I clocked out and went to my vehicle, which Finnic had taken me back to get the next day. The locks were changed today so I was going to go get my stuff from Finnic's and I guess go out to eat with them then go home.
A normal person would be relieved to have their space back, but I was dreading it because I knew the apartment wouldn't feel homey like it did before he was there. It would feel empty and filled with fear of his return.
I need to get my phone fixed, I haven't heard from Mama in a few days which was really unlike her, I'm going to go to her house and do a wellness check.
~.~.~.~.~
My family house was still just as homey feeling as always, the yard was kept in perfect condition thanks to my brother, and my mother's fascination with lawn ornaments gives the place character. Everything seemed to be in order other than the big red truck parked behind her small SUV.
Has she been seeing someone? It seems unlikely, Mama was still hung up over our father.
Hopefully, she was seeing someone, finally moving on. Part of me wonders why she wouldn't have told us; she knows me, and Finnic has encouraged her to date for years now.
She was a big romantic, so when she fell for our father, she fell all the way and wasn't able to properly get back up again.
She's have only been on one date since he left, from what I've heard of anyways. We had convinced her that our principal was into her, and she was flattered and agreed to go on a date with the handsome man, but she had come home crying. She felt like she was doing something wrong because she wasn't over our father.
Before I even fully knock the door swings open, and my mother looks up at me. She's wearing a robe and socks, and her hair is a curly mess. Shock grabs a hold of her facial features, and she closes the door behind her quickly. She wasn't dressed for the casual company to be over; she has been hooking up with someone, and the question was with who.
"I wasn't expecting company, Maddie." I bite back a smile. It was good she was moving on, she deserved to be happy.
"I can see that. You have abandoned me so I figured I would stop by and see what had captivated your attention so fully."
Her smile turns into a gasp, and her hand smacks my shoulder, scolding me.
"I have not abandoned you; I've just been ... busy." She raises her eyebrows slightly. I hold in the gag.
"Yeah, busy doing nastiness." She chuckles a deep laugh that has her tilting her head back and I see the youth still in her.
"Maddie. I am a grown woman if I want to have s-"
"Stop! Right there!" I put my fingers in my ears and back away from the doorsteps heading back to my car. My curiosity and worry were satisfied I didn't need to know the details, she could keep them for herself. With my fingers still in my ears, I scream, "Love you!"
~.~.~.~.~
I slide my tennis shoes off by the door and stretch a little as I walk into Finns. The only good aspect of this week was my brother's house. It was so homey and filled with noise that I felt like I was living again. Not just surviving and occupying my time with my writing that no one would ever see.
I've been sharing a room with Harley. The bed in the other room just wasn't as comfy and lacked his smell. It worked out because he was never home when I was.
That man worked all the time. He hasn't complained and I knew he knew I was staying in there because my stuff was right next to his in the corner, he even laid out my clothes for me one morning with a note.
Blue suits you-Harley
I felt so sticky and sweaty from working all day, I needed a shower for my body and music for my soul.
The warm water felt like paradise sliding down my skin, sinking into my hair, and beating against my shoulders. It was just what I needed to release some of the tension today had caused in my muscles.
When I get out, I get dressed in a yellow dress that was loose flowing so I didn't have to worry about my underwear eating any of it while we are out for dinner.
Doing my hair could wait, I wanted to sing out my frustrations.
I turn on my sad playlist, sad music just seemed so much more in-depth. You can hear their emotions through the lyrics. Happy music just feels generic and solely focused on the beat over the lyrics. Sad music made me feel with the artist.
One of my favorites instantly started playing and I fell onto the bed looking up at the white ceiling, and watching as the fan spins around. I let my voice carry into the room as I close my eyes and feel what they feel.
As the song progresses to the chorus, my voice gets a bit louder. I felt myself drifting away into the lyrics, my mind was stealing me away from all my problems and giving me the problems of the singer. Theirs seemed so much easier to deal with, so much easier to fix.
As it ends my chest rises and falls from all the energy, I had just used to sing my heart, and my bad day out.
The bed dipped down beside me, and I glanced to that side unsure of what was going on. Harley lays beside me staring up at the ceiling like he didn't just hear me perform a whole concert. I try to sit up, but he shoots an arm out to efficiently trap me. "Stay."
I quit trying to get up and go back to staring at the ceiling along with him. "Music help?" The question was simple, but it revealed that he knew I was using it as therapy.
"Yeah, it does." There was no point in lying to him when he already saw through all the possible excuses I could have come up with.
We both roll towards each other so that we are face to face. "Finnic sent me to get you for dinner." He explains his unplanned arrival.
