He's shirtless, sitting on a plastic chair.
She's wearing his last clean shirt, sitting on top of the unused washing machine.
The one next to her has just finished the rinse cycle.
It's supposed to be their day off today — at least as close to a day off as they can possibly get. Seth doesn't feel like looking for a job Kate can actually participate in in (because let's face it; the girl's a quick learner, but she's got a long way to go before the two of them can start robbing banks.
Not that he's ready to go back to robbing banks. It was something he and his brother did, and quite frankly, after a year of no contact whatsoever, he still doesn't want to do anything that reminded him of his brother.)
Just an hour ago, Seth was ready to peel off his suit and swim with his girl in a pair of clean shorts. Much to his dismay, all that he had left was a shirt with a band's name that he had never even heard of.
It isn't his fault he never noticed the growing pile of laundry in the corner of the room.
It isn't his fault his sense of smell sucks.
"It's a beautiful sunny day, and I could be swimming right now," Kate complains. "We could be swimming right now."
"I heard you the last one-hundred times, sweetheart," Seth retorts. He is now leaning his head back against the wall, arms and ankles crossed over one another. "I've been busy doin' jobs; you should've noticed the shitty smell."
She scoffs. "Why, because I'm a girl?"
"Don't even go there, Kate. This is the only time I'm going to use my age to support my claim when I say that my sense of smell sucks compared to yours. Your nostrils are stronger than mine, and that's a compliment."
"It's not a compliment; it's an excuse."
He's tempted to open his eyes. "And why might you think that's an excuse?"
"Because you're lazy."
It isn't that hard to open his eyes now. He sits upright and points a finger at her direction. She pointedly ignores him and instead watches her feet swinging in the air.
"Out of the two of us," Seth starts, "who is the one who hauls ass and determinedly looks for a job that we can both do? It used to be so easy to look for a job, but ever you since you started demanding that you wanted to do your part, I have to filter through the jobs that, as of right now, rarely come about. With that being said, princess, I'm not fucking lazy."
Kate meets his eyes steadily. "Maybe you're not lazy in finding something to do, but you're lazy when it comes to tedious tasks like laundry," she says in that soft voice of hers.
"And that — " he resumes his previous position but keeps his eyes on her because she's gorgeous and he so can " — that I can agree with. Hence the word tedious."
The washer stops. Kate hops off the other washer and begins depositing the finished load in the dryer.
"Fine. You can fold then."
He smirks. "Hate — actually, love — to break it to you, but I don't know how to fold clothes. That was more of — " Richie's expertise " — well, with the life I've had, you don't get to learn the tedious how-tos like separating whites and colors and knowing when to put the detergent."
(In actuality, doing laundry in general was Richie's expertise because he was meticulous and organized when that seductress snake wasn't possessing his mind.)
Kate inserts the last amount of quarters in the coin slot and presses start after inputting the settings. She ignores Seth patting his lap and hops back up onto the washer. "Well, you should know because you're an adult."
Seth stands up from the chair and walks over to her. "Oh, Katie. Katie, Katie, Katie … " He places his left forearm next to her right thigh and leans forward to see her face properly. " … Katie. There are much more important things to know when you're an adult."
She raises an eyebrow. "I am an adult. I'm turning nineteen soon. You know that," she stresses.
He does know that. He counted the days until she turned eighteen, which wasn't that long after they left Titty Twister. He counted because days mattered. The days led to when she legally became an adult. It matters the most in this relationship that they eventually grew comfortable and confident about.
He pinches her cheek lightly. "On paper, you're an adult. In society's eyes, it's when you're 21 because drinking age and voting and important crap like that, I guess." In America, anyway. He still hasn't learned all the how-tos of Mexico just yet.
She leans closer, eyes piercing and dark. "I am an adult."
He thinks she's going to kiss him, but she doesn't because she likes to torture him and that's fine. Even though he likes to be in control about everything, when it comes to their relationship, he lets her call the shots. She's still young, inexperienced, and naïve when it comes to certain situations. He doesn't want to ruin her, ruin this special bond they have and their trust.
