WrongorWriteBoxedSetstripped

by Sky Corgan

  Apparently, Dominick wasn't the only one who was exhausted. I woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing, groaning as I looked over at the clock and realized I had overslept. Since Melinda had been coming over every morning, there had been no reason to set my alarm. My body usually knew before she arrived. I'd wake up in a bad mood, anticipating it. Today I hadn't been given time to wake up in a bad mood.

  Dominick looked equally annoyed by the sound, lifting his head and sighing before letting it fall back down with a huff. “Are you going to let her in, or should I?”

  “We could tell her to go away.” I smirked at him, rolling over to kiss his shoulder.

  “I suppose we could.” He smiled at me.

  “I could take the day off of school and we could spend it together,” I suggested, hopeful.

  “We could, but then I'd get behind in work and you'd fall behind in school.”

  “One day won't kill us.”

  “It wouldn't, but she might.”

  “Dominick,” I groaned. “I can't go on like this anymore. I really can't.”

  “Alright.” He gave me a short look of concern and then rolled out of bed. I watched him walk to his chest of drawers to pull out a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt. My body ached as each inch of naked skin was covered. Damn me for feeling so needy.

  With a sigh, I quickly dressed as well and then went into the kitchen to make myself breakfast while Dominick let Melinda in. I hated it that he hadn't given in to me, but I did understand. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to have to bear her presence for the next few months until this was all over with.

  “We need to talk,” I heard Dominick tell her, instantly drawing my attention to the living room.

  “Oh, what is it?” she asked, following him to sit on the loveseat.

  I continued about my business, pouring a bowl of cereal and trying to pretend like I wasn't eavesdropping. My ears were completely tuned in to their conversation though, wondering what he was about to tell her.

  “I can't do this anymore,” he said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “This. You being here all the time.”

  “It's starting to get to Kim, isn't it?” she sounded genuinely sympathetic.

  “Not just Kim. It's getting to me too. I understand you want these projects done as quickly as possible, but you're being a slave driver.”

  “I'm only doing this because it's important. My being here helps keep you on track, doesn't it?”

  “Yes. But you don't need to be here all the time. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you can't stay on top of me 24/7.”

  “Well, I obviously can't leave you to your own devices, or you won't get anything done.”

  “If you keep this up much longer, I'm going to go on strike,” he threatened, though there was no malice in his voice. “You're burning me out. I'm a writer, not a factory worker. You can't expect me to write twelve hours straight every day without burning out. When you force me to write for so long, the quality of my work suffers. Surely, you've seen that in your edits.”

  She hesitated, “I have, but this stuff has to get done.”

  “It will get done, but you need to trust me.”

  “I wish I could, but you're already so far behind,” Melinda sighed.

  “Let's work something out then. I understand your need to stay on top of me, I really do, but my work is starting to suffer and so is my relationship. Kim told me she wanted to leave last night because she can't handle you being around all the time.”

  “I'm sorry. I didn't know. I never came here with the intentions of messing stuff up for you. I just remember how you were before, how hard you used to work.”

  “I still work hard. Things are a bit different now though. I'm not the person I was before. Before, I didn't have anyone, so I was able to work like a machine. I'm not a machine though, and I can't keep up this pace.”

  “I understand. What do you want to do then?”

  “Eight hours a day. That's more than enough time for me to get a good amount of work done. That's all the time I'm going to give you. You can come over from nine to six. Kim's first class starts at eight forty-five. That way, her and I can have the mornings together. If you leave at six, we can still have part of our afternoons together as well. I tend to slow down after five o'clock anyway, because I can't really think anymore.”

  “That's nine hours.”

  “I factored in two fifteen-minute breaks and a thirty-minute lunch.”

  “Sounds fair.”

  “Good, because that's the way that it's going to be. I promise I'll get these books out before deadline. You have to trust me.”

  “I do. I think I was just freaking out for myself. You know what happens if I don't meet my deadline.”

  “I know, and I promise I won't let you down.”

  She took a deep breath, “Then I suppose all I can do is trust you. You've never let me down before. I don't see why I should worry about it now.”

  “You shouldn't. Since you're already here, we might as well get to work. I want you out by five o'clock though, since you're here early.”

  “Fine, Dominick. I understand. I'm sorry I've been so overbearing lately. I didn't mean to mess things up for you with Kim.”

  “I know you didn't. Your intentions are always good.”

  Dominick retreated to his office, and I ate my cereal in the dining room with a smile on my face, elated that he had stood up for us. Part of me felt guilty though. Melinda sounded sincerely remorseful, and I can't help but think I had painted the wrong picture of her in my mind. There probably wasn't anything going on between them, though if there was, there was no way for me to find out. Still, I decided to trust Dominick, to trust both of them. After all, I expected him to trust me with Victor. The least I could do was return that trust.

  As she had promised, Melinda left the house at five o'clock that afternoon. I still wasn't too pleased to come home and find her sitting on the loveseat, but it made me a lot less grumpy knowing she wouldn't be there much longer. That night, I made dinner, and Dominick and I ate together. He seemed every bit as glad as I was that she was gone.

