"Are you done yet?" Ransom blurts out, startling me.
Why does Ransom have to rush me?
"If you didn't ask me every minute, maybe I would have picked already." I retort.
Ransom sighs irritably and pulls his phone out of his pocket.
"Just hurry up!" he says in a rude tone. He walks away answering his phone, leaving me with two trolleys filled with groceries. The trolleys are so full that it looks like there is enough food to last for months.
I stare back at the ready-made meals and I contemplate which ones I should pick. I doubt Ransom will be cooking at all, and I do not want to be behind a stove every single night of this week. Plus, Ransom won't be cooking once I am back at my own house, so purchasing ready-made meals is key for Ransom.
I decide on the following:
Macaroni and cheese
Lasagna
Potato Bake – yum!
Cottage pie – double yum!
I pass on the spaghetti and meatballs. They honestly look revolting. Like poop droppings on pasta – no thank you!
I push both the trolleys to the till point – granted one staff member helped me push one of the trolleys to the till point, which I thanked him for.
Sadly, this was a male staff member who is quite good looking...
"Can I help you?" Ransom asks bitterly toward the staff member.
"No Sir, I was simply helping this young lady to the till point." The staff member answers kindly to Ransom.
"If you say so." Ransom's tone does not sound genuine.
The staff member smiles at me and walks away to attend to an elderly person.
"You didn't have to be so rude to him." I say annoyingly.
"What did he want?" Ransom asks, ignoring what I just said.
"My cellphone number and me dressed in nothing but my underwear."
Ransom's glares at me and his eyes look like daggers.
"Would you relax? He just helped me pull a trolley to the till point...something you didn't help with considering this is all going to your house." I say in a frustrated voice.
Ransom raises his brows and looks at his phone. "The painters are at your house, but your friend is being a pain by observing them." Ransom informs me, completely ignoring what I just told him.
"I am guessing Lydia doesn't like strangers in my house?" I raise my shoulders, pretending to be confused. I know Lydia would keep an eye on the painters.
"And don't tell me Lydia is a pain. She is just looking out for me." I say, standing up for my friend.
Before Ransom can speak, my phone vibrates and I check to see that Lydia is phoning me. It's as if she knew I was speaking about her.
"Hello?" I hold up my finger to shut Ransom up.
"You think that will work?" Ransom says spitefully.
I sigh and walk away.
"Sorry, I needed to get into a quieter spot." I explain.
"You mean you needed to get away from Ransom?" Lydia laughs.
"How'd you know?" I joke.
"Yeah...anyway, down to business. The painters are here and your father is here too and let's just say...he is not happy at all."
Shit! I totally forgot to phone my father!
"W-Where is my father?" I stutter.
"In your house busy shouting – no wait..." It sounds as if Lydia is opening a curtain. "...he is leaving your house. Sorry. He is leaving your house now, but he was very angry when he arrived here."
"I will phone him later on." I tell my friend.
"You better." Lydia scoffs. "I need to go for now my friend. Toulouse is demanding that I sit with him. Bye. I love you."
"I love you too." I hang up my phone.
I walk back to the till point and to my surprise, all the groceries are already being packed into packets and to an even bigger surprise, Ransom is paying for the groceries!
I cannot help but smile broadly. He never pays for his groceries. I usually was the one who purchased all the groceries – well Ransom never went grocery shopping and he just gave me his credit card.
"Just so you know..." Ransom leans in to whisper in my ear. "You will be cooking tonight." he states.
I dismiss his comment and help the lady pack the remains of the groceries.
"Unless you want Callie to pop over again." Ransom adds just as I start to push the trolley. I halt and shoot him a look of irritation.
"I'm kidding." Ransom says in a smug tone, which makes me think that he is not joking.
I push the trolley out the store as Ransom walks behind me – without even helping me!
***
I collapse on the couch after I have spent the past 3 hours packing the groceries away, cleaning the kitchen and making lunch for Ransom and I. Granted it was just a sandwich, it was still a lot of work, especially when Ransom is picky about what he eats.
"The cheese must be grated, not sliced."
"You need to cut the ham thinner."
"Butter both sides of the bread."
He is so picky! It irks the living shit out of me! I offered to make a cheese and tomato sandwich, and Ransom decided to make it difficult by adding the specially made ham he wanted to purchase. To top it off, there was also all of his other specifications of how I must make the sandwich.
I close my eyes and let out a loud sigh of relief that I can finally relax.
Just then, I hear a bark so loud that I nearly jump out of my own skin. I open my eyes wide to see that Sheila is sitting right in front of me. She is holding her lead in her mouth, looking at me with her version of puppy dog eyes. It's quite cute actually.
