Proximity

[missbrightside]

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Somehow, in one huge philosophical oversight, there didn't seem to be any token advice for your ex. Probably because to most people, it's goddamn common sense: get away from them, Riley thought as he let himself into the apartment he shared with his ex-girlfriend.


By let himself in, he meant sneaking in as quietly as he could because it was late and he was drunk. Late enough that he knew she'd be asleep. Drunk enough for him to decide not to put out his cigarette before coming inside, but not so drunk to be under the delusion that he could pass as a sober and properly apologetic adult if his roomate did wake up. A precarious place to be, you understand.


The "get away" philosophy was one that he had great practice with when it came to ended relationships, or even relationships that were on the rocks. Escapism was an old friend, there through thick and thin, which explained why he clung to it so desperately even when there was no escape. So what if he couldn't afford to move out after he broke up with his girlfriend? So what if he was stuck living in the apartment they picked out together? That didn't mean that he had to spend time here. So he went out. And stayed out. And then left again. It seemed that now, slinking (drunkenly attempting to slink) around his own place like a burgalar or a teenager, Riley was starting to see the futility of that task. No matter what, he was always going to have to come back here. Ground zero.


He stumbled his way into the interior of the apartment, protecting himself from any approaching objects by moving his hands like a flunkee from mime school. Once he reached the couch he shrugged out of his jacket, trading the cigarette from his hand to his mouth and back. He flung it carelessly over the back of the couch, and with great difficulty began toeing off his clubbing sneakers. He had to lean down to pull the shoe off his foot, weaving dangerously with his impaired sense of balance. Crashing forward into the couch to keep himself from ending up sprawled on the floor, the lit end of his cigarette made contact with the cushion. He swore, passing the fire hazard back into his mouth and rubbing furiously at the singed piece of fabric, attempted to persuade it to return back to full health. Stubbornly, it remained singed.

 

[Woohoooo]

It was nearly three-thirty in the morning when Acacia was awoken by suspicious creaking, whispers and noises that sounded dangerously similar to what she assumed burglars or murderers sounded like. Sleeping alone wasn't something she was adjusting to well after splitting ways from her long term boyfriend. She used to make him sleep on the left side of the bed. The side closest to the window. That way if anyone ever climbed through the window he could protect her. She's a little bit of a worry wart...to say the least.


Although every scary movie she's ever seen had taught her not to investigate strange noises, she slipped out of the sheets of her bed and approached her door anyway. With one hand she gently and quietly pushed the door open while her other hand grasped at a candle jar just in case she was being robbed. But as soon as her pale blue eyes caught view of the drunken mess in the living room she let out a groan and let go of the candle jar. "Riley! You can't keep doing this. You're gonna give me a heart attack!" She spat as she flicked the lights on and rubbed at her eyes gently. She had turned the lights on simply as revenge for waking her up. But now that the room was bright she could see what all the noise was about. "My sofa..." She whined walking closer to the scene of the crime where she could practically smell the alcohol secreting from his pores. "Oh good, it's the same cushion you got ashes on last week so we can't even just flip it over." She said with clear sarcasm in her voice as she inspected the damage and then glared sleepily and angrily in his direction.


After a moment of grieving for her sofa she walked into the kitchen and dropped her tea kettle onto the stove to make herself a cup of tea. She was never able to fall back asleep after being woken up.

 

[missbrightside]

"Aw, shit," Riley groaned as Acacia came into the living room, blinking in shock as she turned on the light. This was literally exactly what he hadn't wanted to happen. "I'll fix it or.. Get a new one. Something. I promise." He knew he sounded like he had his tail between his legs, but he felt genuinely bad. After all, he knew that she startled easily... Easily enough that she always made him sleep on the side of the bed closest to the window. Used to make him. It was silly, and he always teased her about it, but really it always made him feel a certain way to know that he could make her happy in such a small way, that his presence could make her feel more at ease.


Plus, that had been a nice couch.


He put out the offending cigarette in the ashtray and trailed after her into the kitchen, wanting to placate her. "Cee, please just go to bed," he said, planting himself in front of the stove. "Come on, I feel terrible. I won't be able to sleep, I'll be so guilt ridden. I'll turn into a troll," he gestured to his face, which was red eyed and imploring her. A little bit of humor would hopefully ease her suffering from the couch. "Then who will love me? I don't have a winning personality, I need all the help I can get."


