Post by kittypatter on Aug 10, 2010 16:24:14 GMT -5
Hair dishevelled and face set, Luke didn’t even notice as a large mug was pushed under his nose, small pink and white marshmallows floating on top. Glancing sideways at her brother, Grace gave a sympathetic look as she picked her own mug up from the table and wrapped her hands around it. Blowing the steam away, a silence filled the air in which both took a sip of the hot chocolate and sunk deeper into the sofa until they were almost laying. It was Luke who spoke first, blue eyes starting lazily at the ceiling, a finger running over the rim of his drink.
‘What time is it?’
‘Time you had a shower, you reek of sweat.’
It wasn’t sweat, he thought soberly, it was Luna. It was her scent, still on him from the previous morning when things had seemed so sweet and perfect. Of course it had to end, it always did. Who the fuck was he kidding? ‘I need to go to work.’ Grace continued and he chanced a look towards her to see she was dressed in a black dress and fresh blouse. Yes, she had to go to work and he’d be finally left in peace where he could try and sort all this out. Luna hadn’t come back. The fact she lived down the hall didn’t matter, he had wanted her to come back without having to plead and beg. The bigger man would have ran after her, but he wasn’t feeling the greatest of men yesterday.
‘I shouldn’t have let her keep my key.’ he said out loud before he could help himself, but Grace was now in the kitchen, rustling some bags and slamming the microwave door. ‘Chloe, why did I let her keep it? I’m so fucking stupid-’ still clutched in his left hand was the key he had taken back from the blonde after she had happily waltzed in, muttering how she loved him and eyeing Luna like she was some piece of dirt. Tightening his grip he felt the metal dig into his palm before he flung it against the wall where it then slid down behind a plant pot, knocking some of the leaves off the indoor shrub.
‘What did it ever do to you?’ her voice was teasing.
Why was she so happy? She looked about as bad as he felt, purpling bags under her eyes from all the alcohol she had consumed with Marlo. Glancing back at the whirring microwave, his sister pointed a thumb towards it and then back at the bathroom which was filling up with steam. ‘You always took care of me, I think it’s time I returned the favour.’ a flicker of a smile rose on her face before she was forcing him into the steam. ‘Get a shower, when you’re done your breakfast should be ready: its porridge, jams on the side, and the coffees ready it just needs pouring. Papers on the counter, you need to find some jobs. I’ll see you after work.’
Porridge? Frowning at Grace, Luke didn’t even get a chance to argue before she had shut the door on him and he was enveloped in the steamy room with no other choice but to shower.
-
Hair still slightly damp, Luke ran a nervous hand through it as he made his way down the corridor which smelt faintly of carpet cleaner, and stopped outside Luna’s door. A maid shuffled by with a small and outdated Hoover, red hair in a bun, offered Luke a smile and crammed herself into the lift. What’s wrong with me? He frowned, lifting a hand, intending to knock, but just letting it hover for a moment. Why was he so scared? Had last night been the end of them? Because he hadn’t done anything, really, had he? He hadn’t cheated, he hadn’t lied: Chloe was just a stupid mistake from the past that had happened to turn up at the wrong time.
Knocking three times, then another three times, more sharply, he waited.
'Luna, it's me, Luke - you didn't come back last night. A-are you alright?'
-
The classroom was empty. Sitting on one of the desks, Grace swung her legs back and forth, humming something under her breath. From the window she could see Roland lifting some boxes out of his car, trying to balance them all with one hand while he shut the boot with the other. She should have helped, but something else in her chest, that twisted, knotted feeling made her decide otherwise. Jumping up, nimble fingers traced over the edge of his desk, over all the paper work and around his cup which sat empty, waiting to be filled up for the morning. Before she knew what was happening, Grace was sitting down behind the desk and observing the room that would any moment be filled.
It felt different, to be sat behind it rather than at the chair by the side like some naughty school child. It felt like she was in control, but then when she watched Roland he didn’t look very controlling, though he did try. Her lips pulled into a smile. He loved these kids. There was a video game resting at the edge of the desk, along with some other bits and bobs; pencils, rubber bands, rubbers, pens, gum. Dropping her hand to the drawers that ran either side, Grace pulled at the first, expecting to see it full of papers, but to find it locked. She tried again and again, narrowing her eyes at the metal drawer, angry.
‘What have you got in here, eh? Confiscated items?’
Her blue eyes fell back to the desk, roaming over every item individually, looking for anything that resembled a key. And there, hidden behind a fallen stack of exam papers sat the classroom keys, a few keyrings hanging off of it. The lock clicked happily and excitedly Grace wrenched it open. It was one of the drawers that looks like one but is really three, a big deep drawer that could hold so many things. Inside, under a few confiscated magazines and extra pens, chalk and so on, lay an upturned picture frame and a game boy. A quick glance at the window showed her Roland had gone, but the hallway sounded deserted, so spinning around in the chair, back to the door, Grace reached in, took the frame and held it to the light.