"Not...not now." I say breathlessly.
She starts to whine places her paw on my leg. "No girl..." I let out a breath.
"Sheila! Out!" I jump up off the couch, only to fall back down again. Even my own legs are like "nope."
Sheila drops her lead and snarls at Ransom, who is probably by the kitchen or by the stairs.
"Out!" Ransom orders.
Sheila then does what I would never think she would do. She trots outside and I hear the door close – more like slam.
Did...Did Sheila just listen to Ransom? RANSOM?
"Are you alright?" Ransom asks, making himself visible for me to see, and he sits down next to me.
"What do you think?" My head falls back so that I am lying down on the couch. I am so tired. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep, but my body refuses to move.
Ransom laughs under his breath.
"You think this...this is –"
"Funny? Kind of." Ransom snickers.
If I had the strength, I would slap him right now.
"You know, you can go to sleep if you want to. There is no shame in having an 'afternoon nap'. My grandfather has those as he got older." Ransom jokes.
I would tell him to eat shit, but I really don't care at this point. I am too tired right now.
I turn to my side and grab a pillow.
"Wait!" Ransom grabs my hands, which makes my head hang in mid-air.
"Ransom!" I whine like a little girl.
"Don't whine!" Ransom pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me. I can hear his heart beat. It's soothing to my ears. I used to love listening to his heart beat. It would help calm my nerves.
I close my eyes and I fall asleep, but not before Ransom says this to me – at least I think he said this to me, or was it a dream?
"Rest my Sweet Star. You deserve to rest."
***
I bat my eyes open. The room is light from the bed side lamps. It must be dark outside. What time is it? I check my phone to see the time, but my phone is downstairs. Downstairs? I sit up and look around. I am in Ransom's bedroom.
I hear a noise from downstairs. Ransom's voice as well as Sheila's, but she is not growling. She is making noises that she would make when she is in a playful mood.
I need to investigate.
Sheila is on her back, rolling around in the leaves. Ransom is scratching her belly while he laughs. I rub my eyes to make sure that I am not dreaming.
This. Is. Real. I pinch myself to double check I am not dreaming.
Sheila has never shown her affectionate side to Ransom before. She never did when we were dating. She only growled or showcased her teeth.
"Look who is awake." Ransom beams, standing to his feet.
That look...I haven't seen that look in ages. Ransom's smile...his eyes are a brighter blue...My Ransom is here!
"You look like shit." Ransom remarks as he walks closer to me.
And there he goes...
I sigh. It was fun while it lasted.
"You better hurry and eat your food, or else it is going to be colder than your attitude toward Callie."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Smartass!" I retort.
I turn on my heel and see what food Ransom is speaking of.
It's mac and cheese – so he didn't cook the food. That is not surprisingly at all. I am starving. I grab a fork and sit down.
"Hang on missy."
Missy?
Ransom retrieves a fork.
I sigh again. "Don't you dare think about it." I raise my finger. He is not feeding me...again!
Ransom smiles smugly.
"I am not a baby."
"But I want to feed you." He says.
No way is Ransom feeding me. I lift my fork and dive in my food. It's warm and delicious. The pasta and cheese has just the right amount of consistency.
"So that's how it is huh?" Ransom scoffs. He looks like a child who didn't get his way. It's quite funny to watch, but I make sure not to show my amusement.
I sigh...again. "I am not a baby. Besides, why do you even want to feed me? I only allowed you to feed me last time because you practically forced me to eat."
"Practically forced you? Come one Evelyn! I didn't force you."
"Well...maybe not force me, but you were persistent. So I ask again, why do you want to feed me now?" I ask curiously.
Ransom looks around the kitchen and then slams the fork on the table, which makes me jump out of my seat.
"SHIT RANSOM!" I scream.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore." Ransom turns to exit the kitchen.
Why did Ransom want to feed me? Does he want to have some sort of control over me of what I can and cannot eat?
I know he likes to control me, and I hate that I let him control me when we were together. I had to abide by his rules and do what he said when I was around his family, but I got so sick of the constant control.
I do remember Ransom did feed me on the odd occasion, but that was the time when I had an eating disorder and I refused to eat. Ransom would warn me that he would have to force feed me if I refused to eat.
Those days are over. I sit back down and finish my food.
***
"Sheila my girl, stop chasing the birds." I nudge my dog, who is currently having a dream.
Sheila opens her eyes and stretches across the carpet.
I sit back on the couch and flip the channels on the TV. There is nothing exciting on. No new TV shows to watch or good movies on, so I decide to turn the TV off. No point in wasting power if there is no good shows on.
I haven't heard from Ransom all evening – well if you count Ransom making coffee and then going back upstairs without looking in my direction.