If one place in the apartment showed the way their lives had become mingled, it was the kitchen. The potted plant by the window, still going strong even though they had bought it right after they moved here. That was her. The eclectic collection of plates, picked for their colors, durability, and a third indescribable quality they had named "pizzazz". That was him. You could go back and forth like that for quite awhile. The fruit bowl, the funny pictures on the fridge, the nightlight, the stash of cookies, the stash of ice cream. He wondered, if you kept removing objects alternating between hers and his, who would the last thing belong to? Who had the claim on this place and who was the intruder? Would his life somehow be easier if he knew?

 

[Woohoooo]

Acacia hated feeling like a tyrant all the time, constantly complaining and bickering around Riley. Sometimes she swore he did this stuff of purpose because he could talk himself out of any situation. Like he was doing right now. Somehow, he managed to get a smile on her face just minutes after she nearly knocked him over the head with a watermelon scented candle. His sense of humor was one of the many reasons she once loved him. But quickly she shook the smile away and huffed in his direction. "You know I can't just fall asleep! I'm all worked up" she whined leaning back into the counter a bit. "And don't call me Cee" she added folding her arms over her chest and glancing at him as he stood between her and her tea kettle. She used to love when he called her that, it was like a special name only he called her. Now it just annoyed her and reminded her how sad and alone she was most of the time.


Even if she tried to fall back asleep, she would just sit there for hours thinking about her life and worrying about sleeping so close to the stupid window. She let out a sigh looking into his intoxicatingly blue yet blood shot eyes and shook her head. "Why don't you just sleep in the bed?" She suggested combing her thick pale blonde hair behind her ears for a moment. They had made an unspoken agreement that she would sleep on the bed and he would sleep on the sofa. Mostly because he came in at all hours of the night and usually Acacia was in the bed before midnight.


She felt bad, that he felt bad, for waking her up but she simply wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. She was always the sympathetic type especially when it came to him. But she had a hard enough time falling asleep when she was tired. Nevermind, when she was all bothered and on edge. "If I get tired, I can sleep on our burnt sofa...maybe I'll spill some butterscotch ice cream on it or something...to even the score" she told him, glancing to her tea kettle then all around the kitchen now. After deciding he wasn't going to let her get to her tea kettle, she didn't want to fight about it,, so she left the kitchen and plopped into the sofa inspecting the burn mark again.

 

[missbrightside]

Don't call me Cee. Riley had to admit, that smarted. It was his own fault. He slipped. Apparently his exercise in escapism had worked, because for a minute he had forgotten about this break up, and then proceeded to accidentally rip the wound open all over again. He could admit that this split had caused him a lot of hurt, but ultimately that was all his own doing too. It seemed that it always was.


He groaned and ran a hand across his face. Yes he did know that she couldn't just go back to sleep, which was why he felt like a screw up. "I don't want to sleep in the stupid bed. What if someone climbs through the window to kill me?" His tone wasn't exactly kind, but he was drunk and having feelings dammit. He just wanted to shake her for trying to be so reasonable. She was too patient with him, god knows he didn't deserve it. For so long it seemed that he would never really run to the end of her good nature, but he had managed to, and now it felt like an insult to have it rubbed in his face. He didn't want her tolerance, not now.


He threw himself down on the couch next to her, sparing no dramatics. "I told you I would fix that," he said after a moment of sulking. He couldn't handle her being nice to him, and appatently he couldn't handle the thought of her being upset with him either. At this point he didn't know what he wanted to happen. Go back in time, avoid this whole conversation maybe? While he was at it, he might as well go back in time and not be the kind of guy who had to keep his ex girlfriend as a roommate. And not be the person that was so pathetic and lonely after they broke up with someone, but had no plan to keep that from happening again. Basically he could do with a complete re-do.

 

[Woohoooo]

Deep down Acacia understood that her fear of someone climbing through the window while she was sleeping was a bit irrational. Hell, they lived on the fourth floor of an apartment complex. It would be a long climb for a murderer. But that didn't make his comment any less cruel. In fact, for whatever reason, it hit her in a soft spot and she raked her teeth against her bottom lip trying not break out into the water works. She couldn't decide if she was upset over the comment or if she was questioning all her decisions that led up to this moment. "Why didn't you just go shack up with some girl and leave me alone? Lord knows you tried when we were together. Nows your chance, you flirt." she snapped her voice cracking a bit but she managed to fight back the tears that threatened to fall from her pale blue eyes. If there was one thing Acacia was sure of during their relationship, it was that they were both always faithful. But Riley could definitely be a flirt, which always annoyed her.


As he plopped down onto the sofa she scooted away and chucked a decorative pillow at him. Almost immediately she felt bad for her comment. But he deserved it, he was drunk. She tried to convince herself of that by not instantly apologizing like she would have in any other situation.


