Wildflower (Kris Bryant)

4 Fitting In

Serenity

I pack up my bag of books and snack items I secretly stash in my room before heading to the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day. I pull my hair half up half down and let a few curls fall in front of my face. I wash my face and change into something that is nice for late April in the Windy City. The weather was getting to where I liked it and I couldn't wait for summer to kick in. Fall was my favorite simply because I can spend all my days outside without feeling like I'm going to melt on the sidewalk or freeze to death. But summer has swimming and skirts and headbands and outdoor concerts. There's many things to enjoy during the summer so I'm sure I can sneak some fun in with this new job of mine.

I hop downstairs of my parents house and grab some breakfast before I head over to Kris' place. He had a full day today so I brought some books to keep me preoccupied in the mean time. After taking all my medication and filling up my water bottle with kool aid I head to the door, but I see my mom standing there waiting to talk to me before I go.

"Did you take your medicine" she asks and I sigh. I swear I'm 21, even if I'm treated like I'm 5.

"I took it" I promise.

"And you're not going to be around any baseball or physical activities, right" she asks.

"Well I can't promise you that. Kris was hoping I could come with him to the game today so I can better understand what's asked of him so I can do my job better" I explain.

She lets out a long sigh as her shoulders drop and so does her face. I walk over to her and pull her into a hug. I do that a lot. "Momma I promise I will be okay. If something goes wrong we will both be notified and we'll figure it out" I insist.

"Okay. Just be careful" she begs.

"I will" I promise. "I will."

I hop in my car and head over to Kris' place. I make sure I look professional before going up to his apartment. I knock a few times before he finally answers the door. I pull him into a big hug as soon as he does and he hugs me back.

"Good to see you Ren" he starts.

I let him go but he keeps his arm wrapped around me as we walk in. "Good to see you too Kris! How has little Bea been" I wonder.

"She's the greatest little puppy ever. I think parents are going to steal her" he admits.

"I can't say that I haven't said the same thing" I laugh.

We walk in and I find his parents both sitting on the floor playing with Beatrice. It can't say I blame them because leaving her here was hard for me. She was such a sweet thing and I loved her so much.

"Hey Bea! Your mom is here" Kris says and the dog pops her little head up. She looks around before seeing me and springing to her feet. She runs right over to me and I pull her into my chest. I give her kisses as she licks my face.

"Oh I've missed you. I hope Kris has been nothing but good to you" I tease.

"I treat her better than I treat most people" he admits and I laugh.

"He's not kidding" his dad says and I stand up.

I wipe the dog slobber off my face and straighten myself out before turning to the task at hand. I walk over to his parents and get introduced to them. I know they're a big part of Kris' life and they would be a big part of my job making sure he has time to see them and making sure they can be here for him. I got to plan their plane ride and a place for them to stay and all of that this time around so I can get the hang of it. It's working out pretty well so far, and it pays pretty good too so I think we're both happy.

I pull his mom Sue into a hug and she hugs me back. My parents told me a hug goes a lot farther than a hand shake and they were right. So I try to make people feel welcomed and loved even if I'm just meeting them for the first time. "I have to admit I was a little on the fence about Kris hiring someone he just met as his personal assistant. But I was honestly more worried of him being on his own in the city" his mom says and I giggle. "But you already got him a dog so he's not alone and you got us a chance to see our son play baseball. For someone who hasn't done stuff like this before I think you're doing pretty good" she claims and I smile.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me. I might not know a lot about being a personal assistant but I know a lot about life. What we need versus what we want. I know this city can be unforgiving sometimes, especially when it comes to sports. But when it comes down to it... life is full of the little things and they're easy to miss if you're not paying attention. I think it's important to make time to read a few pages or look up for once and see where we are. Appreciate what we went through to get there" I say.

"Those are very wise words" his dad admits.

"I read... a lot" I smile.

"I've heard" he mom starts. "I enjoy reading too. What do you read" she wonders.

"Oh anything really. Novels, fiction, history, fantasy, mystery. I read them all" I insist. In fact there wasn't many books I haven't read.

"That's great to hear. I wasn't sure anyone in your generation enjoys reading anymore" she claims.

"They really don't. But I couldn't tell you the last time I fit in somewhere" I admit.

"I think you fit in perfectly with us" Kris says.

I stop and turn to him as I smile. "Thanks Kris. I really enjoy being around here too" I assure him.

After we stop obsessing over Beatrice we head over to the game. I knew my limits and I was hoping I don't do anything too crazy around here. I don't need to get worked up and cause myself some issues I can't undo. So I sit with Kris' parents in the stands and pull out a book. I place it in my lap and go into my own little world.

"You know, my son is infatuated by you" his dad says and I stop reading. I place my finger where I stop and look up at him.

"Is that so" I wonder.

He laughs at my innocent reaction as he nods his head. "Yeah. He usually isn't one to take a liking to a girl. Especially now when there's many girls throwing themselves at him just because he has pretty eyes and plays baseball. He doesn't have a lot of people he trusts around here but he would put his life in your hands after knowing you for a few minutes. Whatever he feels towards you has to be strong" he claims.

I smile as I look out to the field and see Kris standing there. He was already looking my way by the time I looked out there and he sends me that kind smile like the first day we met. He waves up at me and I laugh as I wave back. He turns to one of his friends and I let out a sigh.

I know what we were doing wasn't going to work. No way could I like the man I work for. And I need this job... my life depended on it. I thought the world of him. The fact that he pointed me out in the middle of Chicago and came over to talk to me had to mean something.

I just don't know what it means. Was he the one? Or was he the answer to all my questions on if moving back home and finding a job is really what I needed? I guess only time will tell what comes of this.

I just hope this time around that time is kind.