Someday The Waves ✔ *Wattys15 Winner*

Chapter Ten

Waited for your call, for the moon, to release me from the longest afternoon

I've re-arranged parts of my living room

But time is hard to kill since I met you,

Little Numbers - Boy

. . .

Sunday morning, late June

        As the midday light crept through the blinds, settling on my face, willing me to wake, I felt something vibrate underneath my pillow, shaking my eyes open.

Letting the hot light spill into the room, I checked my phone - the source of the vibrations and saw a message from Noah that made my chest rise and my fingertips tingle in anticipation. For it had been days since I'd heard from him, not since we'd rode through town in the dead of night and marvelled at the stars.

When I'd reigned in my urge to wrap my arms around him, and left him outside on my lawn.

Taking my tired legs and body out into the bright living room, towards the kitchen were Poppy was busy sorting through the fridge; I read the message quietly to myself.

"You + Me + Sunday + Sunshine = an afternnoon bicycle ride into Hillside... Noah."

Hitting the reply button, I told him it sounded like a plan, and one that I was very much looking forward too.

Still sorting though the leftovers from our dinner Saturday evening, the tin foil tubs taking over the counter top, Poppy asked me why I was so cheery.

"No reason." I'd replied casually, grabbing a bowl and the cereal box. "Can you pass the milk please."

"I thought you'd still be in bed, seeing as it's a Sunday." Poppy remarked, handing over the carton. "But I'm glad you're up because I've got something to discuss with you."

Rubbing my temples, not ready for any type of 'discussion' with Poppy, I quickly began to shovel the milky cereal into my mouth so I couldn't.

"You know I keep bugging you about getting a job." she began, eyeing me up as I slurped and crammed cereal in. "Well... I know you haven't exactly been very proactive so I've taken matters into my own hands and decided that I have found the perfect way for you to earn a little extra money, whilst you're still here moping around, doing nothing."

"It's not like I want to be sat here doing nothing." I mumbled back, in between mouthfuls.

Wiping her hands against a dishtowel, and resting her elbows against the counter so that she faced me, Poppy sighed.

"I know that Pesmo doesn't exactly have much to offer but sometimes you have to think outside the square Scarlett."

"Box." I corrected her.

"Square, box whatever - jeez, will you just let me finish?" she spat back, groaning in annoyance. "What I was going to say is that, sometimes you have to go out and get what you want, and not expect it to come to you, because trust me it won't. Especially not here."

"What's your point?" I said, tired of another pep talk, one that I'd likely heard many times before.

"Right, well I was having coffee with Mrs Swenson from down the street and Mrs Wilson who lives just by the boardwalk last Friday, you know to discuss there upcoming baby showers and summer parties and they mentioned how difficult it is to juggle housework and kids, what with their husbands working out of town and such." Poppy rambled on, making grand gestures with her hands as she spoke something our Grandma used to do. "So I was like, well why don't you get a housekeeper and they said that they'd tried to but that no one was interested so I had this completely amazing idea that you could do it!"

I felt like banging my head against the tiled counter, as Poppy excitedly reeled off the reasons why she thought it was such a great idea and a good way to make money, by cleaning other peoples homes.

"It would be so easy Scar, you just turn up with some cleaning supplies - which I'll sort out for you - and then you just spruce the place up a little, bit of dusting, some vacuuming." she continued, explaining how Mrs Swenson and Mrs Wilson trusted her, so they'd take her word for it that I was trustworthy also, to be let into their homes and that I'd do a professional job.

"But Poppy, I'm not a cleaner or a housekeeper - I don't even know how to make my own bed, let alone anyone else's." I protested, worried about what I was letting myself in for, knowing how carried away with things Poppy could get. "You know I suck at that, kind of stuff."

"Do you want to just be sat here for the rest of the summer, with no money then Scarlett?" Poppy argued, folding her arms and frowning hard. "Because there's going to come a point where I can't afford to keep you here, and you need to start thinking about that. I can't pay your way forever."

Her words stung, because as much as I would never admit it, she had a point. I knew that I was close to outstaying my welcome and that I couldn't keep expecting her to buy in groceries or pay the bills without any contribution. The weight of her words pushed down further on my guilt of being such a burden, because I knew she was right.

I also didn't really seem to have much of a choice, because I was broke.

"Okay."

"Marvellous." Poppy said, ripping off a piece of lined paper from the notepad that stuck against the fridge. "We need to get you a few bits first, cleaning supplies. You can repay me later for them."

Making a list of all the things I would need for this new venture of ours, one that I hadn't anticipated or imagined myself doing, I slid off the stool and left my bowl in the sink.

"Uh, Scarlett don't you think you should wash that up?"

I scowled back but did as I was told, hoping that if I agreed to all of her demands, I could get out of her way quicker and get ready for the day ahead, one that promised another rendezvous with Noah.

Moving past me to put on her shoes, chucking her phone and car keys into her bag, Poppy laughed. "Might as well get a little practice in, you can even sort out the rest of the fridge if you like. The living room needs a good polish and a tidy up."

"Where are you going then?" I asked, rolling my eyes at her instructions but thinking it would make the timepass quicker, before I was to meet with Noah.

Smoothing down the creases in her dress, and checking her ruby red lips in the mirror by the door for smudges, she grinned.

"Who moi?" Poppy teased, her lips curled into a wild grin. "I'm going on a lunch date, will be back later this evening. Maybe."

I knew better than to press her for details. I also had no interest in knowing who she was meeting with, probably just another nameless guy that she'd likely be bored of by the next week.

I also didn't care because I had my own 'date' to think about, one she probably didn't care to hear about either.

It was surprising how well we'd mastered the art of living separate lives, in the same place just like passing ships in the night.

When Poppy waved goodbye, tutting at my scruffy pyjamas and knotted hair, I didn't care, and when she called out enjoy your last Sunday doing nothing, I didn't even flinch or feel mad.

Because I knew that today was the day I'd be seeing Noah and his rosy cheeks, his messy blonde hair and his shy and gentle smile.

Any day spent in his company couldn't ever be classed as nothing.

Because Sundays full of nothing made me feel tried, weary and miserable, but with Noah, I felt alive and hopeful.

Hopeful for something new, that would fill the nothingness that woke me each morning and laid me to sleep each night.

As Poppy had said once before - something was better than nothing.

And something special, it was indeed.

. . .