"Don't bother fixing it, I don't want the sofa." She added now the anger and sadness in her voice replaced with indifference. She could remember the day they went and picked the sofa out. It was their first big apartment purchase together. He wanted a big black leather sofa and she wanted a a cute gray sectional, but as soon as they arrived at the furniture store they both fell in love with this off-white sofa with big fluffy cushions. Maybe the sing in the fabric was a good thing, it could remind her of what an idiot he is when she's sulking over the breakup. Leaning over the sofa she grabbed the blanket he left out here to sleep with and used it to cover herself up with while she stared at the floor avoiding eye contact.

 

[missbrightside]

Riley recoiled from the remark like a physical thing, a slap to the face or a gust of frigid air. It was really saying something that he had been stunned into complete silence, no comebacks, no jokes, no way to just blow it off. "I.." his mouth worked silently for a minute, searching for his voice. "You know that's not true." It wasn't, not in the slightest. He had put everything he could manage to give into the girl sitting next to him. But that was the problem: once you invest in someone they always have the best ways to make you hurt, whether it's on purpose or not. And you can't strike back either, because you'll end up hurting double: for yourself, and for the piece of you that you put into them, that aches wherever they ache.


He put the pillow in his lap, shoulders hunched over as he picked at the pokey ends of the feathers that were sticking up out of the fabric. He glanced over at her from the corner of his eye. She did seem detached from the whole thing now. Why couldn't he just do the same? "I'll fix it if I want," he grumbled, going for the same level of nonchalance. "I'm the one who messed it up, I'm the one who's going to sleep on it..." If Riley was a smart man, he would have stopped talking a long time ago there, but his mouth was like an avalanche: little pebbles at first, but no stopping it once it starts. "Who cares what you want. In fact, I don't see why it matters to you from the first place."


Riley didn't need anybody to tell him what to do. To emphasize that point he flipped on his side, pulling his legs up on the couch next to him,and shoved the pillow under his head all in one brisk move. His feet were very carefully not touching Acacia, and his neck was propped at an uncomfortable angle, but he felt that the stance was an effective declaration of intent.

 

[Woohoooo]

Acacia had fully prepared to stop all this fighting after she got her jab in. Tit for tat. Especially since his initial reaction nearly broke her heart. She hated being mean to him and hated even more when he looked so upset. But he was the one who taught her not to let people push her around or bully her, and now he was the one being a bully.


But then he kept talking, and talking. As he continued to speak she finally looked at him, her eyes now a bit red and puffy. His final statement caused her to let out a short, quick laugh. Which was not a good sign considering nothing funny had happened. "You don't see why the sofa matters to me?" She asked softly, almost calmly with sarcasm clearly in her voice. But she was most certainly not calm. Far from it. "I loved this sofa, it's important to me. And you're right! You screwed it up, Riley. I've had this sofa a long time and you hurt--" she started getting worked up, her voice cracking again. But then suddenly she stopped speaking. Clearly, the word "sofa" had a deeper meaning to her than just the sofa and it was getting her upset. It didn't seem to be worth the fighting, he was never any good at talking about anything anyway...so she just stopped.


She wiggled out of the blanket and aggressively covered him with it before walking back into the kitchen. No matter how angry she was, her nurturing nature somehow always came through. Loudly she filled her tea kettle with water and dropped it onto the stove and watched it, waiting for it to whistle. "I called a plumber to come fix the drain in the bathroom, like you said you would take care of months ago. But didn't. He's suppose to come between eight and twelve tomorrow morning. Making sure your showered before then, or shower somewhere else..." She told him while her gaze was still fixed on the tea kettle.

 

[missbrightside]

He remained perfectly still as she explained to him why she really did care about the sofa, listened until her voice broke like leaves crumbled in the wind, and no it didn't make his heart twist in his chest because it was not his fault. It was still unclear to Riley whether she wanted him to fix it or not.. But that was beside the point. Yeah, he had thought that Acacia was pretty fond of this sofa, as fond as anyone could be of one. Yeah, he did mess it up. What's new? He had been scuffing tables, breaking chair legs, and staining upholstery forever. His whole life. Definitely the whole time he had known her. And normally he would agree, just leave it be or throw the damned thing away, it's just a couch, there's a million more. Except that whenever it was something that was theirs, he had done his best to fix it. He was sorry she was so upset, but she was the one that told him not to bother with the sofa. She was the one who told him she didn't care. Nobody had forced her hand, and he didn't like it being twisted after the fact.


