by AS Teague
I let my eyes flutter shut as Melinda got to work on what was, in fact, the best pedicure I’d ever had in my life.
14
Lawson
The voice coming from the bathroom was not Piper’s. It was deep and monotonous, obviously belonging to a man. Every time he stopped talking, Piper would respond, repeating the words. Every now and again I would catch a term I understood, but most of it was medical terminology I didn’t know.
Piper had been here a month and we hadn’t really talked about the rules of the house. This was probably because I didn’t have any rule, but that was before she’d moved in.
Now, we did. And the first rule of the house was, don’t take a two-hour long bath. I had no idea what she was doing in there, and if it weren’t for the conversation I could sort of make out with her and whoever mystery man was, I’d wonder if she’d drowned.
I stalked to the bathroom and lifted a hand to pound on the door. “Piper! How much longer are you going to be in there?”
She screamed on the other side of the door and water splashed. It sounded like she was slipping in the tub. “Oh, fuck! Dammit! Shit, shit, shit!”
My hand on the knob, I yelled through the door. “What the fuck is going on in there?”
“What the hell, Lawson?” she shouted from the other side.
I cleared my throat. “You’ve been in there for two hours!”
I could hear more water splashing around and I shuddered thinking about the flood that was probably on the tile floor. A few seconds later she yanked the door open, nearly pulling me into the bathroom with it.
Her face was the shade of a ripe tomato and her scowl matched my own.
“You broke my laptop!” she screeched, waving her free hand around. The other one was holding a ridiculously small towel around her body.
I trained my gaze at a spot above her head and leaned against the doorframe. “You’ve been in the bathroom for two. Fucking. Hours.”
She huffed and jabbed a finger in my chest. “Did you hear me? You. Broke. My. Laptop.”
I blinked and looked at her, trying my best to keep my eyes focused on her very angry face. “Who have you been talking to?”
“No one!” she snapped.
I took a step back and finally looked her over. Her hair was wet, plastered to her face and neck, and she was dripping water all over the floor. Mascara was smeared under her eyes. She looked like a drowned raccoon.
I smirked. “Usually when people take a bath, they look better when they get out. You look like a raccoon that got stuck out in the rain.” I gestured to her face and the look she gave me could have melted steel. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I held my hands up in surrender. “Look, I don’t want to sound like a dick here—”
“Well, you do,” she huffed, pulling the towel closer around her body.
“But you can’t spend hours in the bathroom. I’ve had to use the toilet for over an hour now.”
She blinked at me. “Why the hell didn’t you say something then?”
Because I was an asshole and was looking for something to complain about. “Well, I figured you would be out of there soon. I didn’t know that bath time was an all-day affair.”
“I was studying. On my laptop. It was my professor’s lecture that you heard! Jesus Christ, Lawson!”
She turned, her wet hair flying, and droplets hit me in the face. Snatching the computer from the counter, she held it out to me.
“When you pounded on the door like a, a, a raging lunatic, I dropped it in the tub! It’s ruined.” She gave the device a shake. Water ran out of it.
Shit. That thing was toast.
“What the hell were you doing with your laptop in the tub with you anyway?” I snapped. “Please, God, tell me you didn’t have it plugged in.”
She let out a strangled cry and stormed past me, her feet squeaking on the hardwood floors. She stomped the entire way down the hall to her room and then whirled back to me.
“The speakers aren’t loud enough on the laptop for me to hear it unless I’m holding it.” Her eyes began to fill with tears. “And I’ve had a terrible day. I just wanted to relax. But I needed to study.” I couldn’t tell if it was water or tears, but a single drop rolled down her face. “And now, I have no laptop. And apparently, no privacy either.”
She turned on her heel and marched into her room, slamming the door behind her. I winced when I heard the laptop clatter on the floor.
Standing alone in the hall, I knew I should go apologize. But I wasn’t lying when I’d said I’d had to use the bathroom for the last hour. I gave her door one last glance before I stepped into the bathroom.
There was water covering the floor and I had to grab the sink to keep from hitting the floor as I slid across the narrow space. “Dammit, Piper,” I grumbled, grabbing a towel from the rack and mopping up yet another of her messes.
Once I finished, I debated again going and knocking on her door and at least offering to look at the laptop. But, just like with the rift between us, I knew it was probably beyond the point of repair.
“You still not speaking to me?”
She turned slowly, two plates in her hands, and glared at me. She didn’t answer, but handed me one of the plates, and then pushed past me to go sit at the table. I looked down at the food and frowned. I couldn’t tell what it was supposed to be, and I wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t trying to poison me.
With a heavy sigh, I followed her and sat opposite of her. “It’s been two days and you haven’t said a single word, Piper. Come on. I told you I was sorry about your laptop.”
Piper continued to glare at me, stabbing her fork aimlessly at the food on her plate. When she finally speared a stalk of broccoli, she shoved it in her mouth and chewed, all the while her irritated stare never leaving my face.
It had been the most awkward two days of my life. And that was saying a lot considering I’d grown up a gangly computer nerd. I’d started out apologizing profusely. When that hadn’t worked, I’d tried to reciprocate the silence. But that hadn’t worked either, and oddly enough, I’d found I wasn’t enjoying the quiet nearly as much as I had before she’d moved in.
