Caught Up (Four Desires #1)

1. Chapter 1

1

Kelly

“ S he hates me.” I groaned and tossed my head back until the high ceiling was all I could see.

My older sister, Lindsey, sighed and her arms crossed over her lithe frame. “She doesn’t hate you, Kelly,” she insisted. “She just isn’t your biggest fan.”

I tilted my head back down and to the side, my dark brown hair falling in frizzy, loose curls over my shoulder. “Admit it, Linds. Rose doesn’t want me here.” My stomach curled in uncomfortable knots as I stood in the doorway of Lindsey’s bedroom.

I’d been living with Lindsey and her wife Rose for five months now, and with each passing day it was more and more obvious that Rose and I? We didn’t get along. Even with as much as I wanted us to.

“She just thinks six months is a little long for a guest,” Lindsey said.

“When I first moved in, she told me I could ‘make myself home for a year and save up to get a good place’,” I reminded her as I leaned my plump body against the door frame.

Lindsey parted her glossy lips to speak again, but I spoke first.

“You guys have been fighting non-stop the last few weeks. Every time I enter a room, she leaves or glares at me. Me being here is causing way too much tension for any of us to be comfortable.” My brow furrowed as I looked into my sisters' eyes that mirrored not only the same hazel of my own, but frustration.

“I don’t understand what happened,” Lindsey mumbled, “…you’re funny, you clean up around the apartment, you never bring any of your dates home.”

Thinking about Rose made my stomach tight and ears hot.

I pursed my lips. “I’m also a 26-year-old unemployed, well, formerly unemployed, woman with a dead career path after college, sleeping in your guest bedroom and eating your food. This was gonna happen sooner or later, Lindsey,” I told her. My stomach only hurt more at the harsh words about me, coming from my mouth. I knew the truth. I was never one to pretend like I didn’t know my life wasn’t going how I hoped it would.

“Don’t say that, you got a job at that…” Lindsey snapped her fingers, “…book store! I thought Rose would be thrilled.”

I shook my head. My gaze drifted above Lindsey’s head to the ornate painting that hung above the queen sized bed. It was splattered with every color possible, in a strange squishy, smeared way. It had taken me about two weeks after moving in to realize how it had been made. I cringed, thinking about it. My sister and Rose naked? No thanks.

I snapped out of it and looked back down at Lindsey. I stepped into the room and sat down at the end of the bed. The mattress dipped with my weight.

“I know you think I’m perfect,” I teased.

Lindsey rolled her eyes.

“…but, I’m not as we both know. You and Rose get a long, you’re interested in the same things, you’re both career focused …and shit. That’s why you’re married. Me and Rose?” I shook my head.

“Rose and I,” my sister corrected me.

This time it was me who rolled my eyes. “Whatever,” I chuckled, “We have like nothing in common, and…honestly, I think she’s bothered by…my sexuality.” I admitted.

Lindsey furrowed her brow and laughed one abrupt laugh. “What? She’s married to a woman, Kelly.”

I nodded, “…and I’m bisexual. I know you don’t wanna believe it but… I think she’s bothered by that. There’s a lot of bi-phobia that goes on in the gay community, you know.”

Lindsey shook her head more aggressively. “No, no, no,” she said, “Rose isn’t like that. I'm not like that. Besides, Rose is bisexual too, actually.”

I blinked. “Oh, I assumed…well, she seems weird with me sometimes. I don’t know.” I should stop assuming.

Lindsey was anxious. I could tell by the way she looked to the side and chewed on the inside of her cheek. I did that too. So had our mother.

I sat there on the end of the bed for what felt like forever before Lindsey finally stood up and spoke.

“I’ll talk to Rose tonight, okay?” she told me. “We’ll figure this out.”

I nodded, “Alright, but I should have enough to move to get my own place in a few weeks,” I told her. After all, I’d had a few odd jobs here or there over the last few months and had done my best not to touch my savings. My sister had insisted I not pay rent or help with food. I had an inkling that was a problem for Rose, but she hadn’t said it to my face.

Later that evening, I was curled up on the couch in the living room. The dim blue hue from the TV was the only light on in the entire house. Lindsey was curled up on the opposite end of the couch, half asleep and half scrolling on her phone. It was ten thirty at night and Rose still wasn’t home.

“Did you get a text back yet?” I asked. I was munching happily on white cheddar cheese puffs with my eyes glued on Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. My absolute favorite pass time was watching cheesy romance on a Friday night. Usually Lindsey was more invested.

“Yeah, she’ll be here soon.”

I nodded and looked over at her. My brow knit and I brushed my fingers off on my baggy bedtime t-shirt before grabbing the remote to pause the movie.

“Hey, it’ll be ok,” I insisted, “It always is. You always pick yourself back up. Don’t let this get to you. Just because I live somewhere else doesn’t mean we won’t see each other.”

Lindsey sighed, “…don’t say that. I told you when Rose gets home, we’ll talk. We’ll work this out.”

“For Rose, working things out might be me leaving. That’s fine,” I insisted. Though my eyes burned at how much Lindsey seemed to want me to stay. I had to admit I wanted to be around my sister. We hadn’t always been close. As teenagers, things had been rough. Our parents favored her over me and it made us both pretty bitter towards each other. As adults…thing seemed to have changed.

“I don’t want to get in the way of your marriage, not after…you waited for so long, to find someone like Rose,” I told her, my voice cracked near the end.

Lindsey pursed her lips, looking to the side for a moment, seeming to want to say something but didn’t.

I sniffled, and she looked back over at me.

“Oh god, Kelly, don’t cry, you’re gonna make me cry.” Lindsey scooted over closer to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I leaned my head against the side of hers and sniffled.

“I just…I don’t know. I love you, Kel,” Lindsey said, also sniffling.

I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tightly.

“I love you too, sis.”

Ever since our mother died, I felt Lindsey was closer to me than ever. I knew how much she wanted me to stay, and I didn’t want to upset her — but I also knew that if things didn’t get any better, it would be best for me to go off on my own.

I sighed and pulled away from Lindsey, settling back into the couch. My fingers brushed away a few damp spots along the cheeks and I inhaled slow and strong.

“So, are we going to continue the movie?” I asked with a chuckle.

Lindsey rolled her eyes. “You’re the one who likes this cheesy crap,” she reminded me.

I shook my head. “Oh, come on, you like it too,” I insisted. I turned towards the TV and pushed play again.

I was content to lose myself in a world and story that was promised to turn out happily in the end.