Still in Love With You
Chapter Ten – She's Back
It's high noon at the Curious residence, and Isabella is sitting at the kitchen island unenthusiastically eating the leftover hamburgers that Lazlo prepared the night before, the sun lighting the kitchen with a soft, orange hue. Isabella sighs as she finishes scrolling through her cell phone, which hasn't rung once since last night. She sets it down on the countertop. Next to her, Pascal is attempting to feed Amelia her baby food, but the toddler keeps knocking the bowl on the floor. Pascal sighs as he plops down on the stool next to Isabella, both of the adults already looking done for the day.
The front door swings open as Vidcund steps into the kitchen, Crystal following suit while she types away on her cell phone. "Hey," Vidcund greets, passing by Isabella on his way to the refrigerator.
"Hey," Isabella squeaks, somewhat surprised to see him.
"Sorry. I just gotta grab my lunch," Vidcund replies, quickly reaching into the fridge and snatching the bag up. He slams the door shut and takes off out the back door, accidentally nudging Pascal in the process.
"Hey!" Pascal chimes, dropping his spoon on the floor.
Vidcund and Crystal race down the infamous Cover Up Road hill, doing their best to stay on schedule despite the small detour. "I just don't think it would be a good idea for you to sign it, okay?" Crystal chimes, looking up from her cell phone for a moment, "It'll make you look weak!"
Vidcund sighs and continues to trudge forward, "And if I don't sign it, then I'll look like a big jerk," he reasons. Vidcund turns to the side, his head advisor now glued to her phone. He clears his throat, "Naked picture of Loki?" he quips.
"Wow, Vid. No," Crystal retorts, her face flushed slightly, "He just asked where the dish soap is."
"He's sure been asking that a lot today," Vidcund replies, staring up at the clouds, "I'm just going to make a wild deduction here and say that he's trying to get with you."
Crystal laughs and rolls her eyes, "Come on, Vid. Loki is not trying to get with me. He said he was done getting hurt!"
Vidcund shakes his head, clearly irate that so much of their time has been consumed by talks of his rival, "If you say so," he mutters.
…
The next morning, Vidcund races into the kitchen. He drops his briefcase as he locks eyes with Isabella, who is eating her lunch by herself at the kitchen island. Seeing him, Isabella quickly stands up and pushes her plate away.
"Hey," Vidcund says, completely out of breath as he runs his fingers through his disheveled blonde hair.
"Hey," Isabella squeaks.
The pair meet in the middle of the kitchen, passionately wrapping their arms around each other. They start to make out.
Vidcund groans as the timer on his watch goes off a mere fifteen seconds later, causing them to part. Vidcund sighs, his arm still wrapped around Isabella as he stares down at the time on his wristwatch. "Damn," he curses, the watch reading 11:15 a.m., "I'm sorry. I thought we had more time than that. I gotta go," Vidcund states, gently kissing Isabella on the forehead before grabbing his briefcase and bolting out the door.
Isabella looks down at the floor and sighs, suddenly feeling quite cold and empty without him.
Fifteen minutes later, Isabella is sitting in front of the inactive television set, staring off into space as the hugs the TV remote in her hands. Kea steps into the room slightly, staring at her best friend from the hallway, watching her curiously. Kea watches as Isabella brings the remote closer to her chest, tears welling up in her eyes as she hugs it.
"Hey, Izzy," Kea greets, too concerned for her bestie not to interfere, "What's wrong?"
"What?" Isabella says, immediately snapping out of her trans when she sees Kea standing in front of her, "Oh, nothing," she lies, not wanting to trouble her.
Kea cocks her forehead, a small smirk forming on her face. "You never were a good liar, were you?"
Isabella cracks a smile, "No," she states, sighing as Kea sits down next to her in one of the blue plastic chairs, "I haven't talked to my parents in three weeks, Kea," she reveals, staring up at the right bookcase, unaware of the fact that Pascal has stepped into the kitchen behind her, "And even though I feel like I made the right decision, I still feel so lonely," Isabella vents, turning to her best friend, "I haven't seen Vidcund much since I told him I loved him because he's been so busy helping the city. And Ripp and I aren't friends anymore because it's just five levels of awkward," she explains, staring down at the floor, "I guess I just feel like my world is getting smaller."
"I know what you mean, Izzy," Kea replies, giving a small comprehensive nod, "I felt that way every time one of my friends was juiced."
Isabella widens her eyes at this news, suddenly feeling quite ashamed of her problems. "I'm sorry, Kea," Isabella apologizes, blushing lightly, "I really shouldn't bother you with this stuff-"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Kea chimes, grabbing Isabella by the arm and pulling her back into her seat, "If I can't be there to support you when you're down, then what kind of best friend am I?"