"All right," Seth announces. He steps back from her and places his hands on his hips. "Guess you gotta learn all the how-tos of an adult then. Adult 101."
Kate wrinkles her nose, and he has to grin at that. "Sounds like a porno," she comments.
"Oh, and how do you know that?"
"I have a bro — " She stops talking, and he curses at himself internally.
He maintains his grin, stepping forward and caressing her soft thighs lightly.
"Life Lessons by Seth Gecko. Good title for my memoir."
"Unoriginal, to be honest."
"Well, everyone's a fucking critic." But she doesn't have that haunted look anymore, and everything's fine again.
Kate can't believe it, though. This man — or boy, really, because although he's almost thirty, he plays games like this to rile her up or prove a point that doesn't exist — is actually living up to his word about giving her life lessons.
Either he's giving in to insanity or he's really just bored.
She's reading a magazine she "borrowed" from the manager of the hotel, sitting on a chair that she pulled near the window for light.
Something is crawling on the nape of her neck, and she freezes.
She has dealt with culebras and creepy, misogynistic men almost every single day ever since she met the Gecko brothers. Time and time again, she has managed to hold her own and survive in this new world without her family and just an asshole of a partner and boyfriend by her side.
But for the love of God, if that is a spider on her neck —
"Seth," Kate calls out, voice trembling and hands wrinkling the pages of the magazine.
Somewhere behind her, Seth grunts, eyes peeled on the soap opera showing on the low-quality TV.
"Is there a — ?"
"Yes, it's a spider. Don't move."
Relief comes quickly when she feels familiar calloused fingers touching her neck to remove the disgusting vermin. Her entire body relaxes when she no longer feels it on her anymore.
Kate turns back to thank him when he says, "Lesson numero uno: always have your partner's back."
The soft smile she has on for him slips away immediately.
"What."
Seth gives her that irritating smirk of his and then proceeds to collapse on the bed, hands behind his head.
"Remember that, Katie."
It's quiet for a moment.
"Did you fucking deliberately put that spider on me?!" Kate shrieks, cheeks red with anger.
"Lesson numero dos: watch your fucking mouth. It'll get you in trouble."
Fresh out of the shower, Kate towels off her hair with a shirt because the towels they have on hand are too coarse for her hair.
"Seth, can you grab me the hair dryer?" she asks. The last motel they stayed at had a hair dryer surprisingly. She didn't know whether the previous guest left it or the room came with it. Either way, she had voluminous hair for two weeks.
Her face is deadpan when she watches him drag the electric fan over to her. He places his hands on her shoulder and forces her to sit down.
"Number 12, princess," Seth declares. "Make do with what you have."
Her face remains impassive when he turns on the fan and her hair is whipping around.
Even when they're fighting, Seth manages to stick in yet another bullshit life lesson that she doesn't already know about.
"I had the guy, Kate," Seth snaps, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel tightly. "You're damn lucky he's a lefty otherwise — "
Kate glares at him. "Well, I had him faster than you. I get that you want me to be safe and out of harm's way, but it's been a year already. I'm not the same girl who freezes every time danger's right in front of her," she reminds him.
"Goddammit, I know that. Maybe if your wrist weren't fractured, then I wouldn't be pissed off right now. But your wrist is fractured, which means I am friggin' pissed and you remain to be in a bit of a vulnerable position at the moment."
Well, you're not the only one who's pissed, she thinks instead of responding back. Kate crosses her arms over her chest, mindful of her injured wrist, and stares out the window.
"With that being said — ," Seth begins.
She whips her head towards him, eyes flashing angrily. "You better not — "
" — lesson number 25: know your limits. You should really remember that specific one, honey — 'specially since it's the one that can keep you breathing, all right?"
If she didn't see that look in his eyes, a look that is similar to when he's thinking about his brother, remembering the times his dad used to beat him, or even the events that unfolded at Titty Twister, she might've shot back something clever to shut him up. But she doesn't because she can't stand to see that look.
She grabs his hand.
He interlocks their fingers.
Kate believes a nice warm shower will calm her down and help stray her thoughts away from the negativities and the daily irritation of the week.
