Bill's phone alarm had gone off next to him and he sat up to turn it off. He had to wake up earlier than usual, to allot for the time he needed to go home, get his uniform, and get ready for work. Mia stirred beside him but didn't wake. He looked over her sleeping figure, fully appreciative that she went to bed without bothering to get dressed. She was utterly perfect, the absolute apex of beauty, and she was his…
He had never experienced a night like last night, nothing so steamy and passionate, never been driven so wild with desire. And they didn't even...consummate. He wanted to, more than anything did he want to, but thought it best to still take it a bit slower. There would be plenty of other opportunities to do more with her...she did say she wanted to be with him as long as she could, after all.
Lenore had always been his litmus test, his basis for which all physical and romantic partners were compared with. He had always considered her the best in everything he ever experienced. Sex with her was wild, rough, nearly primal. But with Mia, even not going all the way, it was so different. It was intimate in the deepest sense of the word, it was in the moment, it was sensually melodic. She truly desired him, she wanted him, and she wanted to do things for him, too. Lenore would hardly reciprocate; if she did, it was usually half-hearted, merely just to appease him.
And Bill had seen the look in Mia's eyes when he was leaning over her, having just pulled off his shirt… she smoothed her hands over him, all over the body he hated, feeling his chest and stomach, the stars in her eyes glittering fiercely. She had wanted him, all of him, and that aroused him most of all.
He had to tear himself away from her, lest he never leave her bed again. He got to his feet and hunted around the living room for his other articles of clothing that were hastily discarded. Mia's short silk robe and small panties lay tossed on the carpet as well, another reminder of the now naked woman he had spent the night with.
It was going to be difficult to focus today.
Mia was at work and it was almost time for her lunch break, which was when she usually texted Bill. She kept thinking about last night, hardly thinking about anything else. She might have been extra cheery today because a few of her coworkers had remarked on her notably brilliant smile.
"What's got you so happy today?" Yvette, the front desk receptionist, had asked her.
"Oh, nothing. Just in a good mood, I suppose!" Mia replied.
She had never had anything like last night before, especially not with Aaron. Anything sexual with Aaron was mostly a chore, something to placate him so he wouldn't be so irritable for the rest of the evening. Mia always felt used after, like a toy, something that was simply there to get him off and then she was left alone on the bed to clean up. She felt disgusted with herself just thinking about it. How did she let herself be treated like that? She couldn't picture Bill ever being anything less than fully invested in what she wanted and needed.
Mia looked at the chart for the next patient, who was an older dog there for a check-up. The owner's name stood out to her a little, but she found so many things that reminded her of Bill these days, even the littlest things, she disregarded it and called the owner and his dog from the waiting room. She said hello to them both when they approached and led them back to the exam room. The man was tall and cordial, the dog was a sweet and lazy bloodhound.
The man small-talked with her as she pulled up the patient chart on the rolling computer, asked him a few questions, and then went to start taking the dog's vitals. He must have glimpsed Mia's name tag that was clipped to the front of her scrubs, and after seeing it he seemed to hesitate.
"This may be an odd question," he started to say, as Mia was taking his dog's pulse, "but do you happen to know Bill Dauterive?"
Her eyes flashed as her face lit up. "Yes! I knew your name sounded familiar. You must be the Hank I've heard so much about."
"That's me! Bill had mentioned you worked at a vet clinic. This is my first time taking Ladybird here. We used to go to Hillwood Clinic until the main vet retired."
"Well, we're glad to have you here! Ladybird is so sweet." Mia stroked the bloodhound's back.
"Bill talks about you a lot. We're all glad that he's found someone who makes him so happy."
"He's told me a lot about you, too. Hopefully we can meet again in a more casual setting."
"Actually, I've been planning on having a barbecue, and told Bill to invite you. I hope you can make it this weekend."
"Bill mentioned a barbecue! I'm so excited to come meet everyone. And I was pleased to hear you only grill with propane."
