Here's another update! I'm sorry it's taken so long.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Chapter 8 - Save Tonight
The next few weeks of Natalie's life were full of studying, exams, more studying, and struggling to keep her mind off of Keith. She woke up in the morning with his face in her mind. During her morning classes, she would wonder where he was and what exactly he was doing at the moment. While munching on her lunch, her thoughts turned towards what he was eating. After a couple weeks of this pattern, Natalie was worn down. She couldn't believe how many times during the day that her thoughts rested on him. Nothing seemed right. Her grades seemed to be okay for now, but other than that her life was off-kilter. Garrett wasn't talking to her, in fact, every time he saw her, he turned and went the opposite direction. Crystal didn't appear willing to make any repairs on their fractured friendship. Natalie had never had a cheaper phone bill than that month.
Other than her job, Natalie spent many hours studying in the library or walking around campus, wishing Keith was there. She carried the penny and his letter with her everywhere, occasionally taking it out of her pocket and rereading his words to her. One particularly sunny day, Natalie was washing off a plant outside the greenhouse, when a shadow flashed by in the corner of her eye. She turned around completely, trying to figure out what she had seen. There was nothing there, not even a random bird flying by. A sudden unsettled feeling hit her. She dropped the sprayer hose and walked around the corner of the building. No one was there. Natalie mentally shook herself. "Stop being so jumpy," she ordered herself. "You'd think that those counterfeiters were following you." She finished washing off the plant and lugged the heavy pot back inside. With the door securely locked, she quickly made her way back up towards the science building. She sprinted into the biology storeroom and slammed the door shut. Another one of the work-study students was organizing flasks and beakers that cluttered the crowded shelves. He looked up at her with mild interest. "Hey Joe," she greeted him. Joe didn't seem to notice her heavy breathing and flushed cheeks.
"Hello Natalie, beautiful day out, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's nice out," she replied, watching as he meticulously lined up the glassware. The clinking sounds reminded her of her senior year chemistry class, when she had first known Keith.
"I almost forgot," Joe continued absentmindedly. "A man stopped by. He wanted to talk to you. I told him you were at the greenhouse." Natalie's heart skipped a beat. The whole witness protection thing was really getting to her.
"Did he tell you his name?" she asked. Joe thought for a moment.
"Hmmm, no, I don't remember a name."
"What did he look like?"
"Medium height, dark hair, Caucasian," he rattled off. Natalie sighed. His description matched half the school population.
"He didn't say why he was looking for me."
"No, he just asked if you were around. I think he was trying to surprise you," Joe said. "Oh, I almost forgot. He left a message for you. It's over there." He pointed towards the lone desk in the corner. Natalie walked over and picked up the hastily scrawled message. Meet me at the greenhouse. 7 pm. Don't tell anyone. She felt a wave of happiness. The writing was obviously Keith's. Was it possible that he was really here? She couldn't hardly wait to find out.
The hours passed by at a snail's pace. It seemed that the clock couldn't go any slower. She sat at a desk in the library trying valiantly to get through a short story assigned for class. After reading the same page six times without retaining anything, she slammed the book shut and pushed it away from her. The other students in the immediate vicinity all stared at her, one of them pointing at the Quiet Zone sign posted on the wall. "Sorry," she whispered. After a few minutes more, Natalie packed up her books and left the library. Her dorm room seemed even lonelier. The next half hour was dedicated to getting ready. She felt like a girl on her first date all over again as she tried on various outfits. "Oh, who are you kidding?" she muttered to herself. "It's just Keith. He would be happy to see you in a potato sack." It wasn't that she had to dress up, but she kind of wanted to, just because she hadn't seen him for too long. Finally, she was satisfied with the results as she studied her reflection in the mirror.
At last, the clock read 6:45, and she slipped out the door and hurried downstairs. The walk across campus was slightly chilly, and she tucked her sweater tightly around her. There were a few people out walking along the middle of campus, but she didn't recognize any of them. Natalie thought she saw Garrett and hid behind the bushes until he passed by, sighing relief when she realized it wasn't him. The greenhouse was dark, with only a single light by the door. As she rounded the corner, she half-expected Keith to be standing there waiting for her. There was no one there, just a stray cat playing in the grass. A sudden thought hit her. What if she had mistaken the note? Her mind jumped to all kinds of theories. Maybe someone was playing a joke on her. It could be a trap. She shivered at the thought. Every noise, the creaking of branches in the wind, students yelling, caused her to jump. The shadows seemed menacing, and her heart began to beat faster. Natalie reread the note, scanning every inch as though a secret message would pop out at her. "Don't be stupid," she scolded herself. "You're losing it."
"I'll second that," a voice behind her laughed. She spun around, a hand to her mouth.
"Keith!" she shouted, running across the grass and threw herself into his arms. He embraced her tightly and buried his face in her hair. "I can't believe you're here," she whispered in his ear. "I've missed you so much." She kissed him hard.
"I guess I'll have to go away more often if this is the response I get," Keith joked. "I missed you too."
"I can't believe it," she repeated. "How are you doing? Are you going to stay for long? Did the trial end yet?"
"Whoa," he put a finger on her lips. "Calm down. One question at a time. I'm going pretty well. Life can't get much better than living alone with a bunch of guys doing your bidding." He hesitated. "I can't stay for too long; they don't know I'm gone. No, the trial hasn't even started yet. The prosecutor keeps losing witnesses." It took just a second for everything to sink in.
