The Hint of a Spark

Kelsi held the mug of coffee in her hands up to her nose, inhaling the delicious scent of caffeine and sugar before actually putting the cup to her lips and taking a drink. Six o’clock had come around much sooner than she had liked, but nevertheless, the morning was here and she knew if she was planning on making it through the day, coffee had to be her best friend. But that wasn’t anything new, if she were being honest.

As she turned around, she heard Alaska and Matt talking before their bodies came into view as they stepped inside of the kitchen. Matt finished pulling his shirt down and slipped a baseball cap on his head before pressing a kiss against Alaska’s lips, whispering something only she could hear that brought a smile onto her face.

“It’s too early for dirty talk, Matt,” Kelsi joked, setting her mug down on the island counter.

“It’s never too early for that,” he winked, giving a raspy laugh. “I’ll see you both later,” he said, addressing them both before telling Alaska that he loved her, followed by another kiss, before actually leaving the house.

Alaska gave a love-sick sigh as the door closed, leaning her elbows on the countertop. “Do you think he’d mind it if I proposed to him? I mean, we are in the twenty-first century.”

Kelsi snorted a laugh. “Are you being serious right now?”

Her friend laughed, shaking her head. “Hell no,” she answered, jumping onto a barstool. “I’ve had my proposal envisioned in my head since I was a little girl. Matt better be the one doing the asking.” She glanced around the kitchen, her brows furrowing as she did so. “Where’s Archie?”

“I don’t-“ before Kelsi could finish speaking, the black and white furball jumped onto the counter, knocking and spilling over her coffee. “You little shit!” she cursed, glaring at the cat.

Alaska snatched Archie into her arms, holding back a laugh. “He didn’t mean to, Kels! Look at his wittle adowable face!” she cooed, holding him up.

Kelsi gritted her teeth, and if her hair hadn’t been tied in a bun, she was sure she would’ve yanked a healthy chunk out. “Your mama isn’t always gonna be here to protect you,” she threatened, pointing her index finger at the cat.

“Run, Archie!” Alaska told him, and as if he understood, the cat leapt off her lap and ran straight into her room. She began laughing, shaking her head. “Hey, before I forget, are you doing anything tonight?”

Kelsi dropped the last spoonful of sugar into her freshly poured coffee and stirred the liquid around. “I’m supposed to be going to my mom’s for dinner. Why?”

Alaska gave a small pout. “Matt and the guys were thinking of going to Johnny’s. So-“

“’Laska, it’s six o’clock in the fucking morning. How did they decide this already?” Kelsi questioned, giving her a look.

“They always plan ahead, Kels. Besides, it’s Friday and Friday is always Johnny’s Night,” Alaska explained with a grin on her face. “So, do you think you might be up for joining us after you leave your mom’s?”

Although she wanted to put up an argument, she really didn’t have any and after giving it a thought, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt her to go out and socialize. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

Alaska smiled widely, obviously pleased with her answer. “Great!” she beamed, standing up. “I’m gonna go ahead and shower before I’m late for work. I don’t want to piss off my boss,” she said, skipping down the hallway like she was four instead of twenty-four years old.

Kelsi playfully rolled her eyes. “I am your boss,” she mumbled, grabbing her keys.

“Exact-a-mundo, babe,” Alaska smiled, peeking her head around the wall. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours! Muah!”

Kelsi couldn’t help but to laugh. “See ya, ‘Laska,” she called over her shoulder as she made for the door.

Kelsi’s Kreations was Kelsi’s pride and joy and was what she had spent the last six years of her life pouring her blood, sweat, tears and money - lots of money - into. Ever since she had been a little girl, being a baker and having her own shop was all that she had ever wanted. She began taking cake decorating courses when she was sixteen and that was when she knew she had found the job she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

From there, she took more and more courses, each one a little more advanced than the last, until she felt ready to branch off and make her own creations. A year and half into her program at college, she felt stifled and dropped out. After begging her parents and promising that she would pay back every cent, they loaned her enough money to rent out a space and stock inventory. It took her a little while, but two years later, Kelsi had repaid her parents and whilst she wasn’t a millionaire by any means, she had enough money to live comfortably.

After unlocking the doors and turning the air and lights on, Kelsi put on her apron. Although she was the owner of the bakery, that didn’t mean she didn’t like to get her hands dirty. Kelsi considered herself as much of a worker as the rest of her staff, and she knew that that was part of the reason why they respected her so much.

