All familiar characters belong to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.
'So this is how it ends,' I thought to myself.
I shrugged. I don't know why I'm surprised. Being bored, annoyed, hungry, and feeling trapped, has been my way of life for the past seven weeks, and there's no reason to think things will change anytime soon. But in a way … they have. I've been trying to talk myself into living through it, but now it's entirely possible that it's going to kill me instead if I let it.
I placed Rex's cage on the basket I'd packed earlier and steeled myself for the fight for my life that's seconds away.
"Stephanie," my mother said, spotting me before I could make it to the last step on my parents' staircase, "what do you think you're doing? Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, which you'll remember is why I told you no to having a snack. Why are you taking your hamster out of your room? You know how I feel about him being where company could see him."
I sighed. "It's not my room, Mom. It was where I was staying just until my apartment is habitable again."
"Nonsense. Your father and I said that it's your room for however long you need it."
"I know I didn't say that," I heard my father mutter under his breath during a commercial break.
"Thanks," I told them, being the only one to pick up on the sarcasm lacing the syllable, "but I don't need to stay here anymore. Rex and I are heading out."
"Is your apartment ready then?" My mother asked, looking for any crack in my decision so she could worm her way in and dismantle it.
Dillon told me this morning that I have at least another week to wait, if I'm lucky, but I know I can't survive another minute, let alone seven more days, of living my childhood crap all over again.
"We'll be okay," I assured them, trying to avoid lying outright.
"Alright," she said, clearly not liking what she's hearing, "but I'm sure you can wait until after dinner to leave?"
No, I really couldn't. If I have to hear one more conversation about Joe, listen to yet another fight between my parents about who should do what and when, or have to plug my ears again when Val started flirting with Kloughn, I'm going to use my fork to end it all. Only Grandma Mazur's presence and stories have had the power to keep me relatively sane for this long.
"I'm not hungry," I said, clearly able to lie through my teeth after all. "I'd rather get settled while it's still light out. I'll call you later."
I hurried out the front door before she could stop me. I walked Rex to my latest POS and got him buckled into the passenger's seat. Only when I got behind the wheel did I start to panic. I saved myself death via Burg, but I'm still technically homeless with nowhere to sleep tonight. I didn't have to waste time running through my options, since I only have one.
He answered on the first ring. "Babe."
My shoulders relaxed. "Help," is all I could say to sum up my current dilemma.
To his credit, he didn't laugh at me or give me a hard time. "You lasted longer than I'd expected."
"I can't take it - them - anymore. I know I was about to snap, so I left before the police were needed to intervene."
I could feel his grin. "Good plan. Do you need me to come rescue you?"
"No, my car is still working at least. I just didn't know if your offer was still available."
At my crime scene, he had said his place is mine for however long I wanted it, but I didn't want to muddy the already murky relationship-water between us. Immediately catching the FTA who Molotov-cocktailed my apartment thirty minutes after my stupid cousin got him bonded out, seemed like more than enough for him to do for me. Forcing Ranger to live with me, when I wasn't sure of the rules, I thought would be cruel and unusual punishment.
Turns out, so was moving back home with my parents.
"I didn't place any time limit or conditions on my offer, Steph."
"I know. I just didn't want to take advantage of you."
He paused. "No one except you would ever believe I could be taken advantage of."
"You know what I mean."
"I do. It's why you didn't stay with me instead of torturing yourself with your family."
He knows me well. Too well.
I didn't know what to say, but getting help from Ranger never required the right words. It's what makes him so special and me so scared of abusing our friendship when I'm not sure what I can give him in return.
"I wouldn't have given you a key to my apartment if I didn't want you to use it. I'll let Ella know that dinner will be for two tonight."
My entire body slumped in relief. "Thank you."
"No thanks are needed. Now get your ass moving before your mother throws herself in front of your car as a last ditch effort to get you to stay."
At the knowing tone in his voice, I suddenly looked around ... fully believing I'd see his Porsche or truck idling behind me, but I only spotted my Mom standing in the front door, likely wondering why I'm still sitting in their driveway if I have someplace to go. Figuring I'll worry about one thing at a time, escaping my mother first and waiting to freak out about mine and Ranger's sleeping arrangements until later, I started my car and waved to her as I made a break for freedom.
Instead of working late on five, or kicking back on seven after a long day, Ranger was talking to Gene in the lobby when I fobbed my way onto the property and parked my shitbox beside Ranger's Cayenne.
He materialized beside me before I got my car door open. "I wanted to make sure the rodent was with you. You're less likely to bolt with him tucked in somewhere."
I laughed at the pathetic state of my life. "I have no place to bolt to. There's no way I can live with my family again."
His eyes held mine hostage. "I would have stepped in if you chose somewhere other than your parents' place to stay."
"Where would I? Ohhhh ...," I answered, when I finally got what he wasn't willing to say. "Morelli was never an option. I would've picked Mary Lou, Val, or Eddie's houses of horror over being near him again. Besides, from all the gossip my mother has subjected me to, he's moved on and on again … implying that I'd better move fast if I wanted to marry him before he discovers a better fit. Trust me, I don't want anything to do with him. He's the only person more agonizing to live with than my parents."
Ranger nodded. He didn't say it, but I sensed he was relieved.
"Just out of curiosity," I heard myself ask him, "if you would have 'stepped in' to stop me from going to Joe's, why didn't you hijack me before I moved to my parents' place?"