This would be a good time to mention that when it came to metaphor, especially of the extended variety, Riley was completely blind. Every time he had been made to symbol hunt back in his high school lit class, he had yielded exactly zero results. People do not really think like this, he often found himself thinking after watching a movie and then seeing someone claim that the whole time they were watching a movie completely about something else. People who do would never get everything done. They'd just sit around and.. and.. think! I already think half my life away, and it'd be the whole thing if I got in my head that an apple could be three other things. So essentially, he really could not put a finger to the reason he was allowing himself to get so worked up and dragged into the sofa conversation... He just knew that for some reason it was definitely getting under his skin. Thank god he was more of a red drunk than a blue drunk, so to speak, because if he ended up crying over a sofa he might have just hung himself...


He was relieved when she got up, because that meant he could finally rearrange his pillow so that the angle wouldn't give him a headache. There were enough reasons he was going to have a headache, thanks. He managed to fight down the phrase "You're still telling me what to do," which was trying to climb up his throat like weeds towards the light, and regret must be made of CO2 because it was almost possible to keep in all the little pieces trying to escape him with every breath as he listened to her clank about in the kitchen. Instead he said, "Don't worry, I won't get in the way. I'll be gone long before then," and then that immediately evaporated into regret too, because 8 a.m was early, probably only about four hours away, and he still had a lot of drinking to sleep off.

 

[Woohoooo]

"Good." She spat, while continuing to watch the kettle and not give Riley any attention. It was clear to her that in just a few hours he would certainly not be showered, well rested and out of the apartment. But she decided not to comment any further. She was tired of fighting.


The tea kettle finally began to whistle but Acacia was so deep in thought that she let it scream for a few moments before her whole body shook and she frantically turned the gas off. Pulling a mug out of the cabinet she filled it with boiling water and then plopped two tea bags into the mug. She slipped into a chair at the kitchen table and held the mug firmly between her two small hands. The kitchen was so close to the living room that she had a perfect view of Riley laying on the burnt sofa. She allowed herself to look at him for a few moments before gazing down into her cup of tea. The room became eerily quiet, which she was not a fan of. She payed close attention to her own breathing and whatever white noises she could hear to prevent herself from thinking to much. Bringing the mug to her lips she took a small sip.


The more she thought about his lack of a reaction to her out burst, the more she understood this break up was for the best. She placed the mug onto the table, which was another piece of their furniture. Placing her elbows onto the table she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes fighting back more tears. She hated living like this. The constant bickering, fighting and passive aggressiveness. It was just too much for her to handle sometimes.

 

[missbrightside]

It was too quiet in the room. They had both retreated to lick their wounds, but neither of them had very far to retreat to. If he concentrated, he was pretty sure he could hear Acacia's thoughts. It was clear to him that it was a good thing they had decided to call it quits. All they could do was bicker and criticize each other, she could never understand his point of view and he couldn't give her what she wanted.


This was sad, Riley realized. They used to have so much fun together.. Going to the beach, rock climbing, taking long car rides at night.. He could take her out to a party and she'd get along with everyone so well, she'd make all his friends laugh, and when they danced everybody knew that he was with the most beautiful girl in the room, the one with baby blue fawn's eyes and the all-knowing, always giving smile. He was going home to sleep on the window side of her bed. But the way they were going now, they wouldn't be able to stand being in a room together by the time this was done. He didn't want to ruin all his memories from one of the best things that ever happened to him. He needed a plan. He needed to move on from Cee, whatever it might take. And he needed a plan to get off this couch before they ripped each other to bits.


If you ignored all the underlying tension, the apartment was actually pretty peaceful right now. Or maybe that was just the drunk sleepiness talking. Either way he was starting to doze off on the burnt couch of ruined relationships, under the blanket of passive aggression. Probably a good thing since apparently he was now waking up before 8.

 

[Woohoooo]

The apartment was so silent that after several moments Acacia could hear Riley's breath begin to steady, and she knew he managed to fall asleep despite the light being on. Leisurely she finished her cup of tea, and brought it to the sink. She decided to take a shower in hopes that it would wash away her terrible attitude. She flicked the light off in the living room, and strolled into the bathroom. Leaning into the shower she turned the water onto nothing less than scolding and got in. She took what felt like a quick shower but by the time she got out it was nearly 7:45 am. Quickly, she wrapped herself in a towel and scurried into her room to get dressed. She tossed on a light yellow sun dress and left it at that.


Running into the living room she knelt beside Riley and placed a hand on his arm and gently rocked him. "Riley, you're not going to have time to shower if you don't wake up now" she whispered, while glancing over to the clock. It was already 8, the plumber could come at any minute. It would just be a waiting game now. "Riley..." She tried again, this time placing a hand on his face. But then she heard a knock on the door. Figures. These people never arrive on time, except for when you want them to arrive late. Then they're on time.


