When she awoke the next morning, her body tensed as her senses became alert. She could smell coffee and hear the soft crackle and pop of the fire blazing below. She then realized she was almost hot, and she pushed the heavy comforter off of her. At least Noelle had made good on her promise to keep her warm most of the time. Now if only she would make good in other areas.
She rose slowly from the bed and shimmied down the ladder. Then she cautiously peered around the corner into the small kitchen. Noelle was tending a frying pan on the stove and turned to glance at her.
“Oh, you’re up,” Noelle said with a cheery smile as if yesterday had never happened. Ready for one of my fabulous home-cooked country breakfasts?”
“I guess. Just let me wash up first.”
“Okay. Then be sure to have at least your robe on. Dad’s on his way over to join us.”
Great, Lorella thought to herself. Just what I need: a guy so depressingly boring to wake up with, along with Miss Unpredictable.
She heard Noelle’s father arrive as she was pulling her sweater over her head. The soft, sorrowful voice she heard down below contrasted greatly with Noelle’s loud, chipper voice. She climbed down for the inevitable and exchanged hellos with the man. He didn’t even ask her how she was. He simply turned to Noelle as if she didn’t exist, only acknowledging her when Noelle did, and basically only speaking when asked a question.
Trying to do her best to fit in and join the discussion, Lorella asked if there was any word on the guy they’d encountered.
“What guy?” Noelle’s father asked, taking a bite from a strip of bacon.
Noelle nearly choked on her eggs.
“You know, that guy – Fred Withers, I think his name was – who went missing from this mountain. The one whose brother Noelle called to come and get him after he’d been in that fight.”
He looked at her, then at his daughter, shrugged, and said, “I don’t know anything about it. I mean, I knew a guy who’d been in some form of argument with his girlfriend had disappeared shortly afterward, but I didn’t know you met him.”
“I thought I told you about that, Dad,” Noelle said.
“You probably did, but it’s slipped my mind.”
“Yeah, he was quite a mess, alright. Came across the two of us picnicking by the pond with a bloody nose. He asked to use a phone to call his brother to come pick him up, and so I ran back here and called for him.”
“And then what happened?”
“He said he’d wait out by the road for the brother, and then I dashed back to Lorella, knowing how nervous it made her to be alone. Never saw the guy again after that.”
“Wow, you never told me this. At least I don’t think you did.”
“Oh, well, that’s funny. I could’ve sworn I did, but then again, I told so many people that I must’ve simply figured you were one of them. Can I get you a coffee refill?”
“Sure,” he said.
Lorella had a feeling that once again, she’d said the wrong thing. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, she was almost certain that there had been panic in Noelle’s eyes at the mention of Fred Withers, though her father hadn’t seen it, being so engrossed in his food and keeping his eyes on his plate. Lorella knew good and well that she hadn’t told her father about the day the bloodied guy had approached them and would bet just about anything that she hadn’t told anyone else either.
But why?
She decided not to ask Noelle about it in private. She said and asked enough of the wrong things as it was, and the last thing she needed was to get into it with her and spoil the rest of the weekend. She was stressed out as it was, and their boring company wasn’t of any help to her mood. She wished Noelle’s father would leave, but when he finally did leave after they’d eaten and had another round of coffee, Lorella wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. After all, she was now left alone with Noelle. And Noelle was one thing she couldn’t predict anymore, let alone understand.
The rest of the weekend had passed uneventfully, though not without a degree of stress. Lorella had tried to avoid Noelle as much as she could in order to keep the peace, but Noelle would constantly seek out her company, accusing her of being antisocial. When Lorella said it was only because she didn’t want to fight, Noelle would insist that everything was fine and want to have sex. For the first time since their relationship began, Lorella found that she was unable to get into it, despite how good Noelle was.
She awoke depressed on Monday morning but was glad to have Noelle gone. She went through her usual morning routine of coffee, a shower, and some stretching exercises before jogging in place for a while, then she got some work done.
Around noon, she decided to go see Denise. She put on the new ski jacket that Noelle had gotten her and shoved her hands in the jacket’s pockets. She would get gloves the next time she was at the store. The biting cold stung her face as she made her way towards her friend’s cabin. Again, she had to wonder why she stayed in such a miserable place with someone she wasn’t all that happy with. Even if the summers, which were beautiful, could last year-round, she still wasn’t happy with Noelle.
She knocked on Denise’s door and, a moment later, was let in by her.
“Hi,” said the bubbly blond. “It’s cold out, isn’t it?”
“You got that right,” Lorella said, shivering.
“Well, come right in and get warmed up.”
