Page 14 of Hale Yeah, It’s You

On Saturday morning I wake up in an empty house. I take two ibuprofens for the raging headache I know is coming, and try to ignore the panic beginning to rise at the memory of last night’s events.

That kiss.

Clay had stood there in the hallway holding me, and when I didn’t speak, he eventually said goodnight and kissed the top of my head before leaving me in the hallway alone.

I knew he wanted more, that he’d wanted me to offer to have tea with him in the kitchen, to stay up and talk about things.

But I hadn’t trusted my own voice or my own feelings.

So I didn’t stop him when he walked toward his bedroom.

I went to my own room, took a shower and fell into my bed.

Now though, in the quiet of the morning, I wish I’d said something. Anything. Because as it stands now, I have no idea where this left us.

After that kiss, I’d hoped clarity would follow. But clarity is clearly on vacation .

I turn on some music and clean the house room by room, giving my nervous energy something else to focus on.

I start in the kitchen, scrubbing refrigerator shelves and cabinet doors, tasks we’ve neglected far too long.

Once I start, I can’t stop, moving on to the bathrooms, tidying up the living room, and folding the mountain of clean laundry that always lives at one end of the couch.

We share the house chores well, but with back to school and our busy schedules, we’ve let it all pile up.

The music blares loud so I can sing along, letting the words keep my brain busy.

I put my and Alayna’s clothes away, glad to see her room is clean and her bed has been made.

She’s got to be the easiest kid to pick up after, always happier in a tidy space.

I know I’m not her mom, but I like to think I’ve contributed in the same way that a mother would to the awesome young woman she’s becoming.

I’m about to bring Clay’s pile back to the laundry room when Alayna comes bursting through the front door. She’s bright-eyed and full of energy this morning.

“We brought donuts!” Alayna sings as she heads past me to the kitchen with a large box of the sticky goodness in her hands. She turns the music off as she passes the stereo. “I got you a maple bar, I know they’re your favorite.”

Clay stops a few steps inside the front door, looking around the now sparkling clean house. “We would have helped if you’d waited.”

A blush creeps up my neck thinking about us standing in this same spot last night, his lips fused to my own. I lift the stack of clothes in my arms toward him. “Well, how about you put these away and pretend you’ve helped?”

He nods, but makes no moves toward me.

“How did you sleep?” There are questions in his eyes but I ignore them.

I shrug, bridging the distance between us and handing the stack of clothes over. “Fine, I guess. ”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, how did that meeting with Roman go?” He motions for me to follow him as he puts his clothes away.

“It was fine.” I mumble, not sure why he wants to know anything about me and Roman. Unless he’s hoping it went terribly so he can feel better about last night.

His room is dark, from the navy blue bed spread to the black furniture, and it smells like his cologne, a mixture of citrus and leather.

He’d thrown out everything after Tasha left, starting over fresh with his own style.

We spent a lot of time in this room when Layna-bug was small, but the older she got, the less it made sense for me to be in Clay’s space like that.

Last weekend was a rare throwback to the old days.

He opens dresser drawers, depositing stacks of clothes, before turning back to me. “Think you’ll be spending much time with him?”

“What’s with the twenty questions, Clay?” I’d expected questions, but I thought he’d want to talk about last night, not my situation with Roman.

Clay shrugs. “Looking out for you is all. I remember how upset you were when he left. It’s like we can relate there, you know?”

I do know, but for some reason it doesn’t seem right to discuss this with Clay when I don’t even know the answers to his questions. I need to speak with Roman. He and I have a lot of unfinished business to hash out.

Alayna pops her head in the door. “Hey, you gonna come have donuts?”

“Yes, I deserve at least two after cleaning up this house.” I’m thankful for an excuse to get away.

I follow her to the kitchen, ignoring my guilt for once again running from Clay and his questions.

Something about the way Clay keeps looking at me has me feeling guilty and confused. My head is a whole mess right now .

Alayna hands me a plate and the two of us sit together at the table, the box of donuts between us.

“Hey Keke,” her eyes seem to sparkle as she calls me by my favorite nickname. “I was wondering if you’d be able to pick me up after school on Monday.”

“What time?” I mumble through a mouthful of maple donut. I cover my mouth with my hand.