Letting out a grumble she stood up and headed for the door. Naturally, she checked the peep hole to make sure it wasn't a burglar on the other side. The man on the opposite side of the peep hole was a tall young man, with dark brown hair and a beard. But most importantly he was holding a large red tool case, so she opened the door for him. "Hi, are you Acacia? I'm Joe, from Mr.Rooter..." He greeted her, happily with a big grin. This was not the type of guy she was expecting to arrive. She imagined an overweight man, that was probably balding and wearing dirty jeans. This guy was the opposite of that. In fact, he was attractive. "Yeah, that's me. I'm sorry about my..." She started and paused to look at Riley and then back at the plumber. "That's uh--my roommate" she informed the plumber quietly, and saying it still felt weird despite being broken up for close to a month now. It fact, it stung her a bit to introduce him as her roommate. But quickly she shrugged the feelings away. "Not a problem ma'am. I can be quiet for him" the plumber commented with a wink and took a step into the apartment. Acacia lead the plumber into the bathroom and explained to him the problem with the drain.

 

[missbrightside]

Riley woke up feeling a lot more tired than he had when he first fell asleep. He could hear voices coming from the bathroom, an unfamiliar man's voice, then a pause, then Acacia, and then both of them laughed. He pulled himself up off the couch to check the clock. Just past eight. Must be the plumber. He might as well have not slept at all for how he felt, and then he would have at least gotten a shower. Oh well, he would just have to do without, even though he could really use some flowing water to wake himself up right now.


He shambled into the kitchen and pulled a glass out of the cupboard. His throat felt like sandpaper. Too impatient to bother running the cold water, he filled up the glass with lukewarm water and had three quarters of it drained in one long drink, along with an aspirin. He filled up the glass again for a second time, the water now cold, and set to starting himself a cup of coffee. That done, he popped two slices of white bread in the toaster and stood in front of it in yesterday's clothes, gulping water and reflecting on his life choices. What felt stupid last night felt even stupider in the light of day. He could barely believe he participated in that argument.


Riley sugared his mug of coffee and peach jellied his toast and he began sipping the first and scarfing the second as he leaned against the kitchen counter. The plan for today looked like so: hydrate, caffeinate, feed himself, make himself presentable to the public, hit the road to do a bit of lawn work before the sun got too strong, then make a pit stop at the store. The plan for today also seemed to involve listening to banter echoing from the bathroom, made all the more annoying for the fact that they were trying to be quiet so he couldn't make out any of the words. Just the musical intonations of their voices and the laughter. He grit his teeth as the sound crawled up his spine. He would just have to bear it though, because what the plan didn't involve was fighting. He had gotten his fill on that.

 

[Woohoooo]

Acacia had sat herself on the sink of the bathroom to assist the plumber with anything. Also, to stay out of Riley's hair if he woke up. They spoke back and forth briefly about how drains works, what tools he was using and how this kind of stuff happens all the time. Each of them cracking a few jokes back and forth as well. The plumber was knelt down by the tub and he shoved some kind of instrument down the drain and pulled out what looked (and smelled) like a dead rat. The sight caused Acacia to let out a squeal until the plumber had the chance to explain. It was just months of built up hair. But what was attached to the wad of hair was a string of dingy, gross pearls. Joe pulled the pearls out and handed them to her, and she smirked and ran the necklace under some water to reveal its true beauty. Then just like that, the drain was working properly again.


Joe packed up his tools and followed Acacia to the entrance of her bedroom before she stopped him. "Let me get my wallet" she announced before she started to scurry off and the tall brunette touched her waist to stop her. "Why don't you give me your number instead, and we can call it even?" He asked her easily raising his brows playfully in her direction. Immediately Acacia blushed, she was never any good at flirting but always tried her best. Plus she was rusty to say the least, she hadn't been flirting with anyone in quite a while. "How about I pay you, but give you my number anyway?" She managed to say in the most friendly voice she could muster. They bickered playfully back a forth, and Acacia ended up paying half price and they exchanged numbers. Finally they headed into the kitchen/living room area and Acacia guided the plumber to the door. On his way through the plumber noticed Riley and gave him a friendly nod and smile before landing at the door. "I hope to hear from you soon, Acacia" he man said as Acacia ushered him out of the door, "you will" she promised and shut the door behind him.


