"That's the last box," Roman said.
"Thank you," Adria said.
"Where are the boys?" He asked.
"They're in the bedroom trying to put my new bed together. I figured I'd upgrade to a bigger one now that I got a bigger bedroom. Who knew screwing some legs under a bed would be that hard? Clearly not those two. They were bragging away until they got to it," she said.
He chuckled and grabbed a can of pepsi that she had left on the table. She had bought several and told them to drink as many as they could. He opened it and took a big sip.
"You know he likes you, right?" He asked.
"We're friends," she said.
"For now," he chuckled. "Who knows what might happen in the future?"
He winked at her and walked out of the kitchen. He went into the bedroom just as Seth and Dean were turning the bed around to stand on all four legs.
"Adria!" Seth called. "We're done!"
"Thank you!" Adria yelled back.
"She's putting plates in the cabinet. She'll be here in a minute," Roman said.
"Try it," Dean said.
"Why?" Seth asked. "It's her bed."
"I got a feeling you'll be lying in it one day too," Dean said.
Dean and Roman looked at each other and started laughing. Seth rolled his eyes but laid down on the bed.
"So soft," Seth purred.
"What is?" Adria asked. "Oh, my bed."
Seth's face flushed red and he hurried up from the bed. Dean and Roman chuckled again. Adria walked over and sat down on the bed.
"You did good, guys. Thank you," Adria said. "What do you all want for dinner? My treat."
"I actually promised Renee to help her with something," Dean said.
"So did I," Roman said. "I mean, Alexa. I promised Alexa to help her tonight," Roman said.
"Guys," Seth said lowly.
"You got this, Seth," Dean stuck up both thumbs. "You heard her. Dinner's on her."
Roman and Dean hurried out of the house before Adria and Seth could protest.
"I'm sorry," Seth said. "They're weird sometimes."
"Then I will fit right in," Adria giggled. "I like them, Seth. You got great friends. And you're great too. Thank you for helping me today."
"You're welcome," he said.
"So what do you want for dinner?" She asked.
"I'd like a chicken burger," he said.
"I will order burgers for both of us," she said.
She picked up her phone and it started ringing in her hand.
"It's Charlotte," she said. "I'll take it outside."
"Maybe tell her about the house," he chuckled.
"Maybe," she said.
She walked outside and answered the phone.
"Now is not a good time," Adria said.
"You always have time for me," Charlotte said. "How are things going with Seth?"
"It's going. We're friends," Adria said.
"Come on, Adria. Do your job," Charlotte said.
"It's been four months since Becky died. Have you thought about maybe seeing a therapist to help you move on?" Adria said.
"What did you just say to me? What the fuck did you just say to me?" Charlotte shouted.
"Nothing," Adria said.
"After everything I did for you. You would have been dead if it wasn't for me. Mom and dad neglected you, and I made sure you fucking survived, Adria. You're only alive because of me. You owe me your life," Charlotte said.
Adria didn't say anything. As long as she kept quiet, Charlotte would continue on her own.
"Make him open up to you. You do that all the time at work. Treat him like a customer," Charlotte said.
"Fine," Adria said.
"Can I trust you to actually do one fucking thing right?" Charlotte asked.
"I got this," Adria said.
"Are you sure? Maybe you need some therapy. Show on the doll where Charlotte hurt you," Charlotte said mockingly.
"I said, I got this!" Adria growled.
Adria hung up and walked back inside. Seth stood there on the floor, looking at her with those sweet eyes of his.
"Is everything okay?" He asked.
He had no idea how badly she wanted to answer that question. Nothing was okay but he was the first one who actually seemed to care about her. She crossed the floor fast and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. She felt him start moving them towards the bedroom, and she broke the kiss.
"No, I can't do this," she said.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"I would like for you to leave," she said.
"Let's talk about this," he said.
"I need you to leave, Seth," she raised her voice. "I want you to fucking leave!"
He nodded and walked past her. She turned around and watched him as he got back into his shoes. He grabbed his jacket and looked over at her.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"So am I," she said.
"Is it okay if I call you?" He asked.
She nodded and looked down. She wanted to scream at him to stay the hell away from her. If he wasn't in her life, Charlotte wouldn't be able to hurt him. She heard the front door close, and she looked up to see he was gone.
"Fuck my life," she said.
She felt tears run down her cheeks. She couldn't stop them. She walked into the bedroom and curled up on her bed. What had started as a happy day had turned into one big mess, and she was at fault. She was just a pawn in Charlotte's game, and she had no idea how to knock the queen off the board. Charlotte always won.