Saving Cinderella

Chapter Eight

He hardly slept. Sophie called a cab shortly after one in the morning and he’d spent the next few hours glancing at the empty spot beside him, wishing she were there to fill it. Eventually, he gave up on the idea of sleeping at all and ended up on his computer, mixing audio. He must have stayed awake until around five in the morning when his body gave in to the exhaustion. It felt like he’d just closed his eyes when the apartment buzzer sounded in his ears.

He tossed back his blankets, swinging his legs to the side and standing. He padded down the hallway to answer the door but a bleary eyed, pajama clad Wes was already swinging it open. Keaton blinked, peeking from behind.

A gigantic man with a full white beard stood behind the door in coveralls, holding a clipboard in one hand and a travelling kennel in the other. Beside him, pushed up against the hallway wall was the large wire cage, packed to the brim with all the stuff Keaton had purchased.

Wes rubbed his chin, still half asleep. “I think you have the wrong house, bro.”

“Are you Keaton Stromberg?” the guy asked.

Wes turned and pointed to Keaton, a look of disapproval flashing across his face. “No, but that guy is.”

“Your rabbit,” the guy said to Keaton.

Wes’s eyes darted to the side, sharp as lasers. “Your what?”

“A bunny,” the delivery guy said to Wes. “A small rodent with floppy ears. Like the white rabbit that Alice follows down the hole into Wonderland.” He held the clipboard out to Wes who ignored it, turning to face Keaton.

“Keaton?”  

“Yeah?”

“Why the hell do we have a bunny?”

The delivery guy waved his clipboard. “Can someone sign for it? I’ve got other deliveries.”

“Deliver that thing back to wherever he bought it from,” Wes said. “How about that?”

Keaton stepped forward, grabbing the board and the pen, scrolling his signature for the second time for Thumper. “Thanks,” he said. He traded the clipboard for the kennel and set it down on the floor just inside the entryway before dragging in the crate inside.

Wes stood in front of him, arms across his chest, his eyebrows arching upward.

“Meet Thumper,” Keaton said. “He’s moving in.”

“What about Zuni and Sampson?”

“What about them? They’ll be fine, besides, he’s almost as big as Sampson. He can hold his own.”

Wes sleepily went toward the kitchen and started making a coffee. “What possessed you to buy a rabbit, Keaton?”

“A girl,” Keaton said honestly.

“Sophie?”

“No, some other girl,” Keaton said. “Of course, Sophie.”

“Why? Isn’t it a bit soon to be adopting pets together?”

“She doesn’t know. She loves the bunny and can’t have it at her place. Look, I should have said something but you were busy with Rowyn and I forgot. You won’t even notice it’s here.”

Wes removed his coffee from the brewer and sat at the kitchen table. “Whatever, bro. I’ve got other things to worry about right now.”

“Like?”

“Like I need to pull off a miracle in a week. I might need help from you and Drew.”

“Yeah,” Keaton said. “Sure. What kind of miracle are we talking about?”