Aaron left the office at exactly 4:30, eager to meet the love of his life. He wanted to be there the moment she clocked out. A few people tried to stop and talk, but he brushed them off. He didn't have time for such trifles.

He was waiting outside the lab door at 5:00 PM. When it opened, he was disappointed to find someone else. The girl sized him up.

"Are you looking for Keeley?"

"Yes."

"She's putting her stuff away. She'll be out in a minute." The girl paused hesitantly. "Are you the cat sitter?"

Cat sitter? So Keeley had told this girl about him. They must be friends. He tried to be cordial.

"That's me."

She lowered her voice and looked around. "Talk to her! Tell her the truth about how you feel."

This advice was completely unexpected. How much had she told this girl? He was fairly certain she wouldn't reveal their "rebirth."

"…I'll take that under consideration."

Aaron couldn't do that now; Keeley was barely accepting him as a friend again. He wanted to tell her, but didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

He would gladly tell her anything if she asked, but until then, it was wise to keep it to himself. He'd already freaked her out the day before by being honest. It was why he was surprised she'd agreed to move in with him.

"Aaron," Keeley said in surprise, appearing in the doorway. "You're here right on time."

"You said five, so I came at five."

The girl winked at her coworker. "You two have fun. See you tomorrow, Keeley."

Keeley scowled as the girl walked away. They'd definitely had an interesting conversation about him. He was dying to know what they said but couldn't ask.

She slung her purse over her shoulder and followed him to his car without another word. Aaron broke the silence on the way to Brooklyn.

"How much stuff do you have? My trunk isn't that big."

"Not much. I can leave most of my things with my dad. I only need clothes, books, movies, and cooking utensils. For someone with such a big kitchen, you really don't have many useful things in it," she said, smiling.

Why would he? He only reheated other people's food. One thing he looked forward to was her cooking. If he was lucky, he'd enjoy it at least sometimes.

"I had to cream butter and sugar with a spoon the other day! Do you have any idea how difficult that is?"

"No."

"Well, it's hard. Get yourself an electric mixer; it could come in handy," she lectured. "And, considering how big your apartment is, there's hardly any furniture. Are you a minimalist? How hard is it for someone as rich as you to get enough furniture?"

She already knew he bought the place with her in mind, so he might as well be honest. "I thought you could do it."

Her jaw dropped. "Me? Why would I—oh."

She must be remembering his proposal. He'd originally expected persistence would win her over, but now it was a pipe dream.

Keeley stayed quiet for a few minutes before reluctantly speaking. "If you want my design input, I could give it to you. I enjoy decorating. Consider it a favor for letting me stay with you."

A half smile appeared on his face. "That would be nice, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Silence filled the car. Aaron hated quiet car rides; they reminded him of being with his parents. He didn't usually listen to music, but he turned on the radio.

He flipped to a random station; he didn't know anything about music stations. If he listened to the radio at all, it was the news.

A catchy top 40 song played, and, to his surprise, Keeley quietly started mumbling the lyrics. She hadn't sung in the car in front of him in about forty years.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. You can sing along if you want to," he encouraged. He'd really missed that.

She shrugged and sang louder, though she was still hesitant. She wasn't dancing like she used to. Aaron still felt lucky she was comfortable enough to do that much around him.

When they arrived at the Hall family apartment, Keeley's dad wasn't home. She urged him to be quick. They only needed clothes, books, and cookware, so two trips should suffice.

"Why is this so heavy?" Aaron grunted, lifting a box. It wasn't large, but it weighed a ton.

She snickered. "I have books and DVDs in that one. The weight adds up."

It was good the building had an elevator. He couldn't imagine carrying that box down thirteen flights of stairs.

He couldn't show weakness—not in front of her. She would definitely tease him.

Aaron wasn't used to manual labor. He should probably use the fitness center in his building more often. Weightlifting might help.

"How many books do you need? Isn't that what libraries are for?" he asked.

"Libraries don't always have what you need when you need it," Keeley said, lifting her knee to press the elevator button.

"Don't tell me you don't own any books. I thought you spent most of your free time reading."

"I have a few, but I usually use an e-reader. It's easier to keep them all in one place, and you can rent library books that way without leaving home."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes you're frighteningly efficient."

He shrugged. "Time is money."

"Really? Because it seems like you have nothing but time."

"Only when it comes to you. You're a special case." She blushed slightly at his earnestness.

They dropped the boxes in Aaron's car and headed back upstairs. As they were getting the next batch, they heard a key turn in the lock from the other room.