Coincidence (Part 3)

The knocks on the door jolt me awake, my heart racing as I flinch at each loud, insistent sound.

—Kate, wake up, it's late! —Jen calls out.

—What time is it? —I manage to whisper, my voice barely audible.

—It's seven twenty. Get up now!

At the mention of the time, I spring out of bed. I don't even think about showering. Jen has already picked out my clothes for the day, so I just throw them on. Even though I'm not thrilled with the choice, I don't have time to argue.

—I made your breakfast to go. —She hands me a couple of plastic containers and some cutlery. —Are you coming with me today?

—No, I have to go to the hospital later. Denver wants me to take Kane and him home.

—Can't his brothers do that?

—They have classes. I have a short workshop today, so I'll get out early and do it.

—That's one reason… and a few others, —she mutters under her breath.

—I heard that, —I say, lightly hitting her arm in annoyance.

—Sorry, I couldn't help it, —she laughs.

—It's late, —I glance at my phone. —Shall we go?

Jen grabs her things and heads out of the apartment, with Marie waiting for us in the hallway. I greet her before we head to the elevator to go down to the parking lot.

—Aren't you coming with us? —Marie asks, noticing that I'm opening my car instead of getting into Jen's.

—I've got some things to do later, but I'll see you both at the apartment. We can watch something on Netflix if you want.

—Sounds great. Drive carefully.

—I'm driving behind you.

We all get into our cars. As I said, I follow Jen instead of driving ahead of her—I'm a much faster driver, and I prefer to match her pace. When we get to campus, we each go our separate ways. I enter my workshop with five minutes to spare and sit at the first desk I find. The workshop is filled with desks, each equipped with a computer. Just as the clock strikes eight, the computer workshop professor walks in. He connects the projector to his computer and starts outlining what we'll be working on throughout the year. He also shows us one of the projects we'll tackle during the course.

At the end of the class, the professor goes over the rules for the workshop—what we can and can't do. For example, taking care of the equipment and furniture, not eating in class, never connecting any device to the computers, and always turning them off before leaving.

It's nine twenty when I leave the workshop. I sit on a bench to eat the breakfast Jen made for me. She's the one who knows how to cook and enjoys it, which is why she does it every day. As for me, I prefer cleaning the apartment—it's something I can do rather than cooking, which I lack both patience and skill for.

I walk to the hospital and stop to buy a couple of lattes—one for Denver and one for Kane—and, of course, one for myself. I assume they like lattes since that's what Denver bought me yesterday. I also pick up some donuts.

I park in the same spot as yesterday, leave my backpack in the car, and take only the donuts and coffees, carefully placed in a cardboard cup holder. I remember where the room is, so I walk straight there. With my hands full, I lightly tap the door with my foot to signal Denver to open it. As the door begins to open, I take a few steps back.

—Kate, right? —Shawn asks.

—Y-yes, —I say nervously, not expecting to see him here.

—Kane isn't accepting visitors.

As he's about to close the door, I quickly put my foot between the frame and the door to stop him.

—Denver asked me to come, —I clarify quickly.

Shawn opens the door, letting go of my foot, and steps into the hallway with me so we can talk.

—Sorry for trying to shut the door on you, it's just that a lot of girls have come to see Kane, but he refuses to see anyone. He doesn't want any visitors right now.

—Where's Denver? —I try to steer the conversation away from Kane, hoping he gets the hint that I'm not interested.

—When I came by last night, I saw he was in a bad way. He hadn't slept and had probably drunk like ten cups of coffee. I sent him home to rest. He'll be back at noon. Why did he ask you to come? —I can see the curiosity in his eyes.

—Yesterday he mentioned that you and your brother needed to study and he needed someone to take Kane and him home today at noon.

—Yeah, well, like I said, he went home to rest. I told him I'd call him to come get us, but I can let him sleep a little longer. If you're still up for it, you can do us the favor of taking us home, —he suggests.

—No problem, I can take you. By the way, I brought a couple of coffees and donuts.

