"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

~Winnie the Pooh

~~~~~~

Kelsey slammed a drawer shut with her hip and tossed a dish towel into the dirty rag pile.

She surveyed the glistening kitchen with satisfaction.

There was something peaceful about taming the chaos after a long day that Kelsey found highly gratifying.

She scrolled through her Pinterest feed and found a recipe she'd had her eye on for a long time; baked brown sugar pears with an Italian crème mousse topping.

She cut the pear in half, inhaling the sweet citrus that met her nose.

As she sprinkled brown sugar on top of the two halves, she thought of Becca, who was probably doing her nails at home.

It had been two days since she'd unofficially "moved in", and Kelsey was pretty sure Becca pampered her nails at least seven times a day.

They didn't talk much when they were together, but it didn't feel awkward, either. Kelsey was shocked to think that she didn't mind Becca being around and would even go as far as to say that it was kind of nice to have someone else in the house.

She steamed a pot of heavy whipping cream, added a splash of vanilla, and a quarter cup of sugar before placing it in the freezer for fifteen minutes and whipping it.

She pulled out the pears from the oven and almost swooned at how amazing they smelled. Brown sugar bubbled on top of the white pears, and butter sizzled around the edges.

Kelsey heard the front door creak open and she sighed.

She dusted off her hands and walked around the table.

If Becca ran out of nail polish remover again...

She stopped short.

Ethan stood in the doorway, coming to an abrupt halt when he saw her.

Kelsey gaped at him.

"Uh, hey," He said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck and offering a grin that looked painful.

"Um, h-hey," Kelsey replied, clearing her throat. "W-what're you doing here?"

Ethan bit his lip. "I just wanted to see you."

Kelsey hesitated. Ethan took a few steps forward and Kelsey rushed to give him a hug.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

Ethan sighed deeply. "I missed you, Kelsey."

Kelsey smiled to herself. "Missed you too," she said quietly.

Ethan held her at arm's length, that stupid grin on his face. "Really?"

"What happened with the tabloid wasn't your fault," Kelsey said. "It just really freaked me out and I didn't know what to do, so I ran."

Ethan raised his eyebrows hopefully. "But now you're back, right?"

Kelsey grinned. "Yeah, movie star. I'm here to stay."

She gave him another hug before pulling away and walking back into the kitchen.

"It's almost like I could smell you coming," she said, grabbing a spoon and plopping the cream onto the warm pears. She slid a plate over to Ethan.

After he took a bite, he said, "So, how are you? I mean, you know, with everything?"

"Good," Kelsey nodded. "I just got so caught up in the whirlwind of everything, I just needed a break. Things are so different here in L.A., and I just wasn't prepared for any of it when I moved here."

"And I probably didn't help," Ethan added. He dropped his spoon onto his plate and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm so sorry—"

"Ethan," she interrupted. "I have heard so many apologies over the past few weeks. One from you isn't necessary, trust me."

Her words didn't seem to ease his mind. "I just wanna make sure you're okay. I've been so worried about you and I don't ever want to see you hurt like that again. Hollywood sucks and—and I suck, and—"

"I'm not mad at you." She sectioned off another piece of fruit and dragged it through the cream.

Before she ate it, she said, "Life's too short to hold grudges or to run away. Or to stop loving the people that make you happy."

Ethan's eyes softened. "I'd agree with that logic."

Kelsey took in a breath and tapped her spoon against her leg. She'd had so many speeches prepared in her head, so many things she was going to say when she saw Ethan again. But now all the words had fled. "What are we going to do?" She asked quietly. "You know, about us?"

"I don't know." Ethan shook his head.

Kelsey sighed and scooted closer, resting her head on his shoulder.

 "I went by your house the other day." Ethan intertwined his fingers in hers. "It had a For Sale sign out front."

"I moved," Kelsey explained. "Well, Sandy moved, so I didn't have a choice. I'm living at the Huntington Apartments."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it."

"Did you get to see your family in Kansas?"

"Most of them."

"Did you talk to your mom?"

Kelsey gulped. "Not a word."

They were quiet for a long while.

"She's just kind of erased herself from my life," Kelsey said. "But my dad still loves her. Isn't that crazy? Like, she had an affair! And he caught her! And now she's dropped off the face of the earth and hasn't spoken to any of us!" She sighed. "You should've seen his face. I thought he'd be angry or bitter or sad, but he was just broken."

Ethan rubbed his thumb against her hand. "And what about you? How do you feel towards your mom?"

"Is it wrong to say angry?"

"Nope."

"But I get it," Kelsey admitted. "She's running. Just like me."

Ethan pulled away to look at her.

"Like all of us," he corrected.

Kelsey smiled sadly. "And the weirdest thing was that it felt like home, but only in moments. Like riding through town with all the old stores where they used to be. But then, it's just not home anymore. Maybe it was because my mom wasn't there, or because she redid the entire house. I don't know. But I was kind of shocked to be happy when I came back to L.A."

"I get it," Ethan nodded. "Sometimes the most unexpected places become home for us. Or people, I guess."

Kelsey searched his face and placed a hand on his cheek. "We're going to work it out," she promised. "I know I said all of those things before, but I was wrong."