Is he sulking in his bedroom? Did I hit a nerve? Or does he hate that he doesn't have control over me anymore?
I scratch my head. It hurts now. Ransom does not have control over me. I won't allow him to.
My phone buzzes. It's a message from my dad. Dammit! I need to call him!
I dial his number.
"So you finally realized you have a phone?" My father does not sound happy at all.
"H-Hi dad." I stutter.
"Would you mind explaining to me why you were not in your own house today? When you knew we would be painting this week." I can picture my dad tapping his foot on the floor, impatiently waiting for me to answer. I feel like a little girl again.
"Did- Didn't Lydia tell you?" I ask.
"She did, but I prefer if you told me yourself. Also, where the fuck are you?" My dad growls.
"Well...I am sorry I didn't inform you before –"
"No shit! We were all looking forward to seeing you and spending time with you."
"I'm sorry dad. Ransom hired painters and he asked me to –"
"RANSOM?" My dad roars. I have to pull the phone away from my ear.
Shit! My dad hates Ransom – this isn't correct. My dad loathes Ransom.
"Yes, Ransom." I reply stupidly.
"Are you at his house right now?" My dad yells.
Damn he is loud!
"Y-Yes, but dad, he said I couldn't stay in my house while it was being painted. He –"
"So he told you to go stay with him while the paint dries? Don't you see what he did Evelyn?"
"Dad –"
"DO YOU SEE WHAT HE DID?" My dad is so loud; I think Ransom can hear him from upstairs.
"He so called 'hired' painters because he wanted you to stay with him. You are going to be tied down to him again. You are going to repeat the cycle."
"That's not true." I counter.
"So you haven't shown any romantic feelings for him yet?"
"Dad...it's complicated."
"Complicated?"
"Yes dad, and I don't need to listen to you lector to me about Ransom. I know what he is like. I am only here for 1 week and then I am back home." I cannot take his anger anymore, nor do I want to listen to his lector on why Ransom is a bad influence on me.
"Eve –"
"Listen dad!" I interrupt, finally finding the courage to speak up against my dad. "I just phoned to apologize that I have not told you about the situation, but now I have told you. So I will chat to you later. It is getting late and I don't have the energy to argue with you." I hang up the call before my dad can talk, and I turn me phone off. I know my father will just phone me non-stop if I leave my phone on.
I switch off the lights and walk upstairs.
I take a quick shower before I climb into bed. Ransom was lying on the bed when I entered the bedroom, but he shot up and went to shower once I was done showering.
I am still exhausted from packing the groceries and cleaning up the kitchen. I just want to sleep and get a good night's rest, but not before I do a little light reading. I grab one of the books from the bookcase.
After a few minutes, Ransom emerges from the bathroom. He is wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. I am glad that I am not standing because I would have fallen to the ground already.
Dammit!
He looks so good right now, and sexy! I need to look away otherwise my mind will go to a dark and seductive place.
I place the book on the bed side table and quickly cover my face with the duvet. I close my eyes and force myself to sleep.
***
I awake from a dreamless sleep and I sit up, but I can't get up. I feel a heavy weight on my chest. Once my eyes have adjusted to the darkness, I look down to see why I cannot sit up. It's Ransom.
He is resting his head on me, with his arms wrapped around me. He seems to be sleeping soundlessly.
I lay awake and stare at the ceiling. My mind goes back to my conversation with my father. I know I hung up the phone on him – and I switched my phone off – but I would need to call my dad to apologize for what I said. He had every right to be angry at me. He was looking forward to this day – even though the idea of painting sounds boring – and I forgot to tell him that I was at Ransom's house. Truthfully I didn't want him to know I was at Ransom's house because he would have driven here to fetch me – even though I am not a little girl anymore and I don't need my dad to 'save me'.
Just then, I feel Ransom's arms tightening around me.
"Ransom!" I shriek. I try to pull away from his grip, but Ransom only tightens his grip even more.
"Ransom." I try to use a calmer voice this time.
I stop moving and interlace my hands in his hair, and Ransom instantly loosens his grip and relaxes.
I lay back down and stare at the ceiling again while my hand twirls in Ransom's hair. I find that playing Ransom's hair seems to calm both Ransom and I down. His hair is fluffy and soft and Ransom seems to relax when I play with his hair.
I am still thinking about my conversation with my father, but for now, I allow my mind to shift to Ransom this time. Seeing Ransom play around with Sheila today was something that was astounding – in a good way.
I also saw a glimpse of the old Ransom. My Ransom. The man I once loved so dearly. The kind, caring, compassionate – but still sexy – man I fell in love with.
I sigh quietly. Will I ever be able to bring back the Ransom I once loved?