—Let's go inside and give this to Kane.

Shawn helps me with the coffees before letting me enter the room first. He follows me in and closes the door behind him. Kane is watching television when he notices me in the room. He looks at me from head to toe with his serious, empty gaze.

—You again? —He asks, his voice so serious it almost sounds annoyed.

His attitude catches me off guard. I approach him timidly, offering him the coffee. He takes it reluctantly, not even making eye contact with me.

—I also brought these donuts, in case anyone wants some.

—Thanks.

Shawn takes them from my hand and places them on the table next to Kane's bed.

—What are you doing here? —Kane says, sounding grumpy. Shawn shoots him a look, clearly disapproving.

—She's going to take us home when you're discharged, —Shawn intervenes.

—Where's your car?

—Denver has it.

—Then call him to come get us, —Kane says, almost in a dismissive tone.

—He's exhausted. You more than anyone know he hasn't slept in two days, —Shawn raises his voice slightly, letting Kane know he's tired of explaining. —Although he wasn't the one driving recklessly or at high speed.

Kane goes silent, knowing it's true. Shawn steps away from the bed and walks over to me, sighing silently and rolling his eyes. I get the sense he's tired of Kane's attitude.

—Sorry about all this, he's in a bad mood from being stuck in here, —Shawn apologizes.

—I understand, don't worry. I'm not easily offended, —I reply.

—You got out early today, right? —He asks, glancing at the time on his smartwatch.

—Yes, the computer workshop only lasted an hour.

—How do you like the university so far? —He gestures for me to sit on a bench on the other side of the room, sitting next to me and turning to face me.

—It's fine, I guess… I can't really give an opinion yet. Ask me again in a couple of weeks, and I'll probably say the opposite, —I say with a smile.

He laughs at my response. Damn, he has a beautiful smile.

—And how's working with Denver? I know firsthand that my little brother can be a pain in the ass, —he chuckles.

—He's behaving decently, —I let out a brief laugh. —I have to admit, at first, I thought he'd be a terrible partner, but he's actually good at teamwork. He asks for my opinion and knows how to listen.

—It's good to hear that my little brother is behaving well. From what he's told me, you're also a great partner. He says you're very intelligent and insightful.

Shawn... Was he asking Denver about me? My mind blanks for a moment as I think about that, unable to focus on anything else.

—Yes, I think I am, —I nod, smiling like an idiot. —How are your psychology classes? —I try to change the subject before he notices my nervousness.

—Very good. This year, I have to do internships. With my GPA, I think I can apply to work in one of the university's clinics. It's the best place to do internships.

—That's impressive. Congratulations.

—Maybe if you ever go there, we can talk more. I could help you if you have any problems.

—We'll see, —I look away, knowing that if I go to a consultation with him, he'll figure out all my psychological issues, and they might lock me up for life in a mental hospital. The offer doesn't sound tempting at all.

—The consultation is free, and we can talk about things that don't involve psychology if you want, —he offers me a flirtatious smile, and I smile back.

—Please, go flirt somewhere else, —Kane says, clearly annoyed.

We try to ignore Kane's comment, continuing our conversation.

—Did you have breakfast? —Shawn asks.

—I had breakfast at the university, before coming.

—In that case, will you keep me company while I have breakfast?

—Yes, let's go.

—Thanks, —Kane calls out before we close the door as we leave.

—Is he always like this? —I let out a relieved sigh as we step out of the room.

—No, —Shawn shakes his head quickly, sighing. —Sometimes he's worse.

We both laugh at his comment. When we reach the cafeteria, Shawn orders his breakfast. That's when I realize he's vegetarian—he simply orders a salad and a natural soda.

—Are you sure you're not hungry? —He looks at me attentively.

—Totally.

—Are you going to let me eat alone? —He raises his left eyebrow, looking at me curiously. His deep gray eyes make me get lost in his gaze, and my brain goes completely blank for a moment, leaving me breathless and speechless.