15. Chapter 15
15
Grey
T here I was, lower half wrapped in a towel, wet as fuck, and only halfway finished rinsing the soap off my ass. The water had suddenly gone cold mid shower, and I was left stomping my way over to Emily’s. I knocked on the door, not caring that I was dripping water all over the hallway carpet. At first, there was no answer. It was the weekend. I knew Emily wasn’t on shift. Kelly wasn’t either. I smirked, wondering how Kelly would react to seeing me almost naked, drenched.
I’d been trying to put my mind on just her since the night before with Malak, but it was easier said than done.
I knocked on Emily’s door again, harder, and heard shuffling from inside the door. I sighed as I listened to the locks click and then the door open slowly.
“Oh, it’s just you,” Emily’s roommate Vicky said as she all but cowered behind the door.
“Emily’s in the shower,” she explained.
“Great,” I mumbled, “I need to use it, actually.”
Vicky eyed me. “Do you n-not have your own shower?”
I chuckled at the nervous woman before me, the way her shoulders were tucked up near her ears, her pink face, her complete look of distrust. She was right not to trust me, but at that moment, I seriously just wanted to use the damn shower.
“The hot water ran out. Too many fucking people in the apartment,” I growled.
I watched her shoulders flinch.
“I-I don’t know,” she mumbled.
“Come on, Emily would be cool with it,” I insisted.
She eyed me again before finally sighing and opening the door the rest of the way.
“Just don’t sit on the couch,” she told me quietly.
I watched the awkward partial sway of her hips as she disappeared back down the hallway and I heard a door close.
If she wasn’t so much like a tiny anxious mouse who would never let me closer than two feet, I might have tried to hit her up. I folded my arms and looked around the apartment. It was more cluttered than Malak ever let ours get. The furniture and pillows were colorful, floral covered things, with a knocked up wooden coffee table and a TV stand that looked thirty years old. It all looked like it had been pulled out from an old woman’s estate sale.
I loved it.
I’d grown up in a similar environment, where everything was thrifted, and nothing matched. It was equal parts sad and nostalgic for me.
I sighed and stepped over to lean against a wall. I could hear Emily humming in the shower, and for a brief moment my mind drifted to what she’d looked like naked. I squinted for a second, but then shook my head. For some reason, I could just never get interested in her. Which she’d probably think was for the best, anyway.
The sound of the shower turning off invited me to start down the hallway. I was a yard from the bathroom door when it opened and out came Emily, wet hair, wrapped in a fluffy towel.
“Fuck!” Emily gasped, jumping onto her toes startled as she saw me, “Grey!?”
I smirked and rolled my shoulders back.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, panting softly, and her eyes drifted down my body, “…in a towel?”
“Need to use your shower,” I explained and waved it off, shifting by her. I turned to look at her wide-eyed expression. “Don’t worry, I didn’t sit on the couch.”
Her expression changed, and she rolled her eyes. I listened to her take a deep breath. As I was closing the bathroom door most of the way, I heard her knocking on Vicky’s door and the beginning of her asking her what was going on with me.
I chuckled and tossed my towel on the countertop before heading for the shower.
A couple of knob twists later, and the hot water was rinsing away the soap and shampoo. Relaxing my tense muscles.
“Shit,” I mumbled. I’d forgotten conditioner. If there was one thing I’d actually learned from Malak, it was hair care. The man’s hair was his pride and joy. I looked around the shower, spotting a bottle of strawberry scented conditioner. I picked it up and shrugged.
A few minutes later, I was turning the water off, stepping out, drying off and wrapping the towel back around my waist.
Steam billowed out of the bathroom into the hallway as I exited.
“Maybe give me more of a warning next time, Grey?” Emily said as I got into the living room.
“Hey, I could’ve just climbed into the shower with you. I think I gave enough warning,” I teased.
Emily gave a loud ‘ppft’ and put her hands on her hips.
“Whatever. I don’t really care, but you startled Vicky,” she told me.