Despite the fact she wasn’t speaking to me, she’d still brought enough takeout home for both of us last night. And tonight, she’d cooked and plated two meals.
I took a bite of whatever this was on my plate and the moment it hit my taste buds, I froze.
She was trying to poison me.
Piper was still staring at me while she chewed and I didn’t want to piss her off any more than I had by spitting out whatever the hell this was, so I chewed quickly and swallowed, hoping that the one bite wasn’t enough to contract food poisoning. Grabbing my water bottle, I took a long swig out of it and then said, “Pip, this is really—”
“Horrible,” she finished, the first word she’d uttered in forty-eight hours.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not.” I knew my lie wasn’t convincing, so I added, “What is it?”
She dropped her fork onto her plate and leaned back in her chair. “It was supposed to be a Thai green curry dish.” She lifted a shoulder and picked her fork back up, pushing the contents of her plate around. “But I think I overdid it with the jalapeno. And, it turns out, I don’t actually know how to cook tofu.”
I took another bite, my eyes watering, and tried to smile. She was right, she’d definitely overdone it with the jalapeno…and the curry. I liked spicy food, but this stuff was damn near nuclear. “I think it’s just the right amount of spice.”
She laughed. “You’re so full of shit! I can see your eyes watering!” she sighed. “Stop eating it. I’ll order a pizza.”
“Oh, thank God.” I grabbed the napkin and spat the bite into it before draining the remainder of my water bottle. I was going to need half a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk to stop the burning in my mouth.
Piper stood up and grabbed both of our plates, taking them to the kitchen and unceremoniously dumping them down
the disposal. Over her shoulder, she told me, “I’ve been craving good Thai food lately. I haven’t had any in so long, and the closest place is like forty-five minutes from here. I don’t have time to go that far for a bowl of noodles.”
“Yeah, Antai, right? I’ve been there a few times. They are pretty good.”
She whirled, her eyes lit up. “Yes! Oh my gosh, have you ever had their drunken noodles?” Her eyes fluttered shut and she smiled dreamily. It was the first time I’d seen her look relaxed in ages. The worry line between her brows that seemed to always be there faded. She moaned softly as her eyes popped open. “I would punch a kitten for some right now.”
“I’ll warn Seven to stay away from you for the next few days.”
She blinked once. Then again. “I’m sorry. Did Lawson Reed just make a joke?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m a funny fuckin’ dude.”
She laughed and grabbed a towel to dry her hands. “Keep telling yourself that, Law.” She slid past me and dropped the towel on the table, exchanging it for her phone. “What do you want on your pizza?”
I groaned, knowing full well that the dish towel would remain on that table until I picked it up. I glanced back over my shoulder at the stove to see that it was covered in pots and pans full of the terrible creation she’d tried to feed us. “You gonna leave this shit here all night?”
She stopped in her tracks, halfway to the couch, and turned. “Uh, no?” It was both a question and not the truth. She hadn’t bothered to clean up after herself at all since she’d moved in. I knew this would be no different. “I’ll clean it up later.”
“Sure, you will,” I said under my breath.
She huffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Her hands were on her hips and she stood in front of me spoiling for a fight. I didn’t want to give it to her, but I’d had enough of her shit everywhere. My mouth started moving before my brain could tell it to stop. “It means you are the messiest person I’ve ever seen!” I exploded. “You don’t clean up after yourself, you don’t even try!” My arm flew out and I pointed to the stove. “That shit will sit there until I give up on you having any shred of consideration and clean it myself.”
Her jaw fell open. “I’m considerate!” she screeched.
“Well, not to me, you aren’t! I mean, fuck, I let you move into my house! The least you could do was act like you appreciated it and not spend two fucking hours in our only bathroom!”
Her eyes flashed, and I knew I’d wounded her. “I didn’t want to move in here. I didn’t beg you to let me stay here. You showed up one day to move my shit out. I would have been just fine without you.”
And just like that, she wounded me. “You’re not always going to have someone to take care of you, Piper. How the fuck are you going to survive on your own without me or Hampton?”
She took three long strides across the room and came to stand on her toes in my face. Her chest was heaving, as though she’d just run a marathon. “I don’t need you to take care of me!” She jabbed a finger in my chest and finished, “You think letting me sleep in one of your guest rooms is taking care of me? God, Lawson, what the hell have you ever done for me?”
I stepped away from her and muttered, “More than you fucking know.”
She scoffed. “That’s right, I forgot, you helped me get rid of my ancient laptop a couple days ago. I guess I should thank you for that.”
I shook my head and brushed past her. Over my shoulder, I told her, “You know, I think I’ll skip the pizza.”
I stormed down the hall, more pissed at her than I’d been in years. Slamming my bedroom door shut, I stalked to my closet and grabbed my tennis shoes. I needed to clear my head, needed to get out of the house.
The thought of needing to get out of my own damn house just pissed me off further. Why couldn’t she just clean up after herself? Fuck, was that so damn hard to do?
As I made my way down the hall, I heard her on the phone.
