Page 14 of Retribution

“Scott, I have so much to do, can this wait please?”

It’s been three weeks since the last time we were intimate, his ignorance persists as he continues to try and push me up against the dresser.

“Scotty, come on, just stop,” I say whilst shoving my hands against his chest as I turn my head away from him. His head pulls back, the look of betrayal is written all over his face.

“You’re so fucking uptight all the time! Can you not just relax for a moment?” he stresses, his body still pressed up against mine. I can feel how much he wants me but my head isn’t in the right place at the moment.

“Can we just, wait till later?” I sigh. He retreats and his shoulders drop.

“Okay, whatever,” he runs his hands through his hair, pondering as if he is debating saying something, but decides against it.

“I’ll just see you at home.”

He shakes his head as he follows the same route Reed did, leaving me alone.

I collapse into the dresser chair, placing my face in my hands.

When did things get so difficult?

I inhale through my nose and let out a long breath, trying to alleviate the tension in my shoulders but, there is something I can’t shake. The excitement and the buzz that I felt from speaking to Reed for a matter of seconds, like I’d been reborn, awakened and blessed, all at once.

***

Since I’ve got home, Scott is seemingly distant.

As the exhaustion begins to overwhelm me, I kick my shoes off, throwing myself onto the couch and turning on the TV.

Scott groans in the kitchen, capturing my attention. Turning, I watch him mess around with the laundry machine, twisting the dial and repeatedly pressing buttons.

“Is everything okay?” Directing my voice towards the kitchen.

“Yeah, I just can’t get this damn thing to work,” he grits, jamming the buttons aggressively.

Rolling my eyes, I get up and walk over to the kitchen.

“Twist the dial to the correct setting, add the detergent and press the ‘on’ button,” I explain, as if he is a toddler and breaking it down as simply as possible.

“Thanks babe.”

He proceeds to do as I instructed and the machine comes to life, the water dripping out and soaking the clothes.

It’s then my gaze draws on the clothes, the outfit that he was wearing today, only those in the washer.

Things are beginning to change, things already have changed, I can feel it.

Trying to not let my mind run wild, I eat a banana on the sofa, focusing on the news.

“…Four people were unfortunately deceased following a horrific traffic collision between a trucker and two pedestrian vehicles last night…”

Grimacing, I change the channel over, not wanting to hear any more negativity than what’s already going on in my own head. An episode of Friends will have to do.

The tiredness becomes too much, so I get up from the couch, turning off the lights in the living room and heading to the bedroom.

The bathroom door remains closed and the steam pours from the gap at the bottom, indicating Scott’s in the shower. I suppose I’ll entertain myself with my skincare routine whilst he finishes up.

Part way through moisturizing, my hears prick at the sound of the phone vibrating to my left, on the dresser top. Picking it up, I notice it’s Scott’s.

My registered face ID instantly opens the phone to a conversation. I cover my mouth before I’m able to make a sound.

---