We Just Can't

Chapter 2- Part 1

Song- toxic till the end by Rosé

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The whole weekend consisted of me sorting through my apartment, picking and choosing the stuff that I wanted to take with me to live with her. Clothes were important, but not dire as I could just pick some more up after work one day. Jewellery wasn't important to me. Neither were my shoes, my cutlery, my very trusted kettle. No, none of that was important to me. The photo album was, the journals that lay stacked on my bookshelf were. I wanted them with me at all times. They had my childhood in them, my family, my upbringing. All of it, was recorded in the journals and the photo album. I pulled them off my bookshelf, placing them neatly in a storage box as my front door opened.

"How much more do we have? My car can only take so many boxes." Fran asked as she stood by the sofa.

"Just this one." I said, motioning at the box on the floor, brimming with books.

"Are you sure you want to take that with you?" She asked, her tone gentle as she moved closer to me, her hands gliding over the books.

"I can't leave them. They're coming." I finalised, leaving no room for her to question me again. She eyed me slightly, a soft smile gracing her lips as she nodded.

"I know how important they are to you. Just be careful with she-who-must-not-be-named. Keep them in a safe place." She said.

"I know." I nodded, picking up the box and making my way towards the door. "Lock it for me, please." I said, walking towards the lift. I waited next to it for her, before we both made our way down and out of my apartment complex. I pushed the box onto the back seat of her Range Rover, softly closing the door as I got in the passenger side.

"Let's get you there. It's not too far, so even if you did need some time apart from her, you could always come back here for a night or two. She'd have to respect it." Fran said, pulling away from the complex. We sat in traffic for a few minutes, the low lull of the radio covering up the silence. We both seemed at a loss of conversation, but the silence was comfortable nevertheless. She slowed outside the building that we were in a few days ago, before her phone started ringing through the car. She pressed answer on the steering wheel, an unknown voice coming through the speakers of her car.

"You need to go around the back. The sign says it's a delivery entrance, but it's the entrance to the penthouse too."

"Right." Fran said, pulling off slowly from the side of the road and following the instructions that were gave to her. We rolled down the small lane, coming to a stop next to a lavish door with buttons for the apartments. The door opened as we both looked at it, Rylie's assistant waving her hand at us as she ended the phone call. She opened the door for me, offering me a soft smile.

"Do you need any help? One of Miss Drake's bodyguards is in reception. I can call him for you." She said as she tapped on her phone, but Fran spoke up.

"No need. We've got it." She said, getting out of the driver's side and opening the boot. I thanked Rylie's assistant before helping Fran. We moved back and forth twice, before locking the car. We made our last trek up to the penthouse, placing down the last two boxes as I finally took the time to look at the place I'd be calling home for the foreseeable future.

"Miss Drake's just over in the restaurant, but she'll be here any minute. I'll leave you to it." Her assistant said, nodding at us as she shut the front door behind her.

"Well, aren't you going to be living the dream." Fran teased, running her fingers along the marble kitchen counter, the dim lighting giving the place an unexpected warmth. But I wasn't interested in the materialistic aspect of the place. I liked the way the room still felt homely, even with such a huge space. It felt cosy. Almost intimate. The sun was setting, and the golden dusk that was filtering through the windows was beautiful. "I'll get going, call me if you need me okay?" Fran asked.

"Yeah." I offered, smiling at her as she left. I eyed the boxes, but dismissed them as I pulled off my hoodie. I had just shoved on some baggy joggers and a slim fitting sports top, and as I slipped my Birkenstocks off and put them near the door, I felt weirdly comfortable. I wandered further into the penthouse, the kitchen and living room open plan, the small corridors on either side seemed to lead to somewhere private. I took the left corridor first, the doors to the rooms all wide open. An office, with a sofa and its own bathroom. The view over the city remained hidden in this room, the blinds shut. I let my feet carry me out, walking back through the main living space and taking the other corridor. Only one door. This one was shut. I pushed it open, one bedroom. One bed.

"I see you've found our room." She spoke up from behind me, making me flinch slightly as I turned, taking a step into the room as she stood close. Her eyes ran down my body quickly, a small smile covering her lips. "You look relaxed." She commented, brushing past me and into the room as she took off her leather jacket and hung it up in  one of the many wardrobe doors that opened. "Your stuff can go on that side. Choose which side of the bed you want and then you can have that bedside table for your smaller stuff. Do you need help unpacking?" She asked as she undid the buttons on her fitted shirt. I shook my head, my jaw clenched as she nodded at me, turning away as she pulled her shirt off. I spun around almost immediately, my back to her as I looked up at the ceiling in disbelief at this woman.

"I didn't know we'd be sharing a room." I muttered. She chuckled slightly, her feet shuffling against the carpet beneath our feet.

"Well how would we explain two separate rooms when we have our families' over?" She asked as she placed her hands on my sides, her body standing closely to mine. I scoffed at her intimate action, turning to push her away, but my hand stopped short at her nearly naked body. She smiled slightly, taking a step closer, making my hand touch her stomach. "Are you- flustered?" She mumbled, her head tilted as she looked at my face. I dropped my hand from her body, taking a step back as I shook my head at her.

"You're being ridiculous again." I said, turning and leaving her as I decided to occupy my brain on anything other than her.