As she began mixing dough and making orders that had been placed, one by one her employees began clocking in and helping out. As was usual, the morning rush swarmed the place and it wasn’t until eleven o’clock hit that Kelsi felt like she was able to breathe again. She excused herself to the restroom and saw that flour was all over her face and apron, and laughed as she began wiping the substance off. When she returned into the kitchen, she saw Alaska was busy icing a batch of red velvet cupcakes.

“Remember-“

“Swirls, not circles,” Alaska recited before laughing. “Chill out, Kelsi. I do remember most of the things you tell me.”

Kelsi laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Well, I would hope so.”

Alaska flipped her off before moving onto the next cupcake. “So, you never did tell me how things with Lucas went.”

“Do you see him here?”

“No, but-“

“He was an ass,” Kelsi stated, rolling out a sheet of fondant. “All he wanted to do was talk about himself. I was ready to blow my brains out before our food came.”

Alaska laughed. “So, no second date, huh?”

“Hell no.”

“So … would you be open to a suggestion?”

Kelsi paused her movements, looking over at her friend. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think I have the perfect guy to set you up with.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah? And who would that be?”

“Brian,” Alaska shot, and Kelsi gave her a confused stare. “Synyster?”

“As in a member of Shadows’ band?” she queried, referring to the stage name Matt used.

Alaska nodded her head. “You met him at the barbecue we had when we moved into the house. He was the one with eyeliner,” she explained.

Oh, she remembered him now alright. “And some amazing cheekbones,” she sighed.

Alaska laughed. “That’d be him. Anyways, he’s single.”

“How in the hell is he single?”

Her friend shrugged. “He’s not exactly a relationship-type guy, Kels.”

“Oh, excuse me,” Kelsi laughed dryly, “and you want to set me up with him? Thanks, but no thanks.”

Alaska rolled her brown eyes. “He hasn’t been a relation-type guy in the past, but lately he’s been talking about settling down. Let’s face it, dude, we’re not getting any younger and we all would like to find someone to spend our lives with. You both just need a little help.”

Kelsi paused for a moment, seriously thinking the situation over. “Is that why you invited me to Johnny’s tonight?”

“Oh, no. Like I said, we always spend Friday nights at Johnny’s. But this way you two can talk a little more, you know?”

“I guess.”

Alaska smiled, dipping her finger into the bowl of frosting before putting it into her mouth. “Perfect.”

Kelsi groaned and lolled her head backwards. “That’s a wasted batch of frosting now, Alaska!”

Giving a sheepish smile, the girl pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to Kelsi. “This is from Archie … and me now.” Kelsi unfolded the paper, seeing a poor drawing of a cat with a large belly and scrawny paws with a tall, stick figure brunette with two large circles as boobs standing next to him with a red colored smile. The words ‘I’m sawwy, Kelsi’ were spelled out above them. She couldn’t help but to laugh. “I know; I’ve got a great figure, right?”

“You’re insane.”

“But you love me, baby,” Alaska winked, making the both of them laugh even harder.

______________________________

Kelsi attempted to give herself a mental pep-talk as she pulled into the driveway of her mother’s house. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a good relationship with her mother, because she did, but more so that her mother tended to constantly belittle her father and that didn’t sit well with her. When her parents divorced when she was sixteen, they promised that they wouldn’t put any unneeded stress on her; that it was going to be fine. She almost wanted to scoff thinking about it.

When the divorce became final, it seemed as if it suddenly gave way for her parents’ to start in on each other; to finally say all of the nasty and bitter things that they had been holding back from one another. And, more often than not, Kelsi was the ear both her mother and father had to vent to. She was constantly stuck in the middle, almost like a rag doll between two little girls with her arms being pulled either way. After she had graduated high school, she made a quick move into her dorm room at college, eager to finally be away from both adults, no matter how much love she had for them.

Her father had left Huntington Beach nearly three years ago now after marrying Tessa, and although she was a nice enough woman, Kelsi didn’t know if she’d ever feel close enough to Tessa to call her, her step-mom. After the wedding, it became evident that Tessa dearly missed her hometown of Nashville, and her father was quick to announce their move. Kelsi didn’t blame him, though. As long as he was happy, she was happy. And besides, it gave her a reason to visit Tennessee every now and then.

Her mother, on the other hand, wasn’t so fortunate. Although the woman was a successful dentist, the same couldn’t be said about her love life. Kelsi had watched her mother go in and out of dead-end relationships over the years. She clung to her Labrador, Kean, and her lavish house, claiming that that was all she needed in her life. Although Kelsi begged to differ, she knew putting up any argument was moot, given her mother’s stubbornness.

