Chapter 10

Laurie had taken the phone off the hook after she'd answered half a dozen phone calls from friends who called just to 'chat'. She realized that they were calling to find out if it was true that Keith was there.

She'd snuck back into her room and gone through Keith's pockets looking for his car keys. She moved the car from the driveway and into the garage. It wouldn't help to lie to all of her friends only to have them stop over and see his car in the driveway. Not that any of them knew what he drove, but they definitely knew that none of her roommates had that kind of a car. Sheesh, sometimes Keith was more trouble than he was worth.

On second thought, no, he wasn't. She loved him, faults and all.

Bonnie was the first one home and Laurie could only guess that she'd practically run the whole way from campus. "Is he up yet?"

"No, he isn't." Laurie couldn't help but laugh at the look of total disappointment that came over her face.

"It's what, 4:30 in the afternoon. He's been sleeping for 11 hours already." Bonnie huffed her frustration.

"Bonnie, he's probably been surviving on 3 maybe 4 hours of sleep a night for three weeks. He's beyond tired. This is what he does when he finally gets down time." Laurie informed her.

"Doesn't he know we'd all like to meet him?" Bonnie said and then laughed at her own selfishness. "Sorry, I'll back off. It's just that I was so looking forward to this. And he's so close, yet so far."

"That's my brother. Frustration personified." Laurie teased. "Look, I'm just glad he didn't know you guys were so excited to meet him or he'd have stayed awake just to make you happy. He is all about making females happy."

"Females, hmm?" Bonnie caught that one right away.

"Oh, Keith will stay up for the males of the species too." Laurie said archly and then at Bonnie's surprised look added. "But only if they're planning to jam with him musically all night long. He's told me about some jam sessions that have gone on for something like 16 hours."

"Wow, how do they do it?" Bonnie mouth had rounded in awe.

"Lots of blisters, some bloody fingers and a whole lot of passion for music." Laurie admitted. She'd seen it too many times to no longer doubt its pull. In fact, she'd participated in one just last summer when Keith's band had been practicing for his fall and winter tour. It had been so much fun, she'd lost all track of time and, wow, had their mom been mad when Keith had dropped her off about mid-morning without any sleep. Keith had had to apologize profusely for pulling Laurie into his 'alternate' lifestyle, but what could Shirley really do? They were both adults by that time.

xoxo

Keith climbed up from the deepest sleep he'd had in weeks. He'd still be sleeping if his bladder hadn't told him to wake up now or risk reverting back to his earliest childhood. He pushed himself into a sitting position and glanced around the room. It was shadowy, but there was enough light from the street lights to let him see shapes. He recognized what could only be Laurie's room, when he recognized some of her prized possession scattered about the room.

His groggy brain recalled staggering up to the house, greeting Laurie and not much after that. He'd really been mostly out on his feet. He vaguely wondered if he'd bothered to bring in his duffle bag with a change of clothes. Not only did a bathroom sound wonderful, but a shower sounded even better.

He couldn't find his duffle, but he did find his jeans. He pulled them on and opened the door to the hallway. He glanced up and down the dark hallway and was about to just start opening doors when he noticed one was open at the end of the hallway. Likely the bathroom, was his thought as he headed toward it. Right on the first try, was his happy thought as he closed the door softly behind him and turned on the light.

He blinked several times to adjust his eyes to the additional light. He relieved his bladder first and then headed toward the sink. He washed his hands and then went in search of a toothbrush. He found one still in the package and made a silent promise to replace the item to whoever the owner was. Hell, he'd buy them a case if they wanted. He just needed to get the nasty taste out of his mouth.

Now, officially feeling loads better, he decided a shower was next on the list. He found a closet with clean towels, set one on the hook on the wall and dropped his jeans once more. Stepping into the shower, he sighed as the water cascaded over his tired, achy muscles. Once his summer tour was over, he was going to tell Reuben to plan a long vacation before he went back into the studio for his next album. He deserved it.

xoxo

Selena had just gotten home from a few beers with her fellow pre-med students. She was feeling only slightly tipsy, but figured she'd take a couple of aspirin to head off any potential headache in the morning. 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' was what her father had always told her.

