Well, the story's picking up now, huh? :) Thanks for the reviews as always.
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Chapter 9
Zavier scanned the list of errands that his mother handed to him.
Stupid Mom…doesn't she know that every store is closed on Sunday? He sighed, rolling his eyes skyward. Be back by noon…what the heck am I supposed to until then?
Of course, wandering around town would provide him plenty of time to think. And he had plenty to think about.
He glanced down at the first item on the list. He could at least have a general direction to be heading, even though he wouldn't be able to do anything when he got there. Go to Neumann's and ask him to fix the lock on Mei's door.
Zavier shoved the list into his coat pocket, crumpling the paper a little in the process. He decided to tackle the hardest thing first: Tori and Lukas.
What the hell was last night about anyway? I can't believe that she'd just let him…he was…he had her…
Okay, thinking about Lukas is pissing me off too much.
Suddenly there was a little wet prick of cold on his cheek. Great, and now it's snowing…
He touched his hand to his face to wipe it off, and then like water bursting from a dam, he remembered what had happened the night before, after the scene with Tori.
Mist. She had kissed him. Just on the cheek, and it was probably just a weird thing that was normal for her, but still. She had kissed him. At the time he'd gone into shock and had mechanically made his way up to his bedroom, climbing into bed still feeling stunned. Somehow he hadn't had trouble getting to sleep. But now he couldn't stop reliving it. It kept tumbling over and over in his mind until he felt ridiculously idiotic, like a lovesick schoolgirl, and still he kept thinking about it.
He was so absorbed that he didn't realize he'd already passed Neumann's until he was onto the next street, and so he had to backtrack. As he was rounding the corner he walked past Felicity's house. He automatically looked up at the second floor windows. The curtains were drawn. Snow was starting to melt in his hair so he hurried on.
Neumann's shop door was unlocked, so Zavier tentatively stepped in. The store was darkened. He shook the melted ice from his hair and was about to leave when someone called him.
"Zavier?"
He looked back and jumped a little. It was Felicity. She was standing there with a broom in her hand. He hadn't noticed her before.
"Uh, yeah…" He paused, wondering how he should act. Were things going to be awkward after their last conversation? Or was he supposed to behave normally? "I'm looking for Neumann?"
"He's closed today."
"Yeah, I kinda figured…"
"Sorry."
"Well, it's not your fault." Felicity was staring at him now, but she didn't look mad. She looked the way she usually did: curiosity and mischief somehow combined in those bottle green eyes.
What she had told him on his first visit suddenly popped up in his mind. But I happened to run into you before I fainted. How lucky for me, right? He shook his head, clearing away the unexpected memory.
Zavier turned to go again, opening his mouth to say goodbye, when Felicity spoke.
"You want to stay?"
"What?" It came out sharper than he'd intended; he wasn't upset but more surprised at her offer.
"Do you want to stay?"
"I mean…why?" Great, now I really sound like a jerk. But he wasn't trying to. He just felt suddenly confused, conflicted over some unknown dilemma tugging at the corners of his brain.
"Well…you look cold."
"Do I?"
"Yes." She was smiling now. "Your nose is all red."
He clapped a hand to his face instinctively, covering his nose. Feeling silly, he quickly pulled his hand back. "It's snowing out there."
"So stay. I've got hot chocolate, and you don't have anywhere to be, do you?"
"I guess a minute never hurt anyone…"
"Good. Come on, then. I'll take your coat."
--
"A blood test, huh? Sounds pretty awful," Camus said, half-teasingly as headed back towards the bathhouse. Melody's queasiness had passed for the moment but he still clung protectively to her hand.
"It was," Melody whined, showing him her bandage. "She used a needle and everything!"
"Why'd she need to take blood, anyway?"
"I dunno…something about levels…" Melody sighed dramatically, leaning into Camus. "Brr, it's cold. And ack, now it's started to snow…"
"Good thing we're back, then."
They stopped at her doorstep. Melody's hand paused on the knob.
"You know…I am feeling better…"
"You are?" Camus asked, hiding a smile as he raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh. As a matter a fact, a lot better."
"Well, needles can do that to you," he joked, moving closer to her. She didn't move from her position. His warm breath puffing out in the cold air tickled her face. She didn't even notice the snowflakes any longer.
