12. Kayla
12
KAYLA
I hop out of my car when I see Trevor’s truck enter the parking lot and wave him over to pull in front of the side entrance leading into the gym. He gets out and drops the tailgate, clambering up into the bed to release the straps he fastened around the set pieces to keep them steady during the trip.
“Here.” He hands down the candy canes one at a time and I hurry to set them aside so he can unload the fireplace. I bounce on my toes with my hands in my coat pockets, impatient to get out of the cold and see our creations set up on stage.
“Where are we going with this stuff?”
“We’ll go in here through the gym then across the hall to the auditorium. Just follow me.” I heft a candy cane and lead him through the door, looking back periodically to make sure he’s still with me as we wind our way to the stage. He’s beginning to get a little out of breath as he hauls the fireplace up the four steps at the side of the stage.
“Where do you want this?”
“Right in the middle. See that X marked with masking tape? Yes, there. Perfect! ”
I hand him my candy cane. “We’ll put these on either side of the fireplace. Let me run back and get the other one.”
I jog back to the truck and hoist the other candy cane, carrying it as quickly as possible but I can only go so fast hauling wooden candy that’s nearly as tall as I am. Even though it’s not that heavy, the shape and size make it unwieldy.
Trevor meets me halfway and carries it the rest of the distance to the stage, positioning it opposite the first one. I stand even with the first row of seats in the audience and study the set-up, my chin in my hand, elbow propped on my other arm.
The fireplace makes a great centerpiece. On one side of the stage is a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments my students made in class. On the other side, I placed a wooden table a PTO mom loaned me, stacked high with empty boxes wrapped to look like gifts. Extra rolls of paper and a wooden crate of unwrapped toys are scattered about, giving the appearance of Santa’s workshop paused for the night.
I love it.
Trevor comes to stand beside me. “Looks great.”
“Thanks to you. You did a great job with the fireplace.”
“I had a good assistant.”
I smile and shake my head. “I’m not fooling myself. You didn’t actually need me, but I’m glad you let me help.” An idea occurs to me. “Hey, you should come to the play next week, see all your hard work in action. I mean, if you want to.”
He’s quiet for a minute and I think he’s about to refuse, which would make sense because no one goes to a play for second and third-graders if they don’t know a kid in the production. But then he says, “I’d love to. Text me with the date and time.”
My heart warms. “I will. But right now, it’s party time.”
I push his shoulder to turn him around and lead him up the aisle with a hand under his elbow. “I’m excited for you to meet my roommate and this will be the perfect opportunity to introduce you to a few other people, too, so you can practice talking to them.”
I turn off the lights and lock up the gym door. “You can follow me to my apartment. It’s not far from here.”
I get in my car and drive away, careful to keep an eye on my rearview mirror and make sure he’s still behind me. I pull up in front of my building and get out, waiting for him to join me before going in.
“We’re on the second floor.” He nods and follows me up the stairs. I can hear the party from the landing, strains of Jingle Bell Rock filtering from the open door at the end of the hall. I glance up at Trevor with a smile and realize that the man is literally sweating right now, perspiration dotting his forehead despite the winter chill lingering in the stairwell.
“Hey.” I put my hand on his arm and pause, turning to face him. “Are you okay?”
Trevor swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing, and nods. “I’m fine, just a little nervous.”
“Don’t worry,” I reassure him, leaning in a little. “I’ll be around the whole time. And there’s no pressure. I just want you to have a good time.”
“Thanks.” There’s that little half smile again. My heart speeds up as I become aware of how near we are to each other. It reminds me of when I looked up as we were painting last week to find my face inches from his. For a second there, I thought he might kiss me. What’s more, I wanted him to kiss me.
But he jumped back and the moment was broken. This time I’m the one who takes a step back.
“Come on. I’m hungry.”
I lead him into the apartment and take his coat, throwing it over the back of the couch with mine. It’s a small apartment and it’s definitely not cold in here with so many people milling around, chatting and enjoying the refreshments Annie and I prepared earlier. I spot my roommate in the kitchen and gesture for Trevor to follow me.
“Annie, this is Trevor. He’s the guy who helped me build some set pieces for the play.”
“Oh, right! So nice to meet you.” Annie extends a hand to Trevor, smiling warmly. “Kayla’s told me all about you.”
“Good things I hope.”
“All good things,” she confirms, releasing his hand. “So, it’s all done and set up for Friday?” She looks back and forth between me and Trevor, adjusting the reindeer antler headband perched on her auburn head.
“All done and it’s exactly what I wanted. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
“I’m sure it looks great. Hey, I need to go say hello to someone.” She turns to Trevor. “Make sure you try the chocolate peppermint cookies Kayla made. She’s an amazing cook.”
He nods solemnly. “I know.”
Annie slides past me, leaning in to whisper, “He’s cute!” She wiggles her eyebrows at me as she leaves and my face heats, even though I know no one else heard her.
“So, how about some of those cookies?”
I load up a plate for myself, greeting friends as they drift by. Trevor and I find a place to stand in one corner of the living room while we eat.
“How’re you doing?” I eye him, evaluating. He seems more relaxed now that we’re inside.
“Good. The food helps. I was starving.”
I laugh. “Me too. Something to know about me is that I get hangry fast. I usually keep snacks in my bag and car, in case I ever find myself in an emergency situation.”
