Chapter Four

"What?" Keanu said as he shot glances everywhere, his hold on the steering wheel tightening. The headlights flashed through the car and out the back as the car sped forward. He hit the brakes and it slowed considerably, and he sent her some wary looks while focusing on the road at the same time.

"I- I just thought that we were gonna get into an accident," Alice explained, her cheeks heating up.

"Are you always this jumpy?" Keanu said, laughing. "Leonard tells me you're always mild about everything. I'm not so sure about what he said now."

Alice covered her face with both hands as she sank lower in her seat. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Keanu rounded the corner again and drove through a familiar neighbourhood. "Is this your place?" he asked as the car crawled forward past her home.

"Yes! This is it."

He pulled up to the curb and pressed a button. "I'll bring you to the front door," he said. She nodded and they both left the car. She stepped onto her path and turned around when she realised that Keanu was not right behind her. He was over at her side of the car and reaching into her seat. When he closed the car door and jogged up to her path, she saw that he was holding onto her tote.

"Oh my god! I forgot about that," she said.

"At least you remembered the shoes, right?" he joked and she took her tote from him. "You must be really tired out from the concert."

She smiled. "Yeah." They were at her front door in no time and she hit the doorbell. When the door opened, her father was in the doorway with deep incredulity all over his face.

"Young lady, you are in deep trouble! I've been texting you all night and you haven't read a single text! I thought you were kidnapped!"

Alice gawked at that. "Dad, I'm so sorry. My battery went dead."

Her dad looked at Keanu, and stretched his hand out for him to grasp. "Hello, you are?"

"I'm Keanu, Leonard's dad. I drove Alice back here since it was late. I'm so sorry about it."

"Thanks and sorry for the trouble," he said and turned back to her. "Where were you?"

"At Leonard's."

"Couldn't you have charged your phone at his place and given your old man some peace of mind?"

"It didn't enter my mind. I forgot about you."

"Imagine hearing that from your own child," he said.

"A nightmare, indeed," Keanu said with a laugh.

"Would you like to come in for a while? I'm Mike," her dad said to Keanu and he nodded his head. He stepped aside to let him in and Alice set her things down on the couch.

"Keanu even lent me some slippers. My legs were hurting," Alice said.

"It's nothing," Keanu said.

"Thank you so much," Mike said to him as he poured a glass of water. Walking over, he put it in his hands. Keanu sipped from the glass and sent short looks all over the paraphernalia littered about the room in glass display cases. "You have quite a collection. You play?"

"Tennis? Yes, I do," Mike said, grinning. "You too?"

"Play? I breathe tennis. I'm playing it whenever I get spare time. Leonard keeps my hands full but now that's he almost an adult, I have more time to play."

"Would you like to play me some time?" Mike asked. "I have to warn you though, I'm good."

"Oh, I'm good too," Keanu said. "You'd be lucky to win a set against me."

Mike nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds interesting. We should arrange a date soon."

"Sure."

"It's nice to know someone who plays too, though. All of Alice's parents are uninterested in sports. I can hardly find anyone to play with."

"I can introduce you to some of my friends who play too. We could even do doubles."

"For real?" Mike said, beaming. "That sounds exciting."

Keanu pointed at one of the glass display cases. "I see you like Nadal. I'm a fan of him too. Is he your favourite?"

"Umm," Alice said.

"Yeah! What about you?"

"I'm more of a Federer fan."

"Hello?" Alice said again.

"I'll change your mind one day!" Mike said over her.

"Dad!"

Mike's head snapped to Alice. "What?"

"Shouldn't Keanu be getting back?" she said.

"Yeah, I should be getting back soon. It's late," he said. "But let's exchange numbers first, Mike."

And they exchanged numbers. Over the next few weeks, Alice was pleasantly surprised when they met almost everyday. Mike brought her over to Keanu's frequently because he had a tennis court in his backyard and they played like there was no tomorrow. Fortunately, their skills were on par and according to Leonard, it was hard to find someone who could play his father evenly.

They became friends quickly and in the span of another month, Alice was certain that they had become best friends. Their friendship extended beyond tennis. Since Mike was in the renovation business, he helped Keanu set up a man cave at his place using a room that was left empty and unused. Keanu was so satisfied with the result that he connected him with one of his friends who was moving, and that gave her father a significant increase in profit that month because that friend was moving into a sprawling bungalow.

But most of all, they connected most on the values they had when it came to parenting. Keanu loved Leonard as much as Mike loved her, and that was saying a lot. Her father sacrificed much for her over the years, as did her mother. And Keanu got closer to her mother as well when he helped them overcome a fight Mike had with her mother recently. That solidified Keanu as a close friend in Mike's mind and she knew they'd be there for each other for a long time.

And Alice was overjoyed. At least until that day.