Laina sat on the counter next to the stove picking big chunks of browned beef out and shoving them in her mouth. They were addictive. You couldn't just sneak one piece.
She was holding a bowl of slightly watered down refried beans between her knees. She meant to put them in the skillet for the burritos but what Weston didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Everything was chopped and begging to be sucked down.
When she had found her willpower and hopped down to the floor she crept around to peek down the hall. Weston had been gone for a long time. He probably killed himself. Laina shook her head.
You'll get to keep Morty after you deal with the body.
Laina smacked her head shutting the voice out.
He's right. We'll keep Morty and eat all the food.
She closed her eyes and gently rapped her head against the doorway.
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Just be quiet!" She hissed smacking herself again a little harder.
Laina covered her mouth and looked down the hall. She really hoped that Weston hadn't heard her. She moved across the room and bent down opening the box with all her medications in it. The lids popped open and she looked down at the handful of orange, blue and white bottles.
Most of them were empty but she was too paranoid to throw them out without marking off her name and address. Of course, the address on them was the little studio in the city. She guessed maybe it didn't matter anymore.
Laina took a moment and picked up the only full white bottle and unscrewed the lid shaking a couple of pills into her palm. She popped them into her mouth and shoved the bottle back, closing the box. She swallowed them dry moving back towards the hall.
Surely Weston didn't really kill himself. That would be terribly awkward to explain to the police and of course, Gina. It would also make living there pretty hard. It would be a shame to have to move out right after moving in. Laina moved down and placed her ear to the door. The shower was still going. It wasn't even shut all the way so she gently pushed it open.
The room was covered in steam. She leaned in for a moment and then after seeing him reach out for a bottle of conditioner she slowly started shutting the door. Then she pretended to open it and lean in.
"The food's done," she announced.
"Okay." He answered.
Laina sat on the couch scrolling facebook when the bathroom door opened and Weston walked in. She glanced up and stopped. Weston was just standing there in his sweatpants. His curls were barely damp and his skin was glowing. He looked beyond stunning.
Weston looked so soft and gentle in his cardigan but underneath he was absolutely built. Laina could only think about touching him. She was entranced. She could see the veins running down his forearms. It got hot. He was hot. The little voice in her head shouting 'married' had gone completely quiet.
Did he need someone to throw around? To work out his emotional issues on? Did he need to blow some steam and pound her into the couch?
"Laina?"
She blinked and he was smirking looking away. He scratched his nose and looked back trying to hide his expression. He had seen the lust and absolute entrancement in her eyes. Something about it made him hard and a little turned on.
"Oh, sorry." She laughed hopping up and running into the kitchen. She popped back out for a second to say something about drinks and lingered looking down at his pants.
Weston answered and laughed. He loved the attention. It pulled his attention away from Gina. It made him feel beyond good. He grabbed a plate and sat down at the table.
"I'm exhausted." He said eating.
Laina laughed nodding. She looked pretty tired too.
"I don't have a bed. I guess you can take the couch and I'll sleep in the floor," she said stabbing her fork into a tomato. "I'm gonna get one tomorrow. Know a good store?"
"Magpies and Furniture is on the far side of Walmart," Weston says eating slowly.
Laina lays down on pallet on the floor surrounded by the moonlit darkness staring at the back of Weston's head. There was something about having another person in the house that made her uncomfortable. The house was filled with an unfamiliar energy. She pulled the covers up over her shoulders.
Weston was turned over facing the couch wrapped up in one of the thick quilts Laina had washed. He slept with one arm curled under his head and the other thrown over the pillow just in front of his face. Laina couldn't help but count the time passing by his shallow breaths. It sounded so loud in the silence.
Where had the creaking and wind gone?
Every now and then the windows would light up and a car would drive by. She was used to the constant buzzing of the city. There wasn't a second of complete silence out there. Lights would twinkle all night. Pinks, blues, whites. But here there were only streetlights and lights from passing cars.
Laina closed her eyes and tried to match Weston's breathing. In. Out. In. Her eyes were starting to get heavy. She pulled the covers over her head squeezing the pillow to her chest. When she finally nodded off, drool just beginning to tip over the crook of her mouth, she could hear the sound of footsteps.
They were gentle and light. One by one they seemed to circle her head endlessly. This would continue for the rest of the night until she was scared awake from Weston slamming the front door.
Laina cradled the blankets and stood up peeking out from the kitchen. It wasn't good. Gina's car had pulled up to the front and parked at the end of the driveway. Weston came around the corner then disappeared. She couldn't see much from the kitchen. She checked her phone. It was barely ten in the morning.
After using the bathroom, showering, and getting dressed she padded into the living room and met Monty. He panted and whined, turning in tight circles. Laina walked over to the back door and shoved it open. Monty leaped out into the grass. She went over to the fridge and pulled out a Dr. Pepper.
When Laina sat down at the table with her soda and medication she noticed Weston's cellphone still laying on the floor screen down. She swallowed the palmful of pills and picked it up. It had a single long crack diagonally across the screen. She set it on the table.