Ethan slid his hand around her waist. "Wrong about what?"

"I've already fallen madly in love with you."

Ethan leaned down and Kelsey lifted onto her toes.

The front door of the kitchen banged open and Becca Lynn stumbled inside. "Kelsey! Kelsey, I—"

Kelsey and Ethan stepped away from each other as if a wall had suddenly been placed between them.

Becca froze, her eyes darting from Kelsey to Ethan. "Uh, I—sorry to interrupt?"

"Wait a minute, Becca?" Ethan asked.

Kelsey cleared her throat and glanced at him. "That was the other thing I was going to tell you."

"We don't have time!" Becca blurted. "Mack found me!"

"What?!" Kelsey cried.

"Is that bad?" Ethan asked.

"Where'd he see you?" Kelsey asked, grasping Becca's shoulders.

"I was in town, buying more polish, and he saw me get in my car."

"You guys do realize you're married, right?" Ethan asked.

Kelsey grabbed her car keys and glanced at him. "Don't ask. Becca's been staying with me for the past two days."

"Mack and I aren't together anymore," Becca added indignantly.

Ethan blinked several times and his jaw dropped as he pointed at Kelsey. "I—what—with you? You?"

"I think he might've followed me here," Becca said.

"Have you called the cops?" Kelsey tossed her apron into the dirty laundry.

"No, but—"

"We can take my car," Kelsey offered.

They made their way outside and saw headlights speeding into the set.

"Get in the trunk!" Ethan cried.

"Ew, no way! I've seen Kelsey put, like, meat groceries back there!"

Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Really, Becca? Really?"

She prodded Becca towards the back of the car.

"Get in, get in!" she hissed.

Becca folded herself into the trunk, muttering a few choice words, and Kelsey slammed it shut.

She and Ethan hurried to the car and slid into the seats.

Kelsey turned on the engine and drove forward.

"So what happened?" Ethan whispered, holding onto the window handle as if Kelsey was about to take off.

"Mack hit Becca," Kelsey whispered back.

The headlights in front of them got brighter and Kelsey slowed to a stop.

"Oh boy," she muttered.

The door of a jacked-up Hummer swung open and Mack stepped down.

"I've got this," Ethan sighed, opening his door. "Hey man, what's up?"

"Where is she?" Mack demanded. He was wearing a large white t-shirt and baggy jean shorts. A silver chain dangled from his neck and his shoes looked to be three sizes too big.

Ethan gave a confused expression. "Who? Becca?"

"You know who I'm talkin' about, Glenn," Mack growled. "She's my wife, and if you're hiding her from me, we've got problems."

Ethan lifted his hands. "I don't have a problem at all."

Mack took a step closer and Ethan lifted his chin.

"Did you do something to her, Mack?" Ethan asked, his voice low and serious.

Mack clenched his fist. "That ain't none of your business."

"Okay," Kelsey muttered, opening her door and getting out.

Ethan and Mack turned to look at her and she gave an awkward wave. "Hello Mr. Mack, uh, I'm Kelsey. You probably don't remember me, but I catered your party two months ago and—"

"Look, I really don't care," he interrupted. "I'm just trying to find Becca."

"Welp, she's not here," Kelsey said, lifting her hands and looking around. "So you can probably go check, like, the nail salon or something." She gave an uneasy laugh. "Am I right?"

Mack looked at her incredulously before shaking his head and turning back to Ethan. "I ain't gonna ask again."

"Well then you're going to have to look somewhere else," Ethan replied.

Mack grabbed a fistful of his shirt and shouted, "Tell me where she is!"

"Take it easy, man!"

"Hey!" Kelsey cried. Mack swung around to face her, jaw clenched and eyes flashing.

Kelsey gulped.

"You know where she is?" he asked pointedly.

"Yeah, I do," Kelsey said. Ethan's eyes got wide and he shook his head, but Kelsey stepped forward. "And I might've told you where she is if I didn't know what you did to her."

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about," Mack scoffed.

"You might think that because you're famous, you're above the law," Kelsey continued, straightening to her full height. "But I have enough evidence to put you behind bars, at least until you're able to fork out a crazy bail bond. And you wouldn't want that kind of publicity, would you?"

Mack growled a curse. "Are you threatening me?!"

"I... yes?"

"You wouldn't call the cops."

Kelsey pulled out her phone. "Oh honey, try me."

"She's got you beat, Mackie," Ethan said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Unless you want to make your next album in jail, I'd suggest listening to her."

"You know what, Glenn?!" Mack spat. He gave Kelsey a hard stare before shaking his head.

"I don't even care!" he exclaimed, taking a few steps back and throwing his hands up. "I don't need her."

He hopped into his truck and roared the engine before speeding away.

Ethan looked at Kelsey with raised eyebrows. "Nice work, Agent Harris."

"I saw it on an episode of NCIS once," Kelsey sighed.

A muffled voice sounded from the trunk. "Can someone let me out?! I'm so sweaty!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello everyone! Hope your week is going well!

~Ethan and Kelsey are finally back together! Sort of. Do you think they're going to work it out?

~What do you think about the situation with Mack?

~General thoughts?

Thank you so much for reading! {Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!}