  The days and weeks marched on, and things got better for all of us. Dominick and I were generally happier, and even Melinda confessed that being around us all the time had dragged her down a bit. She didn't realize that what she was doing had such an impact on all of our moods. We all seemed happier for the change, and Dominick's productivity didn't dip. Melinda was surprised to find that he got almost as much work done in eight hours as he had in twelve. The finished product was a lot better too, less editing on her part.

  While the suspicion of Dominick cheating loomed around for a while after the schedule change, it didn't take long before his sex drive picked back up, and that fear was eradicated. With my happiness restored, I was less hostile toward Melinda, and I even started to like her. Sometimes, when the workday was done, she'd stick around, and we'd chat about how Dominick was before I had come back into his life. She'd tell me funny stories, and we'd laugh and have a good time at his expense. He wasn't exactly pleased that she disclosed such embarrassing things about him, but he did like it that we were getting along.

  After Dominick finished the second of the three novels, Melinda started coming around even less. Since she had ridden his ass about the first two, there was plenty of time to get the last one finished. It was honestly odd not seeing her so often, and I strangely began to miss her. She was such a constant in our lives that when the contract was up at the end of the year, it almost felt like I was losing a friend.

  “I can't believe we got it all done,” she commented as we sat together for a celebratory dinner after the last novel had been finished.

  “I know,” Dominick said. “I couldn't have done it without you.”

  “I know you couldn't have.” She smiled before turning her attention to me. “You keep him on his toes. I don't want to have to come back here and set him straight again.”

/>   “I don't think she wants that either,” Dominick laughed.

  “It sucked at first, but I think I'm going to kind of miss you now,” I said.

  “Aww. I'm going to miss you guys too. You're like my little family away from family.”

  “I bet you'll be happy to get back home to New York though,” Dominick said.

  “I'll just be happy to get this all turned in. Remember when you go in to renew your contract to tell Marty that you want more time between projects.”

  “I don't think Kim will let me forget.” He rubbed my knee under the table.

  “I won't. If you do this to me again . . .” I thought about threatening to deny him sex, but then I got too embarrassed to say anything.

  “I bet he'd have hell to pay.” Melinda smirked.

  After the meal was over, we hugged and went our separate ways. It was strange to think that this woman had almost torn Dominick and I apart, and now I was sad to see her leave. In truth, it wasn't her who had almost torn us apart, but my own insecurities. Dominick was right. I was stupid to ever think he would love someone besides me. He had a dedicated heart. Before me, it had only belonged to my sister, and she had cast it aside, to my benefit. I would never cast him aside though. Not ever.

  Chapter 3

  Christmas vacation was quickly approaching, and I was dreading talking to Dominick about going to spend it with Tammy. The thought of leaving him alone broke my heart, but it wasn't like he didn't have options. He could go spend it with his family . . . or I could break down and tell Tammy that we were dating, and he could spend it with me. I scowled at myself for my cowardice. Why was it so damn hard for me to tell her about us?

  “Someday. Someday, we'll spend all of our Christmases together,” I told Dominick, feeling especially guilty.

  “It really doesn't bother me,” he replied nonchalantly. “It only bothers me because it bothers you.”

  “It does bother me. You're my boyfriend. We should be together on Christmas.”

  “Well, you know how to fix that, Kimlet.” He mussed up my hair and went on about his business, leaving me aggravated.

  I did know how to fix it, but it was too close to the holidays to bother trying, and the last thing I needed was for Tammy and I to be upset with each other during Christmas. That would just ice the cake of unpleasantness. One way or another, with or without my boyfriend, Christmas was not going to perfect.

  Tammy sounded happy when I called her—too happy. Her voice was shaking, practically bursting with excitement, and all I could think was that her and Marcus must have conceived. She was finally pregnant.

  “Spit it out,” I said, grinning from ear to ear at the thought of being an aunt.

  “I can't hide anything from you, can I?” Her smile was apparent through the phone.

  “Nope. I know you too well.”

  “I wanted to discuss Christmas with you.”

  “Good. That's why I called.”

  “I've got a super special present for you.”

  “Is it a little niece or nephew?” I asked, quickly becoming tired of her stalling. She always did this, tried to play a guessing game when she had really important news to tell.

  “No,” her tone dampened a bit, “but it's almost as good.”

  “You and Marcus decided to adopt?”

  “No. It has nothing to do with a baby.”

  “I'm totally out of guesses, sis.”

  “You know the promotion I told you that I thought I was up for, the one where Marcus and I would have to move to Pennsylvania?”

  “Oh, you got the promotion. Congratulations!”

  “Yes!” she squealed, and I could picture her jumping up and down on the other end of the line. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

  “It's about time. You've been waiting for it forever.”

  “I know. They promoted this other girl before me. I honestly was starting to think it was never going to happen. But everything happens for a reason, as they say.

  “I start my new position on January the second, so as you can imagine, Marcus and I have been frantic trying to get everything ready for the move.”