Laina was dressed in a striped shirt, jeans, and mustard yellow jacket. She walked down through the yard twirling her keys around her finger. She grabbed them in her palm and slung herself into her truck. The paint was rubbing off leaving grey spots over the almost orange paint. She grabbed the handle and rolled down her window.
"No!" Laina jumped looking wildly over to Weston's house. Gina was speeding down the driveway in her heels carrying a lamp. Weston was hot on her heels.
"Why now?!" Weston asked and Gina yelled whipping around and launching the lamp at his head. He leaped out of the way and it shattered on the walk.
"I'm done with you, Weston! It's OVER," she screamed throwing open her car door and getting in.
Weston held it open and continued to bed for her to change her mind. She kicked at his leg trying to get him to move. Eventually, she just shifted the car into gear and drove off slamming the door shut at the end of the street. Weston watched her drive away and fell down to his knees. He buried his face in his hands.
Laina couldn't watch it anymore. She slowly put the truck in neutral and drifted back. She pulled out into the road and put it in gear. She didn't even think he saw her leave. Laina made a quick U-turn and drove off in the opposite direction.
It took about thirty minutes but she made it to the furniture store past Walmart and parked in the front. She hopped out locking her truck and put out her cigarette on the side. She dropped it in her pocket. The inside of the store was pretty dark. Most of the light came from the complete glass front.
The store was stuffed with furniture. She passed a pretty blue couch that resembled denim and ran her fingers over it. It was paired with a sexy leather coffee table. It had large brass handles on the side to help move it. Beyond that, settled in the very back, were all the mattresses.
On the right were small setups the size of twin beds cut in half decorated with duvets and colorful pillows. Each one looked like something out of a magazine. The last one had a large cactus shaped pillow with a matching pink blanket covered in cactuses. It was soft and fluffy. She ended up buying them too.
Laina spent a couple of hours going from bed to bed flopping down and staring up at the ceiling. She had never bought a mattress before. Did people actually ever buy mattresses or did they just appear at a certain age?
Hard.
Too springy.
Is this a fucking brick with fabric?
She finally picked one of the last mattresses available. It was soft but firm. If it turned out to be too hard she would just get one of those foam tops that her mother had on her bed. She paused and frowned. It wouldn't be there anymore, huh? Since everything they had owned had been sold with the house.
The rather handsome man from the furniture store had helped her throw the mattress in the back of her truck. It didn't really fit so it sat up at a weird angle. She tossed her cactus themed things across the bench seat to the other door. She buckled up and started on her way to Walmart.
Laina had taken over three hours to buy a mattress. She couldn't believe it was almost five. She got out and started walking towards the front doors. Hopefully, nobody would steal her mattress. How embarrassing would that be?
Would Weston come back that night? The fight with Gina looked pretty brutal. Did she really throw a lamp at his head or had she imagined that? Laina couldn't imagine Gina doing that. She cut through most of the store and ended up by where the shoes blended into the dairy and cold products.
She spent a few minutes wandering through when she sent Weston a message telling him that she had gone shopping and would be back that night. When she looked up her face paled. She had mistakenly wandered into the alcohol. Her fingers started to twitch. A thin sweat came over her forehead.
Oh. Get some. Just one.
There was a sour feeling building in her stomach. Laina had spent months in rehab for her drinking. It had taken years for her mother to successfully get her through it. Her mother. Something got stuck in her throat and she turned around to walk away but she came face to face with even more.
She had done terrible things. Soul changing thing. It only took one poisonous drink to reset everything her mother had done. Laina could feel tears stinging her eyes as the bloody images of what she had done came flooding back. It only made her want to drink more.
She dialed the phone and held it up to her ear as she froze up.
"Hello," There was a pause and the tears came pouring out. "This is Diane Colwell. I'm not here right now-" Laina sobbed feeling her chest constrict. "-but I'll get back to you. If this is Lainy, I love you and please try the house phone. Bye."
Her mother's voice sounded so happy. Laina cried and sat down on the edge of the cooling shelf. She pulled up her feet not caring that she had moved back on a box of beer. She couldn't even see anything anymore. She called again and again until she was exhausted from panic and crying that she nodded off.
She was sitting back in the courtroom surrounded by people she couldn't make out. The wood was tinted yellow and she could hear the judge talking but couldn't make out the words. He slammed down the gavel and the crowd cheered. He did it again over and over making them cheer louder until she couldn't stand it.
"Miss," She opened her eyes and a young man wearing a Walmart shirt was staring down at her. "Miss, you need to leave." The boy moved aside and Laina stood up and apologized. The boy was timid like at any moment she would hiss and claw his eyes out. He handed her her phone and walked her to the exit.
It was just a polite way of getting kicked out.
The sky was dark and the street lights had come on. How long had she been asleep? Her tears had dried leaving crust at the edge of her eyes. The parking lot was dark where she had parked. Instead of driving home she hopped into the back and threw herself down on the mattress. It crinkled as she settled down.
She was such a fuck up. She was the biggest fuck up in her family and now the only person that cared about her was dead. She started crying again. Why had she been taken from her? Had she not suffered enough? Laina looked up at the sky with red irritated eyes and wondered why a god if one actually existed, would rip the only person she needed from her so early in her life.
ns 18.68.41.140da2
