Arrow of Time (34 page)

She was quiet and then I felt the shakes, I took a step back and looked at her.

“Are you
laughing
at me?”

“
Not at you. I’m sorry. It’s just... such a bossy biker thing to do.”

“
What?”

“
How do you think I moved in here?”

I sighed and walked inside. “He should’ve asked.”

“Honey, you do realize why this is pissing you off, right?”

“
Of course I do. I spent twelve months talking to shrinks every single day. I know why. But it really is the normal thing to do, to
ask
a person if they wanna move in together, you don’t just paint your place and move their stuff into your home!”

“
He repainted?”

“
Not the point!”

“
No, of course not. And yes, that would be the normal thing to do. To ask.” Lanie pulled me out on the deck and gave me a cigarette. I shook my head since I was trying to kick that habit before it became another bad one.

“
I mean, I might wake up down at the courthouse and have him tell me we're getting married. Or... I don't know, come home and find pets running around or some shit like that. Moving in together is a big thing.”

“
Yes, it is. I know,” she said. “It’s very cave man, I admit that, but it was an attempt to do something pretty sweet. He’s just trying to take care of you.”

I knew that, and I knew that she was right, but the thought of him trying to control me freaked me out. I didn’t need that; I needed to know that I was in control of my own life. I couldn’t hand that over to him.

“I’m scared, Lanie.”

“
He’s not dad, he’s not about that.”

I dried my cheeks. “I need to sleep. I need to...”

“Sort it out by yourself.”

“
I’m sorry.”

“
Don’t be. You’ll talk to me when you’re ready. But he’s not dad, it’s not about controlling you, it’s about taking care of you. It’s a bit bossy, I admit, but that’s what they’re like, and he really just wants to make things easier for you. And also, he wants to live with you.”

“
Okay.” I stood up and gave her a hug. “I need to sleep.”

“
You know where your room is,” she said with a smile.

As I walked to the room and got ready for bed I realized it wasn't just that he'd tried to simply move me into his apartment that scared me. It was that we fought so much, too. It felt like we fought every week, about everything, and it worried me.

-o0o-

Brick turned around when Mel came back and looked at her. She'd told him Edie had called and was on her way. You didn't need to be a genius to know what the problem was. She'd had a fight with Dawg.

“What happened?”

“
Dawg surprised her by painting his apartment, and he told her she was going to move in with him.”

He'd known that; he'd sent some guys to help him with the painting and the move. “So?”

“He didn’t ask her.”

“
Still; so?”

“
She’s not big on having people tell her what she’s gonna do.” Mel moved closer to him and put her arms around him. “He could’ve asked.”

“
It was the smart thing to do. No point in paying two rents when they're together all the time.”

“
Baby, listen to what I’m saying. Edie has problems when people are trying to control her.”

“
Ahh.” He got it, and Mel had a point. “Didn’t think about that. It's still the smart thing to do.”

“
Yeah, sure...” Mel mumbled and turned around. “Night.”

He lay awake for a while. He could sort of see why Edie had a problem with it, but he thought was Dawg had done was smart. And he'd really made and effort. Repainting and shit. There was no point in having two places if you were always at the same place. Then he wondered how fucking worried Dawg was now. If it had been Mel who just disappeared like that, he’d go crazy, so he carefully turned around and grabbed for his phone and texted to Dawg.

‘Your girl is here. Let her sleep it off.’

So the next morning at nine, Dawg rang their doorbell. When Brick opened it up, the two of them smiled at each other and shook their heads.

“You got yourself a handful, brother,” he said and stepped aside to let Dawg in.

“
I know,” Dawg said as he walked inside. “Still sleeping?”

“
Usual room,” Brick said and pointed.

Dawg smiled at him and shook his head before heading towards the guestroom.

“Was that Dawg?” Mel asked from the kitchen.

“
Yeah.”

He watched Dawg soundlessly open the door and slip inside.

-o0o-

Edie was curled up the way she almost always was when she slept. Dawg sat down on the bed and carefully drew his fingertips along her jawline. Her eyes fluttered and then opened.

“Hey, Nibbles. Want some company in the bed?”

“
Yes,” she mumbled.

He took off most of his clothes and she held up the sheet so he could get under it.

“Missed you,” he said and put his arm around her and the other underneath her head, pulling her close.

“
What colors did you paint? I only saw the hallway.”

“
Dark red in the living room, dark blue in the bedroom and eggshell white in the kitchen.”

She lay still and then looked at him.

“That’s the colors I said I’d choose if I got to paint my own place.”

“
I know. That’s why I picked them.”

“
Why?”

“
Cause, baby, I don’t give a flying fuck what colors the walls are where I live. You do.” He kissed her nose. “Listen. I'll take my stuff from there to the clubhouse. You can have that place and I'll find some studio apartment or something.”

She seemed to think it over, and she was gnawing on the inside of her cheeks, but still didn't say anything.

“Babe? Take my place. Like I said, I'll sign it over to you if that makes it better.”

“
So if you break up with me you can't kick me out?”

“
I'm not gonna break up with you.”

