A Little Bit of Trouble (20 page)

     
Loryn brushes off Maya’s shoulders and neck and removes the cover from her before brushing that down too. She walks over to me, nuzzles her nose into Evelyn’s cheek, making the little chunk giggle. “Mine.” Hell yeah. I like the sound of that. Loryn kisses me on the corner of my mouth, at this moment Evelyn reaches out and smacks her on the cheek. Everyone starts cackling.

     “Little monkey,” Loryn gasps playfully and takes the wriggling girl from my arms. I watch them play for a few minutes as Marie sweeps up the hair and takes her seat. Maya collects her daughter
moments later and sits on the couch whilst Loryn gets to work.

     “I’ll go and find James,” I announce as the girls start babbling about hot movie stars and such. “Give me the kid.” I hold my arms out to Evelyn. Maya questions me with her eyes. “It’s so when I do find him I can dump the kid on him and run. He’ll have to come back then, she’ll be hungry soon.”

     Maya laughs once, “Well, Lucas. Who knew you could be so devious?”

     “Whatever,” I take Evelyn and grab my cell off the coffee table that has been pushed out of the way for their salon. “See you soon. Any ideas where he could be?”

     “Probably at the coffee shop down the street, “Maya shrugs. He’s left his phone at home.”

     Off I go.

     Maya was right, I find James in the coffee shop drinking an iced drink of some sort and hiding behind a newspaper. I plop myself on the seat opposite him, just as he lowers the paper Evelyn squeals, “DADA!” And holds out her hands.

     James, completely ignoring me. Takes his daughter with a huge smile, “Finally.” He nuzzles her neck and kisses her mouth. “So, they sent you?”

     “Nope.”

     “Sell out.”

     “Yep. I’m off.”

     He frowns, “But… Evelyn.”

     I grin, “Take her back yourself.”

     “That’s just mean,” he laughs and pulls the newspaper away from Evelyn’s open mouth. She kicks and shakes her legs, purses her lips and makes little grunting noises. Uh-oh, she’s about to cry.

     So James did get his hair cut, he spent half an hour in the shower afterwards. Maya then spread lotion on his skin, and he went straight back in the shower. Marie, Loryn and I were in stitches over it.

     We picked up Amelia from school, came home, and had dinner. Loryn borrowed my car to go and check on her mom once Amelia was in bed. I have to admit, Loryn is great to Amelia. Makes me feel a little more at ease about th
is whole new relationship thing that we have going on.

     The next two weeks pass by in a blur, true to her word, Harriet signed over the store to Loryn. That was a weight lifted off Loryn’s shoulders. Harriet hasn’t been drinking to our knowledge and Loryn is giving her half of the insurance money so she can get herself started. It doesn’t look like her partner will be coming back unfortunately for her.

    
So, she got an apartment and has got a temporary job at a local library until Loryn and Marie’s salon and studio are up and running, then she apparently wants to begin working there. Loryn is leaving here tomorrow. So is the cat, which I have to admit, I’ve bonded with just a fraction. It likes cheese puffs, I like cheese puffs. We share a common interest and the past few nights I’ve sat on the couch, with cheese puffs. One for the cat, five for me. We have an understanding, and since I started sharing my snacks with him he’s not used my legs as a scratch post. Although he does like to sleep on my neck whilst I sleep which is really fucking annoying.

   
Loryn insists it’s because he likes me. I know for a fact he does it to piss me off because as soon as I shove him off he winks and walks out.

True story! He actually fucking winks and struts out of the room most likely to go and sleep with Amelia who has become his closest friend. She’s not happy about Velcro leaving, nor is she happy about Loryn leaving for that matter.

     Another thing I will admit to, the only times we have left our apartment these last two weeks were to take Amelia to school and pick her up and to obviously watch over the construction on the store. There has been a setback where the plumbing is involved. It’s nothing too concerning though. It will only put the developments back by a day, if that. The new windows have been fitted, the wall has been put in, and I have to admit the guys Marie hired are really quite efficient. I haven’t had to bust their asses once through this entire process.

     “You look lost in thought,” Loryn says softly, I roll her over onto her back, my dick still buried inside of her. This has become one of my favorite resting places.

     I roll my eyes and suck on her lower lip before releasing it. “Why do women always think we’
re thinking something?”

     “Because you probably are.”

     “I’m hungry.”

     She giggles and wriggles her hips, her walls clench around my softening member. “
For sex or food? I never can tell these days.” Yeah, we have done a lot of both and little of anything else.

     “Food then sex,” I chuckle and rub my nose along hers.

     “I want to do something. I feel like…” she takes a shuddering breath. “Let’s go do something.”

     “Like what?”

     She shrugs, “Anything. I want to celebrate our last night together. Ask someone to come watch Amelia.”

    
I laugh and roll my eyes, it’s already ten at night. “It’s hardly our last night together. Don’t be such a girl.”

     She falls into silence, all I can hear is our heavy breathing and the sound of the cat playing with his toy in the hall.
I scan her face, waiting for her to say something. Her face seems to contort as if in pain, “I am still going to see you right?”

     “Of course,” I say softly.

More silence.

     “Lucas, what am I to you?”

     “What do you mean?”

     “You know what I mean,”
she pushes at my chest so I pull out of her, instantly missing her warm depths and lie on my side facing her. She faces me, her arm bent beneath her head. “What am I to you?”

