Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter Thirty One

Katherine took her time with the start of her day. Rafael had left for work at least an hour before she dragged herself out of bed. They had lived together for close to two months and his place was beginning to feel like hers. Initially she had felt a little like she was still sleeping over... a visiting girlfriend with a key... now she moved about the home much like she did in the tiny apartment she had spent the last two years in.

It had helped that some of her things were placed about his place... their place. When she had suggested it, it was mainly because she had wanted to keep a bit of the life she had built for herself. The small reminders of her old apartment turned out to be so much more important. They gave her a sense of belonging, that it was her home too.

Katherine sat at her small sage table, the one they had place to overlook Central Park from just off the main living room space. Her coffee and a notepad were the only things on the table, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with her pen as she read a couple chapters the book her principal had assigned as summer reading. Rafael would more than likely be late at work again so she wasn't in a rush to work on her classroom.

"You're later than normal." Debbie smiled when Katherine stopped in the office to say hello.

"I had a nice lazy morning." Katherine said returning the smile. "Is anyone else up there?"

"No. The first grade team is working down the hall but your floor is empty. I turned the lights on in the hall closest to your room earlier so it wouldn't be dark when you got up there."

"I appreciate that, it's so creepy when you have to search for the switch in the dark."

She was usually the first one on her floor in the morning, even during the school year and had spent countless mornings circling the level turning on all the lights. During the summer she typically only turned on the ones on the hall her classroom was down.

"It's no problem." Debbie gave her a goofy grin causing Katherine to furrow her brow.

"What's with the grin?"

"Oh, nothing. I just glance at your ring again. I'm so excited for you. News like that brings family closer." Debbie smiled again.

"I guess." Katherine awkwardly chuckled at the peculiar behavior of the school secretary.

She made her way upstairs, unlocked her classroom and flipped on the light in almost one motion. Her bag was dropped on one of the desk groupings that she had cleared off the day before. The room was coming along nicely. She had everything organized and was down to putting the final touches on her walls giving her time to create decorations to match her new theme, decorations that weren't necessary but added to the feel of the room.

"Jesus!" She gasped when Scott spun in her desk chair so she could see him. "How'd you get in here?"

"I told the sweet lady in the front office I was your brother and wanted to surprise you. She was all too happy to help me." Scott smiled.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk." He shrugged.

"Like you talked to Raf last night?" Katherine muttered.

Her eyes went to the door and Scott stood moving into the empty space between her and the exit.

"Do you know how infuriating it is to see someone else get to benefit from my hard work?"

Katherine rolled her eyes and reached into her bag as though she were looking for something. "What hard work?" Her fingers quickly found her phone and she quietly pressed the contact for Rafael, leaving the phone in her purse as it rang, hoping that he'd be able to answer. She then pulled out a few of the things she had bought for her classroom, setting them out on the desks.