"You're here too"
Blondie walked over carrying a box filled with water, Brian and tino swiping at it before she could offer.
The sun was pelting down down on us like laser beams splitting rocks open. My face burned, shirt soaked sweat mixed in with the remmants of rain that finally receeded. Having the rain was good, but the heat that came after, felt like we opened hell.
"Yeah" I responded placing a bottle to my mouth, within minutes the parent liquid disappeared and I had to reach for another.
"You don't look so good?"
"I'm fine"
I turned away surveying the amount of work we had left. The walk way was still left to complete heading out to the lake, the ones along side the house would be finished by tonight because there was no way in hell I was still going to be at it tomorrow morning.
The boys relaxed laughing and talking trying to distract themselves from the heat, I couldn't blame them, all I really wanted right now was a cold long, very long shower. I swallowed walking off from the crowd running a exhausted hand through my hair.
"F***!" I mumbled. Why did I just have a visual of Kendall in the bathroom with me? I scrubbed my hand across my face taking a deep breath. I didn't need this right now. I was already up all night thinking about her. Her laughter, her voice, desperately wanting to touch her, and much worst to kiss her again.
The day I did, it wasn't intentional but I didn't want to stop the moment her lips touched mine. The warmth of her tongue, she softness of her lips, the pleasurable contact her body held with mine. I walked even further down until I ended up at the edge of the boardwalk. The thought of her arousing me from such distance was troubling and I needed to get myself under control. The crotch of my pants tightened the more her name and image floated around in my head and having seen her in only towel, my imagination didn't take much to weave away what the towel hid.
"F****! Dammit. Get it together andrew!" I said into the open air. " what kind of bullshit is this? "
I returned moments later, grabbing the hammer and the nails continuing our work. I wanted to talk to kendall, but the last thing I needed was her to ever see me in a state like I was in moments ago. It was over six months that I'd been with a woman, having disciplined myself, dedicating myself to a relationship that at the end of the day wasn't worth shit. Despite that, I didn't have the craving for another woman, no one else but Ziploc. I didn't expect this to happen, it didn't make one frickin sense but still that was my truth.
"Kendall's fine" said Philly taking a seat
"That's good"
"Don't you miss her?"
" No" I lied.
"Seriously?"
I gave her a quick look before returning my eyes to the board I was currently cutting biting down at the pencil I had in my mouth more ardently as the saw took its time to pass through the structure.
"Wow" she said. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"
" What's this about? "
"I'm just trying to understand what's going on, one day you're both going out, the next she's locked in her room, refusing to talk to me and leaves without saying goodbye to you"
I shrugged. "She's your friend"
" Brian! " she called staring back at me. "I'm getting to the bottom of this!"
I rolled my eyes. When he approached I gave him the one look he knew all too well. Talk and he dies before returning to my work.
"What's going on between kenzy and Andrew?"
I felt the glare of her eyes at the back of my head, and I chuckled. Nothing got pass her. But, if Kendall didn't mention it then I didn't need to either, it was between us.
"What'd you mean?" He asked
"I mean, do you know if Andrew did something why kendall won't speak with him?"
I paused waiting for his answer.
"I ah, I didn't even know they weren't speaking"
"You're both idiots if you think I'm stupid" she said walking off.
When she was out of war shot, Brian walked over pretending to help me work.
"Are you crazy getting me involved in your bullshit?"
"Stop whining, you did well"
"Well, just in case you don't understand the situation I'm the one sleeping with her not you, if she thinks I know anything-"
"Which you don't "
"Which I do" He responded meeting my gaze. "She'll hang me by my feet"
"I'd suggest you get rid of all the kinky stuff you're into then" I said with a smile.
"You're an asshole. She's going to find out"
"Not from me" I looked him in the eye saying it. "And not from you either or you can forget about having a job"
"You owe me one" Brian said walking off. "A big one"
**************************************************
I got up early after heading out for my run at five, returning at six picking up the morning paper before heading home for breakfast. I was forcing myself back to normality, I was still me even without a woman around. After finishing my shower I climbed down the stairs with the towel around my neck walking into the kitchen with kitty following obediently behind. Ever since that night at the Henderson's the two of us have become lovely friends-close. Sometimes a little too close for comfort. As if sensing that I was the only occupant of my very large home, the dog made its sake of my living room rug, it's bed since the last few days. Now I was stuck with babysitting him whenever I came home.
I grabbed the bag with his dog food and also two eggs from the refrigerator placing them on the table before heading over to his new bowl to pour his food and water, he didn't even wait until I was finished before dipping his head in gobbling up everything. As if he was more hungry than I was.
