His Muse

Possible date three

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Unknown Number: Come to the co op when you can.

Nic: I'm assuming this is Kieran. It's 11pm.

Kieran: Get over here ASAP or reap the consequences.

Nic: Shit, ok omw.

Nic had never... been to the Co-Op. And with all the signs on their trees and the weird log fencing... it was kind of creepy just in general. None of the frats had fences to begin with, so it stuck out on that semi-modern street, with their dark brick and pillars in the front. There was a balcony up above, but it was too narrow for people to walk out on. There were bikes kept up there, though, which was... weird. Especially in the dark. He felt like he was about to get murdered.

He climbed the steps of the Co-Op and wandered to the front door. It was surrounded by cute flower pots and such, and what looked like clay pottery that was hand made. He double-checked his phone before decided that not knocking was fine. Just walk right in, he says, it's not like this is your house or anything!

Nic propped open the screen door and pushed inside, and he wasn't sure what he was expecting. It just... looked kind of like a normal house. The foyer connected to a large living room, and a smaller sitting room to the left. It was all definitely not-modern, with a heavy brick fireplace and the old-fashioned floral couches. And it kind of smelled like sawdust in here.

"Who is it?" someone called out from another room. Nic brushed his feet off on the carpet and started to walk towards the sound.

"Uh, Nic?" he answered, cringing a little before being startled by someone popping out from around the archway leading into the kitchen. It was all white and yellow in there, and the woman's sweater just seemed to match it all. Yellow, with a pink flower pattern across it.

"Hey Nic." Kieran's voice sounded from the kitchen, but Nic couldn't see him anywhere.

The woman nudged him into the kitchen and towards the center island counter. Across it, he could see Kieran's legs stretched out on the tile, and the top of his head of black hair. "We were just making banana bread," the woman said, and held a hand out to Nic. "Bev."

"Nic, again," he laughed, shaking her hand. "You... live here?"

"Yeah. Kieran and I are in the same major and stuff," she explained, waving her hand. She was plump, and it showed in her round wrists and the softness of her facial features. She had heavy brown hair that was pulled back into a french braid, and as she turned to the oven, it swished over her shoulder where she pulled out a few long pans.

The smell of it was heavenly. It masked the sawdust scent and created a warm, homely atmosphere in an instant. He felt like he was in his Grandma's house, with all the old-fashioned appliances, the absurd amount of tea kettles, and the fact that the floor was tiled yellow and white.

He wandered over to where Kieran was sitting, picking apart sweat peas and tossing the shells into a bowl. "What's up?" he asked, and Kieran patted the ground next to him.

"Sit down and grab some peas," he ordered. Nic scoffed a little, getting onto the floor and leaning back against the counter. He shrugged off his jacket as they heard Bev nudge the pans onto the marble over their heads. "We're gonna eat banana bread," Kieran told him.

"It's... eleven thirty on a Wednesday night," Nic told him, and Kieran gave him a subtle glare before scraping a few peas into his mouth and tossing the shell. "Also, what kind of animal are you? You're supposed to eat the shell, too."