While You're Awake

by Stokes, Amber

  So he didn’t say a word, although his mind had quite a lot to say.

  So the bees got into her house. How? Through a window? The front door? A vent?

  Wait. I opened a window before I left. But there was a screen…wasn’t there?

  Oh please let there have been a screen.

  He rubbed his fingers on his forehead and glanced in the rearview mirror before switching lanes to pass a slow minivan.

  Maybe there’s a hive somewhere near her house. Or in her house. In the wall—that could happen. Or they could have been trying to find a place to build their hive. It’s that time of year.

  I guess it doesn’t really matter how it happened. It’s over. As long as there aren’t more of them.

  He tilted his head slightly to study Ava’s profile in the soft glow of the dashboard and streetlights. The girl lived by herself; she might not have anyone around who could help her transport a hive or even determine how the bees had gotten in.

  Traveling the familiar streets and pondering Ava and the dead bees kept him occupied until they arrived at the coffee shop.

  Keegan fingered the keys but left them in the ignition. “Where did the bees come from, Tired Girl? If you need help removing them from the house or keeping them out, my uncle is a beekeeper. I could give him a call.”

  He turned to find Ava watching him.

  “Really? That would be—it would mean so much. You have no idea. I can’t pay much, though.” She bit her lip, the panic returning to her eyes.

  That fear made him wince. He just wanted to take it away. “I think he’d be happy to help. Money shouldn’t be an issue.”

  She sagged in relief against the seat. “Oh, my nickname for you is just perfect!”

  Nickname? A satisfied smile crept onto his face. “You going to tell me what it is, Tired Girl?”

  She returned the smile as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Angel Boy. Because of the coffee shop.”

  The leftover tension in the cab melted away. “Angel Boy, huh?”

  She didn’t open her eyes, but her smile remained. “Yeah. I still don’t know your actual name.”

  “Keegan. But I think I like Angel Boy better.”

  She scoffed and peeked over at him, apparently noting his raised brows and amused expression as she replied, “Don’t let it get to your head.”

  “I’ll try,” he murmured, throwing in a wink.

  She gave a short laugh, followed by a long yawn. With seemingly great effort, she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. “I better get going before I fall asleep in your truck. For the second time in one day.”

  He tapped her wrist as she lowered her arm. “You sure you’ll be able to make it home okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Color me not convinced. But she was a grown girl—not to mention a very new acquaintance. She could make her own choices. Still… “How’s your head?”

  She reached for the door. “Fine. Only a little tender, but the headache’s gone.”

  “Promise me you’ll get some sleep tonight?”

  “I’ll try.” She slid out of the truck and poked her head back in. “Thank you so much for everything.”

  It bothered him that the smile and humor had fled her weary face. He drummed his thumb on the steering wheel, imagining her returning to her empty house—empty except for the threat of the bees that obviously terrified her.

  As she stepped back to shut the door, he called out, “Hey.”

  She waited.

  “If you need someone to talk to tonight, you’ve got my number. I’ll probably be up for a while catching up on The Office.”

  It was hard to tell in the dark, but he thought he saw her eyes light up. “Hmm. Well, at least I know we’d have something to talk about.”

  And with a deceptively perky wave and the slam of the door, she was gone.

  ∞∞∞

  [Unknown number]: You still awake? This is Tired Girl, BTW.

  [Angel Boy]: On my 3rd episode. I’m strangely addicted to this awkward humor. Shouldn’t you be asleep?

  [Tired Girl]: Sounds like the years I was addicted to American’s Funniest Home Videos. Please don’t judge. I wish I were asleep.

  [Angel Boy]: Did you try warm milk? A cold bath? Or whatever the cure is.

  [Tired Girl]: Haha. I’ve tried it all. Nothing works.

  [Angel Boy]: Not after the bees?

  [Tired Girl]: Yeah. It helps though, to know your uncle’s coming.

  [Angel Boy]: I called him earlier. He’ll come out tomorrow morning around 10.