“Good to know. Have you ever had to use an emergency snack?”
“If you’re hungry and there’re no restaurants, grocery stores, or other likely sources of sustenance handy, it’s an emergency. I had to eat a pack of peanut butter crackers from my car stash while I was waiting for you at the school earlier.”
He laughs. “When you said ‘emergency’ I thought you meant like stranded in a snowstorm or a flat tire or something.”
I squint at him. “Don’t make fun of my priorities. It’s for the good of everyone that I have a steady caloric intake. Hangy, remember?”
He lifts one hand in mock surrender. “I’m sorry.”
“Forgiven.”
Just as I’m contemplating whether to go get another cookie, I see my college friend Gracelyn approaching. She stops in front of us with a big smile, her eyes cutting to Trevor before returning to me.
“Hi, Kayla, good to see you. Is this your boyfriend?”
“Oh, no.” I shake my head. “He’s just a friend. Gracelyn, meet Trevor.”
“Hi, Trevor.” They shake hands and he returns the greeting. “How do you know Kayla?”
“I helped her with a project for work.”
“Really, are you a teacher, too?”
“No, I work at a hardware store.”
Gracelyn waits for him to say more, her expression open and interested, but Trevor stays silent. I nudge him. “Tell her about what you built for me.”
“Oh, yes, I’d love to hear about that.”
I wink at Trevor as I sidestep around Gracelyn and leave to go get that extra cookie. The look of trepidation on his face is comical. You’d think I left him to chat with a grizzly bear, not with a girl who is clearly interested in him. My gut twists a little at the thought. Am I jealous?
I have no reason to be jealous. He doesn’t belong to me in any way. I don’t think he’s even attracted to me. At least, he hasn’t shown it if he is .
And there’s still the promise to my mother to consider, even if he was interested in me. Now is the time to be focusing on my career and all the other things I’m committed to. Frankly, I don’t have time for a boyfriend. I certainly don’t need one.
But do I want one?
As I watch Gracelyn lay her hand on Trevor’s arm and laugh at something he said, I start to think maybe I do. And maybe I don’t want just any boyfriend.
I think I want Trevor.
I stand in the kitchen, mindlessly munching my cookie and turning over this revelation in my mind like a shiny coin. I like Trevor.
I like his quiet, thoughtful manner. I like how gentle and sweet he is. I certainly like how nice he is to look at.
But what should I do about it? I worry my lower lip with my teeth.
“Whatcha looking at?” Annie’s question startles me so that I fling cookie crumbs across the floor.
I frown at her. “Don’t sneak up on people like that.”
“Who was sneaking? I walked right up to you. You just didn’t see me because your focus was elsewhere.”
I won’t comment on that. “Looks like the party is going pretty well. Seems like people are having fun.”
“You don’t look like you’re having fun.” Annie crosses her arms and leans against the counter beside me, her gaze following mine. “On the other hand, Trevor and Gracelyn look like they’re doing alright. Does that have anything to do with you looking like you just sucked a lemon?”
I heave a sigh. “I like him, alright? But I don’t think he’s interested in me. I mean, look at him. He’s hanging on her every word.” I don’t mean to sound so disgusted, but I can’t help it.
“So why don’t you go over there and make sure he remembers you ? ”
“I don’t want to be that girl.”
“What girl?”
“You know, the kind who throws herself at a guy. Especially since I told him I would introduce him to some people tonight, give him a chance to practice talking to people.”
Annie snorts. “Looks like he’s getting in some good practice.”
I clench my fists as Gracelyn leans in closer to him, presumably to hear him speaking over the music and conversation around them.
“I need to use the restroom.” I walk away from Annie and into my room, closing the door behind me. I know I can’t stay in here all night, but I take a few minutes to breathe and splash water on my face before going back out.
I spend the rest of the evening avoiding Annie and trying not to spy on Trevor. I check on him a couple times, but he doesn’t seem to be having any issues with keeping up a conversation with Gracelyn or any of the other girls that crowd around him from time to time. Most of them move on after a few minutes to continue mingling, but Gracelyn sticks to him like a burr. Eventually, the crowd begins to thin as guests start to head out, calls of “Merry Christmas!” filling the air as people say goodbye. Gracelyn and Trevor are the last to go.
I overhear her tell him she’s going to get her jacket from Annie’s bedroom. I seize the opportunity as she walks away and move to stand beside Trevor, who is pulling on his own coat.
“Leaving?”
“Yeah, I have to work tomorrow so it’s time for me to get home and get to bed.”
I nod. “Well, I’m glad you could come. Hey, I’ll walk out with you.”
He starts to respond but stops when Gracelyn brushes past me to take his arm. “Thanks for waiting,” she says to Trevor before turning to me with a sweet, genuine smile. “And thanks for hosting such a fun party, Kayla.”
My mouth opens and shuts like a fish. “No-no problem,” I stutter.
With a little wave, Gracelyn tugs Trevor out the door and that’s that. I close the door behind them to keep myself from watching them walk away together and lean my forehead against it with a sigh.
How did this happen? Yesterday Trevor was just a friend – albeit an admittedly cute male friend – who was helping me with the play. Now, all of a sudden, I’ve caught a case of feelings for him. And I’m pretty sure he couldn’t care less about me.
I push off the door with a growl and start cleaning up.