"Do you want the truth?"
I know he would have preferred to ask if I could handle the truth. I was surprised to learn that I actually can.
"Yes," I told him, feeling better than I have in months.
"I wanted you to come to me on your own."
"Well ... here I am."
He tugged on my ponytail and grinned. "This isn't exactly how I pictured it, but it's a promising start."
My entire body tingled to match what was going on with my neck's usual reaction to him.
His smile widened as he stepped back and then moved around to the other side of my car to get Rex and my basket of belongings, the meager amount of stuff that I'd been able to salvage from the charred-depths of my apartment. I got the door and elevator for him as I waved to Gene, and I fobbed us up to seven.
To my surprise, Ranger didn't leave Rex on the sideboard by the front door. He carried him as well as my things down the hall. My current roommate put my tried and true one on his kitchen counter before continuing on into his bedroom.
I would have followed him, but by the time I'd put my shoulder bag down and slipped my jacket off, Ranger was back to hang it up and answer the door a beat after Ella knocked.
"Ranger told me that you'd be staying here, but I didn't know if you've had a chance to eat supper before you arrived, Stephanie," Ella said, "so I brought it up as soon as everything was ready."
It's been weeks since I felt the urge to do more than grind my teeth or curse under my breath at length, so my face almost cracked when a genuine smile broke out on it.
"Thank you, Ella. I haven't eaten since lunch and I past starving an hour ago."
She returned my smile and headed to Ranger's kitchen, looking pleased to know her efforts will be completely consumed and fully appreciated.
Ranger and I paused to take in the table she'd managed to set for us in the time it took for him to close the door behind her and slip an arm around me to escort me to the kitchen. Two covered-dishes sat on his tiny kitchen table. Cloth napkins were wrapped around what is clearly the 'good silver' and set beside the dishes. Even a small crystal vase made an appearance, containing ruffly-looking red and white tulips.
"I hope you don't mind," Ella said to us, "but tonight feels like a special occasion, so I took the liberty of making you sliced-pork tenderloin topped with a roasted strawberry and merlot sauce, lemon-butter green beans with cranberries, walnuts, and feta, plus crispy potato stacks."
I cut my eyes to Ranger. "How has no restaurant stolen her away from you?"
"Why do you think there's a security gate across the entrance of my property to keep people I don't clear out?" He answered as Ella beamed at him.
Being Ella, nothing throws her for long. "Ranger doesn't have dessert after dinner, but I whipped-up two miniature tiramisu-cheesecake trifles for the both of you. They're in the refrigerator. A little birdie told me that both are two of your favorites."
I shot another glance at Ranger. "Coming here for Ella isn't the same as choosing to spend time in your place myself, is it?"
"No, but I'm happy to add her culinary skills to the list of weapons I can use to tempt you into staying."
"You should be thinking of ways to make me leave, not ones to keep me here."
His eyes did that laser thing when they met mine. "Maybe I should, but I'm not."
Gulp.
"Alright then," Ella said, clearing her throat to interrupt our only-ones-in-the room trance. "I'll leave you two to enjoy your meal. I'll see myself out," she said, when Ranger moved to walk her to the front door.
He poured us each a glass of Cabernet before joining me at the table.
"It could be the company or just the food, but this actually feels like a date to me," I told him, after uncovering Ella's feast.
"I'm relieved to hear that my company was mentioned before our dinner."
"You're being funny," I noted, "so this has to be a date."
"The first of many if I have my way."
I stabbed my mini-stack of crispy yet creamy potato slices with my fork. "Clearly that's another joke … since you always get your way."
"I do, but some missions take longer than others to complete."
I pointed my knife at him, quickly dropping it back onto my plate when he raised an eyebrow at the potential weapon.
"I was using it as a pointer, not a wound-er," I assured him. "Are you calling me a mission?"
"No. I'm calling you someone worth any wait … no matter how long."
Damned if I didn't almost melt into a puddle of emotions at his feet. "Um … thanks?"
He nodded to my wine glass until I picked it up. "Relax, Steph. Eat, drink your wine, and then we'll watch the news and a movie afterwards."
The kidding part of the evening had ended and he switched to covertly seducing me. He gave me his share of our dessert, he let me choose Ghostbusters to watch just because he knows how happy it makes me, and while he didn't kiss me anywhere except the top of my head while we put the dinner dishes in the dishwasher, he kept me plastered to his side on the couch with an arm curled around my shoulders.
I was happy, sleepy, and thoroughly enjoying our night together up until the part where the Ghostbusters got marshmallowed. I know the movie's gonna be over soon and I started internally panicking about the sleeping arrangements I'd put off worrying about until now.
My body became more rigid as the minutes ticked off towards the end credits. Out of desperation I started listing things I could offer to do to delay bedtime. I played opossum as the credits rolled just the same. Ranger, having the patience of a Saint, didn't make fun of me despite feeling the change and sudden nerves taking over my body.
He shut the TV off, stood up, and held out his hand for me to take.
"Come on, Babe. Let's go to bed. I'll keep my hands mostly to myself … unless you decide to cross enemy lines during the night."
I know he's being playful just to put me at ease, but parts of me stood at attention in excitement. Tonight may not be 'The Night' everything changes between us, but now I know for certain that it will be sometime veeeery soon.