She found the bathroom door closed, but it wasn't locked, so she just went on in. If Tiffany or Bonnie were in the shower, which she knew was running, they wouldn't mind if she was there and gone before they got out. She knew it wasn't Laurie as she'd been watching late night TV downstairs. Selena had also confirmed that she hadn't missed any 'Keith action' while she'd been gone. The guy sure could sleep.

She had just swallowed the tablets when she heard the shower shut off. She was just about to warn Tiffany or Bonnie that she was heading out when the shower curtain was pulled back and she was graced with a dripping wet Keith Partridge reaching for the towel he'd hung on the hook next to the shower.

"Oh my….." Was all Selena could force out before her throat closed.

Her exclamation drew Keith's eyes and he nonchalantly wrapped the towel around his waist which finally drew the girl's eyes to his face rather than where they'd originally settled. He wasn't particularly embarrassed by the situation. He was very comfortable in his own skin and being nude around a woman was definitely not a new situation for him.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone else was up. The house was dark." Keith said by way of explanation for freely using the bathroom.

"Oh, by all means. Feel free to use the shower any time. And, forgetting to lock the door is always appreciated." Selena purred, having quickly regained her equilibrium. Those few beers had temporarily knocked her off her game, but she was quickly getting it back.

"Thanks, I think." Keith laughed a little nervously not sure what to expect from the woman who he could quickly see was getting over her surprise. It wasn't the most comfortable situation to be alone in a room with a complete stranger; beautiful or not, one never knew what she might be capable of. Who was she? As if she'd heard his internal question, Selena stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Selena Sanchez." Selena put out her hand hoping that Keith would take it. He'd anchored his towel with his right hand and if he let go, she was hoping that gravity would take over from there.

"Keith Partridge." Keith did reach for her hand, but Selena was disappointed that he was able to catch the towel with his left hand before it fell.

"Oh, I know who you are. We've been expecting you. I live here." Selena watched Keith's eyes travel over her body. She knew he'd be distracted; it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for her. She watched Keith nod a little vaguely while still checking her out. "I'm looking forward to the show tomorrow night. Not that this show didn't start with a whole lot of potential."

"Glad I could oblige." Keith forgot where he was. He forgot that the girl in front of him was Laurie's roommate. He forgot that Laurie was likely in the house. He forgot everything but what his body was telling him. And his body was telling him that an absolutely gorgeous creature was standing in front of him apparently very attracted to him as well.

xoxo

Laurie had resigned herself to a night on the sofa. She hadn't gotten ready for bed yet, but was starting to think about finding a pillow and some blankets to make herself comfortable. Not long ago, Selena had gotten home and walked past her. She'd asked about Keith but had just sighed softly when told he was still asleep.

Laurie figured once Tiffany got home, he'd be the first thought on her mind too; just as he'd been on Bonnie's and Selena's. Laurie wasn't particularly frustrated by the not unexpected reactions; she just sometimes wished her brother wasn't quite so popular with women. It sure would make it easier on her, the sister.

She pushed herself up from the couch and headed upstairs. She didn't notice anything particularly out of the ordinary until she noticed that her bedroom door was open. Then she noticed that Selena's was open too.

Ok, she knew three things, Keith was up, Selena wasn't in her room and the bathroom door was closed. Well, if there was one small blessing in this whole thing, her brother wasn't in a room with a bed and a female. That combination would have been deadly for him, because she'd have killed him.

She'd meant to talk to him about not messing around with any of her roommates, mostly to protect Bonnie's feelings, but also to save her friendships with all three roommates who she didn't want to risk losing to a failed relationship with her brother.

She walked quickly down the hallway and put her hand on the door knob. She thought about just rushing in, but didn't want to walk in on something she didn't want to see. Knocking was definitely the safer bet.