Isabella smiles, wiping a few tears away from her eyes. "The best one a girl could ask for?" she squeaks, pulling Kea into a hug. Behind him, Pascal continues pretending to clean the counter as he flashes Kea an apprehensive look from across the room.
…
Fifty minutes later, Isabella is in the middle of reading Pascal's infamous physics book, Physics for the Non-Physical, when said author walks into the room, decked out in full swimming attire. "Hey Izzy," Pascal greets, holding Amelia in his arms, Kea and Lazlo dressed up in their swimwear behind him, "Want to go swimming with us?" he wonders.
Isabella gently closes the book and stares up at him, "You guys have a pool?"
"Of course not!" Pascal declares, "We're going to the Strangetown community pool! You know, the one that smells like shit?" he chimes, sounding disturbingly okay with this piece of information.
Lazlo turns to his oldest brother, a realization suddenly dawning on him, "Uh, don't you have work today?" he asks.
Pascal looks to Lazlo and shrugs, "I gave myself the day off," he answers before staring back at Isabella, "So, what do you say, Izzy? Are you ready to have the time of your life?"
"Man, you are really overhyping his pool," Lazlo mumbles.
"Sure," Isabella responds, standing up from her seat in the TV room, her friend's sanguine attitude surprisingly contagious, "Let's go have some fun."
…
Ten minutes later, the five residents arrive at 94 Road to Nowhere, the most popular spa destination in town. Lazlo steps over to the vast swimming pool, whose water is glistening a green sewage color a few feet away from them. "Eww…" Lazlo cringes, holding his nose, hoping to relieve his nausea, "That looks disgusting!"
"You're right," Pascal chimes, stepping in front of Lazlo and staring down at the pool's surface. He gets up and adjusts Amelia on his hip, the toddler dressed in an adorable summer ensemble, complete with a straw hat, blue-flowered dress, and flamingo floatie flippers. Pascal turns to Lazlo and hands Amelia to him. "Cannonball!" Pascal enthusiastically shouts, racing forward and diving head first into the pool.
Pascal pops head up from the water, flashing the others an excited grin. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? Get in! The water's fine!" he promises.
"Eh, maybe later," Kea says, resting her hand on her now visibly-pregnant stomach, "I wanna check out the food first," she declares. Kea walks over to the shop, Isabella trailing awkwardly behind her.
Lazlo sighs as he stares down at Pascal, who is busy untangling what appears to be a large piece of seaweed from his foot. Lazlo shakes his head, "You are so embarrassing," he states.
A few feet away in the spa gift shop, Kea is in the middle of a rather lengthy exchange with the cashier over Nacho Cheese Doritos, whose powder she has spilled all over the bottom of her spring green cover up and onto her wine-colored bathing suit. Behind her, Isabella is standing next to a shelf of snow globes depicting various neighborhoods across the Simverse. Isabella is holding her arms over her neon pink bikini, the store surprisingly chilly due to the air conditioning. She turns to the side, feeling a slight chill go up her spine. Isabella doesn't know why, but for some reason she feels like someone is watching her. The young college graduate turns around, but there is nothing there besides a wall of freezers and a window. Isabella sighs and continues to nervously stand behind Kea.
Meanwhile, Pascal and Lazlo are standing at the side of the pool near a buffet table, which has been set up for the early dinner rush. Lazlo has just finished his fifteenth shrimp, when Pascal's eyes widen like saucers. "Stay down!" Pascal barks, quickly grabbing his brother by the arm and pulling him down behind the table with him. Pascal holds Amelia close to his chest as the trio duck for cover.
"What? What is it?" Lazlo squeaks before locking eyes with the source of the distress, "Oh my gosh, it's Circe!" he chimes, spotting the infamous woman adjusting her hair near one of the step ladders, "I thought she was in prison for killing Izzy!"
"Well, apparently, she got out."
Pascal and Lazlo turn around, hoping to shuffle their way off the lot, but are soon greeted by a pair of familiar tan legs blocking their path. Circe glares down at them, the young woman's expression giving them chills as she folds her arms over her bright green tankini swimwear, "Heh. Hey Circe," Lazlo waves meekly, "You look-" he begins, scanning the sim over, "-Surprisingly non-threatening."
"Is that why you're hiding from me?" she growls.
"No, it's the exact opposite, really…" Lazlo mutters, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hey Circe," Pascal chimes, his mind seemingly elsewhere, "do you ever wonder what would've happened if you and I ended up together?"
Circe rolls her eyes, "Yes. The thought keeps me up at night," she sasses, "So, where's your dimwit brother?"
"At work," Pascal replies, "It's the middle of a workday."
