Please review so I know whether or not to continue! =]
Joey stood in the living room, shrugging her sweater off her shoulders. She had been observing the now lonely rooms of the house. A place that once was filled with laughter and fond moments of love and family. When she had love and family.
Now it was littered with pizza boxes and beer bottles. Of dirty dishes and unthrown trash. Old magazines and dirty clothes thrown about the floor, practically covering every square inch of the room. Covering every inch of her memories. Joey threw her sweater on an empty part of the sofa.
What happened Brett?... It's like you just... Gave up... She thought.
Joey sighed in defeat and finally gave in to the task at hand. She had just finished removing all the trash in the living room, when she heard the doorbell. She wondered who it was as she attempted to make her way over the obstacle course to the door, kicking away anything that got in her way.
Joey placed a hand on the doorknob and swung it open to find a familiar figure at her doorstep.
Charlie regretted her rash decision the moment the door opened. There was Joey, better than she had imagined she would be. With a vintage black and white Beatles tee, black and grey washed skinny jeans and black converse hi tops... And all she could muster was a weak "Hello..." Charlie felt electricity run through her the moment their eyes met.
"Hello..." Joey replied, breaking eye contact.
Now she watched as the other woman shifted her gaze and her weight.
She watched as Joey lifted her hands to tuck the auburn strands of hair revolting against her ponytail behind her ears.
Charlie recalled the moments on the boat and couldn't help but feel the swell in her chest. But this time, the other woman would not reach out. Would not gently take her hands in hers as if moving too soon would shatter the world.
"How are you?" Charlie asks, trying her best to keep it together, her heart beating hard in her chest.
"Hanging in there..." Joey replied, now hugging herself lightly with one arm.
Charlie read the unease in the woman's posture and couldn't help but look away, doing her best to mask the pain she felt.
Joey exhaled and rolled her eyes at herself. She knew that this didn't have to be hard or awkward for her and the other woman, but her instincts of self-preservation was causing this uneasy riff.
"Would you like to come in?" Joey asked, determined to be pleasant.
After all, Charlie had made the effort, and what happened between them happened such a long time ago...
Joey moved to let the woman pass, and closed the door softly behind her.
"what happened here?" Charlie faced Joey, and rescanned the room. "
Joey, had I known that Brett was living like this..." She continued.
"No..." Joey said cutting her off. "Brett wasn't your responsibility..." He was mine... She thought to herself.
They stood there, both unsure of what to say next for moments that felt like eternity. Joey felt her heart race as their gazes locked.
Unable to look away, she watched as Charlie proceeded to walk slowly towards her. Watched as she halted mere inches from her body. The scent of the woman in every breath she took. Watched as a soft smile formed on the other woman's lips as her gaze traveled downwards and her hand reached out.
Joey felt the heat of Charlie's fingertips even before they landed softly on hers and felt as they settled to grip the unused trash bag that she had been holding.
Charlie didn't mean for it to happen. But there it was... It was a force stronger than her mind that pulled her towards the other woman.
To feel her skin and be connected. With her reaching towards the bag that Joey had been absent-mindedly holding, her index and ring finger landing on top of Joey's, she looked back up at the woman and said sincerely "You shouldn't have to do this alone... I want to help."
With that, she felt the other woman loosen her grip and shyly pull back. Charlie turned to begin cleaning, hiding her own shame and giddiness of what happened... but not before she spied Joey's pinkening complexion.
