Freaks in the City

by Maree Anderson

  On her way out, she swiped her iPod from the tallboy and her sneakers from the floor by the wardrobe. She cast one more glance at Tyler before she pulled the bedroom door shut behind her.

  She discovered Vanessa peering into the fridge and muttering to herself.

  “If you’re looking for milk, we’re fresh out.” She’d intended to get up early and slip out to purchase a carton. “There’s a UHT carton in the pantry.”

  Vanessa straightened with one hand on her chest where she doubtless imagined her heart was supposed to be. “Crap! You startled me.”

  Jay considered not giving a response. Vanessa had made a statement not a question. In addition it was a correct statement, because Vanessa had made it very obvious that she had indeed been startled. Logically, no response was required. But none of Jay’s dealings with Vanessa thus far had been based on anything remotely resembling logic. In the end she settled on, “Sorry.”

  She yanked the sweats on over her shorts and then thrust her feet into the sneakers before performing some basic stretches. She didn’t need to stretch to warm up her muscles before a run, but it was considered beneficial for humans to do so.

  Vanessa had managed to locate the carton of milk and a box of cereal in the pantry. She brought both items over to the breakfast bar before nosing inside a couple of cupboards, searching for crockery. She appeared to be making herself very much at home.

  For some indefinable reason Vanessa’s actions irked Jay. Father’s programming had instilled a knowledge of far more than mere basic etiquette, and Vanessa was showing her up as an ungracious hostess. Or perhaps it was simply that Vanessa royally pissed Jay off—had done ever since their first rather disastrous meeting when Vanessa had taken it upon herself to punch Jay in the stomach.

  “Help yourself,” she said, injecting a degree of sarcasm in her tone. “Just make sure you leave some cereal for Tyler. Apple Jacks are his favorite.”

  Vanessa flushed. She ducked her head and toyed with the spoon she’d gotten from the cutlery drawer. “Thanks for letting me stay here.”

  “I’d say, ‘You’re welcome,’ but you and I both know I’d be lying.”

  Surprisingly, that sally provoked a wry laugh. “Yeah, I kinda got that. You do ‘bitch’ real well, Jay. You’d give Bettina a run for her money.”

  Despite herself, Jay’s lips twitched upward in appreciation of Vanessa’s comment. At Greenfield High, Bettina had cornered the market on bitch and reigned supreme. “I’ve been practicing.”

  Vanessa fiddled with the closure of the UHT milk carton, finally figured it out, and poured milk into her cereal bowl.

  “About last night,” Jay said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. The nightmare was….” She closed her eyes and sucked in a bracing breath. “I dreamed Tyler died and it was my fault. I couldn’t wake up. I just kept dreaming him dying in front of me over and over.”

  When she opened her eyes it was to find Vanessa staring at her, mouth slightly agape, like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

  Jay reviewed her statements. She’d only wanted to make it clear that even if she didn’t like Vanessa very much, she didn’t intend to make a habit of assaulting her—well, not without major provocation, anyway. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so honest. Perhaps she shouldn’t have tried to explain herself. She rubbed her temple and sighed inwardly. Too late now.

  Vanessa shut her mouth with an audible snap. “That must have been awful.”

  “It was.” Before the silence could grow awkward, Jay changed the subject. “How’s your throat? Do you need me to pick you up some arnica cream for the bruising?”

  Vanessa massaged her neck. “I took a couple more Tylenol when I got up. It doesn’t feel so bad. But thanks anyway.”

  “Do you wish to press charges for assault?”

  Vanessa shook her head a little too emphatically. “No. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. It was an accident, right?”

  Jay nodded. She grabbed a marker and scribbled a note for Tyler on the whiteboard she’d fixed to the wall by the phone. “I need to get out of the house for a bit. I’m going for a run. If you like, I’ll take you shopping for clothes when I get back.”

  Vanessa ducked her head again, hiding her expression. “Thanks.”

  Jay strode from the room and let herself out of the house. It was a relief to shut the door on Vanessa, and the nightmare, and all the awkwardness that had resulted. She set her iPod on random play, inserted the ear buds, and jogged down the front stairs.