  An odd sense of relief flushed through me. I knew where this was headed. She was going to tell me I couldn't come for Christmas, and while that did make me a little sad, I was also excited at the thought of Dominick and I spending our first Christmas together as a couple. Already, images of decorating the tree together, drinking hot cocoa in front of the television while we watched Christmas shows, and unwrapping presents on Christmas morning were playing through my head like a happy montage of prospective new memories.

  “I get it. You guys are going to be too busy to have me for Christmas. It's fine,” I said, trying to sound disappointed.

  “Yes and no.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don't have to worry about coming here for Christmas because we'll be there with you.”

  “What are you talking about?” I laughed nervously, now completely lost.

  “You know how I said that everything happens for a reason. Well, the girl who got hired before me ended up being sent to Pennsylvania. The new spot that opened up just happens to be in Mesa, Arizona. So, Marcus and I are moving to Mesa,” she squealed again. “Oh, Kim, isn't that incredible? I mean, what are the odds? Now you and I and Marcus can be a family again. You don't have to live with Dominick anymore. You can move in with us. Isn't that great!”

  It felt like my mouth had dropped to the floor like a character from a cartoon. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Surely, this was a dream—or a nightmare. Tammy and Marcus were coming to Arizona . . . to live, and they wanted me to move in with them.

  I had just gotten over almost being torn away from Dominick, and now this. No, I wasn't happy. I was mortified. Devastated. Destroyed. Now I had to choose between Dominick and my family, and by the way Tammy sounded, it wasn't much of a choice.

  “That's great,” I said finally, unable to hide the disappointment in my voice.

  “Kim, what's wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I shook my head. “They just showed something really sad on television. I'm sorry, I got distracted. That's great that you guys are moving here. I'm totally excited. So, you'll be here before Christmas?”

  “We're going to try. We've already been looking at houses online and plan to fly out this weekend to meet with a realtor. I thought we could spend some time together when I'm down there. It will sort of be an early Christmas present.”

  “Yeah, that's great. I'd love that.”

  “Awesome. We're going to fly in late on Friday night. If you're not doing anything, maybe you'd like to come with us to look at the houses. I'd like to have you on my side in case Marcus tries to pick out an ugly house. Two against one, you know. Girl power,” she said happily.

  “Yeah. Girl power. Yay,” I replied weakly.

  “Are you sure you're okay?”

  “I'm fine. That thing I saw on TV was just really disturbing. Some guy shot a puppy in the face,” I lied.

  “Oh, that's horrible. Well, turn off the TV. You're supposed to be happy, not all gloomy.”

  “I am happy. Does Dominick know?”

  “No. I wanted to tell you first. I didn't trust that he would keep his mouth shut. I bet you're chomping at the bit to move out. I figured I'd give you the satisfaction of telling him.”

  “Satisfaction. Yeah.” My mind was in a complete daze. Nothing would be less satisfying than telling Dominick this news.

  “Well, we've still got a lot of packing to do and preparations to make, so I'll let you go. If all goes well, we should be there before Christmas. We'll probably have to spend it in an apartment, but that will only be temporary until we close on whatever house we pick out. That type of stuff usually takes a while.”

  “I'm sure it will be a good Christmas, wherever we spend it.”

  “I'm sure it will be too. I can't wait to see you again, Kim. I've missed you so much. The thought that we'll be living together
soon fills me with such joy.”

  “Me too, sis,” I told her as warmly as I could muster. If the situation was different, I might actually be happy about this news. But as it was, the news just filled me with dread and sorrow and a load of other negative emotions I didn't want to have to deal with right before the holidays.

  “I love you, little sis,” Tammy said

  “I love you too.”

  “Take care.”

  When I hung up the phone, my mouth was still agape, my mind in complete disbelief. I pinched myself to make sure I was actually awake. It wasn't a nightmare. Tammy was moving to Arizona, and I had no idea what that meant for Dominick and I.

  Not wanting to wallow in my misery alone, I immediately crawled off of my bed and went into Dominick's office. He was tapping away on his keyboard, working hard as normal, totally oblivious to my presence. I knocked lightly to get his attention, then leaned against the door frame, not really sure how to approach the subject.

  “Yeah?” he asked, somewhat annoyed.

  “I just got off the phone with Tammy.”

  “Oh. When are you leaving to go visit her?”

  “I'm not.” I shifted my weight uncomfortably.

  “What do you mean you're not?” Dominick swiveled around in his chair to face me. “Did you finally get up the nerve to tell her about us?”

  “No.” I sighed, “I'm not going there because she's coming here.”

  “Oh.” He looked surprised. “Well, that should be different. It's nothing we can't handle. Will Marcus be joining her?”

  “Yes,” I hesitated. “They're coming here permanently.”

  “Permanently?”

  “Permanently.”

  Dominick furrowed his brow. “Are you going to speak plainly or are we going to talk in riddles all night, because as much as I love you, Kim, I really don't have the time for it.”

  “They're moving here,” I said quickly. “And they want me to move in with them.”

  “Oh.” His expression changed, but I couldn't see the emotion behind it. “Well, that's good, I suppose. You should be with your family.”