Unmuted

Unmuted- Chapter 23

I groan as I hit the pause button on the remote right as a young girl who couldn't have been older than thirteen introduced herself. James had left me to work alone so that he could help the crew lug their equipment into the storage room. They were all making so much noise that I could barely hear what the poor girl was saying. I glare at the group of man as they laugh and joke boisterously a few feet away.

"That's the last of it," I hear one of them yell from the backyard.

"Alright, give Jim the keys to the--" the rest of his words is swallowed up by the loud screeching of a drill coming from the storage room.

I roll my eyes and fling the clipboard and pen onto the couch cushion beside me. I rub circles into my temples as a mild headache starts to form. "So much noise," I complain to myself. I lean back and slump over to rest my head on the soft armrest.

Someone chuckles in front of me and when I open my eyes I find Duncan's blue ones. I watch as he places the clipboard on the table in front of us and sits on the pen still on the cushion beside me. "You alright?" he asks.

I inhale and consider lying. I quickly decide against it, though. Sitting up, I cross my legs underneath me and face him. "No," I admit.

He gives me a small hesitant smile, I can tell that he's wondering where we stand--whether I was still upset with him about our disagreement in the backyard. I wasn't anymore though, I couldn't stay mad at him for standing up for what he believed in. Plus, James made me understand the situation more clearly. Tunnel Vision Duncan was needed when dealing with Sonnet 75, he was needed when working. I couldn't be upset with him for not being Make-Out Duncan while he was in the middle of being the 'Unbelievably Handsome CEO' of Monster Music Productions.

"What's wrong?" he asks placing a gentle hand on my knee.

I bite my bottom lip and study his face for a few seconds, seeing his concern. "I am just not used to this." I gesture towards the men, who had started to file out the front door. "It's just a lot. I mean living with Temp all these years was pretty hectic too, but it was nothing like this."

"Oh, yeah?" His curiosity causes him to sit up straighter.

"Yeah," I nod. Suddenly I laugh as a memory of Huxley crosses my mind. "She used to get these... packages in the mail," I started to explain thoughtfully. "Just like shoes and clothes, you know. Lots of it. All the time and she barely wore any of it." I pull on the sleeve of the light sweater I'm wearing. "I am pretty sure this is one of hers. Anyway, most of it was unwearable, because whoever was sending the clothes to her would stuff pills and other stuff into the seams of the clothes and heels of the shoes." I can't help but laugh at Duncan's expression of horror when I tell him.

"She had drugs mailed to your home when you were living together?" he asks angrily.

"Yeah," I brush the air. "Anyway, that's not the point of the story. So one day--"

"What if the police found out? That was stupid risky, Jourdin."

"Well," I start rolling my eyes. "The police did come one day. They had dogs and everything. It was crazy." His hand that was resting on my knee forms into a fist and I grab it in both of mine and uncurl his fingers. "Just listen, it's a funny story."

"I don't see how getting busted for drugs can be funny."

"We did not get busted, almost, but--"

"Yeah, still not funny."

"I mean, I guess it was not funny when it was happening, but now it kind of is."

He studies my face and grabs one of my hands in his. He gives me one of his gentle smiles, squeezing my hand softly. "You're a strange person, Jourdin Bion." I scrunch up my face but don't deny it. "With a weird sense of humor," he finishes.