Lorella was led into the living room where a warm fire was burning. A woman sat on the couch. “Oh, you have company. Want me to come back later?”
“Oh, no,” Denise said. “Ashley was just leaving.”
“You sure I’m not intruding?”
“Not at all. Ashley, this is our neighbor Lorella, and Lorella, this is my friend Ashley. Ashley lives in Klamath Falls.”
Ashley rose from the couch, smiling, and extended a hand towards Lorella. “Hi,” she said, ruby-red lips gleaming.
“Hello,” Lorella smiled back, taking the hand.
Ashley was perhaps a decade older than Denise and looked remarkably like Noelle, only her hair and eyes were lighter. The tall, slender beauty had copper hair and hazel eyes. She wore a black turtleneck with gold necklaces that contrasted nicely against it, and a pair of low-cut jeans.
Denise explained that they had met when they once lived in the same apartment building. “She too, is getting sick of the chaos of the city and is considering moving out of it.”
“I’m more than considering it,” Ashley said. “After all, a city’s a city, be it large or small, and they all sound the same if you ask me.”
“Yeah, they do,” Lorella agreed, forcing a pleasant smile.
Ashley put on a brown leather jacket that looked expensive. Denise stood nearby, and Lorella thought they resembled live mannequins with their long, slender bodies and perfectly polished faces.
Denise studied Lorella once the door closed behind Ashley. “You don’t look so well. What’s going on?”
“Well,” Lorella began hesitantly.
“Come on, let it all out. That’s what friends are for.”
“I just don’t want to burden you, is all.”
“You’re not. You never could, and you know that. Hell, I pour all my troubles out on you, so it’s only fair.”
Lorella took a sip of the honey tea Denise had fixed her, then cleared her throat.
“It’s Noelle, isn’t it?”
Lorella nodded. “She’s becoming moodier by the minute. It used to be she’d have a fit of jealousy or get something I said all wrong only occasionally. Then it became a weekly thing. But lately, it seems to be every other day, and it’s not just a simple case of her calmly telling me what’s on her mind. Now she screams at me and cusses me out, and well, basically scares the shit out of me.”
She told her friend about Saturday’s fight, and even about their encounter with Fred Withers and the doubts she had about Noelle telling her father about it, like she insisted she did.
“But why would she lie about the guy?” Denise asked when she was done.
“I don’t know. All I know is that I have the distinct feeling that she knew damn well she never told her dad or anyone else about meeting the guy and had no intentions of ever doing so. You should’ve seen the look on her face when I mentioned him.”
“Hmm,” Denise said thoughtfully as she gently chewed on her metallic purple nails. “Well, you know what they say. We can’t make the people we’re with change, but we can change the people we’re with.”
Lorella nodded knowingly. “I always say that if things get any worse, I’ll leave, but so far that’s been easier said than done. I hate this climate, I’m not happy with the way things are going, yet she’s like a magnet to me.”
“Maybe it’s the good sex that keeps you bound to her.”
“I don’t know. Not even that is so good anymore. I couldn’t get into it the last time because she has me so tense so much of the time, but I think back home is where I’ll be heading soon enough if things don’t get better. There’s only so much of her moods I can take, and I just never know what will set her off or how far she’ll go when she loses it.”
“Doesn’t sound like a fun way to live. Why not give her an ultimatum?” Denise suggested.
“I sort of did that already, and I thought she was going to kill me for a minute there, so I think that if I’m going to leave, I’ll just do it.”
The two friends eventually engaged in game after game of Scrabble, and Lorella soon felt her tension begin to melt away. She could relax and enjoy herself when she was around Denise, and that’s just what she did as she listened to her friend speak of work, family, friends, and the usual bedroom boredom with Delbert, which seemed to be the only real stain in her life at the moment. She admitted, however, that she’d rather deal with an older guy whose appetite was barely existent than some younger, virile guy who only had sex on his mind.
Lorella hadn’t realized just how much time had passed till she looked at the clock on the wall behind her. She knew Noelle would be getting in any minute, but she didn’t care. She had a right to have friends, and if that bothered Noelle, then tough shit!
A loud knock sounded at the door, causing both of them to jump, startled.
“Who the hell could that be?” asked Denise, a wary expression on her face.
“Bet I can guess,” Lorella answered.
Denise went to the door. Lorella couldn’t see the visitor from where she sat, but she could hear Noelle’s voice very clearly. It sounded hurried, impatient and annoyed. “Is Lorella here?”
“Yes,” Denise told her, “we’ve been Scrabbling for a few hours. Would you like to join us?”
