Taetum's Muse

Chapter 14

Taetum's P.O.V.

Blake has already arrived, so while we wait for Em and Kee to arrive, we are setting out snacks and drinks. We are going to order delivery for dinner after they arrive.

"Hey, a Dodge Ram has just pulled into the driveway," Blake tells me from the living room as I walk into the kitchen for another bowl of snacks.

"That is Emmett's truck," I call back with a grin. "Keelan should be with him, too."

"Cool, is Keelan staying the night with us, too?" he asks, and my face instantly falls.

"Fuck. I forgot to invite him," I murmur, stepping into the living room, instantly angry with myself. "I hope Emmett has not say anything to him before I can ask him to stay."

Blake's face instantly falls as he shakes his head at me; "Dude, you are fucked if he found out already."

Nodding my head in agreement; "I am especially if he already knows."

There is one firm knock on the door, and I walk over to let them inside the house. When I open the door, I know that Keelan knows about Blake and Emmett are staying the night, and that I did not invite him, too.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming," I greet them with a forced smile as they step inside the house.

"Thanks for having us," they reply in unison, but I can tell that Keelan's smile is also forced.

"Of course, I am glad you both could come," I reply before focusing solely on Keelan. "Kee, may I speak with you for a moment?"

He silently shrugs his thin shoulders at me without saying a single word, so I let out a soft sigh. Emmett gives me an apologetic smile as he walks into the kitchen to speak with Blake to give us a moment of privacy.

"I am so sorry for forgetting to invite you to stay overnight with us," I murmur to him as I search his blank face. "You are more than welcome to stay over, too. Please do not think I am asking because you know that they are. I am asking because I want you, too, and I honestly just forgot to ask."

"It is okay, Taetum, really," he murmurs without looking at me. "I am okay with not being included on this. I won't be staying, and I will leave around ten or eleven."

"Are you sure?" I gently ask, hoping he will change his mind, and all he does is silently nod, causing me to sigh inwardly. "Let's go into the kitchen, and I will introduce you to Blake."

When we step into the kitchen, Emmett and Blake stop talking, so I take this as the moment to make the needed introductions; "Blake, this is Keelan, and Kee, this is Blake."

"It is nice to finally meet you, Keelan," Blake politely greets with a soft smile.

"You too," Keelan murmurs, giving Blake a tiny smile as he meets B's gaze for a second before dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Kee, you are gonna stay with us overnight, right?" Emmett asks, and instead of verbally answering him, Keelan gives his best friend the nastiest glare I have ever seen Keelan give.

Emmett gives him a timid smile as he raises his hands to his shoulders in surrender, and then Blake asks a question I cannot believe he is asking.

"Do you have piebaldism?" Blake asks bluntly, causing my eyes to widen as does Emmett's while Keelan just raises his left eyebrow at him.

"Yes, I do," he bluntly answers. "So does my dad and younger brother."

"Damn, that's cool," Blake replies with a fond smile. "That does really seem to run in families, huh?"

"Yes it does, but I am not sure who has it in Kenley's or my families," Keelan answers with a shrug. "Dad's father, an aunt of his, and three of his cousins have piebaldism."

"You and Kenley are adopted?" I asked in shock, even though I assume that is what he is implying.

Keelan turns to me with another shrug; "Yeah, we are adopted. You physically remind Kenley of his biological father. That is why he is the way he is around you because Frank was abusive."

My jaw drops in shock; "Damn. That is totally understandable why he is uneasy with me. Have you ever seen Kenley's bio father before?"

"No, just the picture of him that is in Ken's file that dad received when he adopted Kenley," Keelan shrugs. "New topic, please?"

"What do you guys want for dinner, we are ordering delivery?" I ask before Blake can continue asking anymore questions about their adoption or piebaldism.

Keelan remains silent as he uses the tip of his left forefinger to trace patterns on top of the counter as Emmett gives him a side eyed stare in what seems to be worry.

"I am down for either pizza or Thai," Blake answers, and Keelan silently shrugs in signal of not caring one way or the other.

"Pizza is fine with me," Emmett agrees with a grin as he focuses his attention on his small best friend. "Does pizza sound good to you, Kee?"

"Pizza is fine," he mumbles with another shrug of his shoulders as he continues tracing unseen patterns on the counter.

"Pizza it is then," I agree, pulling my phone from my back left pocket to pull up the local pizza restaurant's website to order our food.

"What toppings do we want, how many pizzas, and do we want anything else with the pizzas?" I ask, clicking on the pizza section of the site.

"Three pizzas in total," Blake states with a thoughtful expression. "Can we get one supreme?"

"That is fine by me," Emmett and I agree with this, and Keelan remains silent.

We decide on a supreme, a pepperoni, a cheese pizza, and two orders of breadsticks with two sauces. The four of us wander into the living room to wait for the food to be delivered, and talk. Well, three of us talk while Keelan silently plays on his phone as he sits on the recliner. I hate that Keelan is quiet, and possibly upset over this entire situation. I feel absolutely guilty for not asking him to stay over with us. I feel like I have taken five steps back with him after gaining nine steps forward with him.