When Reggie shook his head at wanting a drink, Keelin wandered towards the living room. She folded her arms across her chest and hovered near the opposite end of the couch. Did Reggie even want her to sit next to him after not speaking to him all weekend? How was she supposed to explain that the reason for her absence was one right out of a soap opera? 'You should just sit down and tell him the truth. I think he missed you.' Pugsley turned his head so that he could blink up at his witch. And then Reggie asked how she had been and it was all she could do to hold herself up. Because Keelin couldn't lie and say that she had been 'fine.' On the one hand, that was the furthest thing from the truth. On the other, what did that say about her if she went all weekend without speaking to Reggie and said she was fine? No, she couldn't lie. Not even a little bit.
Finally, she sat down on the edge of the couch and turned so that she was facing Reggie. "Sorry about that," She winced a little when she realized that she was so used to the smell of her cleaning products that they didn't bother her that much. It didn't help when that smell made her feel as though everything was truly clean. "I clean when I'm stressed. Which is why I have not been so great. Even a little bit." She licked her lips and looked down at her hands, wringing them together as if the words for her explanation were trapped inside the palms. "I really am so sorry I haven't seen you since Friday. I feel awful about it." She swallowed. Where was she supposed to begin?
'Try the beginning.' Pugsley urged. He was curled up on Reggie's lap, but he was facing Keelin so that she knew he wasn't far away if she needed something soft and warm to hold onto.
She gave him a short nod and took a deep breath. "When I was a child, I lived in a foster home for a few years. I lived there with my older sister, Kahlan. We were separated when I was eight because of my adoption," Now that Kahlan was back in her life, Keelin was forced to pull out the details from her past and look over them. She had to mull over why there was never a reconnection until now and the entire thing made her guilty as hell. Pugsley stretched out on Reggie's lap and inched his paws towards his knees. 'It's okay, Keely.' She glanced down at him and offered him a small smile before reaching over and scratching him behind his ears. "I never saw her again. Until Saturday, that is. I was already a mess because of what Brandon said, but then she showed up and I didn't even recognize her. Part of me doesn't believe at all. The rest of me is this mix of thrilled and guilty and... I don't know what else."