“Well, I have rehearsals all week, and they finish up before five. So if you come right after work I can wait for you out front.”

“Rehearsals? Does that mean you got a part in the play?” Excitement makes my voice go up an octave.

She’s been looking forward to this part of high school for as long as I can remember.

We spent many weeks over summer break running lines for the summer drama program, and I watched her love for acting grow.

She’s a natural, and I cannot wait to watch her on that high school stage.

“It’s a full freshman cast, so you’re looking at the best modern day Juliet you’re ever gonna meet!” She grins before stuffing the last bite of donut in her mouth.

“Woah, baby girl, you got the lead?” I squeal the words, pulling her up out of her chair for a hug. “Look out world, my niece is gonna be a star!”

Clay laughs from the other side of the kitchen. “It’s no surprise, none of you Hale girls are fading-into-the-wallpaper types. Much too gorgeous for all that.” Alayna and I both roll our eyes. I try to ignore the fact that he’s lumped all of the Hale women into one group. Tasha included.

Alayna gives me one last squeeze before turning her beaming smile onto her dad. “Thanks Daddy, remember that when it’s time for us to get a costume. Your wallet can be my biggest fan.”

This time it’s me that laughs out loud. “Don’t you get a costume from the theater department?”

Alayna shakes her head, a frown spreading.

“No, I guess there was some kind of burst pipe situation over the summer and everything got thrown out. No costumes, no props, even the old set pieces had to be thrown out. I don’t think the school has the budget to replace anything.

Mrs. Betty is trying to get some donations from local businesses, and running a special where they can buy ad space in the programs, and they’ve asked some of the parents to spread the word and maybe get a fundraiser going.

More people care about football team budgets than theater kids. ”

Clay pats Alayna on the head. “Don’t worry kiddo, I’m sure it’ll work out. I’ll ask some of the guys at work if they’d like to donate. I’m sure they still need a few tax write-offs for the year.”

“I might have some ideas, too.” I add, the wheels in my brain spinning wildly.

I can certainly donate my time, the use of tools, wood, paint, and supplies for their set making.

I remember my parents donating things of that nature to the school over the years.

And Mom and Dad keep begging me to get out of the store; I’m sure they’ll be happy to help out for a while so I can build sets with the kids.

There’s not much they won’t do for me, and even less they wouldn’t do for our sweet Layna-bug.

“Since you already cleaned up, can we watch some old Romeo and Juliet movies? Pile up on the couch like we used to?” Alayna’s eyes move back and forth between me and Clay.

“Sure thing kiddo, you in Keke?”

“Yeah, sure. Mike’s running the shop today, so I’m not needed at work.” I shrug, following my girl into the living room.

My thoughts focus on set design ideas and ways I can make myself useful.

Alayna sits next to me on the couch, and I pull her into me, running my hand over the back of her hair like I did when she was little.

Clay takes his spot on the other side of her, and just like that, things are mostly normal again.

“Let’s watch the one with Leonardo Dicaprio first,” Alayna says, passing the remote to Clay. “I think we can get some good costume ideas from that one.”

My heart speeds up as I start making plans for the next week in my head.

As much as I’d like to claim this is one-hundred-percent only to secure my spot as the best aunt ever, I can’t deny the truth.

This is the perfect excuse to get closer to Roman.

If we are in close proximity at the school, day after day, he’ll have to talk to me.

I fully intend to get all the answers I long for out of that man.

Even if I have to play a little dirty to get them.

“How long do you have before opening night?” I ask, taking a deep breath and holding it in.

“Opening night is in six weeks!”

Six weeks.

There’s no way that Mr. Sexy Principal can turn down my offer of help for the school, and Clay can’t complain about it when I’m helping our sweet girl get what she needs for the school play.

One way or another, I am going to figure out how to move on from the ghosts of my past, and to do that, I need to work through this thing with Roman.

Either we’ll find a way to mend what was broken, or at least I’ll have the closure I need to put him firmly in the past. Between my feelings for him and this new thing with Clay, I have a lot to iron out, but it doesn’t feel impossible.

I’ve spent enough time sitting around feeling sorry for myself, and as the theater kids would say, the show must go on.