Denise stepped back and allowed Noelle to step into view. Noelle was such a dark and gorgeous contrast to her friend. About the same height, but a bit heavier with cords of muscle running the length of her arms. Lorella knew she could easily take both her and Denise at once. She looked mean next to her innocent-looking friend, especially with the anger that crackled from her ebony eyes. She surveyed the room slowly, then her gaze settled upon Lorella.
“Hi,” Lorella said with a forced smile from the table she sat at. “I got bored with the usual routine and decided to take a break.”
“Gee, I wish I could take a break from the usual routine whenever I happened to feel like it,” said Noelle sarcastically.
“Well, then make yourself at home and join us,” Denise said, trying to lighten the mood. However, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
“No thanks.” Noelle turned back to Lorella. “Look, I need you to come home with me now. Something’s come up.”
Lorella’s brows knitted with curiosity. “What’s wrong?”
“Just come on and I’ll explain it.”
Lorella rose from her seat. She glanced nervously between Noelle and her friend.
“Is there anything I can help with?” Denise asked softly.
“No. Thanks anyway,” Noelle replied.
Lorella thanked her friend for the tea and Scrabble games, then took off with Noelle. She didn’t waste any time in asking Noelle what had come up.
“Well, for one,” Noelle began in a clearly annoyed voice. “I developed this horrible headache at work today.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And then I come home to an empty house, no dinner waiting for me after slaving my ass off all day.”
Lorella felt a twinge of regret as she hurried to keep pace with Noelle. “I’m sorry. I lost track of the time and…”
They were starting up their own driveway when Noelle interrupted her. “Then I see that there’s no note left for me, and so I have to guess where the hell you might be.”
“Again, I’m truly sorry, Noelle. You just make yourself comfortable and I’ll get you some aspirin right away and then jump on dinner.”
They entered the cabin, and Noelle slammed the door shut behind them, causing Lorella to nearly jump out of her skin.
“Just ten minutes and I’ll have us both a nice hot bowl of chili and macaroni with…”
“You don’t fucking get it, do you?!” Noelle exploded.
Lorella froze.
“I told you before, I don’t want you hanging out with that girl!” Noelle yanked her black leather jacket off so fast that Lorella was surprised it stayed in one piece.
“And I told you I have a right to have friends and that Denise is perfectly straight,” Lorella replied in a voice that was hard to keep steady.
“Not if they’re friends I don’t approve of or feel comfortable with you associating with!”
Lorella covered her ears with her hands. It was a wonder the windows didn’t break as loudly as Noelle was screaming. Then she took her hands away and said, “What, do you want to drive me out of here? Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen if you keep this selfish, childish, jealous shit going. I can’t deal with it anymore!”
Noelle lunged at her, making her jump back. “You better watch yourself, bitch, or you just might learn the hard way just what can happen when I’m pushed too far. And believe me, I don’t hit like no girl.”
Terror seized hold of Lorella at that instant, and she turned to flee out the door. But Noelle caught her and held onto her as if she were made of air.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Noelle hissed furiously. “Don’t you dare walk out on me!”
Noelle freed Lorella momentarily, and that’s when Lorella began to kick and punch. But she may as well have been kicking and punching at a stuffed dummy.
Noelle grinned with amusement. “Do you really think I spent all those months in the academy just to get my ass kicked by someone half my size? And do you really think you could kick my ass even if I hadn’t?”
Lorella kept her eyes on Noelle, heart pounding with fear.
“Now listen, you silly little bitch. No more hanging with Denise. You got it? Now I’d like you to get me that aspirin and make that nice hot dinner you said you’d have for me in ten minutes.”
“You get it. I ain’t doing shit for you anymore,” Lorella dared challenge.
Noelle’s face turned crimson with rage. Her dark brown eyes seemed to turn jet black. She slowly came towards Lorella, who backed away and into the wall behind her. Noelle then placed her hands against the wall at the sides of Lorella’s head. She towered over her, then leaned her face closer to hers and said in a dangerously low voice, “Get the aspirin and dinner now.”
Lorella wanted to resist very badly and to show Noelle that she wouldn’t be bullied around. Yet her fear of what the policewoman may do eroded what rebellious strength may’ve been left in her. “Fine!” she spat. “But this is it, Noelle. First chance I get, I’m outa here. I’m gone! So totally gone. I’ve had all I can take of this bullshit!”
Noelle’s eyes followed Lorella’s movements as she went to grab the bottle of aspirin from the counter and tossed it at Noelle. The bottle bounced off her chest and fell to the floor.
“Please pick that up,” Noelle said sternly, like more of a demand than a request.