  She darted across the street, taking care to keep to a speed that was within normal human parameters. The urge to sprint, to test her physical capabilities and run flat out, beckoned seductively in a small corner of her mind. She forced it back and settled into her stride. If she wanted to appear human, if she wanted to fit in, she could not test her limits. As humans were fond of saying: Ignorance is bliss. Or in Jay’s case, better not to explore her full capabilities lest she be tempted to use them.

  ~~~

  An incoming text alert woke him. Tyler rolled over and reached for his cell phone. He peered at the text, expecting one of Pete’s invites to come over and watch the game. Which was Pete-speak for get drunk, get stoned, make a helluva mess, and earn the wrath of Chandler for trashing the place.

  The text was from his sister.

  aaargh!!! who knew baby clothes so tricky to sew??? frickin nightmare!!!

  Apparently designing baby clothes was not Caro’s forte—not for lack of trying, though. Just about every text he got from her lately mentioned baby-related stuff. Tyler wondered how the guys in his sister’s design class were doing with the assignment. Bet they were impressed. Their tutor had to be snickering over that one. And Matt…. Bet Caro’s boyfriend felt like running for the hills every time he spotted her working on yet another teeny-tiny frou-frou outfit. Poor bastard.

  cld b worse, he texted back. cld b doggie outfits.

  HAH! came the response. i’m safe. fat chance mom will ever get a dog now.

  He hadn’t been awake long enough to comprehend the segue from sewing baby clothes to his mom getting a dog, so Tyler didn’t bother to try. He yawned and stretched and wasn’t surprised to find he was alone in bed. Jay didn’t require anywhere near as much sleep as he did. Not for the first time he wondered whether she required sleep at all… and whether she would ever admit such a thing to him. Unlikely. He got the impression Jay didn’t want to bring attention to her… differences because she didn’t know how he’d react.

  He flung an arm over his eyes and groaned. He couldn’t blame her for concealing the full extent of her differences. When he’d first discovered she was a cyborg he’d been so gutted, felt so fucking betrayed, he’d lashed out at her physically. And although at the time he’d known she couldn’t feel physical pain like a human did, that didn’t excuse his actions. It’d been a shitty thing to do—cowardly, too, because he’d trusted she wouldn’t retaliate and smack him upside the head as he’d so richly deserved. He’d been an immature asshole about the whole thing and he was damned lucky she hadn’t walked away and never looked back.

  He still couldn’t believe she’d chosen him, not when she could have any guy out there eating out of her hand. He still couldn’t believe she’d changed her identity, spent countless hours and bucket-loads of cash covering her tracks so she could come back to him and be a part of his life for as long as he wanted her—her words, not his. Stubborn damn female. Like he’d ever stop wanting her.

  If only he could figure out how to get her to realize that he was the one who felt lucky. He was the one who needed to prove himself, not her.

  His stomach rumbled and he rolled out of bed.

  When he strolled into the kitchen, Nessa was perched on a barstool, nursing a mug and staring vacantly into space.

  Tyler inhaled. Coffee. Good idea. After last night, boy did he need a caffeine hit. He headed for Mr. Coffee. Jay had wanted one of those fancy espresso machine with a fancy price tag t
o match, but Tyler insisted he wasn’t capable of doing more than push a button before his morning caffeine fix. Anything too complicated would be wasted on him.

  “Hey,” he muttered as he passed Nessa.

  “Hey.”

  She sounded croaky. Tyler’s gaze snapped to her neck. The bruises were manifesting with a vengeance. Shit. He took a bracing swig of strong black coffee and shuddered when it seared his taste buds.

  “Looks worse than it is,” she said. “Nothing a bit of concealer won’t hide. I’ll ice it again today, stay on the Tylenol for a couple more days.” She shrugged. “No big deal.”

  He frowned at her over the rim of his mug. She’d reeled that off like dealing with serious bruising was commonplace for her.

  “Time-Out can get a bit rowdy,” she said, answering his unspoken question.

