Chapter 2:Complicated
"Hello girls, looking good." Gabriel greeted with a smirk. Viv and I both stopped in front of him. Vivian was obviously unhappy about the man's presence on our door step and I was so regretting wearing such a low cut V-neck.
"Gabriel." I said plastering a grin on my face with a tilt of my head boosting the sarcasm level to over 9,000! Go Dragon Ball-Z!
"Save that for Esme and Astrid." She said with distaste.
I made a mock gagging sound in my throat, "Wow, way to ruin my sarcastic beauty Viv." I groaned clutching my heart.
"Well, I was being honest." She defended with a shrug.
"Oh here come the mental pictures." I whimpered, causing Gabriel to chuckle rubbing his chin. I narrowed my eyes in response.
"I'm just going to go inside." Viv said practically sprinting past Gabriel and shutting the door.
"Ditcher!" I shouted at the door.
"We don't really see you two at Tooley's." He stated looking me up and down practically examining.
"Yeah well I don't drink and we are both kind of under age." I spoke slyly crossing my arms over my chest attempting to remotely shield myself from his gaze.
"Oh I think I remember you telling me you didn't drink once." He said leaning his back against the porch next to me. "You still love your music and cooking though right?" he asked with a smirk that was annoying yet kind of sexy. Wait, say what?
"Okay just stop it, Gabriel." I said standing up straight and stepping in front of him.
"Stop what, Cynthia?" He asked lazily using my full name causing to growl.
"That, stop acting like you know me or care about me because we both know you don't. You are Gabriel and I'm Cyn." I told him anxiously placing my arms back around my chest. He reached up and cupped my cheek
"Whatever happened to Cynthia and Gee?" He spoke quirking one eyebrow. I moved closer closing the gap between us and leaned up on my tip toes grazing my lip against his ear.
"You ended that a long time ago remember?" I whispered biting it teasingly before stepping back and waving goodbye with content smirk and walking in the door as well as locking the door.
That reaction from him was only going to happen once and it wasn't going to last long. Although when I entered the house mentally and not just physically I regretted it hearing Vivian shriek, "He's twenty-four and you are almost forty."
"Well, rub it in." Esme responded not that it changed the child like smile on her face.
"Don't you think that is kind of gross?"
"It is a bit gross." I confirmed moving up the stairs to put my stuff away before making dinner.
"No, I mean it's not like I'm serious about him."
"Oh great. Now he's your buy toy."
"Some boy." She danced up the stairs, her rear end wagging like a tail. Viv followed her up slamming her bedroom door.
"Um ew, chic with a very graphic imagination here!" I shouted up the stairs to the two bitches (literally) who had just walked right past me without even looking at me.
I huffed as I entered my room feeling dirty in my low cut shirt as I tossed my bag onto my bed. I ripped off the top and threw on a oversized deep(tardis) blue hoodie before putting my hair up in a messy bun. Deciding I head some time to kill before making dinner. I walked over to my window and stared out at the backyard seeing my dog, Artemis, running around I laughed at her as she looked up at my window and rolled around with her tongue sticking out. She was a husky with a white, grey and black coat and deep blue eyes. I had found her out in the woods when we moved here. I had tried to find her owner but no neighbor had or even seen a husky dog like her anywhere around here before so Rudy let me keep it. It was weird I had found her at a time when I was lost and trying to find myself and so was she but I found her and no one found me. I didn't care though at least we both found friends in our search.
I jogged down the stairs and headed out the back door and called Artemis back inside. She came running but stopped in front of me and looked up at me with her big icy eyes and a large grin on her face. I rubbed her head gingerly before leading her inside.
"Time to start dinner." I muttered wandering around the kitchen gathering ingredients to make a four cheese lasagna, garlic bread, and a garden salad. I scurried from place to place around the large kitchen that I would live in if they would let me while Artemis stared lazily.
Once the bread was done the salad was finished and the lasagna was browning I grabbed my cell not trusting Viv to even still be awake.
Come set the table for dinner plz.~ Cyn I sent her grabbing a Dr. Pepper from the fridge my second favorite beverage only surpassed by the glorious fluid gold known as coffee. Chuckling at my own mind I grabbed the plates and silverware for Vivie to set out. Almost as if on queue she walked in grabbing the plates from me.
"I got it get my food out of the oven before it burns." she teased nudging me. I shoved her back towards the dining room.
"I have never burned anything in my life, F.Y.I." I informed her taking another sip of my soda before moving to pull out my cheesy, meaty, and saucy master piece. I walked into the dining room with the lasagna in one hand salad in the other and ranch and thousand dressing in between either elbows placing them down on the table.
"Jeez Cyn you're better waitress than me." Esme said walking in and taking her place at the table.
"And a better cook don't forget that part." I added.
Only if the rest of dinner had gone so well. Five minutes into the meal no words had been spoken but I decided to break the silence myself. "Can you pass me the thousand island?" I asked Esme. She handed the bottle to me and that was all that happened no big boom just that but somehow it triggered something in Viv.