"What I had probably wasn't even contagious…"
"You don't say."
"…So if someone were to want to keep me company…"
"Got anyone in mind?"
"…He would be welcome to until the baths open…"
"Let's go somewhere," Camus said, cupping her chin in his hands.
Melody tried not to shiver at his touch. She giggled. "Where? Everything's closed. It's Sunday."
"We'll find something."
"Well, if you insist…"
"C'mon," he said, taking her hand. She could feel the warmth of his grasp through her glove. "Let's go."
--
Rosetta stumbled into her bedroom and shut the door. When it was closed, she slid to the floor. A bad headache was slowly forming, throbbing painfully in her skull. She put her hands to her stomach, remembering the conversation with Tori.
Rosetta had almost told her. She had started to. You know, I think I might be…
"Pregnant," she finished out loud, quietly. The word felt crackly and rough on her tongue. It wasn't something that should fit with her. But deep down she knew that it did.
She'd had a feeling, ever since the night she had spent with Lukas. She hadn't had any of the symptoms, like morning sickness, but she just knew. A mother's intuition, she thought wryly.
She had put off taking a test. The finality of something like that was too scary. But she had been planning on telling Lukas. And now what was she supposed to do…?
He's cheated on me. I always knew it, but…what kind of father does that?
"Father," she tried. No, that's not a word that fits him either…
Rosetta started to laugh, silently at first until they came out as hysterical hiccups. She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to smoother the sound as the tears rolled down her face.
She was alone and she was pregnant. She tightened her grip on her stomach. Well, at least I have you, little baby…
--
Felicity had convinced Zavier to stay, so now he sat with her on the second floor, at Neumann's dinner table. It felt weird to be sitting like this in someone's home when the person wasn't there. Almost like he was a burglar or something.
"So," he began, struggling for conversation as Felicity poured the hot chocolate. "What are you doing here at Neumann's? You don't work for him, do you?"
Felicity smiled and slid into the chair across from him at the table, pushing a steaming mug towards him. "Well, not exactly. Before he and Sabrina—you know, Sabrina, his ex-wife—got back together, he was living alone. And he's not exactly the neatest guy in the world, so I sort of…help him out. With cleaning. When the store is closed."
"Even in your condition?" Zavier winced at his own word choice. Condition seemed like such a crude, clinical word to use for it. But Felicity didn't appear bothered.
"Yes. I mean, he lets me take breaks, but…the dishes always pile up when I'm gone. Of course, I'm happy to do it."
"Why?"
She seemed surprised at his question. "I don't know…I guess Dad—or, I guess I should say Mayor Godwin—never lets me do anything like this at home."
"But he lets you work here."
"Sort of."
"Meaning…?"
"Well, he knows I do a bit of cleaning, but he doesn't really know the…extent of it." Now she was almost uncomfortable. She let out a laugh, redirecting the conversation. "Neumann's a little helpless."
"So he lets you just…hang out here?"
"Yeah. He doesn't pay me, but he lets me come up here."
"What about Sabrina?"
"What about her? Should she be doing the cleaning?"
Zavier blushed; he hadn't intended his question to have that implication. But Felicity was more amused than offended.
"No, no, I only meant…why isn't she here?"
"Well, it's their choice." She finally paused, taking a sip from her drink. "They have their reasons for living separately."
"Oh." He looked down into his own beverage, noticing he'd already gulped down half of it without realizing it. Suddenly he remembered the list in his pocket. "Oh! I almost forgot. There's a reason why I came here…I wasn't expecting it to be open but since you're here maybe you could give Neumann a message?"
"Sure."
Zavier pulled out the paper and folded across the top. He tore along the crease, ripping off the part that read Go to Neumann's and ask him to fix the lock on Mei's door. He held it out for and she took it. As she scanned it he stood.
"I just now remembered I've got a bunch of stuff left to do…thanks for letting me stay, but I've gotta go or my mom will throw a fit…sorry."
"It's okay. I'll see you later."
He stopped on his way towards the stairs, looking over his shoulder.
"…See you."
--
Their impromptu date had morphed into an impromptu snowball fight, and Melody collapsed back into the pillowy white ground in defeat.
"Okay, okay, I give up!" she groaned, waving her arm to signal her surrender. "You can stop now."
Camus laughed and walked towards her until he was standing above her. He held out his hand. "Aren't you cold?"