"Well, then tell Vidcund that he needs to call me to discuss important business matters," Circe says, barely acknowledging them as she glares at Isabella, who is stepping out of the gift shop with Kea. Isabella instantly stops, turns around, and walks back into the shop when she sees her. "Tell Vidcund the second you see him. Don't waste my time, Pascal!" she commands before swerving on her heel and exiting the premises.
Pascal smiles and nods, holding his finger up in point, "Don't worry. I won't forget!"
…
Later that night, Isabella is relaxing on Vidcund's freshly-made bed, reading through the latest Simystery novel that her brother Brent gave her. Isabella sighs and impatiently flips to the end of the novel, hoping to determine whether or not the story is worth reading as Vidcund stumbles into the doorway, zombie-like in his tiresome state. Vidcund removes his brown jacket and gets halfway through unbuttoning his yellow shirt before he collapses face-first on the bed next to Isabella, who has set down the novel as soon as he entered the room.
Vidcund moans as Isabella reaches down and attempts to pull him close to her. After a moment of struggle, she settles on just moving over to him. "Hey Vid," Isabella greets, wrapping him in her arms.
"Huh? What?" Vidcund replies, doing his best to shake himself awake.
"I said hey," she smiles.
"Oh," Vidcund squeaks, barely able to mutter a response, "Hey."
"We went to the pool today," Isabella tells him as Vidcund's head flops into her chest, "We saw Circe." Isabella looks down suddenly, only to find Vidcund fast asleep on top of her, "Vid? Vid…?" Isabella calls, nudging him gently.
Vidcund groans a little and opens his eyes slightly, struggling to stay awake. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm awake!" he chimes, immediately getting up off his girlfriend, "I'm paying attention, I just-" Vidcund moans as his eyes begin to close, inviting him back into a slumber. He falls back towards the bed.
Isabella smiles, staring down at Vidcund in sympathy. "No, no. It's okay. You sleep," she soothingly states, "You need rest," Isabella claims, staring down at him lovingly, "Come here." Isabella lifts Vidcund up a bit, allowing him to rest his head back on her chest. Isabella sighs as she settles in next to him, delicately brushing Vidcund's hair away from his face as she embraces him in her arms.
…
The next morning, Isabella walks into the kitchen, feeling rather down after Vidcund's sudden departure for work. She sits down at the counter, Kea and Lazlo in a surprisingly heated debate behind her. "I have good taste!" Lazlo chimes, crossing his arms over his torso as he stands in front of the refrigerator.
"Uh-huh," Kea replies, hands on her hips, "Then why do you have the Sun and the Moon making out on your shirt?"
"What are you talking about? That's not-" Lazlo stops and gazes down at his signature purple t-shirt, which features a sun and moon division front and center. "Huh," he states, "On second glance, you may be onto something there."
All of a sudden, Tank walks into the room, nervously pacing the floor as he carries the latest script for his cooking show. "Hey Tank," Isabella half-hearted greets, pouring herself a bowl of Fruity Os cereal, "Uh…doing okay?" she wonders.
Tank sighs and stops in front of her, throwing the script down on the counter. "No," Tank replies, "We're taping this episode tomorrow, and I only have two Cooking skill points!" he chimes, returning to his nervous pacing, "What am I going to do? I don't know how to cook!"
"I can cook!" Lazlo chimes out next to him.
"Oh God, I wish I knew someone who could teach me!" Tank stresses, holding the sides of his aching forehead.
"I can. I have max Cooking skill!" Lazlo replies as Tank turns away from him and paces to the opposing wall.
"Well, I can't cook that well," Isabella confesses as Kea sits down next to her at the kitchen island, "I only have four Cooking skill points."
Kea nods, "Yeah, and I only know how to cook meat products," she adds.
"And I'm not allowed to go near the oven cause of what happened when Santa was here," Pascal begins, suspiciously rubbing his chin from his seat on the other side of Kea.
Tank sighs and stops at the center of the island, staring out at the three seated individuals. "That's okay guys. I just really wish I could find some sort of expert who could teach me."
"I EXIST DAMMIT!" Lazlo shouts, immediately catching everyone's attention. Lazlo slowly steps back and smiles, his friends' mouths agape. "Uh, hi," he awkwardly waves.
"You can cook?" Tank asks, seemingly surprised by this news.
Lazlo stares up at the ceiling, arms crossed, "Oh, so it's my fault that I wasn't well established in the last two stories?" he quips, "But to answer your question – yes, I can cook," Lazlo claims, "I once made entire banquet meal for Vidcund's first inauguration. It was penguin themed. Everyone loved it…except Loki," Lazlo adds, "He said it tasted like horseshit."