  Tyler leaned his hip against the counter and took a much bigger swig of coffee. And then wished he hadn’t when guilt turned the coffee to acid in his gut. He set the mug down, raked a hand through his hair and tugged on the ends. He didn’t want to feel sorry for her. He didn’t want to feel responsible for her. “Shit, Vanessa. I—”

  “Don’t you dare.” Her lower lip protruded in the pouty way that used to turn him to putty in her scheming hands.

  He blinked. “What?”

  “Feel sorry for me. I brought this on myself, okay?”

  “Vanessa, I hardly think you deserved to be half-strangled because you walked in on someone having one helluva nightmare.”

  She puffed a sharp breath out through her nose and simultaneously rolled her eyes. “I meant being expelled and kicked out of home and having to work in a shithole because no one else would take me on.”

  “Oh. Right.” Could she really have changed? Grown up and decided to take responsibility for her own choices? Sure sounded like it. Maybe there was hope for her after all.

  “I left you some Apple Jacks,” she said, jerking her chin at the cereal box on the counter. “Jay said they were your favorite.”

  Tyler couldn’t help but feel grateful for the change of subject. Raking up the past was making things a little too intense for his comfort. And it was just plain weird seeing Nessa sitting in the kitchen wearing one of his old t-shirts. The whole situation felt… intimate. And the last thing Tyler wanted was any sort of intimacy with his ex. He didn’t want Nessa getting the wrong idea. Or Jay, for that matter. Just as well he’d thrown on some clothes before leaving the bedroom.

  “Thanks. Where is she, anyway?”

  Nessa shrugged. “Don’t know.”

  Tyler padded over to check for a note on the fridge whiteboard.

  Nope. Wiped clean. Jay was probably hiding out in the studio—it was soundproofed, so she would be able to vent without fear of pissing off the neighbors. He grabbed his mug of coffee and wandered upstairs to check on her.

  The room was empty.

  He backed out of the studio, pivoted, and stood in the narrow hallway. “Jay!” he yelled, knowing she’d hear him, even if she’d climbed out onto the roof—something she did every now and then that gave him the raging heebie jeebies.

  He cocked his head, listening. No response. She must have gone out—maybe to pick up milk, or for a run. But she always left him a note. Always. Even if he turned up unexpectedly and had to let himself in with the key she’d given him because she wasn’t home, there was always a note. It was a ritual—something she’d agreed to after he’d made her promise never to disappear and leave him hanging again.

  Jay wouldn’t have taken off because of Vanessa. No way. He rolled his shoulders, shrugging off his unease.

  As he took another swig of coffee he happened to glance at his watch. Shit. If he didn’t make tracks he’d miss the bus and be late for his first class of the day. But he didn’t want to leave without checking up on Jay and making sure she was okay—making sure they were okay.

  He descended the stairs to the bedroom level and headed for the master bedroom to grab his cell phone. Midway through dialing Jay’s number he noticed her sleek purple phone on the bedside table. Crap.

  There was no reason to be concerned about her. She could handle anything that anyone threw at her. She’d be okay. He hoped. Though that meltdown last night wasn’t making him feel any better about leaving her alone with Nessa for the best part of a day.

  He swallowed the last of his coffee and ditched the empty mug on the tallboy. Books and a thumb drive with a completed assignment got shoved in his messenger bag, keys and wallet in the back pocket of his jeans.

  What else did he need for today? He mentally ticked off the list. A bunch more clothes from his apartment. Oh yeah, drawing project he’d meant to finish last night. It was a bit rough, but wouldn’t take long to complete. He could snatch time in the breaks between his scheduled classes.

  Of course he’d left it upstairs in the studio. A groan escaped his lips. He sure didn’t need gym workouts living in a three story brownstone.

  He careened down the hallway and almost ran Nessa down as she exited the bathroom. She shrieked, and clutched the towel more tightly about her torso as she backed away from him. “Crap, Tyler. If you don’t want to be scarred for life when I drop this towel and flash you, then watch where the hell you’re going.”

  Whoa. Bare skin alert. He didn’t know where to look so he stared straight ahead at the wall above the stairwell. “Sorry.”