Now back to the buried treasure the plumber found. After shutting the door Acacia twisted on her heels to face Riley. "Look" Acacia said to Riley holding the pearls in the air. The necklace was once Acacia's most prized possession. Riley had gotten it for her on their anniversary. They say diamonds are a girls best friend. But with Acacia, pearls were a girls best friend. She proudly wore that necklace around her neck every single day, until one day it just went missing. She could remember back to when she lost it. She balled her eyes out for nearly a week while she and Riley ripped the apartment to shreds looking for it. It must have fallen off while they were messing around or something, but either way...she didn't know if she should be happy or sad it was found. Was she allowed to keep it? Should she keep it? Should she give it back?

 

[missbrightside]

By the time Riley finished his toast, the coffee was taking effect and he felt slightly more human. The plumber came back through the kitchen on his way to the front door, and Riley nodded amicably before walking to the sink and turning on the faucet to give some privacy to whatever conversation they might have at the door. He rinsed off his plate and knife and stacked them in the sink, turning around and shutting off the water as Acacia came in.


It took a moment of looking at the piece of jewelry to place it, as Riley had given up on seeing it again a long time ago. When he realized what it was, he smiled. "Well that's a fancy gift from somebody you just met, doncha think?" he teased, padding up to her, coffee still in hand as he reached out to inspect the milky white of the pearls against the tan of his skin. Good as new. "What are you going to do with them?" He was just hoping she wouldn't attempt to give them back. He didn't have anything to do with them. He bought them for her because he thought they would be beautiful on her, no strings attached, they belonged to her now.

 

[Woohoooo]

Acacia found herself laughing and smiling with Riley for once. They got along much better when she wasn't half asleep and he wasn't completely drunk. Before they dated, they were friends. Great friends. So it made sense that they were capable of getting along instead of constantly fighting like cats and dogs. While she hoped after all the drama settled between them they could remain friends, she wasn't so sure it was possible.


Just by looking into his eyes Acacia knew he wanted her to keep them. But she just couldn't. "Ry..." She started and slowly brought the pearls into her hands and admired them. Even after they soaked in a bath of dirt and hair for who knows how long, they were as beautiful as ever. She shifted the gaze of her pale blue eyes toward him. "We both know I can't keep them" she sighed lamely. Taking his hand she placed the necklace into his palm so he knew she was serious. "They're beautiful and you know I love them. But it would feel weird if I kept it. So just take them, please."

 

[missbrightside]

Now this was more like them. Acacia like a little sunbeam in her yellow dress and fresh skin, blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder, maybe slightly damp as he thought he could smell the lavender in her conditioner, smiling at something he said, and him.. well still looking like shit. And him.. about to have his pride handed to him in a hand basket by a butterfly in a sundress. How did he ever fall so far?


"Oh no, no," he said, shaking his head as she placed the strand of pearls in his hand. Not the Ry. It meant this was not going the way he wanted it to. "What can I do with them? Not wear them, not give them away... Just take them. You can sell them." Riley understood the message she was trying to send, loud and clear. And he knew there was no way she could ever wear this necklace again, but that didn't mean he wanted to have it on his hands. He just... didn't want to be that guy with all the returned gifts. That would be a new low, even for him.

 

[Woohoooo]

Acacia let out a sigh as he reacted just about exactly how she expected him to. She gently took his rough tan hand into her own and closed his fingers around the necklace. This necklace wasn't like any other gift he had ever given her. He could have been cliche and gotten her a necklace with a heart on it, or diamonds. But he didn't. He had to pay attention to her to know she loved pearls. It wasn't something she was constantly talking about. If she kept the necklace, she wouldn't have the heart to sell it or give it away or chuck it back down the drain. It would just sit in her jewelry box and taunt her about how she can't keep a happy relationship together.


"Please, just take it." She insisted while very nearly threatening to pout at him as she looked up at him. It did make sense to her that he didn't want to take it back. It was a gift, and she understood that you shouldn't take gifts back. But she had to atleast try to make him take it.

 

[missbrightside]

Riley sighed, being just smart enough to realize when he had a lost cause on his hands. "Okay," he said with a brittle smile, "You win." He rubbed his thumb along the smooth little spheres, then turned around and walked his mug to the sink. Suddenly he twisted, throwing her a lopsided smile over his shoulder. "Your loss.. Daddy thinks the Bird needs some new floor mats."


At this point, that was his long running gag. Every time they brought up a discussion about home improvements that needed done or how they were going to spend a bit of disposable income, he would always throw in the floor mats. Maybe he was thinking differently because he had some extra cash on hand recently, but even if he was desperate he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sell that necklace. Where was he even going to put it? It's not like he just had a jewelry box to shove it to the back of, out of sight out of mind. Ugh. This is why men weren't meant to be sentimental like this.