It was Hank's turn to beam now. "You like propane?"
"It's all my father ever used!"
"Well, alright!" he said proudly, "You're definitely going to fit in at the Hill house."
Mia smiled. It was so nice to meet somebody she knew who meant a lot to Bill. She was looking forward to meeting the rest of his friends, even though the thought made her a little nervous. She hoped she wouldn't do or say something stupid to tarnish their perception of her.
"Dr. Sawyer will be in soon," Mia told him as she pet Ladybird one last time. "It was so nice meeting you!"
They said goodbye and Mia left the room. It was time for her lunch break, so she sat in the employee break room to eat. She had packed some leftovers of the Colombian food she and Bill made together. Once her break was over, she passed by the reception desk and was stopped by Yvette.
"Mia, the mail came. There's something addressed to you."
She handed Mia the envelope, which had no return address. Curiously Mia opened it. Who would send her something at work? It was a plain letter scrawled on lined paper.
Dear Mia,
I apologize for sending this to you at work, but it's the only place I knew where to reach you. I don't know your new address, or your new number, and I doubted your family would tell me if I asked. I know you've heard by now that Aaron and I are getting married, and having a baby...can you believe it?
I'm so sorry for everything that happened between us. I never meant to hurt you. You were my best friend and I know I really messed things up. I never meant to cheat with Aaron. It just sort of happened, and I knew it was wrong, but he and I had a real connection. Something I couldn't shake. I'm so sorry that you had to get hurt in the process. You were always a good friend to me, you didn't deserve that.
Laura told me you were with a guy when she saw you. A new boyfriend? I'm glad you've found someone else. I hope you have the same connection with him that Aaron and I have together. Then maybe you would understand.
I really miss you. It's been a lonely 6 months without you. I don't think you and I have ever gone more than a day without talking to each other, right? I really want to reconcile. I want us to be friends again, like it used to be. Will you call me?
I hope I hear from you soon…
Love, Carly
Mia stared at the letter, hands taut while gripping the paper. She couldn't process what she was reading. How dare she…
"Mia?" Yvette called, snapping Mia back to life.
"Sorry." She shook her head to clear her mind.
She didn't have time to think about it now. She had to get back to work.
The air was cool and comfortable, and the sky was orange as the sun started to rest behind the horizon. Another peaceful evening. Bill and his friends were meeting in the alley again, ready for another session of drinking beers and talking. They all lined up after grabbing a can of Alamo and cracking them open in succession.
"Yep."
That first sip after a long day hit like nothing else. Drinking beer when depressed tasted different than drinking when utterly jubilant. Mia was on his mind all day, as she usually was, but it was different this time. It was more tangible, more fervent. She was his girlfriend now…
Hank spoke after his first sip had settled. "So Bill, I saw your, uh, the girl you've been seeing, today."
"You did?"
"Yep. I took Ladybird to the vet, a different one than our usual, and it turned out that was the place where Mia works."
"Did you tell her who you were?"
"Well, she kind of knew who I was from reading my name on the chart. We talked for a while. She seems like a really nice girl."
Dale spoke up. "What does she look like? Bill always just says 'she's beautiful' but I've heard him say the same thing about the gravy basket at Whataburger. I don't trust his judgement."
"Well, he's not wrong," Hank answered with a grin, "Bill's really outdone himself."
I sure did, Bill thought as he took a dignified sip of beer.
"She must be doing something right. I haven't seen Bill this happy since he was banging Kahn's mom."
Bill almost choked on his beer. Dale was referring to Laoma, their neighbor's mother. She was older than Bill by about 20 years. That whirlwind romance was one of the most passion-filled Bill had ever had. But it was also one of those ones that went into sex way too soon, and fizzled out from moving so fast…
The very thing he was trying to prevent.
Dale continued his musing. "Charlene was probably his hottest girlfriend, but then John Redcorn stole her away."
"I think she was just using Bill for a place to live with her kids, anyway," Hank dismissed.