  “I’m about to take a shower,” she said, obviously feeling the need to explain herself. “Needed something from my room.”

  “Gotta run or I’ll miss the bus. Oh, and meant to say, when Jay gets back make sure to ask her about a spare door key.”

  “Tyler, can I ask you something?”

  He glanced at his watch. “If it’s real quick.”

  “Are you and Jay—”

  Shit. He so didn’t want to be having this conversation right now. “A couple? Yes, Vanessa. We’re a couple.” He knew he sounded pissed but he didn’t much care. He headed for the stairwell.

  Her next question stopped him in his tracks. “Are you happy? With Jay, I mean.”

  He pivoted to face her, needing to read her expression. “What sort of a question is that?”

  Nessa dragged her big toe across the floor and then glanced up, straight into his eyes. “A valid one, I thought.”

  Tyler crossed his arms over his chest. “Why?” he bit out.

  “There’s a bunch of your clothes and stuff in the middle bedroom and I wondered—” She trailed off as she realized she’d just admitted to snooping. A dull flush crawled up her neck.

  Tyler could guess what she’d concluded but he felt like making her squirm. “You wondered, what, Vanessa?”

  “Whether you two were just friends who have a—” she used air quotes for emphasis “—friends with benefits thing going on.”

  “So what if we do?”

  “I just wondered about your—” pregnant pause “—relationship, is all.”

  “I’ll tell you the same I told my mom,” Tyler said. “It’s none of your business.”

  She got that gleam in her eyes—that calculating “How can I use this to my advantage?” gleam Tyler remembered all too well. He mentally reviewed what he’d just said. Ah, crap. Dumbass. Now she knew his mom wasn’t exactly over the moon and jumping for joy about his relationship with Jay.

  Relationship. Now there was a word—a really heavy on the issues word. Did Jay even comprehend what a boyfriend-girlfriend-living-together relationship was supposed to entail?

  Did she want to take this next step? Sure, she seemed affected physically by him at times. But what if she was simply following his lead? For all he knew, she might be perfectly content with the same kind of affectionate BFF thing she had with his twin, Caro.

  God. What if he was pushing her into something she wasn’t ready for? Or might never be ready for because….

  Because she wasn’t human.

  When he tuned in to the real world again, Nessa had moved closer. A lot closer.
Before he could get his head in the game and fend her off, she wound her arms about his neck and kissed him. On the mouth. With tongue.

  His stomach did a whoop-de-whoop and his pulse went into overdrive as the adrenaline kicked in. What she was doing, the reactions she was yanking from him… none of it felt good. He planted his hands on her hips, hoped like hell the towel would stay where it was ’coz a naked Nessa was sooo not gonna help matters right now, and thrust her away. “What. The. Fuck. Vanessa?” He wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

  She stared at him, all softly parted slightly puffy lips and hurt, astonished eyes. The towel slipped and Tyler averted his gaze as she made a grab for it. When he dared glance back she was tucking it more securely beneath her armpit.

  She took a hasty step backward when she noted the POed expression on his face. “I thought—”

  “You thought wrong. You try anything like that again, you’ll be out on your ass so quick your feet won’t touch the ground. Capiche?”

  She opened her mouth, doubtless to plead her case, but the front door slammed and all that came out was a girly squeak.

  Shit. Great timing. “Jay?” he called, peering down the stairwell.

  “Who else would it be?” She jogged up the stairs toward him.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Worry and stress, and embarrassment at being caught with his ex when she had made moves on him dressed in nothing but a freaking towel, made his tone sharp and accusatory.

  “I left a note on the whiteboard telling you I went for a jog.”

  Tyler’s stomach turned an OMG-she-didn’t somersault.

  Nessa’s guilty expression said it all.

  He fixed her with a scowl designed to burn all the scheming right out of her. “Why?” he said, having to force out the word because his teeth were clenched so tightly.

  Nessa’s lower lip wobbled and then she dived for the bathroom. Tyler could have grabbed her arm and forced her to deal here and now, but…. Hell. When having it out with your ex in front of your current girlfriend, it was probably a good idea for all parties to be fully clothed.