She did.
“Now, please get me something to swallow them with.”
She did that, too.
Noelle took a couple of the white pills and washed them down with the water Lorella had given her. When she was done, she said, “I’ll be back for dinner in ten minutes.”
“Yeah, and God help me if I’m one minute late, right?” Lorella added sarcastically.
Noelle ignored her and turned to go into the bathroom. Lorella heard the door close. Then an image of Madison came to mind, face plainer yet happier, more relaxed. She put her hands to her face and began to sob.
“Are things getting any better?” Trevor wrote in his Sunday morning instant message to his younger sister.
“No,” Lorella replied, then proceeded to give him a quick rundown of the previous week’s squabbles and screaming matches.
“That sucks. Just contact Mom and Dad if you want out. They’ll get you back home. There is some good news in the midst of all this.”
“What’s that?”
“Shayla and I each have two weeks of vacation starting next weekend. Friday night, we’ll be flying down to Acapulco, where we’ll be married and enjoying our two-week honeymoon, then stopping by Mom and Dad on our way back.”
Lorella grinned from ear to ear, catching the attention of Noelle, who lay sprawled on the couch nearby. “What is it?” the leggy brunette asked.
“Trevor and Shayla are getting married down in Acapulco next week. They’re going to stay there for two weeks.”
“Good. That’s two fewer weeks of you telling them all kinds of BS about me.”
“Oh, quit with the damn paranoia and don’t spoil my good mood!” Lorella chirped.
Noelle looked at her warningly. “Keep it up, and I’ll take that damn laptop away.”
“Then I won’t be able to work. You want to lose some of our income like that?”
Noelle waved a hand and rolled her eyes as she said, “You don’t make shit anyway.”
“Take it away and I’ll make sure you trade your uniform in for an orange jumpsuit and that you do time for theft, and you wouldn’t want that, would you, as hot as you look in your current uniform?”
Noelle simply stared at Lorella, who knew it was time to put a lid on it. After she wished her brother and Shayla the best, she closed her laptop and went up to the loft. She lay on the bed and tried to remember the good times with Madison. Remembering their much-too-short, carefree, fun, and easier life together brought both happiness and pain. Either way, she wanted to think of anything other than Noelle at the moment, though she knew she should start thinking about how she was going to go about leaving her. She then decided she’d call her parents on Monday when Noelle was at work. She would have them send up a plane ticket. She could get to the mail before Noelle did. That wasn’t the problem, even if it was a bit of a walk to the main road where the row of mailboxes was for the houses in the unit they were in. The tricky part would be getting to the airport, though she supposed Denise could help her with that.
She rolled over onto her side, facing the window. She eyed the snow that clung to the bare, dead-looking branches against the dull gray sky. The scene only made her feel cold and added to her gloominess.
She wished desperately to go back in time when Madison was alive. They had quickly fallen into a predictable, yet comfortable routine. They worked during the weekdays. Enjoyed dinner, TV, and books after work, then fell asleep in each other’s arms after making love. Weekends had been spent lounging around, housecleaning, shopping, or visiting with friends.
Movement on the bed behind her made her quickly flop back onto her back. Noelle had gotten into bed next to her. How had she snuck up so quietly? Had she been that lost in Madison’s memory?
She began to speak, but Noelle hushed her by putting a finger to her lips and uttering a soft, “Shhh. I love you and I want to show you that.”
Their eyes locked. Noelle’s dark orbs darted back and forth as if searching for something within Lorella’s hazel ones.
“Please, no more fighting,” Noelle begged softly before she began to remove their clothing.
Noelle took her gently, but she failed to feel anything despite how hard she tried to lose herself in the moment.
“Did you cum?” Noelle asked a short while later.
Lorella shook her head. “I couldn’t even get aroused, so how could I cum?” She saw the hurt in Noelle’s eyes and quickly added. “It wasn’t you; it was me. You did a fine job as always. It’s just that I can’t bounce back so quickly after having one of our spats.”
Noelle leaned on one arm, gazed down at Lorella, and said, “Well, you can count on those feelings being rekindled because I intend to change my ways for the better.” She said this with confidence, then rose from the bed, announcing that she was to cook them dinner that night.
Noelle kept her word, and things did get better, so Lorella put off requesting a plane ticket home from her parents and was happy to be able to inform Trevor and Shalinda that things had improved.
“I’m so glad to hear things are better between you two,” Denise said that Saturday afternoon in an email. “I was worried about you that day she came to fetch you from my place.”
“I was too, but things are running smoothly now. I just hope they stay that way this time.”
“You and me both!”
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