A Different Slice

12 - Void (Kieran)

Kieran finished installing the last outlet as cheering erupted from the living room, where he'd fixed the first one which luckily for them was on a separate breaker. The Jets must have taken an early lead against the Knights, although he didn't imagine that would last.

People kept clapping him on the back, offering him beer, and calling him the hero of the night. They were all intoxicated, but he appreciated that over being harassed. As he packed his tools, he thought of Naomi and that harsh stare her guy had given her for recognizing him by name. It made him deeply uneasy, yet the next time he'd showed up she'd seemed relaxed making out with him in the office and again in the living room, though after several shots with Greg and his buddy. While he wanted to be happy for her, something churned in his stomach.

You've met this chick twice, and you have an issue of fixating on attractive women who are taken. It's just jealousy.

Footsteps padded into the kitchen, and the tall, thin source of his thoughts walked in but alone.

"Kieran," she whispered and giggled, stumbling against the counter. Was alcohol the root of her happiness, or was it her jealous lover?

"Naomi, we meet again. How are you doing?"

She grinned, and her brown eyes sparkled. "So good. Guess who has her very own pizza tonight," she sang the last word with a shoulder shimmy, which made her body harder to ignore.

That explained the giddiness. The thrill of a new future was an incomparable high.

"So you told him about being a—"

He froze as a soft finger pressed against his lips. It sent a jolt of electricity throughout him.

Her eyes widened, and she pulled away with her bottom lip slightly ajar.

"No." After her voice cracked, she cleared her throat. "Not tonight. Tonight's too perfect to risk it. But it's official, even with his ex stalking around. He's cool with taking things slow."

From what Kieran understood, slow and asexuality weren't great synonyms. Slow was a speed with a destination he knew made Naomi uncomfortable. A destination it looked like her jealous boyfriend wanted based on how he stared at her. But she was the expert, so he stayed quiet.

"I'm happy for you." He meant it because she deserved to have her dream.

She stood opposite him, hands on the island counter, and studied him, which convinced him to do the same. She'd released dark brown hair from its earlier ponytail and fell in soft waves past her shoulders. Her oversized off-white button-up tunic was rolled up at the forearms, fitted in the right spots and unbuttoned enough to look flattering over her black leggings. Those legs were something else, long, toned and athletic. 

Kieran reminded himself she was drunk and taken.

"I'm glad the universe sent you here tonight," she murmured.

He chuckled. "I would credit your guy's poor electrical maintenance for that more than anything."

She held her hands up in the air. "Thank you, Universe, for making Greg a cheap, unhandy bastard."

Kieran laughed again and couldn't stop smiling. "You have a way with words."

"Some call me the poet of my generation, but most say, 'Nomi, that doesn't make any damned sense.'"

His brother and Austin may have had a point. Even without romance on the table, spending time with Naomi was quite entertaining. "That sounds like Jake when I think I have a decent idea. But he's usually right that it's trash."

She grinned. "I like your brother. Smart dude."

Kieran returned her smile as his shoulders relaxed. "He is, and as much as he irritates me, so do I."