A man and a woman stood facing each other, lips pressed together, eyes closed. The man had his hands on the woman’s waste and she had hers cupping his face. She was beautiful. A frame model, perhaps? But at a second glance Grace was shocked to see that the man she was kissing was Roland. Younger looking, lighter hair, but still the Roland that she knew. And this was his.. wife?
‘What time is it?’
‘Time you had a shower, you reek of sweat.’
It wasn’t sweat, he thought soberly, it was Luna. It was her scent, still on him from the previous morning when things had seemed so sweet and perfect. Of course it had to end, it always did. Who the fuck was he kidding? ‘I need to go to work.’ Grace continued and he chanced a look towards her to see she was dressed in a black dress and fresh blouse. Yes, she had to go to work and he’d be finally left in peace where he could try and sort all this out. Luna hadn’t come back. The fact she lived down the hall didn’t matter, he had wanted her to come back without having to plead and beg. The bigger man would have ran after her, but he wasn’t feeling the greatest of men yesterday.
‘I shouldn’t have let her keep my key.’ he said out loud before he could help himself, but Grace was now in the kitchen, rustling some bags and slamming the microwave door. ‘Chloe, why did I let her keep it? I’m so fucking stupid-’ still clutched in his left hand was the key he had taken back from the blonde after she had happily waltzed in, muttering how she loved him and eyeing Luna like she was some piece of dirt. Tightening his grip he felt the metal dig into his palm before he flung it against the wall where it then slid down behind a plant pot, knocking some of the leaves off the indoor shrub.
‘What did it ever do to you?’ her voice was teasing.
Why was she so happy? She looked about as bad as he felt, purpling bags under her eyes from all the alcohol she had consumed with Marlo. Glancing back at the whirring microwave, his sister pointed a thumb towards it and then back at the bathroom which was filling up with steam. ‘You always took care of me, I think it’s time I returned the favour.’ a flicker of a smile rose on her face before she was forcing him into the steam. ‘Get a shower, when you’re done your breakfast should be ready: its porridge, jams on the side, and the coffees ready it just needs pouring. Papers on the counter, you need to find some jobs. I’ll see you after work.’
Porridge? Frowning at Grace, Luke didn’t even get a chance to argue before she had shut the door on him and he was enveloped in the steamy room with no other choice but to shower.
-
Hair still slightly damp, Luke ran a nervous hand through it as he made his way down the corridor which smelt faintly of carpet cleaner, and stopped outside Luna’s door. A maid shuffled by with a small and outdated Hoover, red hair in a bun, offered Luke a smile and crammed herself into the lift. What’s wrong with me? He frowned, lifting a hand, intending to knock, but just letting it hover for a moment. Why was he so scared? Had last night been the end of them? Because he hadn’t done anything, really, had he? He hadn’t cheated, he hadn’t lied: Chloe was just a stupid mistake from the past that had happened to turn up at the wrong time.
Knocking three times, then another three times, more sharply, he waited.
'Luna, it's me, Luke - you didn't come back last night. A-are you alright?'
-
The classroom was empty. Sitting on one of the desks, Grace swung her legs back and forth, humming something under her breath. From the window she could see Roland lifting some boxes out of his car, trying to balance them all with one hand while he shut the boot with the other. She should have helped, but something else in her chest, that twisted, knotted feeling made her decide otherwise. Jumping up, nimble fingers traced over the edge of his desk, over all the paper work and around his cup which sat empty, waiting to be filled up for the morning. Before she knew what was happening, Grace was sitting down behind the desk and observing the room that would any moment be filled.
It felt different, to be sat behind it rather than at the chair by the side like some naughty school child. It felt like she was in control, but then when she watched Roland he didn’t look very controlling, though he did try. Her lips pulled into a smile. He loved these kids. There was a video game resting at the edge of the desk, along with some other bits and bobs; pencils, rubber bands, rubbers, pens, gum. Dropping her hand to the drawers that ran either side, Grace pulled at the first, expecting to see it full of papers, but to find it locked. She tried again and again, narrowing her eyes at the metal drawer, angry.
‘What have you got in here, eh? Confiscated items?’
Her blue eyes fell back to the desk, roaming over every item individually, looking for anything that resembled a key. And there, hidden behind a fallen stack of exam papers sat the classroom keys, a few keyrings hanging off of it. The lock clicked happily and excitedly Grace wrenched it open. It was one of the drawers that looks like one but is really three, a big deep drawer that could hold so many things. Inside, under a few confiscated magazines and extra pens, chalk and so on, lay an upturned picture frame and a game boy. A quick glance at the window showed her Roland had gone, but the hallway sounded deserted, so spinning around in the chair, back to the door, Grace reached in, took the frame and held it to the light.
A man and a woman stood facing each other, lips pressed together, eyes closed. The man had his hands on the woman’s waste and she had hers cupping his face. She was beautiful. A frame model, perhaps? But at a second glance Grace was shocked to see that the man she was kissing was Roland. Younger looking, lighter hair, but still the Roland that she knew. And this was his.. wife?