"Didn't you love dad?" Viv said dropping her silverware on her plate. I choked on my drink causing some to drip my chin. I quickly wiped it off shocked at the sudden question and to say Esme was surprised would be an understatement.
"Yes, I loved him." She responded still startled at the teens question.
"Then why are you running around." I began to chew on my lip as I grew nervous of where this was going.
"A year's a long time, Vivian. I'm tired of crying. I'm lonely," so am I but I'm not sleeping with a guy almost half my age I thought bitterly. "some times I want a man in my bed." Vivian abruptly left the table with her food and headed to the kitchen.
"What the hell, aunt Esme? Why would you tell your daughter and niece that?" I asked lowly as to not alert Viv. I ran after Viv before she could respond though. I walked in to see Viv getting ready to dump her food in the trash.
"Don't waste my amazing food, I'm sure Artemis would love that." I informed her lightly trying to lighten the mood. Viv shook her head and sat next to Artemis' food and water bowl. She got off the floor and leaned against the island in the center of the kitchen. Leaping up on the counter next to her I lay my head on her shoulder.
"Viv honey are you okay?" I asked her in a low voice trying to radiate calm it seemed to work as Viv didn't yell in response.
"What happened to us? We used to be such a family we, used to be happy together. Now, we can't even eat dinner without arguing." Ugh so not the response I was wanting she sounded broken but I knew she had to show someone this side of herself and sure as hell was going to be a pack member.
"We are a family even if it's just you and me. We're a family. As long as one of us is here the other never has to be alone. Although it might feel like it we aren't." I reassured her as I wrapped my arm around her giving her shoulder a squeeze.
"You know you are right. I don't know why I let my mom's behavior get to me."
"Of course I'm right I'm always right." I told her as she elbowed me in the ribs. "Hey watch the ribs chick." I told clutching my ribs in mock pain.
"Whatever crazy." She told me leaving the kitchen probably to head up stairs.
"Hey aunt Esme your turn to clean up!" I shouted towards the dining room before retiring to my own room to do some homework.
After about two hours of homework and many pages of notebook paper later(stupid trig work) I decided I would jump in the shower. I grabbed a grey tank top and black shorts that would come mid-thigh and a black sports bra and headed to the bathroom.
I let the hot water run over me loving the tinkling sensation it left on my skin. I lathered my midnight strands with a blueberry coconut shampoo that smelled amazing. I then grabbed my loofa and applied blueberry body wash and began to wash away the day. I quickly rinsed and dried off with a towel before throwing the clothes I had picked out.
I stepped out into the hallway to see Vivie heading down the stairs. "Where are you going?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"He called me." She told me with a grin.
"Who? Wait you didn't show up on time in fourth because of a guy a human guy? Well then that's interesting." I remarked leaning against the banister.
"He asked me out. He wants to go to some free concert with him out at the university." She told me happily. "Hey you should come to it will be fun."
"Yeah I don't do third wheel." I told her distastefully.
"There will be very hot guys and I heard that it's going to be blazing Sunday." She informed.
"So?" I asked wondering why that mattered
"Lots of shirtless male, you get your fill of abs."
"Okay okay." I gave in. She used my weakness for the opposite sexes abs against little heifer.
"Come on I was just about to go on a celebratory run."
"Um Viv Hun I just got of the shower not." I told her gesturing to the wet messy bun my hair was in that I needed to dry off. "but you go ahead have fun." I waved at her as I headed back up to my room. I quickly blow dried my hair and brushed out into its thick pin straight state. I headed down the stairs to check on Artemis and see about getting myself some ice cream.
Uncle Rudy walked in the front door to see me laying in my favorite armchair nursing a bowl of Ben&Jerry's Rocky Road with Artemis sleeping at my feet. It was about ten o'clock.
"Sweetie what are you doing?" He asked me sitting down on the love seat next to me.
"You left alone with them at dinner." I said staring at the fire I head lit in the fireplace.
"Oh sorry I went to Tooley's."
"That's what I figured. Gabriel was here, when me and Viv got home. Vivie was not pleased in the slightest."
"Oh dear, dinner must have been interesting."
"You kidding me, we lasted five minutes. New recorded for them I think."
"Don't be to hard on Esme she is having a rough time honestly." He told me reaching out to touch my shoulder.
"No she was having a rough time six months ago now she is just spiraling." I said to him. I wasn't being to hard on her I knew that it was one thing if she wanted to move on start a relationship remarry in a couple years but sleeping with guys half your age because your lonely is not okay. "Viv smiled today for the first time since the fire, she actually smiled."
"Esme told me she had a date."
"Yep." I responded as I stood up I rinsed out bowl and threw it in the dishwasher and started it.
"Where is Viv?" Rudy asked entering the kitchen behind me grabbing some leftovers from the fringe.
"She went for a run. Probably another first for her since the fire." I added.
"Oh."
"Yeah, I'm going to head up to bed. Night uncle Rudy." I told him as I kissed his cheek and went to exit the kitchen.
"What about you? You keep talking and worrying about Vivian
and Esme but what about you? Are you okay?" He asked causing me to stop in my tracks not really sure where that had come from.
"I will be, one day."