Last Flight to L.A.

chapter twenty-four: baked pears with a side of stowaways

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

~Winnie the Pooh

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Kelsey slammed a drawer shut with her hip and tossed a dish towel into the dirty rag pile.

She surveyed the glistening kitchen with satisfaction.

There was something peaceful about taming the chaos after a long day that Kelsey found highly gratifying.

She scrolled through her Pinterest feed and found a recipe she'd had her eye on for a long time; baked brown sugar pears with an Italian crème mousse topping.

She cut the pear in half, inhaling the sweet citrus that met her nose.

As she sprinkled brown sugar on top of the two halves, she thought of Becca, who was probably doing her nails at home.

It had been two days since she'd unofficially "moved in", and Kelsey was pretty sure Becca pampered her nails at least seven times a day.

They didn't talk much when they were together, but it didn't feel awkward, either. Kelsey was shocked to think that she didn't mind Becca being around and would even go as far as to say that it was kind of nice to have someone else in the house.

She steamed a pot of heavy whipping cream, added a splash of vanilla, and a quarter cup of sugar before placing it in the freezer for fifteen minutes and whipping it.

She pulled out the pears from the oven and almost swooned at how amazing they smelled. Brown sugar bubbled on top of the white pears, and butter sizzled around the edges.

Kelsey heard the front door creak open and she sighed.

She dusted off her hands and walked around the table.

If Becca ran out of nail polish remover again...

She stopped short.

Ethan stood in the doorway, coming to an abrupt halt when he saw her.

Kelsey gaped at him.

"Uh, hey," He said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck and offering a grin that looked painful.

"Um, h-hey," Kelsey replied, clearing her throat. "W-what're you doing here?"

Ethan bit his lip. "I just wanted to see you."

Kelsey hesitated. Ethan took a few steps forward and Kelsey rushed to give him a hug.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

Ethan sighed deeply. "I missed you, Kelsey."

Kelsey smiled to herself. "Missed you too," she said quietly.

Ethan held her at arm's length, that stupid grin on his face. "Really?"

"What happened with the tabloid wasn't your fault," Kelsey said. "It just really freaked me out and I didn't know what to do, so I ran."

Ethan raised his eyebrows hopefully. "But now you're back, right?"

Kelsey grinned. "Yeah, movie star. I'm here to stay."

She gave him another hug before pulling away and walking back into the kitchen.

"It's almost like I could smell you coming," she said, grabbing a spoon and plopping the cream onto the warm pears. She slid a plate over to Ethan.