equipment in her home, and there was no way possible
any had gotten in her yard.
Rowan suspected that maybe one of the neighborhood kids had done it, but then
again, who knew how strange things happened. Freak accident, maybe. But all
was well now as he headed home, turning on the radio to the station he’d been
enjoying for the last week.
“This is Cool Kasey, back for another hour of all the music you love. Or at
least I do,” Then there was that cute laugh that Rowan found himself smiling
at. It really was an attractive laugh. He wondered who it belonged to. He
hadn’t met anyone named Kasey in town, and apparently, the DJ was a masked
figure who only came out at night- and only between the hours of seven and two.
Though Rowan would never admit it to anyone, he fell asleep to that voice.
Around ten at night, Cool Kasey would always take a few minutes to talk about
world events, or his own thoughts. Rowan found that he could relate to most of
them.
Like the night before, Kasey had been talking about how he enjoyed life. He
seemed so easy to please, really. He spoke of how he enjoyed seeing the sun
beaming down through the thick leaves of trees and how it could make designs on
the grass. He liked taking walks and breathing in the fresh air, being
grateful that his town wasn’t polluted by smog and worse things.
He’d also heard Kasey mention that loneliness wasn’t always a bad thing, but
sometimes, it ate at him. Rowan could relate deeply to that. He knew all too
well that the solitary life style could be a blessing and a curse at the same
time. Kasey never seemed to be too down though. He was always in high spirits
on the air, and sounded as if he really enjoyed his job.
It
was probably a bit silly to be listening to a complete stranger, and wondering
what he’d be like in person. But that’s just how Rowan’s mind worked. He was
always thinking about possible scenarios, even if the chances of them becoming
a reality were slim to none. He tried to imagine what Kasey looked like.
Probably a tall, skinny fellow with big framed glasses. He probably wore
flannel shirts and jeans with holes in the knees.
Or
maybe he was completely wrong. Maybe he was a rebellious teen who hid out in
his basement and was as good looking as Christian Slater in Pump Up The
Volume. Rowan rolled his eyes despite himself, turning into his driveway as he
shut off the engine and got out. His new home was really nice, and the price
hadn’t been one he could pass up.
It
was a single story house, with two bedrooms and a bathroom. The kitchen was
large and comfortable; something he particularly enjoyed because he liked to cook.
He always had to have his space. Being the bachelor that Rowan was, he liked
to have room to move around. There was also a basement, though he hadn’t
really ventured into it too much. There was all sorts of junk down there from
the previous owner, and he’d made it a mission to check it out one day. Rowan
was a sucker for antiques and the mysteries of other people’s belongings.
He
shrugged out of his jacket once he was inside, tossing it onto the back of his
couch as Napoleon headed straight for his food bowl in the kitchen. “Aw, come
on. Surely you’re not hungry,” Rowan teased as he flicked on the switch in the
kitchen and watched his dog’s tail wag happily.
“Hold
on. I’ll get you something,” He promised. He moved to the cabinet beneath the
microwave, pulling out the ten pound bag as he tended to his best friend. Napoleon
wagged his tail excitedly as he munched down on the food. Rowan patted his
back gently before he put the bag away and then moved to turn on the radio so
he could continue listening to Cool Kasey. He began browsing through his
cabinets, trying to figure out what he wanted for dinner.
“That was Be Here