Page 25 of Hale's Pawn
We’ve called a truce. We’re going to try.
14
Ainslee
The second week without sex,and Oran still up my ass, is driving me crazy. Not him entirely, but the fact that he’s so insistent on me not taking my ass anywhere. That makes me crazy. The man is insufferable. So damned insufferable that I’m sitting here in the pantry eating Oreos because he’s making me crazy. I want to thump him over the head with something. I know we called a truce and said that we’d try, but trying doesn’t just happen in a day. Oran is probably somewhere monitoring my heart rate on the app on his phone. Sick fuck. I hear a knock on the pantry door. “Can I come in? It's Karessa.”
“Huh? Uh, come in.”
“Hey, hey…” she says as she comes in. She’s dressed down and this is the first time I've ever seen Karessa not wearing heels. “Heard you were in here.”
“Hey.” I give her a weak smile. “I had to stay away from that man. He likes to try me.”
Karessa laughs as she sits down with me. “Well, I’m here to rescue you. You have my number, call me when you need rescuing from the man.”
“Spa date?” I suggest.
“For sure. I’ll bring my bodyguards, Esme and Imala.”
I laugh. “I’m so for it.”
We stay quiet for a beat and then Karessa clears her throat. “Can I ask you something? Totally unrelated to everything else, but is related to Jagger?”
“Sure.”
“You know, with what happened to him, and the whole Elmer ordeal, I was wondering if maybe you know a bit about this? He’s not sleeping very well and I don’t want to pressure him to talk. He seems tense about it. Should I sort of ease him into a conversation?”
I look at her and I know she’s concerned about him. I’m glad that fucker Jagger has someone who cares about him this much. “Honestly, you just give him time. There’s not much you can do about it because, depending on the person, that shit might be keeping them up at night, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to maintain his normalcy. Which is where you come in. You need to provide him with normalcy. Let him know that whatever happens, you’re there. but don’t say it. Just let him be. When he wants to hang out, do it. When he wants to cuddle, do that. And when he wants to get all Jagger-like, let him do it. Let him feel like he’s in control of his life.”
Karessa nods. “Sheesh, that was some good advice.”
I nod back. “Yeah, I’ve been through what he’s going through. It’s not as crazy as his, but I’ve been held up at gunpoint. I was 14 and scared out of my mind. I thought those men were going to come back and kill me for months. I had nightmares, but my dad let me rage. He let me lose my shit, and Jagger doesn’t know this, but he provided me with a sense of normalcy when he fought with me. So yeah, it takes time, but he’ll be alright. He’s a fighter.”
Karessa smiles. “He is.”
“Yeah… don’t tell him I said that though.” I roll my eyes and we laugh.
“What’syour favorite song that you’re happy dropped after 2015?” Karessa asks.
“I have two; Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles and Problem With You by Sabrina Claudio,” I answer.
“Now playing Problem With You by Sabrina,”Alexa repeats.
I go to stop it but I laugh instead. “I don’t know this song, but let’s listen. Can I get an Oreo?” Karessa asks.
I stop eating one halfway through. “Uh…” I don’t say anything, but I reluctantly push the box over to her. If I’m going to make friends, I have to learn to share Oreos.
Karessa smiles. “So, how’s everything with you? Have you been feeling okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, thanks for asking. How are you doing? I kind of ruined your wedding.”
Karessa laughs. “Girl, I’m pretty sure my dad did that when he forced me into this predicament.”
“Shit, at least you guys got to the cake cutting. We, on the other hand...left because my ex-boyfriend and my ex-best friend basically decided it was the day to just shit on me even more. People are fucking weird.”
“I concur. So, since we’re in here, tell me two interesting things about you,” Karessa says.
I know she’s just making conversation and I appreciate her for that. “Hmm, I used to dance ballet but I stopped, and I have a favorite gun. It’s rose gold and custom made. Hold on…” I crawl over to the door and I open it to make sure the coast is clear. “BRB,” I whisper.