“Hampton, I swear to God, I just can’t…”
I kept moving so I couldn’t hear what it was that she couldn’t do anymore.
Of course, she called Hampton. She would always run back to him. It didn’t matter that he was the reason she was here in the first place. He could do no wrong in her eyes.
With one final burst of irritation, I pushed my way out into the night, determined to work her out of my head.
15
Piper
Freaking Lawson.
I’d spent my entire shift obsessing over our fight last night. I’d gone back and forth with myself, convinced it was him who was wrong. I mean, why was he such a hard ass? He’d always been on me about everything, for as long as I could remember. Why couldn’t he just give me a break?
I wasn’t that messy. I mean, sure I was a little slow to do the dishes, but dammit, I was tired at the end of the day. Medical school was no joke. Couldn’t he cut me a little slack?
No, he couldn’t.
Which was why I knew I had to get out of his house. I couldn’t live somewhere I wasn’t wanted or even liked most of the time. I’d decided on the drive home from the hospital that I was going to tell him I was moving out. There was another med student who had a couch I could crash on for the last few weeks of the semester. It wasn’t ideal, and I knew I would be miserable, but I’d decided the misery of an uncomfortable couch was far better than the misery of a grumpy roommate.
Bracing myself, I pushed the front door open. The house was lit up and I sighed a little. I was kind of hoping I could at least take a bath before telling him I was moving out, but it looked like he was home. And heaven forbid, I spent more than five minutes in the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and was greeted with the smell of Asian food. Or, more specifically, Thai food. I followed my nose to the kitchen where Hampton was busy unloading a bag full of takeout containers, the Antai logo adorning each one.
“Is that what I think it is?” I squealed.
Hampton jumped at the sound of my voice and turned, a slow grin crossing his face. “Oh, hey, Pip. I didn’t hear you come in.”
I pressed myself next to him, leaning over the bag of food and taking a deep inhale in. “Oh my God, it is!” I squealed again. Grabbing his forearm, I pushed up on my toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, don’t let Smith see you. He’s the jealous type.” He winked at me, ignoring my frown.
I hadn’t seen him when I walked in, but I glanced over my shoulder anyway to see if he was on the couch. The living room was empty, so I warned, “If he’s in the bathroom, he better make it quick. Lawson’s got rules and apparently you aren’t allowed to spend too much time in there.”
Hampton laughed. “Nah, Smith has rehearsal tonight.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Hampton stood there with a to-go box open, pulling noodles out with his fingers.
“Dude, don’t stick your dirty fingers in there!” I scolded, giving him a nudge with my elbow.
He set the box on the table. “Wanna grab a couple of plates?”
“On it,” I replied, snagging silverware and napkins too before settling into a seat at the table. Hampton finished opening all the boxes and I quickly dug in, dishing up a spoonful of each box onto my plate until it was nearly overflowing. There was no way I was going to be able to eat all of it, but I was going to do my best to try.
I scooped up a bite of the drunken noodles, moaning embarrassingly loud at how good it was. With my mouth full, I told him, “My day was shit.” I finished chewing and swallowed, holding my fork full of food out to him. “So, thank you for this.”
Hampton wiped sauce from his chin and around a mouthful of food told me, “Oh, I didn’t get all this.”
“Antai delivers now?” I asked. A burst of excitement shot through me at the thought of it. “I bet the delivery fee is insane.”
“Nah, Lawson picked it up. I just happened to stop by at the right time.”
My jaw dropped as I l
ooked at the food in front of us. Lawson had gotten every single dish I loved, including an edible version of the green curry I’d tried to make last night.
“Where is he?” I asked, straining my ears. I didn’t hear anything other than Hampton’s ridiculous slurping.
“Oh, he left.”
I put my fork down. “What do you mean he left? He just had this food sitting here and you came over and he left?”
I had no idea what the hell was going on, but Hampton’s half answers were making me crazy.
He shook his head. “I stopped by to drop off the weed eater I borrowed. Lawson told me to stay and wait for you to get home and then he left.” He shrugged and shoved another bite in his mouth.
“Jesus, could you stop eating long enough to tell me why he just so happened to have food from the place we talked about right before fighting and then just left?”
His eyebrows rose, and he smirked. “You and Law were talking about Thai last night before y’all had that cat fight? Hm, interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
“Nothing.” He put his fork down and smirked. “He also asked me to tell you to check the bathroom when we were done eating. I figured he wanted you to clean up your clothes or something. But now…”
I didn’t have any clothes on the floor. I’d made a point to pick my stuff up after my record setting shower this morning. I pushed away from the table and sprinted down the hall.
There, on the counter, sat a brand-new MacBook and Beats Pill speaker. I snatched them up and ran back down the hall. “Hampton!” I shouted. “Are you messing with me?”
He looked up from the phone that hadn’t left his hand all night. “About what? Whoa, you win a scratch off and not tell me?”
“No, you dummy!” I flopped back into my seat. “This was on the counter in the bathroom. This is what he wanted me to find in the bathroom.”
Hampton smiled. “Ah.”
I frowned. “Ah? Have I entered the twilight zone? You’re barely making any sense and Lawson’s leaving me gifts and Thai food.”