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slept for ten hours.

Kiera slipped quietly from bed. She walked over to her dresser and

picked out a plain, oversized t-shirt, which she threw on, along with a pair

of workout shorts. She threw her on a thin, cotton robe and tightened the

belt.

As she tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen, she could almost taste the deep,

rich coffee she was going to brew. She loved to sit and savor a good, strong

cup of coffee in the morning, and she had a delicious dark roast blend that

she purchased from the café down the block. They ground the beans

themselves, so they were always fresh and delicious.

She was halfway through loading the coffee maker when the doorbell

rang.

It was seven in the morning. She hadn’t invited anyone over and delivery

companies sure as heck didn’t come by so early. Kiera’s heart started to

pound. What if it was her mom out there? Her dad? Romi was asleep

upstairs. She could wake up and walk downstairs at any moment.

That wasn’t how Kiera wanted her parents to find out.

She thought about not answering the door, but that would just make her

mom or dad worried. They had a key to her place and it would be even

worse if they felt like they needed to use it. It would be better to just answer

the door, act calm, and find out what they needed first thing in the morning.

Kiera forced herself to breathe evenly as she walked over to the door. She

ran her hands over her hair before she pulled it open, hoping that her

afterglow from last night wasn’t apparent. She hadn’t even stopped to look

in the mirror before she’d made her way downstairs.

When she finally pulled it open, she let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t her

parents standing out there. It was Shane.

“What are you doing here?” Kiera hissed.

Shane looked awful. Like he hadn’t slept or eaten in days kind of awful.

He had dark circles under his eyes and he was way too pale.