Weightless by Kandi Steiner

head and went back to whatever he was doing as I pulled out one of two barstools and took a seat. For a few moments he cooked in silence, pulling out chicken and vegetables and chopping them on a cutting board before adding them to the pan. His fingers worked quickly, methodically, like cooking was to him what breathing is to me — effortless. The silence was comfortable as I watched him, but I couldn’t let my curiosity about what I’d seen in his bedroom go.
    “Is that your sister in the photo by your bed?”
    Rhodes stiffened at my question, stopping mid-stir for a beat. When he started again, he didn’t turn to face me. “Yes.”
    “She’s beautiful.”
    “She was.”
    He didn’t falter with those words, but I noted the past tense. I remembered when Lana was reported as a missing person close to the end of their senior year, the sorrow that washed over the school as the days stretched on without anyone finding her. But after a while, the story about her disappearance faded. I realized as I sat at Rhodes’ kitchen island that I never did hear if they ever found her, though his past tense reference made me think maybe I didn’t want to know.
    I sensed Rhodes’ discomfort, so I changed the subject.
    “I like your place.”
    He shrugged, spinning in place to wash his hands in the sink in front of the counter I was sitting at before turning back toward the cabinets and reaching up for some spices. “It’s not much.”
    “How long have you lived here?”
    He paused, his arms still stretched out above him as he dug through the spices, revealing just a small sliver of skin between the top of his boxers and the hem of his black t-shirt. Facing me once more, his eyes sparkled in the soft kitchen light. “There you go with your questions again.”
    I blushed and murmured, “Sorry.”
    His eyes were still on me but he nodded toward my bag. “Why do you always have that camera with you?”
    I followed his gaze to my camera tucked in the side pocket, the neck strap hanging out just a bit. It was my smaller camera, not the nicest one I owned, but I always carried one with me just in case.
    “You know how you geek out about everything fitness-related?”
    He glowered. “I don’t geek out.”
    I stifled a laugh. “Okay, well, I was trying to say that that’s how I am with photography. It’s my thing, I guess. I’ve been into it my whole life and I want to go to college and do it professionally.” I paused at that admission. “Well, maybe anyway. I don’t know, I kind of always have a camera with me.”
    He nodded, his arm muscles flexing with each movement of the wooden spoon in his hand. My nose was in a frenzy and my mouth had been watering since I got out of the shower. “You going to Appalachian State in the fall?”
    I sighed. “I don’t know. I probably should but I don’t really want to.”
    “Wow,” he assessed, covering the skillet with a glass lid. He leaned back against the stove and crossed his arms over his chest. “The Poxton Princess doesn’t want to follow in her family’s footsteps and do what all the PBH kids do? What a travesty.”
    I wanted to narrow my eyes at him and tell him not to call me that, but all I could do was shift uncomfortably under his gaze. It was hard to confront the scariest person I knew. Luckily, I was saved by my phone ringing before I had the chance to answer. It was Willow.
    “Sorry, one sec.”
    Rhodes didn’t show any shift in emotion. He just turned to face the stove again and went back to work.
    “Hey, Lo.”
    “Hey! What are you doing Wednesday?”
    “Um.” Wednesday wasn’t a training day, but I wasn’t sure I was going to be down for whatever she was about to propose. Still, I couldn’t think of any excuse, so I sighed. “Nothing. What’s up?”
    “Perfect. We’re going to the town fair with the group. Now before you tell me no because Mason will be there, let me remind you that you’re looking super hot lately and you should prance