He looked back over his shoulder, dangling the pearls between his fingers, eyebrow arched. You're sure you won't take them?

 

[Woohoooo]

Acacia nodded to herself feeling triumphant that she finally won a battle. She wouldn't have to worry about the necklace, he was going to take it. This was for the best, right? As he mentioned floor mats a grin crept onto her face but she managed to dull it down to a smirk and a scrunched up nose. "You and that damn car and those damn floor mats" she teased him, almost playfully. Then the possibility that he might actually pawn the necklace entered her mind. He wouldn't do that, would he?


"Just give em' to me" she rumbled while snagging the pearls from his hands and admiring them a bit. It was a real shame that she wouldn't be able to put the necklace to good use. But maybe she could give them to someone more deserving of them. "No, no, take it" she said, having a minor internal struggle over the thing. As she went to hand the necklace back she shook her head and laughed a bit, understanding what a fool she must look like. "No, I'm--I'm gonna keep it. I don't know what I'm gonna do with it. But I'd like to keep it." She explained a little flustered but ultimately content with her decision.


She knew he wouldnt actually sell the necklace for floor mats. But if she was being honest with herself, she wanted the necklace. It carried a lot more happy memories than it did sad. The lame, mooshy, lovey, sentimental part of her just couldn't let it go.

 

[missbrightside]

Riley stood by as she turned hot and cold and then hot again, pressing his lips together to keep a smile from creeping up on him. The display couldn't be a better representation of the way he was feeling, the push-pull of trying to get away and then snapping back like elastic. At the same time, it was bittersweet. It was good to know that he wasn't (the only one) going crazy but it was also sad to think that here he was lashing out at her half the time when really they're exactly the same.


One side of his mouth tugged upwards. She was gonna keep them. He shrugged, going for casualty. "Okay, that's cool." Something in his chest fluttered and he hated himself for it. Push-pull. "They found their way back, after all," he added. Without realizing Riley had rested a hand on her shoulder and he pulled it back like he was pulling away from fire.


"Besides, your car probably needs the help more," he tacked on quickly, flashing a smile. "So um, do you need anything while I'm out today?" He asked, blinking and hesitating his way through the most unnatural segue he had probably ever used. "Got some stuff to trim..." Oh how fascinating, please tell me more Riley. STOP TALKING. "Just the usual."

 

[Woohoooo]

"Hey!" and a quick laugh were the only things Acacia could muster to defend the hunk of junk that was her car. She's had the bug since she was a teenager. While she certainly loved riding around in Riley's gorgeous car, there was something about her brightly colored car she was never willing to give up on. She put more money into that car than it was worth, that's for sure.


"Speaking of the bug," Acacia started with a little pep in her voice, while her gaze shifted from the string of pearls in her hand to Riley. "She broke down last night, and I took her to the shop. Do you think, maybe, you could bring me to the grocery store?" she asked, the words falling freely from her mouth. But as she thought about it, her nerves started to get the better of her. Was she allowed to ask for a ride? Did this cross some kind of ex-lover code of conduct? She couldn't decide if it was inappropriate so she tried to make it seem normal by talking more. "After you're done...trimming stuff, of course. Or I could just walk? Why don't I just walk?" she babbled a bit nibbling at her bottom lip momentarily.


"I cleared my whole schedule for this plumber guy" she continued speaking to avoid being made fun of. "I guess I'll finally have time to clean the apartment..."

 

[missbrightside]

He smiled with righteousness as she told him about her car, but he didn't comment. "Yeah, sure," Riley replied warmly, wanting to show that he wasn't put out by the request. He always liked to be of use. Plus, if back to normal was the objective, what could be more normal than a lift after that fussy old piece of machinery broke down. He didn't know why she would make such a big deal out of it. "I could actually stand to do some shopping myself. No need to walk, we’re not pioneers," he scoffed.


He glanced around at the apartment. He supposed they had been letting it slide a bit lately. Which was most likely more him than her.. Whoops. "And don't even worry about the apartment. I'll do it later. Take the day off." He started walking out of the kitchen to get a change of clothes more suitable for working in. "So whaddya say, Mary Ingalls? I can swing back here in about.. oh.. an hour or so and pick you up."

 

[Woohoooo]

"Great, thank you..." Acacia grinned as he easily agreed to give her a lift and all her nerves melted away. Ever since they broke up she never wanted to take up any of his precious free time. They spent enough time bickering at home. She was certain he didn't want to bicker with her during his time away and neither did she. But he did seem genuinely available and willing to give her a ride so she didn't feel like she was imposing or anything. Plus walking to the grocery store would be an insanely long walk and then the walk back with groceries would be even worse. Why she even offered to walk was beyond her.


