The furniture was being put together. The girls had shown up with food that I'd ordered for everyone. No matter where you were, there was chaos throughout the house. Jim had been locked up in the master bathroom. He didn't seem to mind. It was quiet and calm.
Kayn and I finished putting together the canopy bed frame. As we stood back staring at it, I felt a calmness wash over me. The door opened, and Ezreal walked in.
"Oh good," he chirped, "Sett sent me to see if the mattress needed to come up."
"Ez, sweety," I looked back at him as I spoke, "do you know where Jim's bed is?"
"The fancy one?" He asked before covering his mouth.
"The fancy one?" I asked.
"Uh," he rubbed the back of his head and looked at the ground.
"You can tell her, Ezreal," Kayn said, shaking his head.
"Yeah," Ezreal started, "So, we all kind of pitched in and bought housewarming gifts. That's kind of why Kayn has been keeping you up here. We bought things that we thought could be upgraded or that you needed." He chuckled nervously. "K'Sante also bought Jim a bunch of stuff."
I laughed to myself. "Well, you can let Sett know that we're ready for the mattress," I responded happily.
With a nod, Ezreal left the room, closing the door behind him. A few minutes later Sett came up with the mattress and put it on the frame. We went downstairs where I received my gifts. We all sat around talking for a while. Eventually, all that was left was me, Kayn, and Jim. We sat on the new couch exhausted from the day's events while Jim checked out all of his new stuff without being bothered.
Kayn smiled a halfhearted smile. "I'm sorry about earlier."
"It's ok," I replied. "I'm just happy that you were able to get it out of your head."
"I started staying with you so that I could figure it out." He held my hand. "Honestly, I'm still scared."
"Me too. About us. About this place. About not having a job," I replied honestly. "I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now."
"Work on your photography." He responded simply.
"Yeah," I sighed, "but that doesn't take up all of my time."
"Relax, play games, read, watch something," his hand squeezed mine, "spend time with me."
My eyes fell on our interlocked fingers while Kayn's thumb caressed the back of my hand. His phone rang and he groaned. As he answered I could hear Yone's voice on the other end. He mentioned something about needing to have Kayn come in for a recording session. As they talked it over I got a text from K'Sante. He'd sent me a listing for a men's privacy cover.
K'Sante: Will this work for our photos?
Me: Yeah, it probably won't be the most comfortable thing but it'll make things less awkward. I'd also suggest a robe if you have one.
Me: It sounds like Kayn will have to come over tomorrow, so we can do it then. The backyard there has a lot more privacy. Though there are a few shots we'll need a mostly open room for. Preferably one with a blank white wall.
K'Sante: For the pedestal? There's a corner in the living room that I think would work for that.
Me: What is the update on the pedestal situation? Find anything?
K'Sante: I was able to get the help of a friend who made props for some of our videos he said it'll be done tomorrow morning. Oh! We also had stanchions from the Stars video in the garage.
Me: Amazing, I'll let you know when we're coming over.
Ksante: OK. 👍
K'Sante: How is he doing? Feels strange having him gone this long. With the amount of stuff He brought over today I have a feeling he won't be here very much.
Me: He seems more relaxed than ever. We had a little talk while you guys were gone. I think things are finally official.
K'Sante: Finally! I had hoped he finally tell you. It'll be nice not to hear him drunkenly rambling about whether or not he's going crazy.
Me: Thank you for taking care of him during all of that.
K'Sante: Of course! 😊
As I sat down my phone I realized Kayn had been done with his call. "I've gotta go to the Heartsteel house tomorrow." He informed me, standing and lifting me from the couch. "Will you be coming with me?"
"Of course," I replied, looking into his eyes.
"It's probably going to be a long day." He groaned.
As he carried me upstairs I rested my head on his shoulder. "K'Sante and I are going to do our shoot while I'm there," I explained. "Don't let me forget my camera bag."
He smiled as he opened our bedroom door. "I saw you two getting excited earlier. Come up with something good?" He asked as he gently put me on my feet.
"Well," I started as we picked our pajamas, "we thought it would be interesting to do a play on the lives of celebrities being on constant display for the media regardless of how private they try to keep it."
"Sounds interesting." He responded as he walked to the bathroom. "Sooner or later you'll be on that same stage."
I followed him with my head tilted. "What do you mean?" I asked curiously.
Kayn pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it to the hamper. He approached me with a smirk. The knuckle of his index hooked under my chin, tilting my head so his lips brushed against mine.
"Want me for it or not, I'm still famous." He spoke in a whisper. "Sooner or later the press will find out. They'll come for both of us. Whether it's with kindness or malicious intent. They'll ask all kinds of questions." His free hand pulled me to him roughly. "Either way, I'm not going to let them get what they want."