Throughout the night I'd spent sometime in the computer after talking to dad, with the new renovations of the town, they were expecting even more people to move into residence and more people meant more work. I'd been putting off expanding the shop for a while now and thinking of everything maybe it was time. Ofcourse with an expansion I'd need more staff to get things done. I couldn't handle everything and as reliable as Brian was when his conscience got through to him, he probably on his own won't be able to either. My father thought it was a great idea, offering to have Nowell volunteer at the start of the job but the thought of having another annoyance along with tino and Brian wasn't a bright idea. I didn't need to have all three of them being disgusting and with Nowell as aid, the other two would flourish bright. I couldn't have that.
Next on the agenda was Ziploc. We needed to talk and at the moment she seemed to be as busy as I was with work. It should have been a small comfort but it wasn't. At some point, she'd return, but July was ending soon, another entire day to go before she left and she wasn't here yet. All other attempts to call her again failed and if I never felt useless before in my life, I felt useless today.
Leaving kitty in the house, I grabbed my Keys heading down to the lake to join the guys for the day. The shop was going to be closed get another day, but somehow I didn't miss it too much. Working at the lake reminded me of the time we were out there together, something I realized I didn't think I'd ever have taken for granted.
"What'd you mean you're taking his calls!"
I heard the irritated voice just a few meters away from me, to the other side of the boat house blocking my view but even from the supposed heated conversation I could still make out blondie's voice.
"I'm not being dramatic, stop telling me to calm down I'm fine"
I stopped, refusing to go any futher listening to hear the other person she was arguing with but there was nothing. Either she was going crazy or was on the phone either way, I wasn't in the mood to feel the blunt of her wrath.
So much for taking a quiet break, I thought.
She let out a heavy sigh. "Kenzy, listen, I get it okay, that you're probably doing your best to deal with this, but if that asshole walks back into your life, this time the funerals gonna be for you"
Ziploc?
Was she here?
Wait
She was getting back together with her ex? Shit!
I can't be that late.
"He might not have said it in so many words but we both know that's what he wants!" Phillisa shouted.
My body tensed as I listened to her conversation. F*** she couldn't be getting back with that asshole, she was worth more than that.
"Kenzy I don't know care what you told him"
She groaned frustrated.
"I'm not judging you- are you even- kendall!"
A loud thud ran across the boards of the house echoing into the rustling trees about. Luckily it hadn't drawn the attention of the other people around but I was sure everyone must have heard it. A trail of curses, kicks, screams of frustration and another trail of obscenities, ensued immediately following the the banging of her hands. And I always thought she was the calm one. The sane one in fact.
She walked around to my side of the building startling herself with my presence.
"Dammit Andrew!" she dug her hand into her pockets pulling up a cigarette and light.
"I'm sorry about that. Didn't know anyone else was out here"
"Its fine" I mumbled partially immersed into my own disturbed thoughts.
Leaning against the wall I watched the irritated woman pace around smoking and puffing, her mind elsewhere, probably still on her ending conversation. I could understand the disturbance in her thoughts, my mind wasn't calm waters hearing that news either. And my reasons for that was less saintly than hers.
I was itching to ask her what was really going on, if she really did go back to the coward. The idiot that had hurt and left her in the first place without and explanation, the same idiot she had tried desperately to get over. Then it dawned on me, unless we were crazy we couldn't -I couldn't allow that to happen. I could probably live with knowing it was anyone else but him. Probably. I'd cross that bridge when I got there.
"Something wrong?" I asked unable to keep my curiosity to myself any longer.
She chuckled. "When is something never not wrong?"
I shrugged. "Indulge me"
She shook her head then sighed putting out the cigar, before walking over to lean against the house.
"How much time you think they'd give me for making a guy disappear?"
" I'd have to make a call first. Why? "
"Let's just say I'm seriously considering orange as the new black"
"Let me guess they're back together?"
" Hell no! " she said jumping back as if I'd burnt her with her own cigar butt. "She's just considering what to do" she bit into her lip turning it a full shade of red as her shoulders drouped in despair. "I don't want him near her andrew. I can't watch her go through all that turmoil again. I don't care if he's sincere about it"
Yeah, me either.
"Is she coming back at the end of July?"
She shook her head.
"Guess she'll miss everything then" I said walking off. "There's something I need your help with either way, if you're game"
She looked up curious, shaking herself back to life pinching her skin returning colour to her cheeks before redoing the messy bun of her hair.
"What'd you need?"
I smiled thinly. "Don't worry, I think you'll like it".