      God, why now? “Can’t we just leave it as we are? We’re having fun, we’re getting on. I like spending time with you. I like being with you.”

     “That doesn’t answer my question.”

     “
You’re my girl, my woman. You’re mine.” I grin cheekily, praying she laughs and kisses me again or something.

     Instead she huffs and lies flat on her back, that’s apparently the wrong answer.

     Oh shit. “
You want love,” I state.

     She shakes her head
but doesn’t look at me, she’s lying.

     “Loryn…”

     “Is it so wrong to expect? Are we on the right tracks for that?”

     “Is this because of what Dana said?” I sigh and stroke her cheek with two fingers before letting them trail down to her neck.
Not once did I think what Dana said about me never loving anyone like I love Crystal would affect Loryn in any way.

     “No, well, maybe. I just want to know whether… whether I’m taking a plunge that you’re not.”

     I don’t love her, how can I? Dana was sort of right. Sure, I care about Loryn and I’d love to give her what she wants but I can’t. “Loryn, you’re asking for something I can’t give.”

     “So if I left now, told you it was over, what would you say?” now she’s sounding irritated. “Would you even care?”

     Christ, “Yes Loryn, yes I would fucking care. Why? Are you ending… this?” I don’t like the thought.

     “Is it worth staying for?”

     I shrug, “I can’t answer that for you.”

     “Why, why can’t you love me Lucas? Eventually. I think you could.”

     “I doubt it.” Ah shit. “I didn’t mean that.”

     “You’re such an asshole,” she snaps and goes to climb out of bed. I wrap my arm around her waist and pin her to me. “
Get off me.”

     “Why are you doing this? You want some kind of
false declaration huh? You want me to tell you something I don’t mean?”

     “No but…”

     “But what Loryn? We’ve been seeing each other a few fucking weeks. Maybe if I was a god damn teenager…”

     “Don’t be an ass.”

     I release her and push myself out of bed. Spotting my boxers on the floor I pick them up and pull them on, ignoring the condom still on my dick, I’ll sort that out in a minute.

     “I’m just asking for something… anything that tells me one day maybe you will get serious about me.”

     “What makes you think I’m not? What makes you think I don’t have feelings for you? Because I do care about you Loryn! Too damn much.” I laugh a little in disbelief. How can she even start this stupid fucking argument? “Grow up.”

     “What?” she splutters and climbs out of bed. “Grow up?” I watch her pull on her dressing gown. “Because I want to know if one day you will consid
er maybe moving forward with me? For this I should grow up?”

     “You’re asking for a god damn fairytale! I can’t guarantee you anything more than what any other man could guarantee you at this point! Right now, I don’t love you and honestly I don’t think I can.
It’s not you, you’re… well perfect. You’re great. I’m lucky to have you but I can’t love you like that.” There’s no space left for you.

     “Because you’re in love with her?” she bites out and points to the picture on my bedside table.

     “Yes, because I’m in love with her,” great job Lucas. Fucking perfect.

     Loryn falters, hurt comes across her face
, and her eyes instantly fill with tears. Shit, I feel like crap but I don’t know what to tell her, what to say to her. What does she expect?

     “You knew what you were getting yourself into Loryn. Don’t pretend like I’m being the bad guy here!”

     “I’m just trying to protect myself.”

     “From what? From a relationship that might end after a couple of months? God forbid anyone goes through one of them,” the sarcasm is just pouring out. “For all I know you might never fall in love with me! You could wake up in a few weeks and decide you don’t want me. Where would that leave me huh? Can you guarantee that
you’ll still be here a year from now?”

     She sighs, her features soften, “I guess not.”

     “Then don’t expect me to pull answers out of my ass,” I stomp into the bathroom and slam the door behind me.

Nice Lucas, you handled that really fucking well.
Whatever.

     I wash my hands and splash water on my face after using the facilities and stare at the sink for a moment. Shit. Turning swiftly I push the door open, ready to apologize but stop when I see Loryn throwing her shit into a bag on the bed. What the fuck is she doing? I ask her as much.

     She doesn’t respond so I grab the bag and throw it to the other side of the room
. Her clothes fall as it soars through the air and scatter across the bed and floor.

     “What are you doing?” she shrieks and tries to step around me to get to the bag. I side step, cutting her off each time she tries again. “Move Lucas.”

     “Where do you think you’re going?”

     “Home.”

     “Why?”

     “Because this is stupid, this relationship is stupid. All we do is have sex, eat, sleep and have more sex. You aren’t interested in me as a person. Just as your living blow up doll!”

How wrong she is.

     “Fine, if that’s what you think? Then go.” I step out of the way and motion to her scattered things with my arm. “If you really think that then go. Go find a perfect fucking guy who looks after you and loves you and wants to help you and takes you in…”

     “I never asked for that.
I never asked for your help.” She prods me in the chest.

     “No, but you fucking needed it Loryn… where was your dad? Your mom? Your friends? Oh that’s right you didn’t fucking have any!” Ah shit, that was a low blow.

    
She doesn’t say anything, she scoops up some pants and pulls them on, followed by a bra and a shirt. I lean against the wall with my arms folded across my chest. Watching her with a blank face.

     “I shouldn’t have said that,” I say softly as she throws her clothes into her bag.
“This is becoming one major cluster fuck.”

     “Will you pass me another bag please?” she asks with her back still to me.

     “No.”

     She spins and glares at me, goes to say something but decides against it and grabs a small suitcase from the cupboard herself.