"So what are you being used for this time?" Dale asked Bill.
Bill rolled his eyes. He knew he was in for it. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Charlene wanted a place to live. Leanne wanted you to buy her things. That one chick just wanted you because you were going to win that hot dog eating contest-"
"So you think Mia is just using me for something? Because how could a woman possibly want to be with me because they like who I am?"
Dale shrugged. "Yeah."
"She's not using me for anything," Bill snapped, "She has her own career, her own place, and she takes care of herself. Is it so ridiculous that she likes me for me?"
"Yeah. What about that is so hard to understand?"
Hank suddenly cut in, "Bill, what happened?"
He was looking with concern at Bill's arm. The one that was bruised and marked from Mia digging her nails into him last night…
"It's...nothing," Bill dismissed. He rotated slightly away to hide his arm from view.
"It looks like bruises to me."
"Remember when Leanne would beat the shit out of him?" Dale reminded them.
"This isn't like that."
"Bill, if something's going on, you can tell us," insisted Hank.
Cool and unbothered, Boomhauer told them, "It's a crime of passion, clearly."
"Yeah," Bill blushed, "...that."
Hank shifted uncomfortably. "Oh. Uh, well, good for you, Bill."
"Looks like you were doing a number on her," Dale slyly said, waggling his eyebrows.
Bill didn't respond. It felt wrong to tell them about his exploits involving Mia. It didn't feel like doing those things with her was a conquest, or a prize to be won, not something for him to brag about. He wanted to keep the intimacy between them pure and untainted by the crude things Dale might say.
They continued to drink their beers and talk into the dusk. It was almost time for Bill to call Mia, like he did almost every evening. After another beer together, he and his friends said their goodbyes and trailed away to their houses. Bill glanced around his house as he shut the door behind him. He was unhappy with it, despite all the cleaning and organizing he had been doing. It did look much better than it ever had, since Lenore lived there, anyway, but he really wanted to update and freshen the place up.
After talking to Mia for almost an hour, he made a quick call to Gilbert.
Mia sat on Jackie's couch later that week, watching her sister's expression change as she read the letter from Carly. Jackie sneered and made sarcastic comments after every dumb thing Carly had written.
"Is she serious?" Jackie asked incredulously.
Mia shook her head. "I don't know."
"And she had the nerve and audacity to send this to your work?"
"Trying to blindside me, probably. Well, it worked."
"She stabbed you in the back and basically tells you to get over it."
"And how dare she mention Bill? She said she hopes I have the connection with him that she has with Aaron."
"Why would she wish that on anyone?" Jackie joked.
Mia chuckled, but then grew serious. "Aaron was good to me in the beginning. Then after about a year it started going downhill. She's not at that year mark yet. But still, he's going to marry her, apparently."
"He's just marrying her because he knocked her up. And it probably wasn't planned. Maybe she trapped him?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Him having kids and getting married is not at all like him. But maybe he really does have a connection with her." She sighed, frustrated, "I just still can't get over that I wasted so many years of my life with him."
"Now you can waste years of your life with Bill!"
They laughed together.
"I'm going to meet his friends this weekend." Mia said carefully, trying not to betray her nervousness of the situation.
"Ooh, the next step, huh?"
Mia sighed. "I hope they like me."
"Of course they will! And hey, I want to meet him, too!"
It was getting late. After another glass of wine, Mia started to wrap up her time with her sister to head home.
"Well, fuck this letter Carly wrote, alright?" Jackie said, "That's your old life. Aaron and Carly are dead to you. And so is Laura. I don't trust someone who is always so freaking chipper all the time."
Mia chuckled, though a bit guiltily. "She's not that bad. She really is a nice person. I don't think she's ever said a bad thing about anybody."
"Well maybe she should. She chose Carly over you."
"I know, I know. Don't rub it in."
"Sorry."
"You're right though. Carly who?"
"That's right!"
