I arranged to sleep at Kerry's that night. As coincident would have it Monday nights were Mathew's Squash nights so we said Kerry wanted to go with him to watch and I would look after Matty. No one questioned us. Mathew was thrilled to have Kerry tag along with him. She had always gone to watch him when Matty was little but the more mobile he had become the harder it was for her to enjoy it so she had given up going.

Keean arrived around quarter to eight. Much earlier than I expected him. I was still in my pyjamas scrubbing my teeth in the bathroom. I heard the knock on the sliding glass door. Kerry opened it.

"Hi. I hope I've got the right place. I'm looking for Charlie Johnson."

I quickly rinsed my mouth at the sound of his voice.

I heard Kerry say, "You must be Keean."

"Yeah."

I rushed into the room. Keean looked toward me and smiled.

Kerry, who was holding Matty on her hip, stepped back to let him in.

"I'm Kerry, Charlie's sister. This is Matty."

"Hi," Keean said. He looked from Kerry's face and at Matty. "Cute kid."

Kerry smiled at him then slid the door closed behind him. Keean grinned at me again. He raised his eyebrows as he looked me up and down. My pyjamas were a matching singlet and shorts set made of T-shirt fabric. They had a picture of a duck on the front with the words 'Ruffle my Feathers' underneath.

"You want a coffee or something while you wait for Charlie?" Kerry said as she put Matty in his high chair. Keean glanced towards her then back at me in question. I gave him a shrug and nodded my head. We had plenty of time.

"Okay. Thanks."

Kerry went into the little kitchenette to put the kettle on. Keean took the opportunity to come closer and kiss me. "Ruffle my feathers?" he whispered with a grin on his face.

I put my arms around his neck and stood on tip toe. "You do it all the time." Keean laughed and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me properly.

"Sorry." I heard Kerry say.

We both looked at her. She was trying not to smile.

"How do you have your coffee?" she said.

Keean let me go and slipped his hands into his back pockets. I thought I saw a hint of embarrassment flash across his face. "Dash of milk thanks. No sugar."

I felt a little embarrassed that my sister had seen me kiss him so I said, "I'll go and get ready."

Kerry grinned and said, "Come and sit down if you want."

It was a small unit, only two bedrooms. My uniform was in Matty's room. I left the door ajar so I could hear what they said to each other.

"Charlie says you want to be a doctor."

"Yes. If everything works out." I heard the sound of cups being put on the table and Keean say thanks.

"Don't you think your marks will be high enough?"

"No...it's not that." He sounded a little hesitant then added. "I've got some stuff going on at the moment. It depends how it all goes."

"Oh...how long have you and Charlie been an item?" Kerry laughed. "She only told me about you on the weekend. Likes to keep things to herself, our Charlie."

"A little over a week." I heard him say and thought it had seemed like more than that. Then I heard Keean say. "But I've liked her for a lot longer."

I was surprised to hear him say this. Especially to my sister.

"Charlie says you can only see each other in the mornings and at school. Why is that?" I held my breath, bit on my lip and was about to rush out to change the subject when I heard him say.

"I live in a detention centre. Out at Frances Creek. I'm on a curfew."

I opened the door fully and stood there looking at them both. Keean was looking at Kerry, watching for her reaction. I wondered why he was telling her this. I thought it was something he didn't want people to know. Even though I had already told Kerry everything she stared at him dumbfounded.

He had a concerned look on his face. Perhaps he was having second thoughts. Keean fiddled with his coffee cup and caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye. I must have had a look of shock on my face because he looked back at Kerry and said. "I don't want to lie to you. To Charlie's family. I like her a lot and don't want to start off with lies." He held his hand out to me so I walked towards him. Keean pulled me down on his knee and looked at my face then back at Kerry. "It's bad enough she has to lie to the kids at school. Eventually they'll start asking why we don't see each other on the weekends. She'll have to lie about that too. I don't want her to have to lie to her family." He lifted up his cup and took a mouthful of coffee, put it down and waited for Kerry to say something. She swallowed and looked from Keean to me.

"How long do you have to be at the detention centre?"