Keith and Selena's lips were less than an inch apart when the knock sounded on the door. Selena groaned in frustration. Who would have the audacity to ruin her chance at a night in Keith Partridge's arms?

"Keith, are you in there?" Laurie's voice came through the portal.

Keith threw her an apologetic grin and answered, "Yeah, I'll be right out."

"Is Selena with you?" Laurie figured she better remind them that she suspected they were in there together.

"Yes, and she's coming right out." Selena closed her eyes in frustration and then impulsively reached forward to pull Keith into a quick yet extremely steamy kiss. "Hold that thought."

Keith grinned in response to the kiss, but it quickly turned into a frown as she headed toward the door. Those words reminded him of someone else. Someone he shouldn't be thinking about seconds after contemplating doing a whole lot of inappropriate things with the goddess who was currently throwing him a seductive look over her shoulder. He quickly put the grin back on his face.

"I'll be back for more later." Selena warned just as she pulled open the door to see Laurie leaning patiently against the wall. She closed the door behind her knowing that Keith needed to dry off and put his pants on before he came out. "He'll be right with you."

Laurie just raised an eyebrow at her friend and watched her walk away a little dejectedly. Good, she'd gotten there in time. One potential disaster avoided.

A few short minutes later, Keith opened the door and greeted her. "Hey, Laurie."

"Good of you to join the land of the living. When did you wake up?" Laurie couldn't help but ask.

"Not long ago. I needed to freshen up. How does a drive along the coast sound?" Keith was still a little tired, but he knew he'd sleep better if he got a little fresh air first.

"Keith it's 11:00 at night." Laurie was exasperated.

"So? You turn into a pumpkin at midnight?" Keith laughed.

"Of course not." Keith's good humor was infectious. "And a drive sounds great. You are going to put more on, I hope."

"Yeah, did I bring in my duffle bag?" Keith frowned.

"What? You don't remember?" Laurie just rolled her eyes when he admitted he couldn't remember; having been so out of it when he'd gotten there. "You know, you really are lucky you didn't fall asleep while you were driving here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know." Keith started to pat his pockets trying to locate his car keys. Those he knew he wouldn't have left in the car. "Hey, where are my keys?"

"I borrowed them to move your car into the garage." At Keith's raised brow she continued. "Didn't want to give away the fact you were crashed here. I had to take the phone off the hook; I've been getting so many calls."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to disrupt your life." Keith apologized almost automatically. He knew that when they weren't in San Pueblo or his new house, he couldn't have free run of places.

"You did, but that's quite alright." Laurie quickly assured him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out his keys. "Here, go and get clean clothes. You know I love taking drives in your car."

"Be right back." Keith said as he walked down the hallway toward the back of the house. He figured it couldn't be too hard to find the garage.

He walked out the back door and into the slightly chilly night. Guess he should have stopped for his shirt before he'd ventured into the night. He'd just let himself into the side door of the garage when he realized that someone was getting out of a car that had just pulled in before he stepped outside.

He paused only a second to realize that the driver was female, she was a knock out and her eyes had rounded in surprise when she'd seen him. He continued on to his car, opened the trunk and removed his duffle bag. He waved to her when he noticed her finally get completely out of her car.

"Hi, Keith. I see you're finally up." Tiffany said by way of greeting.

"Yeah, just woke up a little while ago. Guess I was more tired than I thought. You must be another roommate." Keith walked toward her with his duffle bag in hand.

"Tiffany Wellington. I see you had time for a shower." Tiffany gestured to his wet hair.

"Yeah. Come on I'll walk you to the house." Keith motioned her forward and then watched her walk. He figured the extra motion was completely for his benefit, so he stood back to enjoy it. Extra or not, he appreciated her effort.

"So, Keith, how's the college tour?" Tiffany looked over her shoulder to gauge his reaction to the view and was pleased to see his eyes focused exactly where she'd planned for them to be.

"Good. Actually a little better than I'd hoped." Keith moved ahead to open the back door for her.