  [Tired Girl]: Oh that’s wonderful! :) Thank you!!

  [Angel Boy]: You’re welcome. It’s no problem.

  [Tired Girl]: I should let you get back to your Office marathon. Good night, Angel Boy. Thank you again!

  [Angel Boy]: Good night, Tired Girl. It’s going to be fine with the bees. I mean it. You’ll be OK. Will you come in for coffee tomorrow?

  [Tired Girl]: I’ll be there bright and early.

  [Angel Boy]: Not too early! See you then.

  [Tired Girl]: Yes sir. Good night. :)

  Chapter 4

  Keegan’s text messages had helped Ava sleep for a few hours of the night, and for that, she was incredibly grateful.

  If only she hadn’t woken up at four in the morning, heart racing as she stared into the darkness and shook her head, trying to dislodge the echoes of buzzing. The details of her dream faded quickly, but the phantom sounds hovered restlessly around her.

  After lying in bed for another two hours, she got up and showered. The coffee shop opened at 6:30, but she didn’t know when Keegan was working today. Besides, she didn’t want to seem overeager and pathetic.

  Even though she certainly was both.

  At 7:30 she gathered up her laptop and purse, leaving behind the specters of loneliness and fear.

  When she entered Coffee by Angels, she immediately sought out the young man with the dark golden hair and kind eyes. Keegan looked up from where he bent over a frother, made eye contact, and winked. His grin spread slowly, like warm milk blending with strong coffee. Ava breathed in deeply, letting the tension melt away into the large room filled with heavenly smells and the musical process of grinding coffee beans.

  Today Keegan’s beekeeper uncle would get rid of the bees for good—and she had this wonderful moment to carry her through the hours of editing she needed to accomplish. Things would work out just fine.

  She approached the counter to place her order. Since Keegan was still occupied with the drink he was making, one of the other baristas handled the cash register.

  “A large dark chocolate mochaccino, please,” Ava requested.

  The barista swiped Ava’s credit card. “Name?”

  “Ava.”

  “Your drink should be ready shortly.”

  With a nod, Ava went to stake out a table. She allowed one backward glance at Keegan, who was occupied with another order.

  After plugging in her laptop, she only emerged from her work twice: once when Keegan brought her drink and stayed to chat for a few minutes about his uncle and the last episode he had seen of The Office; and another time when the buzzing of a fly near her ear caused her to sit up straight and almost take another tumble to the tiled floor.

  Before she knew it, a glance at her phone told her it was time to head home to meet the beekeeper. She gathered her things and waved at Keegan, disappointed when she realized he was too busy to catch her departure.

  But it wasn’t as if this would be the last time she’d see him. This coffee shop she had only rarely visited before could easily become her new workspace. She’d just have to find ways to save money elsewhere so she could splurge on designer coffee more often.

  Or maybe summer would bring out more novelists looking to work with a freelance editor and make progress on their stories.

  She tucked that fantasy close to her heart and made the drive home in silence. Along the way, daydreams faded into nerves, causing her stomach to grum
ble and her head to pound. Her body reacted like it did whenever she had a dentist appointment. No matter how she tried to convince herself that this was nothing like that sort of experience, she couldn’t get the buzzing—like a dentist’s drill—out of her head.

  Ava took a deep breath as she pulled into her gravel driveway and spotted a truck not so different from Keegan’s. This man was coming to help her. It wasn’t as if she’d have to deal with any of the bees herself.

  A middle-aged man with bright blond hair bordering on gray and a stocky figure a little thicker than Keegan’s opened his driver’s door and stepped out. Breathe, Ava reminded herself as she got out of her car and went to greet the guy who made his living taking care of her worst nightmare.

  ∞∞∞

  Keegan was tempted to text Ava to see how things had gone today, but he wondered if that would be expecting more from their friendship—the one they had only formed yesterday—than she was willing to give. So he waited until after he got off work and then called his uncle via Bluetooth on his drive home.