Jackie always managed to make Mia feel better, no matter how ridiculous Mia thought her feelings were. She knew she was being ridiculous to get so riled up over this letter. She didn't care about Aaron and Carly anymore.
She had Bill now.
Bill and Gilbert had met for evening drinks at a cocktail bar, which was about halfway between Arlen and Austin. Gilbert was "researching" different bars and other points of interest for his magazine, and suggested they meet there when Bill called him earlier in the week.
"Dearest cousin, I am honored that you have come to me for my interior design expertise," Gilbert drawled in his sleepy bayou accent.
"You have an eye for those things. I never know what looks good."
"Oh, I always know what looks good…" Gilbert purred, as he eyed a passing waiter.
"I know I should probably repaint some rooms, and change out the carpet. I need help picking out furniture and decorations, too. I want it to be finished by this weekend."
"What's happening this weekend?"
Bill blushed a little. "Well, my...girlfriend...might be over. She hasn't been to my place yet."
"Ah, your lady caller." Gilbert smiled impishly.
"Do you need to see my house first?"
"Am I correct in assuming it looks exactly the same as the last time I was there?"
"...Yes."
"Then I already have a vision planned. Cousin, by the time I'm done, it will be a regular love nest for you and your special lady friend."
"Um, thanks Gilbert. I appreciate the help."
"Of course, Guillaume. So, is this the same girlfriend you mentioned on our last tête-à-tête?"
"Yes, she is."
"I might as well mention that Rose and Lily have both found new husbands. New money types. I can't foresee either holy union lasting very long. Unless it comes to death do them part, as it happened with Girac and Rene."
Bill awkwardly thought about that. Rose and Lily were married to Bill's cousins, who were Gilbert's brothers, until his cousins' untimely deaths. His other cousin, who was Gilbert's sister, Violetta, was also widowed around the same time. When Bill last visited the Chateau D'Haute Rive, the Dauterive's estate, the widows threw themselves at Bill, trying to seduce him, hoping he would marry one of them, as they wanted to continue to be part of the Dauterive line. He enthusiastically slept with Rose and Lily, both of them, and then went home, never contacting them again.
"It must be nice, having another to share yourself with," Gilbert mused quietly, "Not many of my relationships have lasted very long. I will admit it has been mostly due to my stoic nature." Gilbert sat back in his chair, drink in hand. His face seemed impassive, but his eyes showed his weariness.
"Well, you seem to be turning over a new leaf. Maybe things will be different next time."
"True indeed. I'm happy for you, for finding a lovely someone. I remember meeting your wife, that is, ex-wife, at your wedding. She was rather…abrupt with you. I didn't think much of it at the time. But now that I know how she turned out to be, well…"
"She was always pretty cruel to me. But you know how my dad was, or at least maybe you do. I grew up being berated and criticized; it was all I ever knew. And she wasn't the only one I let treat me like that. I let myself be used and torn down for most of my life."
Gilbert nodded, still seeming distant. "My parents both were rather neglectful. Emotionally, that is. They were never a source of comfort to me. That's probably why I have usually been drawn to the aloof and distant types; I hardly experienced any warmth or encouragement in my upbringing, so I didn't know how to look for it. "
The two of them sat together, drinking absently, thinking back on past loves and losses behind unfocused eyes.
Bill knew Mia was different than any of his past relationships. She wasn't using him for any personal gain, and she never mistreated him or did anything to make him feel bad about himself. She always made him feel good, and valid, and worthy...and like he wasn't an absolute colossal loser. He just wished he could shake his hang ups and be better for her. He wished the bad parts of his past wouldn't interfere with their future. She was worth every ounce of his effort to keep her and to maintain what they had together...but he still couldn't help but think that someday she would leave him. She wouldn't cheat on him, he knew that much, but she would probably meet someone new, someone better than him, someone young, and fit, and attractive.
There was no competing with the inevitable, but he was going to try and make their relationship last as long as he could.
