimum, he was used to getting a response of some kind. Used to or not, he had to back off. It wasn't his place to force his will on Keila. That wasn't their arrangement.
"I'll be ready to talk whenever you are, kiddo. If you decide you don't want to drink that, you should put it back in the fridge. That thing doesn't have enough chemicals to last more than an hour."
His sweet smile and a look of true amusement that reached his eyes chipped away at her resolve to speak. She knew he wasn't there to come down on her again. She had to say something. She couldn't take a page out of her family's book and simply hope things went back to normal. She had to speak. Michael was huge on the need to talk.
Keila's hands fisted in the blankets. Tears dropped on her textbook. She wanted to hold it together more. Once she opened her mouth, there would be no turning back, but now was the time to be brave.
"Michael."
She was in his arms the moment he turned to acknowledge the fact that she was finally saying something.
"Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."
"No. No, that's not—it's not what you think. I—thank you."
"For what?" She was holding him so tightly, the only comfort he could give her was rubbing her back and head. All he got in return were more sniffles and a wet shoulder.
"I'm nothing to you. You don't have any reason to care so much," came her garbled averment.
"Of course, you're something to me. I care about you a great deal, Keila. Let's sit."
As she sat on the bed, Keila held onto Michael's hand and lay her head on his shoulder. He rubbed soothing circles on the fleshy part between her thumb and index finger and waited her out.
"There is no way I would've treated my mom or grams the way we treated you tonight. You deserved better and I feel really bad about it all."
"Ah, I see."
"It's just that I don't know how to deal with you getting on my case or pointing out what I've done wrong. Honestly, not from any man. I grew up with a house full of woman."
"I suppose that could be different. It isn't what you thought it would be, is it?"
"No. More than anything, it hurt my feelings. You seemed really upset."
"No seems about it. I was."
"I hated being part of the reason you felt that way."
"It wasn't our best moment. I need to go talk to Brianna now. Are you going to be okay?"
"Yes. I have things to think about and at least a few hours of studying left to do. Thank you for taking time with me." Keila hugged him tightly one last time before he left her with a kiss to the temple and a final look over his shoulder.
Keila knew things were about to go very different for him and Bri.
The next morning, when Keila one-eye stumbled into the kitchen for coffee, she found her roommate leaning over a bowl of cereal at the kitchen island. The kitchen in their apartment was as well stocked as Brianna's dorm room used to be, back when the girls first met. There were stainless steel appliances that rarely got used and a top of the line espresso maker that got the most use. Keila was curious but not enough to make an inquiry before she took at least three sips from her cup of their extra strong brew.
"One, I'm surprised you're up this early. Two, why are you hunched over, eating?"
"For someone who isn't a morning person, you sure have a lot of questions. Nosey Rosey. You may have gotten off with a mere five smacks over your coat, but my ass didn't do as well," Bri answered. She slurped up the remaining milk in the bowl and then went to refill her coffee.
"I'm sorry. He was still pissed by the time he got to your room, huh?"
"Um, yeah. Did you say something that you thought had eased his mood?"
"No. Well, not really. I apologized and he seemed in a forgiving mood."
"Oh, well, I didn't say he didn't forgive me." Brianna gave her roommate a pointed look. Forgiveness did not mean the same things to the girls, and Keila was well aware.
They were leaning into one another from opposite sides of the island like they didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. Keila wasn't much of a morning person or eater, so she was satisfied with allowing the caffeine to permeate her bloodstream while slowly committing to the idea of being awake. They may have aborted the study mission early the day before, but Keila knew the time had to be made up. Pushing past her limits, when it came to getting her schoolwork done, was nothing new and she had no intentions on choking this close to the finish line.
"Is he still sleeping?" Keila asked, dropping her voice a few notches. Forgiveness or not, she didn't want to be the one to wake him up before he was ready.
"Are you kidding me? Michael was out the door and headed down to the gym before either of us rolled over. I haven't even looked outside yet to see if things have cleared a little. You know I have to eat the second my eyes open."
"Yes, I'm familiar with you. So, he was—I mean was it—"
"Why? Why do you do this to yourself? You want to know, and then you don't want to know. You ask for specifics, and then you can't look at me when I start giving you an answer. So, I'm not playing today. I'm going to get in the shower and so should you. Trust me, unless the roads are completely clear, Michael will be dropping us to campus and picking us up."
"Brianna! Seriously, you're not giving me anything?"
"Nope, but feel free to ask him anything you want when he gets back."
"You know I would never do that. And, why can't we drive ourselves?"
"Um, he thinks your car is a death trap, and I don't think I'll see mine until the next thaw."
With that, Brianna was out of the room and headed to her side of the apartment. Keila was on her heels laughing and begging to know what she meant by her last comment.
"Are you grounded? Brianna?"
"Yes, she is. Anything else you want to know." Michael was standing on the same tile in the foyer the girls had been frozen to, the night before, while they endured his displeasure.
Brianna was already in her room and Keila was halfway there, when his voice stopped her in her tracks. A quick look at him and a glance at Bri's door and Keila was sold on turning back. He didn't exactly look upset, but she didn't know if he knew how much information the girls traded.
"I'm gonna go get ready." Keila got just a little past the foyer to her side, when she turned back and added, "Um, good morning."
"Keila, come here please."
"Why?" It wasn't really said loud enough for him to hear, considering her back was to him, but she truly couldn't imagine what els
e he wanted or needed to say to her.
"Keila?"
"Yes." Turning around was one thing, but moving closer wasn't anything she wanted to do just yet.
Michael was more than a little percipient. "I know you girls talk."
"She didn't tell me anything." Okay, that much volume and the high pitch squeal was clearly too much. Keila felt like the look on her face must have matched his, down to the bulging eyes.
"Easy. Brianna is free to share as much as she's comfortable with sharing. You're like her sister, Keila. I wouldn't dream of restricting what she's allowed to share with you. I just want to make sure you respect her boundaries and don't push for more than she's willing to give."
"I wasn't. Honest. We were—I was only teasing. I don't always understand—"
"You don't always understand our dynamic and you're curious. Do you think it's something you might need or want in your life?"
"No. I mean, no, I don't think. I don't think about it. I—"
"You should probably have a little something to absorb all that caffeine, young lady. I know I don't make you nervous, so why are you so jumpy this morning? Remember, what I told you last night? You can talk to me, Keila."
The Daddy Arrangement (Sugar 101) Page 10