  “Hey, Stuart. How’d it go?”

  “Didn’t find any bees, but I saw where they’ve been getting in. There was a vent with a torn screen.”

  “Were you able to replace it?”

  “Yep. Had to go pick up a few supplies, but I got things straightened out this afternoon, and she should be good to go. I checked all her window screens, too, and I don’t see anywhere else they’d be able to get in.”

  Keegan drummed a tune with his thumbs on the steering wheel, thinking. “You didn’t hear anything in the walls?”

  “Nope. But feel free to give me a call if she tells you about any more bee troubles.”

  “Will do.” Keegan went on to ask about his uncle’s business—how things were going and whether he had lost any colonies lately. After a few minutes, he thanked Stuart and disconnected the call, sliding the speaker off his ear.

  A big part of him felt relieved. Ava should be safe, and no more honey bees would end up where they didn’t belong. But as he pulled into his assigned parking space in front of the apartment complex where he lived, he wondered if Tired Girl would abandon their friendship now that she had no more need of it. The thought left him feeling a little off-balance.

  A familiar barking greeted him as he opened the front door, and he smiled even as he hushed the eager German shepherds that leaned up against his legs and beat their heavy tails against the carpet. Well, at least his dogs still needed him. “Hey, my Sun and Moon. How was your day?”

  Moon, the sleeker of the two golden boys, gave one deep bark and grinned up at him, his long tongue lolling out of his big mouth. Keegan spent a few minutes rubbing their soft heads and tall, fuzzy ears, then took them outside before settling in for another night of The Office.

  Chapter 5

  [Tired Girl]: Hey, are you still up?

  Keegan groaned and rolled onto his side, attempting to read the text through the horrendous glare that blinded him. Tired Girl. It had been two weeks since he’d last talked to her, although he did see her in line once on a really busy day at the coffee shop. His heart picked up its pace as his vision cleared, and he couldn’t determine whether the cause was worry or excitement.

  What was she doing texting him at three in the morning?

  [Angel Boy]: I wouldn’t say “still” but yeah. What’s up?

  Her reply came within seconds of Keegan sending his.

  [Tired Girl]: I’m so sorry!! I didn’t want to wake you. I hoped you would just ignore it if you were already in bed.

  He smiled as he sat up and ran a hand through his short hair. He typed back his own response, now wide-awake.

  [Angel Boy]: No worries. Everything OK?

  [Tired Girl]: Yeah. I’m just having trouble sleeping. So I thought I’d be nice and share my problem with you.

  The brilliant white light of his phone reflected off the window behind him. As he zoned out, pondering Ava’s insomnia, he noticed his own reflection on the screen. Brow furrowed. Lips drawn tight.

  [Angel Boy]: Did the bees come back?

  He rubbed his cold feet together under the sheets, waiting. Worrying.

  [Tired Girl]: No…I don’t think so. I thought I heard buzzing but it was probably just a fly. :

  Keegan grunted, half amused, half concerned.

  [Angel Boy]: Do you need to talk? On the phone not texting.

  [Tired Girl]: Oh I don’t want to keep you up. But that’s really nice of you to offer. :)

  It wouldn’t have been too great a sacrifice, really. He’d missed talking to her. Was that even possible after only a few meetings?

  [Angel Boy]: Well let me know if you change your mind. See you tomorrow at Angels?

  He fiddled with his phone while he waited for her reply, mindlessly scrolling through his scarce Facebook feed. When the text alert chimed through the room, he released a long breath.

  [Tired Girl]: I think so. Sorry again for bothering you! Thanks for keeping me company for a bit. Good night. :)

  [Angel Boy]: I’ll look for you. Dark chocolate mochaccino right? No problem. Good night TG

  [Tired Girl]: TG?

  [Angel Boy]: Tired Girl

  [Tired Girl]: Ah. Of course. I’m obviously *too* tired. Good night then, AB. :)

  Good night.

  As if sensing his alertness, one of the dogs whined and let out a sharp bark from their spot in the living room.