Melody ignored his hand and instead started moving her arms and legs to make a snow angel. "Come on! Lay here with me."
She shut her eyes, still moving her limbs, as she waited for him to join her. She expected him to hesitate, but after just a few seconds, she heard the soft crunch sound as Camus lay down beside her and started copying her motions. When she finished, she got up as carefully as she could and retrieved her hat from where it had fallen off. She then turned around, observing her work. Camus stood up as well and moved to be next to her.
"Not bad, huh?" he said, grinning and reaching to brush snow off her shoulder.
"Wow, yours is so much bigger than mine…" Melody looked at the two snow angels side by side, and was amazed by the stark difference in sizes. It seemed like Camus's was twice as big as hers.
"Do you want to head back now?"
"Yeah, okay…I want to stop by Sharron's." Melody hadn't seen her since the night she'd visited her two weeks ago, when Sharron had been waiting for Lukas.
"Are you sure?"
"What do you mean, am I sure?" she asked quizzically, confused by his question.
"I mean, you were sick…"
"And now I'm not. Needles can do that to you," she said, echoing his joke from before.
"Okay, okay…I'll walk you then."
"You don't have to…"
"But I want to." His voice was getting firm again, like it had when he took her to the clinic. She sighed and smiled.
"Fine. Thank you," Melody conceded, taking his hand.
--
"Rosetta…Rosetta, come on, let me in…"
"No. Go away."
Lukas knocked harder on the door, not caring what Jean must be thinking. He needed to see Rosetta, right now.
He'd gotten a bad feeling that morning when he passed Tori in the hallway and instead of smiling back at him, she'd ducked her head and hurried past. She didn't seem embarrassed. She seemed like she was actually trying to avoid him.
When he got to Rosetta's and she wouldn't let him in, he knew what had happened. Rosetta had found out.
"Rosetta, come on. Don't be ridiculous. Let me talk to you." He pressed his forehead to the door, willing it to open.
"Start talking then. I'd love to hear what you have to say."
"C'mon, I don't want to do it out here. Just let me in."
Lukas fell forward suddenly, the door opening unexpectedly. He managed to right himself before he bumped into Rosetta. He didn't meet her eyes. She stepped aside and walked all the way in. She shut the door behind him.
She stared at him, unabashed. He still couldn't look her in the face. "Rosetta, just give me a chance to—"
Wham. The force of her blow came without warning and sent him staggering back. Rosetta was shaking a little, her fist still raised in front of her. "There. Now I'll give you a chance to explain yourself."
He touched his jaw, feeling nothing but numb shock. He didn't feel the pain yet. His bewilderment left him momentarily speechless.
"Well? I'm waiting."
"Rosetta, I…it didn't…it didn't mean anything." He knew he sounded pathetic, but he was also being truthful.
"It didn't mean anything, huh? Well, what about you and me? What about that night when you—" She broke off abruptly and shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear your excuses. Just tell me why."
"I don't have an answer."
"Is it because I'm not pretty enough for you?" she pressed, her eyes challenging. "Are the other girls you've got better in bed? Or maybe I'm not nice to you?"
Somehow, her words sparked an anger within him. "Well, you certainly never acted like you cared," he said, before he could stop himself.
Her mouth dropped open in astonishment, making a perfect 'O.' She's cute, his mind told him. Not right now, he reproached. He braced himself for another punch, but it didn't come.
"Are you saying that what you did is my fault?"
"No, I'm just saying you never seemed to really care about me. You're always so pissed off when I'm around, when I'm trying to be as nice as I can. Why the hell should you be upset who I'm sleeping with?" His fists clenched as he spoke, trying to keep his voice level.
"I told you I loved you, Lukas. Don't you think I'd be upset when I found out from another girl that you were cheating on me?"
"I've always loved you, Rosetta. I want to work this out. Just…"
"Just what?"
Lukas ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "You know what? You're right. I'm an asshole, I cheated, and you hate my guts. There's nothing to work out."
She seemed to slump a little, but her voice remained defiant. "Are you breaking up with me?"
"Nope, just agreeing with you, agreeing that we're over, right?" He walked to the door and grabbed the knob. "But you know, Rosetta…I'm sorry."
He didn't wait for her response. He walked out and shut her door behind him.
--
