Bunny - Kenjorine - Transition

Book 2 Chapter 40

While I'm turned to look at Kenny, I notice him chopping the vegetables way too thin. "Kenny..." I step up next to him. "Chop them a little bigger. If they're too thin they'll get too soggy in the sauce."

"Like this?" He says quietly and slowly.

"A little more..."

"How's that?"

I look at his concentrated expression and smile to myself. "That's perfect."

He turns his head slightly and meets my gaze. We haven't been this close in ages...

"Mar..."

I can barely breathe when he says my name like that. Especially when he's this close.

"Kenny-"

"Fuck!" Kenny jolts and drops the knife.

"What? What happened?"

"Shit, I cut my finger..."

"Let me have a look at it..." I hold his hand up so I can see his finger. "It's not bad. Rinse it off, I'll grab a bandaid."

While he washes the blood off his finger I find my purse and take out one of the band aids I kept inside.

"Okay, c'mere."

He holds his hand out to me. I wrap the bandage over the cut and secure the adhesive. "There... all better."

He looks at his hand. "It's so pink..."

"Is that a problem?"

He laughs. "No, it's very you." He lowers his hand. "Thank you."

"No problem." I smile softly. "I'm going to take over the chopping."

"That makes sense."

I continue to work on the meal. At some point a stand of my hair fell out of my ponytail but my hands are too messy to fix it.

"Here." Kenny holds up a small hair clip. "It's one of Karen's. Let me uh..."

"Oh! Thank you!" I turn my face towards him and close my eyes so he can put the clip on my hair.

He secures the clip. Before I have the chance to open my eyes fully, his hand trails down from my hairline and his thumb lingers on my lower lip.

I look up at him, his eyes are locked on my lips.

Please. Please kiss me.

I can't take this anymore.

He parts his lips and slowly leans towards me, still holding my chin in his hand.

Finally...

"Mar..." he whispers.

"Kenny..."

"I'm... sorry."

What?

He steps away from me. "I can't..."

Right... he's taken.

"I'm... I'm going to go out for a smoke..."

"... okay."

I watch the door close behind him. A pit forms in my chest.

"You do still like him." Karen steps in.

"Oh god... did you see all that?"

"Just the part where you almost kissed. Why didn't you?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? He has a girlfriend..." I stare down at the floor.

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Bebe. The girl he was with on New Year's Eve."

"He broke up with her ages ago."

"What?"

"Yeah. After new years they decided they wanted to just stay friends or something. I don't know the details but I know he definitely doesn't have a girlfriend right now."

"But he told me he did..."

"He doesn't. At least that's what he told me." Karen folds her arms.