"Better how?" Tiffany gave him one of her best smiles and then frowned when she'd noticed Keith's features freeze momentarily before melting once again into a smile.

Keith had finally gotten a good look at Laurie's latest roommate. She had an almost uncanny resemblance to Dina. He'd been trying really hard to avoid thinking about Dina and their relationship. And, up to this point, excluding those few moments in the bathroom, due to a complete lack of time, he'd been successful. But, as soon as he saw Tiffany's blonde hair, blue eyes and dimpled smile, he was smack dab in the middle of his quandary. How did he feel about Dina? Did she really love him like she'd said in bed their last night together?

Keith forcibly pulled his mind back to the present and her question. "I was a little surprised at the enthusiasm of the crowds. They all seemed to know the new material and the album's only been out a few weeks, well actually about two months now, I guess."

"What, you must have known how many copies had sold. And, it's not unusual when you buy tickets to a concert that you make sure you have the act's latest album." Tiffany reminded him.

"I suppose. It's just that I've been reminded so many times that my supposed fan base is younger that sometimes you start to believe the press." Keith admitted.

"Well, your last two shows should be as good as the rest of them. I tried getting tickets but they were already sold out. I can't tell you how happy I was to find out that Laurie already had tickets for us." Tiffany tried her best smile on him again. That one usually had guys prostrate at her feet begging to spend more time with her. Keith appeared unmoved.

"Thanks. It's always nice to hear it from someone who isn't a family member, my manager or an employee." Keith motioned her to precede him into the house.

Tiffany had paused outside hoping to snatch a few moments alone with Keith, but he had seemed to pull back since they'd gotten near the house. She'd have been disheartened to realize he was comparing her to a woman who had been on his mind for weeks even though he'd been trying his best to forget her. She finally moved forward realizing that she wasn't making the kind of impression on Keith that she'd hoped for.

"Oh, hi Laurie." Tiffany said a little sadly when she stepped into the kitchen to find Laurie walking in from the opposite direction.

"Hi Tiffany. How'd the final two exams go?" Laurie asked.

"Fine. Good." Tiffany threw a frown in Keith's direction when he walked past her after following her in.

"Let me change and we can go." Keith pointed to his duffle that held his change of clothes.

"Don't forget to dry your hair. You just got your voice back and a night drive with a wet head isn't a good combination." Laurie reminded him.

"Yes mother." Keith sassed as he walked past Laurie and planted a brotherly kiss on the side of her head on his way.

"You'll pay for that one." Laurie swatted him on the ass causing him to laugh but not turn back. Laurie turned back to see Tiffany still frowning. "Anything wrong?"

"No, not really." Tiffany tried to shake off her disappointment but then thought what the heck; she was talking to the person who knew Keith Partridge best. "I thought you said he didn't have any particular preference in girls."

"He doesn't. At least none that I've ever been able to notice." Laurie agreed.

"He was being really nice to me then, all of a sudden, he just seemed to shut down. It happened when he got a good look at me." Tiffany's frown deepened. "That's never happened before. I mean usually guys are falling all over themselves when they get a good look at me. But your brother? Nothing."

"Maybe it was something you said." Laurie too was puzzled. Tiffany was beautiful – no two ways about it – and, that made her Keith's type no matter what.

"I don't think so, we were making small talk." Tiffany ran over their conversation in her mind. It had been pretty mild and she knew darn well she hadn't made a fool of herself by stuttering or getting tongue tied.

"I'm not sure. Did you make a pass at him?" Laurie joked.

"I never got the chance." Tiffany answered honestly. She didn't strike out often, so she might just have to take another crack at him. With renewed resolve, she decided to chalk this one up to bad timing. "Look, forget I mentioned it."

"Alright." Laurie agreed quickly. She'd rather not get involved in her brother's love life anyway. Well, no more than having called Dina the other night. She'd just put the wheels in motion and let the rest follow its own course. That wasn't exactly getting involved; it was just nudging things along the way. There was a big difference in her mind.