“Ma, I’m here!” Kelsi announced as she walked through the threshold of the house, kicking the door shut with her foot as she held onto the box in her hands. She dropped her keys in the small bowl that sat on a stand, and made her way through the living room and into the kitchen, seeing her mother pulling out a pan from the oven.

The petite woman smiled and held up the dish, steam rising into the air as she did so. “I decided to go with pasta,” she said.

Kelsi laughed and held up the box she had brought from the bakery. “And I decided to go with cheesecake,” she mocked, her mother laughing in response.

“Go ahead and put it in the fridge and I’ll get our plates.”

Kelsi nodded her head and placed the large box on an empty shelf in the fridge. As she shut the door, she glanced around, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Where’s Kean?”

“I just let him outside before you came in. He should be ready to come back in now. Would you check?”

Once more, Kelsi nodded her head and walked to the back door, not surprised when she saw the large, golden brown dog sitting on the porch. She smiled as she let him in, laughing when he jumped on her legs.

“Hey, Kean. I missed you, too,” she cooed, scratching his head. His nose wriggled as he sniffed her jeans and she knew he was smelling Archibald. “Yeah, I know, I hate that smell, too,” she joked.

After getting Kean settled down, Kelsi went and sat with her mother at the table, just the smell of the food making her mouth water. She quickly went in for a bite, whilst her mother sipped on her glass of red wine.

“How’s the bakery been this week?”

“Good,” Kelsi answered after swallowing a bite of food. “Nothing to complain about.”

Her mother nodded. “Well I’m glad. I know I’ve told you this a million times, Kelsi, but I am very proud of you. You’re so young and doing so well for yourself.”

Kelsi gave her mother a goofy smile, rolling her eyes playfully. “Thanks. I’m glad.”

The two continued to make small talk in between bites of their food, and Kelsi almost held onto the hope that her mother, for once, wouldn’t bring up the subject of her father or Tessa. It wasn’t until after she had taken her first bite of cheesecake that it started, and she sighed as she dropped her fork, chewing over the dessert slowly.

“ … What did I get after eighteen years of marriage? This lousy house, that’s what,” her mother complained before taking another sip of her wine; she was currently on her second glass.

“You got me,” Kelsi teased, trying to lighten up the mood.

Her mother gave an apologetic smile. “Oh, honey, you know that’s not what I meant.”

Kelsi coughed a laugh. “I know, don’t worry about it.” She forked another bite of the cheesecake into her mouth before standing up. She wanted to leave before her mother could begin another rant. “Dinner was good, mom, but I’m gonna head out. I promised Alaska I’d meet her and some of her friends at Johnny’s.”

“Johnny’s?” her mother queried, looking skeptical. “Isn’t that that run down bar?”

Kelsi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “It’s a bar, mom. Aren’t they all like that?”

Her mother ‘hmphed’, but put up no further argument as she, too, stood and walked Kelsi to the door. “Be safe, honey.”

“I always am,” Kelsi smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you sometime later this week.”

Her mother nodded, opening the door. “Love you, Kelsi.”

“Love you, too, mom,” she mocked before walking out to her car.

The drive to Johnny’s was a little longer from her mother’s than it would have been from the bakery, but Kelsi figured that was best; it gave her time to digest her food and to try and prepare herself mentally for tonight. Whilst Alaska and Matt had been dating for nearly a year now, Kelsi had only just begun getting to know him. She knew that he was the lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold, a band that had become quite successful, and she’d met the other members of his band before, but she wouldn’t go so far as to say that she was friends with any of them. She’d exchange pleasantries and give a reply whenever one of the boys made an attempt to talk to her, but that was the extent of it.

She pulled into an empty space and parked her car before getting out and entering the bar. Being that it was a Friday night, the place was a bit crowded. She let her eyes scan over the tables and booths for a moment before she finally spotted Alaska waving her arms high in the air, a bright smile on her face.

Kelsi laughed and shook her head as she made her way over to the large table, taking a seat beside her friend. “Are you already drunk?”

Alaska scoffed, waving her hand. “Please. I’ve only had three beers.”

“I believe that’s number four in your hand, babe,” Matt stated, giving her a wink.

She laughed and shoved one of his broad shoulders. “Shut up, ass.” She turned back to Kelsi then. “So, Brian’s not here yet, but he texted Matt and said he’d be here by nine-thirty.”

There was a scoff that came from Kelsi’s left, and she turned to see a man with black spiked hair, his lips adorning two black hoops. “What are Johnny and I; chopped liver?”

Kelsi laughed and decided to speak up. “You’re Zacky, right?”

He nodded his head, tipping his beer towards her. “Right. How’re you, Kelsi?”

“I’m good and yourself?”

