Twice in a Lifetime \\ KELLIC

21

It had been four and a half months since Ashton died and I think I was finally getting used to him not being around. Of course there was a huge hole still missing in my heart, but the days were getting easier as they went by one by one. Some days were better than others. Sometimes I barely wanted to leave the house, but most days I felt myself feeling normal again.

Of course, I still missed Ashton every day. I still thought about him constantly. Night time was the worst. It was always just me and Flash in the house. It was dark, quiet, and I only had my thoughts to listen to. I considered asking Vic to stay with me, but with my 'just friends' proposition in order, I didn't want to jeopardize that.

A little over two months ago I was fired from my job. I didn't blame my boss. He did what was right for his store and at the time I was too unstable to keep around. He did offer me my job back recently, but I was much focused on something else.

I had been consumed in working on the house with Vic. It was going really, really well and was getting done a lot faster with both of us on the job. Vic and I had become really good friends. He distanced himself from me after I told him I wanted to just be friends, but then he warmed up to me again and we worked quite well together.

I was getting to know Vic on another level. He wasn't just Ashton's best friend anymore, and he wasn't just this guy helping me through a difficult time. No, he was my friend. I knew that for sure. I used to be so confused because he was always just Ashton's friend, but he was mine too now.

I watched him as he came into the kitchen. He had gotten here early, just like every other day, only today was different.

"I don't think there's anything else," Vic said as he leant against the kitchen counter.

"There's gotta be something. We can't be done already," I said, a little desperately.

"I'm telling you, the house is perfect. There's nothing else that needs to be done," he said.

After months, it was done? Just like that? I supposed he was right. If we did any more work on the house, then it'd be overdoing it. I didn't think it would be done by now. I thought I'd have more time. More time for what though? More time to think about what I was going to do with the house? More time to figure out my life? More time to figure out my attraction to Vic? Probably all of the above.

"We did it, Kellin. We finished it," he said with a smile.

"I guess we did..." I said quietly.

He looked at me, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," I shook my head.

"Psh, liar," he commented.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "It's nothing really. I just didn't expect to finish so soon."

"Well, it had to happen eventually," he said.

"I know, it's just that...now it's real and now I gotta figure out what to do," I said.

"You don't have to figure out anything yet. You just spent every day of the last couple months renovating this house. Take a breather," he said.

"Right, sure," I said sarcastically. Me, take a breather? I was either crying or working. There was nothing else I did. There was nothing else I could do, or at least nothing that came to mind.

"When was the last time you had some fun?" he asked.

I thought about it. 'Fun' wasn't really something I associated with myself lately. I didn't have it in me to have fun, or at least I didn't think I did.