UNJUSTIFIED HATRED {completed} (wattys 2015)

CHAPTER 19- MORNING AFTER

Ash woke with a pounding headache; he really needed to stop drinking so much. He got out of bed, then walked to the bathroom. In there, he brushed his teeth, relieved himself before getting in the shower feeling a tad refreshed after that. He groaned when he heard noises downstairs, it wasn't a nightmare, he really married the bitch, the source of him turning quickly into a raging alcoholic. He got dressed in jeans and shirt then headed down. He walked down the stairs to find Emily in the kitchen pulling stuff out of the fridge; this was going to be awkward, he thought to himself as he neared her. Seeing her on occasions when he stayed at his parents was something else but living with her was going to be a big pill to swallow; instead of being his occasional fuck, she was now his wi..f.., he choked at the words; he couldn’t call her that, she was not and would never be. Fuck what the priest and marriage license said.  He glanced at the TV and saw that the news was on. What time is it? He wondered; he needed a cup of coffee to be able to articulate anything.

"Oh hey" she greeted when she saw him. He groaned at her cheerful tone, not you again. Why was she so cheerful anyway; he remembered kicking her half naked out of his room last night and now she was acting like everything was peachy?  

"Would you like breakfast?. I am making some for myself" She gestured to the ingredients laid out on the counter. He ignored her again, walked to the coffee maker to brew some coffee. She stood there staring at him and he looked her over, she was wearing a blank leggings, a white tight tank top, not the outrageous outfit she wore last night, and her hair was pulled in a loose ponytail.  Under normal circumstance he would have admired the outfit she wore last night and taken advantage of it, she did wear it for him after all  but he couldn’t appreciate it on her due to the disgust and hatred he had for her.

"What?" he asked annoyed when she kept staring at him. "Nothing" she replied turning away.  She continued getting the things she needed out; it was taking her longer since she wasn’t familiar with where things were kept. Ash wasn’t going to offer either.
"Jesus. Can you be anymore louder?" he asked when she slammed the cabinet. Ok, she didn't slam the cabinet but it sounded like it. She froze with the pan in her hand before turning to him eyeing him. "Do you need something for your hangover?" she asked quietly. He pointed at the coffee maker. "Oh" she nodded.
"What about pain reliever or something?" the question was made to be helpful but it pissed him off instead. "Now you think I can't take care of myself?. What are you now, my mother?" he glared at her.  She looked taken back, not expecting such outburst for an innocent question.

"Sorry I was only trying to help".  She uttered softly.

"You can help me by getting out of my face". She nodded then turned away. He watched her crack the egg as quietly as possible, whisk the egg gently so she wouldn't make any noise. He shook his head. So pathetic.
"What?" she whipped her head towards him. Oops, he didn't mean to say that out loud. He ignored her then poured himself a cup of coffee when it was done brewing. When she was done cooking, she poured her scrambled eggs into a plate then gently dropped the pan in the sink. He watched her grab the Orange juice from the fridge, poured some in a glass cup before placing the canton back in the fridge. His grip on his coffee mug tightened when she turned around. He could see the bump now, she was really pregnant; h­e had thought for a second she was lying but clearly she was not. She moved to the other side of the counter, sat on a stool then turned to the side so she could watch the TV and eat at the same time. His stomach growled when he zeroed in on her food; it looked good.

 "Do you want some?" his eyes snapped to hers at her question; he wasn’t sure if it was common courtesy or she heard his stomach growl. "I can make you some" she offered. As hungry as he was, he wasn’t going to take his chances, who knew what she would put in his food.
"No thank you. I don't want to be poisoned". Ash knew his concern was far-fetched but he couldn’t put anything past her; she was already a manipulative gold-digger, who was to say she couldn’t be a murderer.  She frowned "Why would I poison you?"