  “Go back to sleep,” he called through the closed door. Pulling the sheet over his head, Keegan attempted to do the same. But it took him a good long while.

  ∞∞∞

  Ava sat up in bed, heart thumping madly, an angry bee trapped in her own body. She willed the beat to stop drumming in her ears so she could hear properly.

  There. Was that buzzing, the sound muffled by the distance between her bedroom and the living room, not to mention the vent walls? Or would the vent cause sounds like that to amplify and echo?

  Now she knew where they had been getting in before. That should make her feel better, right? And Keegan’s uncle had repaired the screen. She was safe.

  Her finger throbbed mercilessly, and she let out a little whimper as she checked her phone. Six. She had slept for all of three hours. Well, less than that, really.

  It would be useless to try to go back to sleep. So she rolled out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and zipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

  After a shower, she ate some cereal with blueberries, then sat in front of her laptop. Fingers hovering over the keys. But creaks and an odd sort of humming sound kept her hands a whisper above where they needed to be, little tremors rendering them useless.

  Music. That would help.

  The conquering tones of a OneRepublic song blared from her laptop. Then the soulful melody of another. And she still hadn’t made any progress on the manuscript awaiting an editor’s TLC. Her TLC.

  Moisture stung her dry and itchy eyes. If she were going to an eight-to-five job, she would have to work through this mental block. She couldn’t give up just because she worked from her currently less-than-cozy home.

  The coffee shop. Keegan would be there. He had said he was expecting her, right? So she wouldn’t seem silly if she went in. Certainly no sillier than she’d acted by giving in to her desperate fears and loneliness last night.

  It took her less than twenty minutes to gather her things and relocate her office to Coffee by Angels. After she set down her laptop bag at an empty table, she stepped to the counter to order, but Keegan waved her away. The response startled her. Surely he wouldn’t shoo out a paying customer, no matter if that customer happened to be a needy girl who had woken him up at three in the morning.

  She bit her lip, but after catching Keegan’s big grin—raising the lines around his sturdy nose—she slowly unclenched her teeth before she could draw blood. She even managed a lopsided smile. He has my order memorized.

  He was such a nice guy. And she had already inconvenienced him enough. No
more texting, she reprimanded herself.

  With that vow, she returned to her seat and managed to immerse herself into her most urgent editing project, pointing out plot holes and grammatical errors as she went—without neglecting the all-important encouraging words when she came across a particularly lovely line.

  Just as she completed a long comment with suggestions for expanding a character’s backstory, a cup clanked on the table. She glanced up to find Keegan standing proudly beside his offering. “Dark chocolate mochaccino.”

  A closer look revealed a simple flower design—maybe a daisy—made with chocolate sauce drizzled over the sweet coffee.

  This had to be the happiest moment she’d had since…

  She pushed away thoughts of bees and offered Keegan the brightest smile she could muster. She bet her face would positively shine after getting that beautiful coffee in her system.

  He placed his hands in his apron pockets and studied her, his own cocky but cute expression fading into detached scrutiny. “Ava,” he finally said, softly, “you look like you’ve been beaten.”

  When he took a step closer, she returned her attention to the computer screen. The cursor blinked right where she’d left it. Ah yes, she had just finished writing that comment.

  The slightly rough, mostly gentle sensation of a thumb gliding across the skin under her right eye caused her to swallow with force. Her gaze slid up to Keegan’s, and her breath caught as he left his thumb in place and leaned in for a closer look. What was he seeing? The near-purple shadows? The redness of her eyes?

  She squirmed, feeling self-conscious. Keegan pulled away, but not before his fingers grazed her chin, causing her heart to hiccup.

  “Sorry. I just—I hate to see you looking this weary.” Keegan crossed his arms and tipped his head toward the still-steaming cup. “Drink that. Doctor’s orders.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Her response made him smile again. He turned to leave, then hesitated, stepping out of the way of a middle-aged man in business-casual attire heading for the exit.