“Everyone startles Vicky,” I replied.
Emily shook her head.
“Look, I’ll bring you over some good shit once I get dressed,” I told her, “As payment for your shower. Sound good?”
Emily eyed me, and her shoulders relaxed a bit. “Alright,” she said and let her arms hang loosely at her sides, “Just don’t tell Kelly. I don’t think she’d approve.”
I chuckled. “You do not have to worry about that.”
I wasn’t telling Kelly shit. Except to spread her legs wider…
Rushed out of the door and back to my apartment. After tossing on some clothing, I combed my dark shaggy hair back. A few strands refused to listen and hung over my forehead. I didn’t feel like fucking with gel.
I grabbed a dime of weed from my stash, a strain I thought would help Emily chill out a bit, and headed back over.
This time when I knocked on the door, it opened in a few seconds to Emily’s face.
“I’m making some pizza rolls,” Emily told me.
“Great, you’ll need em,” I replied.
Weed was the lowest of things my family sold people and technically, it wasn’t illegal to smoke, just illegal to sell without a license. I couldn't care less, but Kelly seemed more uptight. I was just glad Emily was willing to be paid in pot and not something that would actually lose me money.
Fifteen minutes later, Emily was higher than a kite munching on pizza rolls and I was pleasantly buzzed.
I chuckled in amusement, watching Emily enjoy the kids show that was on the television way more than should be humanly possible.
“Dude, this is great,” she said, “…I needed this.”
I raised a brow. “Yeah?” I asked.
“Mhm, I’ve been worried about Kelly. She hasn’t been talking to me as much,” Emily admitted.
I pursed my lips. “There’s a lot going on there.”
She turned to look at me. “What do you know?” she asked. Not harsh, but serious. Her eyes were wide, like she was surprised I might know more than her.
I rolled my eyes. “Nothing,” I lied.
Emily eyed me and shoved another pizza roll in her mouth. “Did you two really go to high school together?” she asked.
I sighed. “Yes,” I told her, “We didn’t get along.”
She laughed, “I believe that,” she replied, “you’re not so bad though.”
“I’m not sure whether I should be offended or not,” I mumbled and picked up one of the last three pizza rolls.
Emily shrugged.
A few minutes later, and she was curling up on the couch with a blanket, napping. I took that as my cue to get out of there. I could hear someone on the stairs as I was headed back into the apartment.
I looked around. It didn’t seem like anyone was home. Kelly and Malak had both been gone since I’d woken up. I didn’t see Taylor’s brothers. Taylor was probably holding up in her bedroom, though.
Just as I was about to head for the kitchen, the door opened, and the sound of it closing was accompanied by the sound of sniffling.
I took a few steps back until I could see the pink and tear-stained face of Kelly.
My stomach squeezed. I hated that feeling. Why did I care so much that she was upset? I wanted to believe the only reason I’d comforted her the few nights before was sex. Yet, as she stood there, looking like she might explode into more passionate crying any second, I wanted to hold her. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and keep her warm, tell her it was okay. Even if I knew it was probably bullshit. Nothing was ever okay.
I wanted things to be okay for her.
My eyes met her glossy and reddened ones.
“I’m not in the mood right now, Grey,” she mumbled and tossed her purse to the side.
I eyed her, my stomach aching. “What’s going on?” I asked her.
I took a step closer to her, and she didn’t step back. Instead, she just looked at me, and her breath hitched in her throat.
“Is this about your sister?” I asked.
She sniffled again and waved a hand. “Yes, no, I don’t even know anymore,” Kelly said. Her voice was thick with emotion.
I removed the distance from us and looked down at her intensely.
“Tell me,” I insisted, “I needed to do something, anything.”
She shook her head and sighed. “No,” she refused, “I can’t.”
“You can’t?” I asked her, “Is someone forcing you not to?”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and my hands balled into fists. “Tell me who they are, and I’ll fix it.”
I needed to do something, anything, to stop her from crying. To end the look of sadness and frustration in her eyes.