Keean looked at his cup of coffee and then back at Kerry. "I was given twelve months but have a good chance of early release. I've served seven of my eight months none parole period." He looked back at me then added. "I found out yesterday that I have a parole hearing in two weeks, if things go well then maybe they'll let me out soon."

I couldn't help but smile. Keean rubbed his hand up and down my back, grinned then looked over at Kerry.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Drugs. I got involved with some people dealing drugs."

Kerry's eyes widened. I hadn't told her about the drugs. I could see her mind churning. "Do you take drugs?"

Keean chuckled and shook his head. "No. I was trying to make some money to go to Uni." Kerry didn't say anything so he added. "It was a stupid mistake. I won't make it again."

Her face relaxed then she smiled. "We've all made mistakes." Kerry laughed and looked at me. "Except Charlie. I don't think she's ever made a mistake in her life."

I felt the tension ease from Keean's body. He rubbed his hand up and down my back once more as Kerry lifted Matty out of his highchair and put him on her hip.

"I need to give him a bath." Kerry moved off then hesitated. "Thanks, Keean. For being honest."

He gave her a nod and smiled. We watched her walk into the bathroom and heard the sound of running water then the door close.

I cupped his face with my hands. "You're incredible," I whispered. Before he could say anything I kissed him fully on the lips.

Keean turned on the chair and pulled me around so I sat facing him with my legs hanging on either side of his. He put his hand on my butt and pulled me closer. Keean pulled his mouth away from mine and looked into my eyes. "You're doing it again, Charlie," he whispered as he pulled my pelvis even closer.

"I'm sorry," I said against his lips. "And thank you for being so honest."

"I really want this to work, Charlie. I'll do anything to make this work." He kissed me again. I didn't want it to stop. I heard the water being turned off and the door knob of the bathroom rattle.

"I better finish getting ready," I murmured as we kissed.

Kerry had taken Matty into his room to dress him. I closed the door when I entered and found my hairbrush to put my hair into the usual ponytail.

"He's nice, Charlie. I like his honesty."

I sighed as I drew the brush through my hair. "Yeah...so do I," I said dreamily.

She gave my cheek a little pinch as she left the room. I finished doing my hair, put on some perfume and packed my things into my small overnight bag. When I was ready I took everything into the lounge room. Kerry was in the kitchenette washing the breakfast dishes. Keean was sitting on the floor in the lounge leaning against the couch. Matty was standing in front of him holding onto Keean's fingers, a big grin on his face.

I sat down on the couch near Keean. He looked up at me and said, "You want to have kids?"

"I guess. One day." I slide onto the floor beside him, grabbed Matty by the waist and lifted him high. I put my head back on the seat of the couch and drew Matty towards me. He squealed as he got closer to me, knowing I was going to blow on his tummy. Matty grabbed my hair as I blew bubbles against his skin. He squealed and kicked his legs in the air. I lowered him to sit on my stomach and had to prize his fingers out of my hair.

Keean watched me with a huge smile on his face. "He's a cute kid."

"Yeah...but not when he gets his claws into you," I laughed while trying to disengage his fingers.

Keean helped then took Matty from me. He held him out in front of him. "How old is he?"

I sat up straighter, turned to face Keean and rested my side against the couch.

"About sixteen months." Matty held his hands out towards Keean.

"What does he want?" Keean asked without taking his eyes from Matty.

I couldn't believe his fascination. I said, "He wants you to hold him closer so he can grab your face and bite your nose."

Keean looked at me then back at Matty. He drew Matty towards him and copied me by blowing a raspberry on Matty's tummy. Matty squealed again and grabbed hold of Keean's hair.

"Holy shit," he gasped as Matty pulled hard. I giggled and undid Matty's fingers. Keean chuckled and held Matty in front of him again. "You're a strong little bugger aren't you?" Matty blew bubbles through his lips and started to clap.

Kerry came into the room wiping her hands on a tea towel. "Do you like kids, Keean?"

"I've never had anything to do with them before, but...I guess...he's cute." Kerry sat down on the single armchair. "Not when he's screaming and throwing a tantrum." Matty held his hands out to her so she took him from Keean and looked at the clock. "What time do you guys have to be at school?"

We followed her eyes and both said in unison, "We better get going."

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.

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