She nodded simply when he suggested she take the day off and offered to clean the place up himself. But unfortunately, the word "relax" was not always in Acacia's vocabulary. As soon as he left she was definetly going to clean the whole apartment anyway. Even despite the fact that she was absolutely exhausted from being awake since three in the morning. She wandered into the living room as he left the kitchen and placed the necklace on the coffee table. She glanced at him when he spoke up again. "Alright, Daniel Boone. See you in an hour or so. Call me when your outside or come up and get me...your call" she commented winking at him before turning away and plopping down onto the sofa that caused them a world of hurt last night.

 

[missbrightside]

Riley smiled and gave a two finger salute. Daniel Boone... he didn't know if he should feel complimented, but he did. Why did she have to be so cute? This would be a lot easier if she wasn't so cute. He went into the bedroom and pulled a pair of stained jeans and a t shirt out of his section of the dresser, ducking back out as quickly as possible. Then he brushed his teeth and wetted down the parts of his hair that were sticking up at odd angels. He was no Brad Pitt but it was good enough for the hedges he was clipping. They had known him for too long to be much impressed by him. That and they didn't have eyes. "Later gator!" he crowed, snatching his keys and heading down to the parking lot.


His car was a 90s Mustang, a good heart but rough around the edges when he first bought her. With time, new rims, and a paint job with never ending tweaks and improvements, she had blossomed into a real beauty. He had to admit that the cool factor was brought down a peg when he attached the small trailer with all his lawn care tools, but what could he say? He had to eat, and so did the Hummingbird, and it's not like he could afford a second vehicle, so work for her keep the Bird must. Today he only needed the weed whacker and the hedge trimmers which fit easily in the trunk, so he was free to cruise unburdened on this trip. Even if it was only a few minutes drive to the apartment complex where he was doing the work, he enjoyed the ride: the Bird rode light and sensitive to the touch, just like her name.


He was about halfway through the hedge work and sweating a river when someone whistled at him from a few hundred yards away. Wiping off his forehead, he squinted into the sun and recognized his friend Chad. "Hey man," he called, dropping his shears and heading towards his friend.


"Riley!" Chad cried, his copper hair and fair skin practically blinding in the light. Riley wasn't sure how old Chad was but his appearance of innocence was sometimes unnerving given that there was something vaguely hawkish about him, though Riley supposed that might come more from the fact that he knew about the mind that was contained within him. His mind was sharp as a diamond and unforgiving, but right now he looked like an average sweet guy. "I was just heading your direction, but I saw you were here." He gestured behind him to the parking lot. The day was already heating up to be a scorcher, and the Birds glossy, multilayered dark green paint was gleaming in the sun, showing off the hints of blue and purple that were incorporated in the color. "For you," he said, handing over a white envelope.


Riley took the envelope, leaving dingy fingerprints on its surface as he turned it over, examining it. "The rest of your money," Chad hurried to explain.


"I didn't know there was more." He tucked the envelope in the band of his jeans.


"Yeah man. Can you believe it?" Chad beamed. "I could hug you right now but," he glanced at Riley's tshirt, "I might have to take a rain check. "


"And I would gladly return that hug, but right now I'd have to advise against it," he said with a smile. "And by the way you don't have to bring me this, from now on. I'll just get it the next time I see you." Riley wouldn't generally mind Chad stopping by but it alarmed him to think he might stumble upon Acacia and say some things that Riley would prefer he didn't.


"Hey, anything you say man," he said replied enthusiastically. "Anything for you. So I'll let you get back to work," he turned back towards the parking lot. "See you later then?"


"See you later. And Ginger," he said, waiting for the other man to turn. Riley pulled the envelope back out and waved it in the air. "This was all you. Don't believe anybody who tries to say different. Chad shook his head dismissively, but Riley saw his ear to ear grin before he turned his back.


Riley was feeling giddy as he finished the rest of his work. He could barely wait to get back to the car to count out the contents of the envelope. When he did, he discovered that the it was nearly the same amount that Chad had given him before. Double. This was double what he thought he had earned. Exponentially more than he thought he would get. Infinitely more than he could earn mowing lawns. He drove back to the apartment living on a different planet than he was when he had driven away. He almost forgot that he was supposed to pick up Acacia, and when he remembered he dialed her number from downstairs, holding the phone with his shoulder as he put his equipment back in the trailer in their storage unit. He figured he was probably a bit later than expected, but what's new. Just hopefully he wasn't conspicuously late.