She half laughed and cried. “No! Grey, no one’s keeping me from saying anything,” she insisted.
“Why do you even care?” she asked.
I swallowed. “I-” I started, and growled softly, “Just tell me what’s going on, Kelly.”
I stepped closer. She gasped softly as I brushed my fingers along the side of her face. Her gaze locked with mine.
“My sister is getting divorced,” she mumbled, blinking her wet eyes slowly, “My s-…her ex wife, has feelings for someone else.”
I watched her face flush deeply, the way she was suddenly trying to avoid eye contact with me. My eyes darkened.
“You?” I asked. Voice rough. I already had to deal with whatever was going on between her and Malak, Malak and Rose. I wasn’t sure how much more pent up jealousy I could handle. If that was really what it was, I was starting to wonder if Malak was right. He had been right the night before. As much as I didn’t wa, andnt to admit it.
Kelly took a slow breath, but couldn’t seem to get her words out. She nodded.
“How do you feel?” I asked. My eyes glued to her face. I brushed my thumb below her eye, wiping away from of her tears, trying to get her to look at me.
“Look at me,” I told her.
Something flashed in her eyes and more tears started to drip from them. I couldn’t stand the idea that they were caused by me. What was up with me?
“No!” she huffed. “Just leave me alone, everyone just leave me alone.”
She slapped my hand away and went barreling past me. I fought the urge to grab her and hold her, keep her with me, and make her tell me what was going on. She brushed against my shoulder and my entire body went rigid. I failed.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her back in front of me. Her eyes were wide with irritation and sadness.
“You need to tell me how you feel, Kelly,” I told her.
She ripped her arm away from me. “Why?” she asked.accused. “You never cared about anyone but yourself before this,” she accused. “You’ve barely spoken to me since we fucked.”
I blinked and let my arms hang at my sides, though my fingers twitched.
“I figured you were done with me,” she glared.
“You’re the one who asked me,” I told her. “I was just trying to comfort you. You’re the one who wanted my dick instead.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I hated myself.
Her entire face flushed bright red, and her own hands balled into fists. I didn’t think she could look more beautiful, but apparently, angry and looking like she wanted to punch me? I was into that.
I blinked and took a breath through my nose. I needed to get a handle on myself before I did something I’d regret. More importantly, before I did something that would result in Malak’s fist through my face. So, I closed my eyes for a moment, and forced myself to calm down.
“Fine,” I breathed, “Don’t tell me.” I put my hands up.
Kelly took a few breaths of her own. “I can’t, Grey,” she repeated those words from earlier.
“Why?” I asked.
She exhaled shakily, she shook her head, “I don’t know, I…” tears welled up in her eyes again.
“You don’t want to,” I mumbled.
Kelly shook her head and wiped at her face.
“I don’t know what…happened between us, if it doesn’t mean anything to you, but,” her breath hitched in her throat.
“No, Kelly, I,” I started, but couldn’t finish my sentence, because I didn’t know what to say either.
“That’s fine. If it didn’t, I have enough people vying for my attention right now. Trust me,” she insisted.
“Just don’t do this to me. Try to make me confide in you. If you’re not gonna stick around, not gonna be honest, cause, I know the girls who hated you in high school, you broke them.”
My heart ached. I looked away from her and at the floor.
“What are you saying?” I asked, “You want to be with me?”
Kelly sighed, “I don’t know, Grey. I don’t know anything anymore.”
We were both silent.
I could barely stand the sound of my own pulse in my ears. My lips parted to say something, but I couldn’t get it out. I wanted to believe that Kelly did know what she wanted, that she just didn’t want to tell me — but what did that say about me? I nearly growled at myself.
Ever since Kelly showed up in my life, in Malak’s life, things had been flipped all over. It was so much easier without her, yet I found the idea of not having her there painful.
This time when Kelly went pushing past me to storm out of the living room, my eyes narrowed as I watched after her. She was going to tell me how she felt and what the fuck was going on at some point, but for now, I didn’t follow her.