Our Scars

Hard Habit To Break

47

Hard Habit To Break (Title by The Kills)

"Rianne?"

"Over here!"

Looking more closely and entering the living area Stella saw a pair of worn-out boots hanging over the ledge of the artificially distressed leather couch and smoke rings floating up.

"I brought booze! What the heck are you doing?" When she had turned the corner and fully zoned in on the scene she saw that Rianne was hanging upside down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, blowing smoke in the air from a roll-up.

"Are you smoking pot in the middle of the week in broad daylight?" Stella's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

It didn't smell like weed in here, but the cigarette in Rianne's hands sure looked a little weird. Her girl smirked up at her from her strange position, hair hanging down onto the floor:

"No... my skills at rolling cigarettes are just not so excellent anymore..."

"Remind me why you're taking that up again?"

"I'm not, just in a weird mood, doing weird things and reminiscing."

"Right..." Stella sat on the sofa beside Rianne, also tilting her head a little:

"Is reminiscing at that angle any different?"

"Actually yes... you should try!" Rianne winked at Stella, but before she was tempted to indeed follow her lead, Rianne brought herself in an upright position putting out her smoke in an empty coffee mug, motioning to the bottle of bubbly Stella was holding:

"May I?"

They cracked the bottle open. Because Stella had carried it up all the steps to the loft as sort of an extra firefighter work-out and thereby had given it a good shake, the cork popped loudly. Foam spilled over the couch, making the girls automatically scream in excitement. Stella always wondered why bubbly had that sort of effect.

Rianne made a toast: "To getting my apartment back and suddenly not wanting to live here anymore!"

She sounded a little bitter and took a sip, then handed the bottle over to her friend. Stella solemnly nodded, hoping to inflict a little more enthusiasm with her news and added:

"To Kelly asking me to move in with him!" She was barely able to keep a straight face because of the happiness inside her bubbling over like the champagne just had.

Rianne's face lit up too as expected and she immediately engulfed her in a tight and squealing embrace:

"Oh wow, congratulations! And thank God finally!"

Sitting up on her knees, eager to hear the details, excited like a little girl, Rianne urged her to tell all about "that happening". Stella spilled how her search for the perfect birthday present for Kelly had ended in a tiny drama. Kelly, worried because Stella had been acting all secretive while busily organizing a surprise cruise for him to go on, had then found out what she was up to. Stella was somehow at fault for that herself, not being able to not talk about it with her fellow firefighters. As a result of being so relieved that she wasn't planning on breaking up with him or anything else worry-worthy, Kelly said the best gift would be if she moved in permanently. It sounded a little chaotic, but one fact still rang true in Stella's ears:

"You gotta live with who you love!" As if to empathize that statement she took another drag from the bottle.

"So maybe I should sell my place to Matt now that you guys decided to take the next step..."