"I'm almost ready," I state not having the energy to get up and do anything about it yet.
"No rush." He takes and pushes his nose into the comforter inhaling deeply, the same way I do every night I climb into the bed.
An amused little smirk takes over the corner of his mouth.
"What?" I question before sniffing the bed trying to figure out what he was smiling about.
"The bed smells like us now." I inhaled deeply and sure enough, the cover had his woodsy smell and the scent of my lavender-scented shampoo. A soft red tented my cheeks.
"I can wash them before I leave if you want me to." Did he not like that his bedspread smelled like me? He told me it was okay to sleep in here, surely, he wouldn't have offered if he minded. I feel the soft grip of panic around my throat, had I crossed a line?
"Don't bother. It smells good actually." He then takes his pointer finger and thumb to pull a piece of my hair up to his nose, smelling it. I swear I saw his eyes roll back before he closed them. A lazy grin finds its way to my face, relieved that he found my smell just as appealing as I found his.
Deciding that my brother and Liz have been waiting long enough I force myself out of the bed and away from this weirdly appealing man. "I'll be out in a minute." He excuses himself from the room and I'm left getting dressed in a haze, all I can think about is him inhaling my scent like it was his perfume.
Walking into the room I was met with all three of their eyes. Liz was in a dress like me but hers hugged closer to her figure. Finnic was dressed in jeans and a red button-up. Both put together to make them a stunning couple.
Harley was dressed in a navy-blue button-up and dark blue jeans that complemented each other.
His entire being demanded a room. He was easily six foot three, towering over me and Liz. He and Finnic were the same height, but Harley was just a little broader. He gave off that, I get what I want vibe. Confident in his own right, but now cocky, it was a perfect balance at least that hasn't changed.
"Ready?" Liz questions.
"Yeah."
"We're going to Kallie's Diner."
Kallie's Diner was a local bar that sold seafood making it popular on Saturdays. I've never been for this reason. It would be crowded tonight making me want to back out, but I needed to be there for Liz, I had agreed to be her maid of honor after all. It shouldn't be too bad, I am surrounded by people that know me, and if anything happened, they would help me out.
Everyone grabs their things as we walk out of the house. Before we even made it out the door good Liz and Finnic were hugging each other. I was going to see if I could ride with them, but I changed my mind now, I'll just take my car. I didn't want to intrude on their alone time.
When I start to walk to my car Harley grabs my elbow and guides me in the direction of his older blue truck. "Saving gas." He explains. It was an excuse, I knew he had seen me following them, taking pity on me I assume.
He opens the passenger side door for me and helps me in, considering that it was lifted slightly. Harley has this truck, but he also has a motorcycle that he drives around, I spotted him leaving the house on it the other day, and there has never been a sexier sight.
We pull out of the driveway, and he starts shuffling through the songs on his cd until the song I was singing earlier starts playing.
The familiar words poured through his speakers loudly. "Sing." It was a demand leaving me no room to argue with him.
Even though I knew he wouldn't let up easily I had to try, I had already embarrassed myself enough earlier when he had been listening to me singing in the room.
"I can't." It's the only explanation I had; I didn't have a good reason not to sing the song, just that I wouldn't be able to keep the blush off my face.
"You did earlier, why not now?" He asks eyebrows raised as he watches the road. I sigh because I didn't have an answer to that question. It wouldn't kill me to sing the song again, he had already heard me earlier what was the big deal? Trying to tell myself to steady my erratic heartbeat. Somehow this felt riskier and more personal.
I take a few deep breaths and close my eyes pretending I am alone. Then I sang, at some point he had turned the music down so he could hear me better. It was tempting to stop because I could hear my voice making me want to cringe, but I kept going because I didn't want the nervousness of having to restart.
The song concludes and I let my hair shield me from his face, too anxious to see his reaction. "You could make a career out of it, sweets."
"Psst. Please." I break out in giggles. That was the silliest thing I have ever heard. My voice wasn't bad, but it wasn't something that I would consider my strong suit.
"I'm being serious, your voice is beautiful." He glances at me and our eyes lock. Once I got stuck in those murky water-green orbs it was like trying to fight my way out of a full packet room. Stuck in mud up to my knees and having to pry myself out of it.
"Thanks." I broke eye contact first, I needed to keep reminding myself that I'm not ready to have these feelings, and this was Harly for crying out loud. My brother would spazz on me if he knew what has been running through my head these past few days.
Harley Walker. That's who this was, He's being nice to me because he's best friends with my brother. That's it. Everything else was just my hormones crying out for attention. End of story.
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