She knows that they have enough money for instant noodles and that they have access to a microwave provided by the owner of the motel they are staying at. Lord knows she's tired of eating gas station junk food most especially since she feels her menstruation coming up and nothing seems to satisfy her cravings.
But no. Seth had to buy chips, soda, and energy bars because apparently they didn't have enough in their budget.
"I lied. I was lazy," Seth admitted earlier after he finished the last bar. "Last job I did drained me, sweetheart."
Kate stopped sipping her soda and narrowed her eyes at him. "What happened to Lesson 15: Honesty — period?" she asked.
"It was Lesson 16, and it was omission of truth."
"You specifically said that we didn't have enough money."
"Well, it was a typo on my part. I meant I didn't have enough energy."
As soon as he said that, Kate stood up from the chair, grabbed her towel, and marched straight into the bathroom.
I am a patient person, she thinks as she squeezes a dollop of shampoo on the palm of her hand. Hell, I survived 31 lessons already. 32's my limit. I can't take it anymore!
She then proceeds to angrily shampoo her hair, aggressively massaging her scalp.
Kate closes her eyes to focus on the sensation of her fingers against her scalp, and it works. However, it only works for a few seconds because her ears detect the shower rods screeching against the metal pipe signaling the irritation is stepping inside the shower with her.
"I would prefer to shower alone," Kate announces with clenched teeth.
Seth's tattooed arm reaches over and grabs the soap.
"You didn't lock the door," he poorly explains himself.
"I don't need to lock the door, idiot."
He snorts at her insult towards him. "Lesson 32, Katie: always secure your surroundings no matter what."
At that moment, Katie finds out how to deal with the irritation at hand.
She also wishes her menstruation would start begin already just to get him to leave and to stop using up all of the shampoo because dear God. Did he really have to use shampoo on his beard?
Two days have passed.
It has been 38 lessons already, the latest being "Know when to accept defeat" when it came to choosing where to eat. Needless to say, that day, Kate ended up stuffing her stomach with burritos once again.
She sits on the toilet seat, elbows on her thighs, and face cradled with her hands. The bathroom's window is conveniently placed where the cool air comes in. If she goes outside, she'll break more than two sweats because of the heat and because of her frustration with her boyfriend who is currently knocked out from eating food from the gas station.
"Kate!" Seth yells from the other side of the door. "Jesus Christ, why's the fucking door locked?!"
She rolls her eyes. "I didn't want the cold air to come out," she responds.
"Open up! I gotta take a shit."
Her nose wrinkles in disgust. She's about to get up and unlock the door when the idea forms inside her head just perfectly.
Kate sighs dramatically. "Oh, but I'm so relaxed."
"Yeah, well, I'm in need of some relaxation in a certain part of my body, princess, so you'll have to get in the back of the line."
"Why would I? I'm already in the front." She smirks, enjoying the sudden rush of air and the situation in her hands.
He's quiet for a few seconds. "Ho-ly shit. This is payback, isn't it? This is payback for all of my words of wisdom. Y'know you should be thankful I'm feeding you all of this knowledge. You'll be wiser than you are supposed to be at your age — fuck! Kate!" He grunts. "Open it up!"
What a good day today. "Payback? What payback? I'm just abiding by Lesson Number 31: always secure your surroundings no matter what."
"It's 32, and — " A loud thump! shakes the bathroom door. A grunt follows right after. He must've thrown himself on the side of the door. "Okay … okay, okay, okay, Kate … baby, I'm sorry. I'll stop — gah!"
Kate examines her nails. "Stop what?"
"I'm fucking gonna explo — okay! I'll stop enlightening you with my wisdom, promise! Now, princess, please — !"
She opens the door without warning, and he almost collapses on the floor. He gives her a slight glare at the obvious smirk lingering on her lips before slamming the door shut and relieving himself of his digestive pain.
She's sitting cross-legged on the bed.
He sits across her in a similar fashion.
They're both folding their laundry.
— Been in my drafts for months already. I just wanted to write some domesticity between these two darlings.
Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated.