Jekyll and Hyde

I was trying to hide my opposing side

Trying to reconcile

my Jekyll and Hyde

The following morning Robin jolted awake at 10,15 by the wonderful sound of a phone ringing and ringing, and ringing, and ringing...

Fucking annoying when you're hungover and sleep deprived. He half opened one eye and was rewarded with pain. Scrambling for the receiver he picked it up and answered with a groggily, "Hello?" He repeated it three times before he realised he had been mistaken. The noise didn't come from the phone. It came from the doorbell... And whoever it was at his door wasn't going away...

He sat up abruptly, causing black spots to dance across his vision. Once he regained focus he noticed two things. 1) There was a skinny redhead in his bed, blissfully asleep and butt naked. And 2) There was a car parked on his drive way. It was a red Opel, he could see it clearly through his bedroom window. Not just any Opel though, it looked suspiciously like the one Marian drove.

Sudden comprehension dawned on him and he shot up from the bed like a scalded cat. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was in deep shit this time. Note to self: Don't mess around when your girlfriend is close by... Ugh, don't mess around PERIOD!!

Grabbing a robe, he hurried downstairs. He knew what he was about to do was risky but he didn't have much of a choice. Not answering the door would only stir up unnecessary clouds of suspicion. His own car was visible in the carport and his dog was barking in the kitchen. To pretend he wasn't home would only be foolish.

"I woke you up, didn't I?!" was the first thing Marian said when he opened the door and let her in.

"Uh...yeah, but it's cool." he replied, voice raspy like he hadn't spoken in days.

"Aww, baby I'm sorry," she said, but she didn't sound sorry at all. In fact she had a huge smile on her face. And why wouldn't she be smiling?! As far as she knew everything between them was fine. Better than fine, if the way she had danced with him under the moonlight the night before was any indication.

It wasn't until midnight, when she decided to go "Cinderella" on him and take a cab home, that things started to go downhill for him... He had been left solo on the dance floor, feeling, horny, drunk and alone...Never a good combination... That was no excuse though. He should have known better...

Suddenly driven by an urgent need to make up for his weakness he threw his arms around her he hugged her tightly.

"You're shaking. Are you alright, baby? " she asked gently combing her finger through his hair. He nodded and pulled back a little, not meeting her gaze.

"I'm okay. I'm still a little disoriented from just waking up, that's all... So uhm... what are you doing here this early? Weren't you suppose to baby-sit or something?," he asked carefully, feeling beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Chris, my 6 year old cousin, got sick so my aunt canceled her trip. Look, I only came by in case you needed some help cleaning up after the party. But if you want me to leave," she trailed off hesitantly.

"Uhm... would you mind? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you... But I feel kind of funky. I need to take a shower and get dressed. "

"Oookay," her tone was light but Robin could see disappointment in her face. It couldn't be helped. He needed her out of the house, and that quick...

"I have and idea! Why don't you take Nemo out on a nice LONG walk for me while I get ready. We could meet up here again in let's say 30 minutes and have breakfast together," he suggested and gently shoved her towards the door. She stumbled, but caught herself on the doorframe.

"That sounds like a plan but uhm... Robin, wont I need a dog for that?!"

"Eh... yeah... Silly me, I forgot! Wait outside and I'll bring him out through the backdoor, okay?!" he said quickly and closed the door on her before she could say another word.

"So far so good!" he thought, letting out a shaky breath, but his conscience did not entirely agree with him...

The shower didn't feel nearly as refreshing as he had hoped it would. He stood under the hot water until his skin turned lobster red. But no matter how hard he scrubbed himself, he still felt dirty. And he couldn't stop his mind from replaying the last 24 hours over and over again...

After waving Marian and Nemo off, he had returned to his bedroom to confront his "partner in crime". To his surprise he had found the girl up and awake. Still naked of course, but at least she was hurrying about the room collecting her things. His first reaction as he saw her was one of disgust. Funny how things tend to look completely different in broad daylight...

The conversation that followed had been short but to the point...

"Get your clothes on. We don't have much time."

"Gee, good morning to you too. Someone's in a bad mood. Let me guess, you didn't like that wakeup call --much, huh? So tell me, who was at the door?"

"Bible salesman!"

"You're lying!"

"Does it matter?!"

"It was that pathetic girlfriend of yours, wasn't it?"

"Whatever... Look Clarissa, you and I are through. I know I have said it before but this time I really mean it. Don't call, don't come to my house, and don't try to seek me out. I don't wanna see you ever again. Have I made myself clear?!"

"Very, but remember you're the one making booty calls, not me, honey.. Keep lying to yourself that if it makes you feel better. But you and I both know who you will be running to the next time you're going through a dry spell."

"I think you should leave. You were never invited in the first place so get lost!"

After showing a very hostile Clarissa to the door, Robin quickly took care of all incriminating evidences in the bedroom and then headed for the bathroom to make himself presentable.

Once he got out of the shower, he went dripping across the bathroom floor in search of a clean towel. He finally resorted to using his bathrobe and made a mental note to visit a Laundromat in the near future.

Sighing, he reached for his toothbrush. Bringing it up to his mouth, he stopped, looking at his face in the mirror.. "Dirty and mean-spirited, that's what you are." he told his reflection and quickly finished his morning routine.

Running a comb through his hair he padded out of the steaming bathroom to grab some clothes. He slipped into a pair of khaki cargo shorts and pulled a black wife-beater over his head. He looked for and found his favorite baseball cap and pulled that on as well, finishing with a pair of flip-flops. By the time he was through dressing, he could hear the unmistakable sound of Nemo barking outside and knew Marian was back.

"Time to face the music..."