"Wait, you snuck out and they don't know you're here?"
"Nope," he replied proudly. "They actually let me cross the street this week without holding my hand." The sarcasm was evident in his voice. "I told them I was going to my friend Paul's house. They let me go out about once a week to see him. Apparently, he's a nice, honest guy, so they trust him to babysit me. Paul agreed to cover for me for the night. He gave me a ride to my truck and voila, here I am."
"How long can you stay?" she asked quietly.
"Just tonight. Any more than that, and they'll get suspicious. Paul said I could come over every other weekend, Hopefully, we can make this a date," Keith grinned. "It's kind of fun to be out of lockup."
"Keith!" she said with exasperation. "What if they find out?"
"I don't know," he shrugged, unconcernedly. "They'll give me a slap on the wrist or something."
"Or they could move you even farther away."
"Don't worry, Partner. We'll just have to be careful."
"When does the trial start?" she asked.
"November 26, so not long from now. It's a big deal. The whole town's talking about it."
"Since it's a federal case, do you have to go to Chicago?"
"Maybe, I don't really know. If the trial is in Chicago, then you can come visit me. There's got to be millions of places to hide."
"How long is it going to last?"
"My bodyguards keep telling me it could last for months. I'm hoping for a quick and easy trial."
"And…what do you mean by 'losing witnesses'?"
"Well, every witness they get ends up disappearing. I'm the lucky one because I've lasted the longest."
"Keith," she said, now fearful. "What if the other guys find you?"
"It's nothing that hasn't happened before," he said, rubbing the ridges on his wrists. His face took on a melancholy expression.
"Do you think you can tell me about it sometime?"
"Yeah," he sighed. "I will." He brightened up. "Let's go do something. Tonight is all we have. I haven't been on my own in forever." He grasped her hand in his, their fingers curling together. They walked down towards the street. His familiar yellow truck rested next to the curb. Keith drove, taking seemingly random turns, until they ended up at a small ice cream shop that was often frequented by college students.
"How did you find out about this place?" Natalie asked as they stood in line to order.
"Google works wonders," was his reply. "We'll have the special," he said to the girl standing behind the counter. "I just got my paycheck," Keith explained in a stealth whisper. "I have to spend it on something special."
"You have a job?"
"Yep, you're looking at the best grocery shelf stocker in the state." Keith paid and took the enormous banana split. They sat down at a table in the back. 'I begged them long enough that they let me get a job, just as long as it's low profile. Can't get much lower than that." He took a large bite of the ice cream that was smothered in hot fudge, nuts, whipped cream, and a variety of other toppings that Natalie couldn't identify, there were so many. "Mmmm, this is good," he sighed. "Have some." She gingerly took a spoonful.
"That is good," she said in surprise. "What's all in this?"
"I believe it has some of everything. Five scoops of ice cream. Pretty much perfect."
"I'm glad you came," Natalie told him. "I was going crazy without you around."
"How are things going?"
"Not too bad. School's okay. It's lonely," she admitted. "Crystal's mad at me, Garrett's still angry about what happened. Just the usual college drama."
"Who's Garrett?" he asked with interest.
"He's a guy that I've known since freshman year." It was as good a time as any to tell Keith about Garrett, Natalie realized. There was no point in keeping it a secret. "He's had a crush on me since then. Crystal's been trying to get me to go out with him. And I refused…until right before you came back. After you found me, I told him that there was nothing between us. He hasn't spoke to me since."
"Do you like him?" he asked slowly.
"No," she answered immediately. "I don't. He's never been anything more than a friend." Keith visibly relaxed.
"Good," he said lazily. "I thought for a moment there I would have to go beat him up or something."
"What about you? How are you doing?"
"Can't complain. I wish this whole trial thing would just get over with, but I'm doing okay." Natalie studied his face, noticing the strain in his features.
"You look tired," she commented.
"It's been a long day."
"Do you still go to the doctor for check-ups?"
"Yeah, it's been good so far." Keith waved off her concern. "Don't worry about me. I've made it this far, I'm not giving up now. And by the way, you've got some whipped cream right there." He wiped the bit of white that decorated her nose.
"Thanks," she said, still noticing his fatigue. "We could go back to campus."
"Yeah, I think we about killed this thing." The plastic container held only the remnants of melting ice cream. He got up from the table and winced a little. "I hate driving long distances. I get all cramped up."
"It's not that far to the dorms. You can stretch out on my nice comfortable bed."
"Sounds great," he tried to muster up some enthusiasm, but yawned instead. They drove back to the dorm and parked along a side street. The walk wasn't long, but still, Keith was obviously tired. As soon as they reached her room, he flopped across her bed and closed his eyes.
"Hey, I haven't even gotten inside yet," she teased, shutting the door and locking it. "Move over," Natalie pushed at him, but he didn't budge.
"You were right, this bed is comfortable." He rolled over so she could join him. After a few minutes, he was almost asleep.
"I wish you could stay forever," Natalie said, running her hand through his hair. He capture her hand in his and clasped it to his chest.
"I do too, partner," he murmured sleepily. "Soon, though. This will be all over." Natalie lay quietly next to him until his even breathing told her he was asleep. She carefully got up as not to disturb him and tucked a blanket around him, then lay down again. He didn't move, but continued sleeping soundly.
"I love you, Keith," she whispered to him, even though he couldn't hear. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. If only she could keep tomorrow from coming, anything to keep Keith near to her.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.