Limerence | I

25. Kenneth Ruiz

I hadn't realized that I fell asleep in Xavier's bed until I woke up the next morning. The bright sun was peering through the floor to ceiling windows making me squint my eyes. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and checked next to me for Xavier. He wasn't next to me. The smell of hazelnut coffee engulfed my senses. I smiled to myself, remembering last night. We simply enjoyed each other's company for most of the night. We might have gotten a little "touchy" but nothing too crazy.

I made my way toward the kitchen to find a cup of Starbucks coffee on the granite counter. I assumed it was for me. I took a small sip of the heavenly beverage. I heard the sound of keys right before he entered through the front door. In his hand he held a medium sized, brown, leather bag; my bag. My eyebrows furrowed together. I was sure that I left it at Astrid's.

"How'd you get my bag?" I asked curiously. He chuckled.

"Good morning to you too." He seemed to be in a good mood despite everything that happened yesterday. It was good to see a genuine smile on his face. "I stopped by Astrid's for a second to pick it up for you. I thought you could use this stuff." He handed it over to me. I unzipped it to find neatly folded clothes, my toothbrush, my hairbrush, and my wallet.

"Thanks." I thanked him gratefully. I silently wondered if Astrid was there but I didn't bother to ask because it wasn't important. Instead, I asked him where he kept the towels. He pointed toward the closet in the hallway leading toward the bathroom. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away and it was making me blush. I tip toed into the bathroom and quickly closed the door behind me.

As I brushed my teeth, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes widened when I saw a large dark purple mark on my neck. I had never had a hickey before. I grazed over it with my fingers. For a moment, I was afraid of what my mom would say. Then, I remembered that I was no longer a child that lived with her mother.

I spent nearly 45 minutes in the shower, washing my body and hair. After drying myself off when I got out of the shower, I got dressed the faded jeans and Soundgarden T-shirt that Xavier brought me. I giggled to myself when I noticed that he didn't forget to include underwear; specifically my matching black lace set. When I got back out to the living room, Xavier was deep in thought. He sat on the couch staring blankly ahead and fidgeting with his fingers. I sat beside him.

"You okay?" I asked him. He quickly snapped out of his thought and nodded his head. He forced a smile on is face, raising suspicion. What could he have been thinking so intently about? His eyes trailed over my neck and I saw his lips curl into a smirk. Somehow, I knew he didn't leave the mark on accident. He then moved his eyes up to my hair. He reached over and twirled one of my now damp curls around his finger. "You should leave your hair like this more often." He stated. Most times, I straightened my hair. And the rare times that I did leave it curly, he loved it. I sent him a timid smile, thanking him. But something was weighing on my mind. Astrid said that the baby was Kenneth's. My question; who the hell is Kenneth?

"Who's Kenneth?" I asked confidently. I didn't ask him directly after the argument because I knew it was too soon. But he would have to tell me sooner or later. So why not get it out of the way? His smile faded but he didn't get angry. He looked more disappointed than anything. But in a way, I felt like he knew I would ask.

"It's not important." He tried to brush it off by breaking eye contact with me.

"It seemed important yesterday." I said, referring to his reaction when Astrid told him. Xavier sighed and sat back, sinking into the couch. I folded my legs Indian style and waiting for his response. I half expected him to ignore me but he didn't. But it did take him a moment to get it out. And when he did, I understood why he didn't want to talk about it.

"Kenneth Ruiz," He stated his full name, "used to be close friends with me, Alex and Astrid." He said simply. I could tell that he was uncomfortable but I wasn't too satisfied with his answer. Based on his reaction, there was something about Kenneth that hit a nerve.

"Why not anymore?" I tried to keep a soft tone so he wouldn't think that I was being pushy, even though I was. He hesitated, probably wondering if he should go an deeper or not. He shook his head.

"We can save that story for another time. Let's just say that he's a little... Unstable." He finished, standing up. I hated him for leaving me hanging but I knew that I couldn't push it any further. If he didn't feel like talking about it anymore, then he wasn't going to. But I wouldn't let it go forever.

This chapter is more of a filler. But I'll probably update again later tonight or tomorrow. And you guys will find out more about Kenneth soon.