"I can't believe you're engaged" Harley gushes as she grabs my hand and drags it closer to her over the bar top. I watch with a smile, thinking of Hex getting on one knee again. It was just us at a lookout overlooking the Eastside, despite the fact that we - well, Hex – can't go there, it doesn't take away from the beauty of the land. The best part was that he had asked my mother for permission and apparently she had been an emotional mess and then she was an emotional mess again when I came home with a ring on my finger. "I always wanted a sister and now I have one - well, I will have one" Harley beams at me.
I take my hand back and spin the ring back into place, the diamond shining in the light above our heads.
"That's a big rock, darlin'" I look up as Kevin takes a seat on the bar stool in front of me.
"Kevin! How have you been?" Harley greets him. It had been a while since I had seen Kevin. From what I had heard, he had been going through some hard times. He was on the brink of homelessness and his family had cut off communication with him, all stemming from his alcoholism. He looks different today, healthier and more alive, like he hadn't been through difficult times.
"I've been good. How have you girls been? It's been a while since I've seen ya's, seems a lot of things have changed" he gives a nod to the engagement ring on my left hand. We both answer with a simple 'good'. And things have been good, things have been simple and easy and peaceful, all the things I longed to have for so long and now it's all in motion.
"Want a drink?" I ask, pulling out his favourite whiskey that we only keep around for Kevin; nobody else drinks it, only the occasional outsider driving through town.
He stops me just before I'm about to pour the liquid in a glass "just water will do, darl" I look up, the whiskey still in my hand and tilted ready to pour as I look at him in confusion. Never once in the years I had worked at Darby's had Kevin ever turned down a drink.
"Water?" I question, making sure I heard him correctly.
"Yeah, do me a favour and pour that shit down the sink, okay?" I can feel Harley's shock as she watches from my right.
"U-uh, yeah sure" I say simply and pour the entirety of the whiskey down the drain before the empty bottle goes in the bin. I get Kevin his glass of water and place it in front of him.
"Thanks Poppy" he takes a gulp "been working on myself" he answers when I fail at covering up my confusion. I mouth a silent 'oh' as everything clicks all at once. He had gone to rehab, explaining his absence. I'm happy for him, he deserves to be at peace with his life.
I don't know what I expected but Kevin stuck around for most of the day. He had asked for a glass of water every now and then and he ordered a bowl of chips for lunch to munch on. He met up with some of the other regulars who had their own alcoholic beverages and I watched closely hoping that the temptation doesn't get to him. And it didn't, I'm impressed but also somewhat proud that he stuck out the whole day drinking only water.
Darby's closed early today, we had been kind of struggling since Jacob had left but that ends tomorrow. The new girl is meant to start, apparently she's a few years younger than Harley and I. With her help Stevie is hoping we can stay open until the early morning hours again.
Speaking of Jacob; no one had heard from him and no one had seen him since he had left Darby's. Harley hadn't even got a single text message from him since he left. He said that he'd be back to drop in periodically and as much as I would be happy to never see his face again, I didn't expect him to drop off the face of the planet completely.
"I'll see you tomorrow" Harley gives me a hug before we get in our respective cars. Harley is quick to leave and I know she has only one thing on her mind; Banks. She's still very secretive about whatever they are and I haven't figured out why yet. Is she wary about how he's going to fit into her life or is she still worried about his age?
I start on my own drive home, to the apartment. Mum should be home if she's not out on her daily walk that she likes to take to clear her head. We hadn't heard from dad in months and I haven't seen him for even longer. I have no idea what he's doing with his life, is he still living in my childhood home? I know the unanswered questions linger in mums mind too and it drains her. She may have never loved him but he was all she knew for a long time.
Hex won't be home until later, he's still making up for the lost time he owes Clyde while he was in Hellbound. He comes home exhausted and I worry his body will be too tired to get up for work one morning. But I know why he's doing it; the more he works; the more money he makes to go towards the wedding and our future. He constantly feels the need to make up for the time he had spent in prison and the years we had lost due to it. I hadn't started planning anything for the wedding yet but Hex wants to get married as soon as possible, I can't help but think it's because he's worried his mother won't be around for much longer. Since her visit to the hospital for her fall Wyonna has been steadily declining; faster then she had previously.
"Anyone home?" I call through the apartment as I shuffle inside. It's getting dark outside and the shadows make my skin crawl.
"In here, honey!" Mum calls back. I walk into her bedroom to find her folding laundry on her bed. I give her a kiss on the cheek before standing in the doorway.