"Ready?" Keith said a few short minutes after Tiffany had left Laurie in the kitchen.

"Let's roll." Laurie grinned at her brother and then led him out of the house.

xoxo

They'd stopped at an overlook and just listened to the ocean crash into the rocks far below them. It was too dark to see anything, but the sound was soothing and the smell of the salt water was invigorating.

"God, I love living near the water." Keith laid his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes to soak it all in.

"Considering you're part fish, I'm not surprised." Laurie's laugh was contagious and Keith found himself laughing too.

"Man, it's good to spend time with you. How'd your finals go?" They hadn't tried talking much while they'd been driving. They'd just enjoyed the feel of the night air.

"Well, I don't have the grades yet, but I think they went well. At least I'm pretty sure I'll pass all of them." Laurie threw him a smile.

"You always were the smart one." Keith had never much liked school. He'd done just enough to get by most times. He'd always known his future was music, not academics.

"You're no dummy. You just have different skills and interests. Speaking of those, how were the first, oh, I don't know, 50 shows of this tour?" Laurie's number wasn't exactly an exaggeration. There had been plenty of nights they'd done two shows.

Keith went on to give her the highlights and some of the low lights too. She was laughing most of the time. He had a way about telling a story that was absolutely charming. Laurie wasn't surprised that someone who wasn't related to him would find him irresistible. He was so self-deprecating and had no trouble poking fun at himself. It was disarming.

"Stop, please. No more." Laurie gasped as she tried to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "There is no way he didn't get arrested for that."

"Well, he'd have to be caught first." Keith had to admit touring was a great source for funny stories without even having to embellish most of them.

When their laughter had died for several minutes, Laurie decided it was time for a weightier subject. "Keith, have you gotten any of my messages? Or Skizzy's?"

"No, why? You've been trying to call me? Is everything alright?" Right away, Keith's mind went to some awful places. Why would Laurie try so hard to get in touch with him?

"No, it's nothing like that. Everything is fine. In fact, most things are really good." Laurie said quickly. "I just need to talk to you about something; warn you about something."

"Ok, shoot." Keith glanced her way and noticed her serious look.

"Well, you've already met Selena and Tiffany." Laurie started out hesitantly. She didn't want to accuse him of anything, but she definitely wanted to make it absolutely unmistakable exactly what she was asking of him.

"Yes, in a rather interesting way with Selena." Keith grinned at the memory.

"Well, that's another subject, brother dear. This has to do with the one roommate you haven't met yet. It's one of the reasons I took you up on this drive so quickly. I wanted to get you out of the house before you met Bonnie." Laurie turned in her seat to make sure he was taking her seriously.

"Alright, what's wrong with Bonnie that you have to warn me?" Keith tried laughing this off. "Don't tell me, she's a barracuda and I need to watch myself around her."

"No, it's the exact opposite. She's smart and sweet. She's pretty and shy. And, she's completely infatuated with you." Laurie told him.

"She's, what, twenty years old and she's infatuated with me? Come on, be serious. I can see the younger girls, but no way." Keith scoffed.

"Keith, she's really, really shy." Laurie reminded him. "So shy that until recently, she hid her best features behind glasses she didn't need and severe hair styles that hid her gorgeous red hair."

"And?" Keith wasn't following.

"She's completely innocent." Laurie caught his eyes to make sure he understood exactly what she meant by that. "But, I think that if she thought she had a chance with you, she'd more than happily surrender it to you."

"You have got to be kidding! First Gloria, now your roommate. Why in the world does everyone want to lose their virginity to me?" Keith was flabbergasted.

"I'd think the answer to that would be obvious." Laurie reminded him. "According to all the press, you're Mr. Perfect. Who wouldn't want you to be their first?"

"Fine. I'll avoid her like the plague." Keith could say that with complete honesty.

Laurie's next comments took him by complete surprise. "That's just it. I don't want you to avoid her at all. In fact, the exact opposite."