Vidcund quickly bolts through the back kitchen doorway, heading to the fridge for a quick five-minute lunch break before rushing back to city hall for yet another hectic day of work. "Hey people," he greets before swinging open the fridge and taking out a tub of potato salad. Vidcund takes a bite and turns to Pascal, "Did you do anything to this?" he wonders, gesturing to the salad, "It tastes tainted."
"Nah, food experiments are at the end of the month," Pascal reminds him.
Vidcund nods, "Ah."
"-But that could be from last month," Pascal completes.
Vidcund stops chewing for a second, then quickly steps away from his older brother. He shrugs. "Oh well," Vidcund states, "I don't really have time to care," he says, shoveling more potato salad into his mouth.
"Hey Vidcund," Tank speaks up across from him, "who makes the most of the food in this house?"
Vidcund swallows and walks back towards Isabella, stopping at the end of the island. "Lazlo," he states, pointing to his younger brother, "It's been that way since we were in college. He's practically an expert," he exclaims, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Well, I gotta go. See you guys later!" Vidcund says, heading towards the back door. Vidcund stops and eyes Isabella, who is watching him somberly from the counter. Vidcund comes back and hugs her, "Bye, kid," he whispers, Isabella immediately hugging him back.
Isabella sighs as she lets go of him, "Bye," she squeaks, sadly watching him depart as her friends continue to converse about Tank's cooking show.
…
That evening, Pascal, Vidcund, and Isabella are sitting at the kitchen island eating the dinner that Tank tried to make but ended up pushing onto Lazlo: chicken stir fry. Tank, Kea, and Lazlo are eating nearby in the TV room.
"Yeah, I mostly use Lazlo as a guinea pig for all my various scientific experiments," Pascal tells Tank from across the room, "Which is really strange if you think about cause he's so normal. It just goes to show you…" Pascal begins, stopping abruptly and staring straight ahead.
Tank cocks his forehead in confusion as he looks up from his plate. "It just goes to show you what?"
"Oh, I don't know," Pascal shrugs, "I was kinda hoping someone would complete that sentence for me."
Isabella gasps from the island as Vidcund collapses on the counter, his face landing smack dab in the center of his dinner plate, the thud echoing through the residence. "Vidcund! Oh my God!" Isabella cries, quickly lifting his head up and grabbing a napkin from the counter. She unfolds the napkin and gently wipes his face as Vidcund continues to sleep through this. His head flops onto Isabella's shoulder, the other sims watching them in concern. Isabella turns to Pascal, clearly in a dire panic, "We should take him to the hospital."
"Izzy, I think he's fine. He's just exhausted," Lazlo chimes in, helping Vidcund stand up out of his seat with Pascal. They lead Vidcund towards his bedroom.
"He's twenty-nine. He shouldn't be this tired!" Isabella cries, following Pascal and Lazlo into the hallway.
"Well, tell that to him," Lazlo mutters.
…
The next morning, Vidcund is sitting at the kitchen island, having recovered quite nicely from the dinner incident. Isabella gets up from her seat to use the bathroom, the first time she has left his side since the event unfolded. "Hey," Pascal greets, handing Vidcund a bowl of cereal as he stands in the center of the kitchen, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Vidcund nods, "I feel fine, why?" he wonders.
"Cause, you know, you can't keep doing this."
Vidcund tilts his head, puzzled, "Can't keep doing what?"
"You can't keep spreading yourself so thin. I mean, you can't just cram a relationship into five minutes a day," Pascal replies, "This is insane."
"I know," Vidcund answers, looking quite frazzled as he plays with his cereal, "But what am I supposed to do?" he wonders, setting his spoon down on his napkin, "I really don't think my schedule is going to get any lighter, so what? I'm just supposed to choose between my job and my girlfriend?" he claims, completely unaware of the fact that Isabella standing in the doorway. She creeps back into the hallway, leans up against the wall, and sighs.
"Izzy's not happy, Vid," Pascal informs him, "She's pretending that she is, probably because she doesn't want to stress you out, but she's not," he admits, "I heard Isabella tell Kea a few days ago that even though she's in a house full of people, she's lonely," Pascal reveals, Vidcund's heart sinking at this news, "And look at you! You're a wreck! And you're slowly killing yourself trying to please everyone."
"That's true," Vidcund sighs.
"Look, I'm not going to pressure you into making a decision, but you gotta do something if you want to live past thirty," Pascal states, "Otherwise, you're in trouble."
"Alright," Vidcund nods, knowing this wasn't going to be easy, as Pascal paces towards the fridge. Behind him, Isabella discreetly enters Vidcund's bedroom.
"Oh, wait! There was something else I was supposed to tell you," Pascal states, snapping his fingers as he moves back towards his brother, "Damn it! What was it?" Pascal taps his chin wondrously, then shrugs, "Oh well. Must not be important," he says before walking out of the room and leaving his brother alone with his thoughts.