"What do you want for dinner?" I ask as I take the hair-tie out of my hair. I wince at the sensitivity it creates on my skull.
"Whatever you want, I don't mind" mum gives me a smile before turning back to folding her laundry.
I make my way down the hall to Hex and I's bedroom. Our bedroom is much bigger than the one at the old apartment and so was our bathroom; we even have a spa-bath now.
I close the door and then dump my bag in the corner. I quickly strip my body of my uniform, eager to get in the shower. The warm water runs down my body, my muscles relaxing instantly. I lean my head back and drench my hair with water, I hate washing my hair but it needs to be done today. I quickly shave my legs before getting out. The colder air chills my skin as I wrap a towel around me, goosebumps rising along my skin.
My ears perk up when I hear the bedroom door open and close, a smile pulling at my lips knowing who it is. The bathroom door opens while I watch in the mirror as Hex walks through. His shirt is already gone, his naked chest on display and he kicks off his boots in the corner. He's dirty; grease and oil splatters his face but his hands appear clean with the exception of being stained.
He looks up, his eyes tired as they connect with mine in the mirror.
"Baby" he says before spinning me around. I hold the towel tight under my armpits so that it doesn't fall to the ground. He gives me a kiss, a small hello before lifting me up on the basin.
"How was your day?" I ask as he wraps his arms around my waist and puts his head in my neck, pressing a kiss to the skin. A shiver vibrates down my back.
"Shit" he answers simply. His voice is dull and void of emotion and it pulls at my heart strings, knowing how hard he's working. He tightens his hold on me as my arms wind around his neck and scratch lightly down his bare back.
"You're going to get me dirty" I whisper into his ear.
Hex grunts and then pulls back, placing a rough kiss to my lips before patting my thigh and backing away. I watch, still sitting on the basin as he strips from his pants. I cross my legs over each other subconsciously as I watch him get into the shower.
I quickly dress and then make my way to the kitchen. I want to get dinner made quickly so Hex can go to sleep for an early start tomorrow. Thank god he got his own car because 5.30am is way too early for me to be getting up and driving him to the mechanic shop every morning.
We don't have much in the kitchen. Mum should be due to go to the shops tomorrow. We never asked her to but she likes to be the one to buy the groceries, she says it brings back some form of routine to her life. Besides, Hex and I weren't going to tell her no, the last thing either one of us wanted to do after a day of work is grocery shop.
I find a bunch of different vegetable and some sort of stock and make a soup out of it.
"Mum! Hex!" I call as I set the plates down on the dining room table. Mum rounds the corner already dressed in her pyjamas as she takes her seat, thanking me as she waits for Hex to make an appearance.
"One sec, mum" I say as I excuse myself and make my way to my bedroom to find Hex. He's still in the bathroom, the room steamed and his hair dripping into the sink as he bends over, looking at something. He's dressed in track pants and a shirt and had obviously just got out of the shower. He looks up into the mirror when he sees me before looking back down again.
"Dinner's ready" I say softly as I stand in the doorway.
"Thanks baby, I'll be out soon" he mumbles. I squint my eyes as I watch him fumble around with his hand. I walk up behind him placing a hand on his back, rubbing it up and down as I peer around him. There's a cut on his middle finger, about two centimetres long, it's not bleeding but it's deep. I hadn't noticed it before.
"What happened?" I ask as I reach under the basin and pull out the first aid kit.
"Slipped on a razor blade" he explains as he watches me fumble through the medical supplies.
"You and these razor blades" I chuckle as I look at the faded scar on his neck in the reflection. His own lips pull into a small smile at the memory from long ago.
I clean the cut and then wrap it in a band-aid. I ignore the funny look Hex gives me when I put a band-aid on the cut. I know he won't keep it on, especially not when he goes back to work tomorrow but even the short time while he sleeps is better than nothing.
The soup goes down a treat with everyone. Hex offers to do the dishes afterwards but even mum can see that he can barely keep his eyes open so she offers to do them instead. We all sit down for a movie afterwards but Hex only last so long before his eyes are falling shut.
"We're going to bed, mum" I announce as I stand and say goodnight to her, Hex does the same and slowly follows me to the bedroom. I'm not even tired but I want to lie besides Hex, whether he falls asleep or not.
Safe to say he does quickly, so quickly he forgets to set his alarm. I set an alarm on my phone for him instead before I lie down and face him, watching as his hand with the band-aid lies above his head and the other wraps around me instinctively.