He purrs and rubs his head against my chin. I still and ask hopefully, “So, we’re friends now? No more funny business, right?” He settles in the crevice between my neck and chin, purring all the while, and I sigh in relief. “Thank you, Lord.” Okay. If he’s cute like this most of the time, I won’t have to find a new home for him.
Reaching up, I pat his little back. His purr deepens. I lie back, savoring the sweet-kitty side of Tedwood I know won’t last. “This is the calm before the storm, isn’t it?” I ask him. His back arches and he hisses in response.
Yep. That’s what I thought.
***
Helena
As I walk down the block to work, I call Nat. She answers on the first ring. “Sup, dawg?”
Sounding more like a junkie than intended, I whine, “I need you to hook me up. I need a fix, and I need it soon.”
Silence, then, “And what will you do for me?”
I think hard. I shrug, even though she can’t see it. “I don’t know. I’ll cook for you.”
She scoffs. “Bitch, please. I cook better than you do.”
Damn. She doesn’t lie. I’m getting desperate. I all but shout into the cell, “I’ll do anything! What do you want?”
She grumbles into the phone and I know she’s thinking. After a moment’s thought, she answers, “Clean my place.”
I blink. Is she fucking serious? I am nobody’s maid! I respond louder than expected, “Fuck you, bitch!” The man walking next to me glares at me. I cover the bottom-half of the cell and mutter, “Oh, don’t worry. It’s just my sister.” I didn’t realize it was possible, but he actually looks more disgusted as he walks away. Offended at his misplaced revulsion, I call out to him, “Well, fuck you too!”
Nat chuckles. “Ah, New York.” Then she bursts into song, “It’s a hell of a towwwwwnnnn!”
I can’t help but laugh with her. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
“Meh. He’ll get over it.” She allows a moment’s pause before trying again. “So you cleaning my place, or what?”
I sneer. “Hell to the no. I’ve heard you and Ash in action. No way I’m cleaning up after that. I’d require a hazmat kit!”
She sniffs. “You act like you’ve never come into contact with jizz before. Since when are you a prude?”
Since college.
I laugh humorlessly. “I am not a prude. Never was.”
She returns with, “When’s the last time you got laid?”
July 4th, 2010. It was a Sunday. The weather was superb; the sun shone all day long. “I don’t know the exact date!”
“If you’re talking the date, it was longer than a year ago.”
My nose bunches. “You’re way off.”
She lets out a sound of exasperation. “Okay, whatever, you don’t have to clean the whole place, just the bathroom.”
“Yeah, I’m hanging up now.”
My finger is just about to hit the end button, when she sighs. “Fine. You get a free pass. This time. I’ll send you the details.”
Happiness fills me, warming me. I smile brightly. “You’re amazing. A goddess. I love you like a siste—”
Beep. I check the display. And scowl. Bitch hung up on me. My phone beeps. It’s a text from Nat. I almost squeal in delight. It’s the address to Icing on the Cake Bakery, and it isn’t far from my work. Using the internet map on my phone, I can see it’s four blocks away from me. And five blocks in the opposite direction is Safira and The White Rabbit. Not exactly around the corner, but not far either.
I need a car. As soon as I make some money, that’s the first thing on my to-buy list. Just as I approach the block my work is on, I shoot out a quick text.
Me: I hate you.
A few seconds pass before I get a reply.
Nina: Hate you more, turd. x
I walk into work smiling, knowing today will be a good day.
***
Helena
James leads me into a large room filled with workout equipment. He waves out a hand. “You’ve probably seen most of this stuff before, but if you see anything unfamiliar, let me know and we’ll go over what it is and how it’s used.”
After a quick scan of the equipment, I shake my head. “I’ve used it all before, but if I see anything that looks new to me, I’ll tell ya.”
He claps his hands together and smiles. “Great! This is great. You’re the easiest person I’ve had to train. I feel like it should be harder than this, but you’re making it too easy for me.”
I’m mock an apologetic, “Sorry.”
Laughing, he shakes his head at me. “I’ve never met a small girl with so much attitude before.”
I walk over to him and playfully push him away. “It’s not attitude. It’s spunk.”
He nods in agreement. “Yeah. Your pep.”
I laugh at his choice of word. “You could even say I have moxie.”
He shudders. “I don’t even think my grandma used the word moxie. And she died at ninety.”
My face bunches. “You callin’ me old, boss?”
“Nah. Just an old soul, I think.” For a reason unknown to me, his words make my chest pang. My smile slides off my face. I suddenly feel very awkward. James is by my side in an instant. “Hey. I’m sorry.”
I paste on a small smile. “No, don’t be sorry. You’re right on the money.” He looks down at me expectantly. “Really, it’s not what you said, more of me not being happy with how I’ve been doing things lately.”
Without a word, he walks across the room and picks up two chairs. He brings them over to me and places them facing each other. I sit in one while he sits opposite me. “Talk to me, Helena.”
James is a friendly guy. I can talk to him. At least, I feel like I can talk to him. It would be nice to cement a friendship here in New York. Opening up to him may be the way to do that. We’ve already spoken about so much already. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I try again. Nothing. Finally, I swallow and start, “Why is it that the reason I started to like a person is also the same reason I started to dislike that very person?”
It’s true. The reason I started to like Max was for his flirty, lighthearted ways. So it doesn’t make sense for me to dislike him being flirty now, does it?
James’s lips purse in thought as he thinks on his answer. “Maybe you saw something in that person that you wished you had in yourself. And maybe, because you’re very different from that person, you started to develop a jealousy towards them for not being able to adapt that trait to your life.”