“
But if you do.”

“
I won't. But if you want you can kick me out.”

“
Okay. I don't want to have your bed there.”

“
I know, I already threw it out, yours is more comfortable.” He hugged her and kissed her cheek. “Can I keep my vinyls and my stereo there?”

“
That's about the only thing you own! What are you gonna have at your place?”

He shrugged with a smile. “A bed. Can keep my clothes there if you wanna have the wardrobe to yourself.”

He doubted she'd need it though. She still didn't have many clothes, and besides the shoes she wore at work, she walked around in those old, very well-worn work boots all the time.

“
It would be like we lived together anyway!”

“
And how is that different from what we've done so far?”

“
Not that different,” she said with a glare and then she sighed. “You can’t order me around like that, or more...
decide
things for me like that, It freaks me out. Really, it’s as if my brain logs out, and I go on instinct when that happens.”

“
Okay,” he mumbled against her lip. “Can I kiss you now?”

“
You can order me around in bed, at least a little.”

“
Good to know,” he said as he pressed her to her back. “I love you, Edie, even if you go completely fucking crazy sometimes. And drive me insane.”

“
I worry about it. That we fight so much.”

That surprised him and he lay back down next to her. “We don't fight that much, baby.”

“We don't?” She asked and turned to her side to face him.

“
No,” he laughed. “People fight when they're in a relationship, almost everyone does. And you and me are still getting used to each other, so it's a bit more. I do wish you'd stick around and yell and throw things like other women do, but I can deal with this, too.”

“
I yelled at you yesterday.” She closer and nestled her leg in between his.

“
Yeah and then you ran off. On the other hand, you're all sweet when you've calmed down, so that's something.”

Might also be a bad thing, since bottling shit up could make the fight epic when they actually did it, but he wasn't gonna make her feel worse about it at this very moment. They'd probably fight about that too. If he remembered his parents fights correctly, fighting about how they were fighting was a pretty common thing. He really hadn't thought Edie and him were fighting all that much. He looked at her and realized that she really was worried about it.

“Honey,” he started and sighed. “Mom and dad fought all the fucking time. Or, a lot, at least, and mom's a screamer. They stuck together until the very end. I'm gonna get pissed at you at times, and I know I'll piss you off, too. It's not that big of a deal as long as we make up when we're done. Like we are now.”

She lay silent for a while and then looked at him. “Think it's that I couldn't do that when I was a kid. I had to hide my emotions, and you don't do that. You just throw them at me and it scares me. That you... I don't know, can get that angry at me. And that I can get that angry at you.”

“That's probably it,” he said and leaned down and gave her a kiss. “I tend to like your emotions, so throw them at me. You getting angry, I can handle that. And even when I'm angry, I still love you, it doesn't mean that I don't.”

“
Okay,” she whispered.

He kissed further down until he reached her breasts and gave them a lick each. She still seemed a bit off, and when he looked up she was looking at him, but with a slight hesitation in her eyes.

“Babe, talk to Mel about it. She and Brick were at it all the time in the beginning. Pretty sure they still are at times and you know those two love each other.”

“
They fight?”

“
Oh, yeah,” he laughed. “And since you usually don't take my word for anything, talk to her.”

“
I take your word on things!” She protested with a smile and pulled him up so they were face to face again. “Just not relationship things. I figure you're as crap at them as me.”

He cupped her face. “We're gonna be fine. We're gonna fight, yell and you're gonna run off, it's gonna drive me insane, but we're gonna be fine.”

“I'm not sure I can afford your apartment.”

He took a deep breath. “I could pay the difference between the one you had and the new one. Can you live with that?”

She was silent for a long time. “I can try. At least until I get a job that pays better.”

He knew that was a huge step for her. She might not have much of a choice, but he'd be gracious about it for now, and he stroked his hand down her back, into her panties and held her behind.

“It really isn't more than right, Nibbles, I'm planning on staying there quite a lot.”

“
I hope so,” she laughed and wrapped her legs around him. “So, just so I know. Are you gonna fuck me in your president’s house?”

“
Yup.” He licked her neck and moved further down. “Then I’m going to take you to your new place and fuck you there as well.”

He stroked her seam and felt her wetness, she was definitely up for this. Edie smiled at him and he rose up to his knees to look at her.

“Think you can be quiet or do I have to flip you over and have you bite the pillow?”

“
According to rumors, you’ve fucked in public at the clubhouse, why are you all shy about it now?”

“
Because, Nibbles,” he said and pressed his fingers inside her, smiling when she rolled back her head and let out a moan, “There’s kids out there.”

“
Flip me over,” she mumbled and he laughed. “Just so we're clear, that's my place now and you'll get another one.”

“
Your place,” he agreed and flipped her over. “Got your colors and all.”

He eased inside her with groaned into her neck.

-o0o-

Friday, May 3
rd

MELANIE WAS IN THE
office, opposite Edie, who was flipping through a home decorating magazine while they were talking about the coming lockdown.

“
So... everyone will be here. Exactly what does 'everyone' mean in this case?” Edie asked.