“Trying to get drunk,” he answered, making the both of them laugh.

Soon enough a waitress came over to the table and Kelsi ordered herself a beer, deciding that she wasn’t up for anything stronger tonight. When it arrived, she took a long gulp, thankful for the alcohol.

“You fuckers couldn’t wait until I came to start drinking?”

Upon hearing the voice, Kelsi’s head snapped up and she fought the urge to swoon right then and there. She’d met Brian before, but only in brief moments and seeing him now, dressed in dark wash jeans and a black v-neck, his raven hair spiked and a smirk on his lips, she suddenly felt as if she were seeing him for the first time all over again. He took the vacant seat across from her, slipping off the pair of aviator sunglasses from his face.

“Maybe you should try being on time,” Alaska teased, sticking her tongue out at him. Brian reached over the table, acting as if he were going to grab her tongue and she squealed before pressing herself against Matt’s chest.

Brian laughed and shook his head before sitting back down. He said his hello’s to the group before his eyes landed on Kelsi. “It’s nice to see you again, Kelsi,” he smiled.

Kelsi gave him a shy smile and nodded her head. “It’s nice to see you, too, Brian.” Alaska snickered beside her, and she slapped her arm. “Shut up.”

“There’s no need to get violent, Kelsi!” Alaska laughed, which only added to the small embarrassment she was feeling.

It wasn’t long before the guys had gotten into a conversation concerning their band, and whilst Kelsi tuned in for bits and pieces here and there, she mostly focused on her beer and the fact that with each passing moment, it was getting later into the night and she had to be up at six the next morning, as per usual. Finishing off her second, last, and slightly warm beer, she let out a sigh before looking at Alaska, who was commenting on the current style of Johnny’s hair.

“Hey, ‘Laska, it’s getting pretty late. I think I’m gonna go ahead and head home.”

Alaska’s lips pouted and she widened her eyes. “But you didn’t even talk to Brian,” she said, her voice slightly louder than it would be if she were sober.

Kelsi’s cheeks reddened and she silently prayed that Brian hadn’t heard her words. “There’s always next time,” she argued.

Alaska huffed, but nodded her head. “I’ll be home a little later then.”

“You better. I don’t need your damn cat waking me up again,” Kelsi said with a hard tone, although the smile on her face gave away to the fact that she was joking.

“But he’s my wittle baby!”

“Talking about me, love?” Matt grinned from beside her, his dimples showing.

“Awe,” Alaska cooed, patting the top of his head. “You’re my giant ass baby, Mattie.”

Kelsi gave a laugh before shaking her head and standing up, slipping her purse over her shoulder. “I'll see you all later," she said and just before she turned, she could've sworn she noticed Brian's chocolate eyes lingering on her a little longer than would be considered normal.

Shrugging the thought off, she waved and made her way out of the bar, letting out a sigh as she reached outside. As she began walking towards her car, she searched the inside of her purse for her pack of cigarettes. Although she wasn't a heavy smoker and was really trying to cut down on the habit, she was human and gave into temptation every now and then. She had only just gotten the nicotine stick lit when she heard footsteps behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with none other than Brian.

His thin, pink lips pulled into a smirk. "Those better be Marlboro's," he teased.

Kelsi gave a light laugh. "Indeed they are."

Brian's smirk widened and he lit his own cigarette before looking back at her. "So, I'm guessing you already know what I followed you out here for."

Kelsi's brows furrowed. "Not exactly."

"Alaska's been on my ass about asking you out," he started, making the brunette blush and look down at her feet. She didn't know why she was acting so damn shy, but she couldn't help it. "Hey, it's not that I wouldn't ask you on my own accord, but it's just been awhile since I've ... you know ... really considered dating anybody."

"You don't have to take me out, Brian," Kelsi argued.

For the first time, a genuine smile spread across his face. "Well I'm going to," he said, taking a drag of his cigarette. "How does dinner at eight tomorrow sound?"

Kelsi felt her heart pick up speed. "Sounds good," she said, hoping she didn't overly excited.

Brian nodded his head. "I'll get your address from Matt."

Kelsi dropped her half-smoked cigarette on the ground and stubbed it out with her shoe before smiling at the man across from her. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Brian."

"See you tomorrow, doll," he grinned.

Kelsi tried to hide her blush as she got into her car quickly. Once she had the ignition started, she began backing out of the space and as she drove away, she chanced a look in the rear view mirror. To her surprise, Brian was watching her and when he noticed her stare, he gave a wave and she giggled to herself.

Tomorrow she'd be going on a date with Brian Haner Jr.

Lord help her.