The Friends Between

Everything

The rain pounded down on the tin roof. Troves of water sliding down the gutters, straight in to the flower beds around the house. A pair of headlights came in to view through the large windows of the double wooden front doors. The quick slam of a car door seconds later, bringing a knock at one of those windows. 

He grumbled audibly as he made his way from the comfort of the living room couch. He opened one of the double doors to see her standing there, drenched and cold. She shrugged her shoulders, a duffel bag hanging from one of them. A pillow under one of her arms. 

He didn't say a single word to her as he slid to the side to let her in. She stood quietly in the foyer area. Her hazel eyes sad and empty. It felt like an eternity before either one of them decided to break the silence between them. 

"I didn't know where else to go...." She trailed off as he placed a large, rough hand up to stop her from continuing. 

"You never need to explain yourself." His low voice echoed through out the room. He reached for the bag handles that were drooping down her arm. He raised an eyebrow at the pillow she had carried inside. 

She gave another shrug. "I didn't know if I would need to sleep on the front porch out there. Or if there would be room for me in your...." 

He grabbed the pillow and threw it across the foyer, landing in the corner on the dark wood plank floor. Her lips curled up at the ends as she nodded her head once in acknowledgement. He turned on his heel, walking in to the larger open room where he was just comfortably laying watching a movie. The stone fireplace in the middle, separating the living room from the smaller kitchen. 

She admired the muscles of his back through the plain white tee shirt he was wearing as he moved across the house with ease. His black sweats hanging dangerously low on his hips, showcasing the gray band of a pair of Hanes brand briefs. 

"You hungry?" He asked as he came to a stop on the outskirts of the kitchen. She shook her head, looking visibly tired to the bone. He stared at her for a second before he spoke again. "You can go upstairs.... to my room." 

She took a deep breath as she processed what he had said. She had wished the only way he would tell her to go up to his room would be because he was alone. But she knew otherwise. Their situation was the source of many fights. Not just between them, but between other people as well. The reason why she had stayed away now for so long. 

"It's just me."He began as he read the expression on her face. "It has been since that night." 

She bit her bottom lip, bringing his attention to it. She felt slightly guilty now knowing this information. She never wanted to be the reason for something like this. But it wasn't because of her alone. And for that, she quickly let those feelings subside. 

She made her way upstairs pretty quickly. Her small footsteps padding down the hallway could be heard down at the bottom of the landing where he stood, watching. She found the door to his bedroom and opened it, nostalgia hitting her as soon as she laid her eyes on it. Nothing had changed, except for maybe the rug that was placed underneath the king size bed. It was fairly dark, but the glow of a light from the back yard flowed through the curtains of the floor to ceiling windows along the far wall. 

She walked over to the bed, slipping off her black flip flops at the edge. She peeled the heavy comforter back and slid in to the side furthest from the door. It was always her quirk, never being able to sleep by the door. She would feel unsafe otherwise. 

A few moments later, a figure produced itself in the doorway. She looked at him standing there, leaning against the frame. He wasted no time in shutting the door and getting in on his side. She felt the bed dip as she faced him and he got himself situated. 

"I am so sorry, Brantley." She whispered, her voice wavering a little with each word. 

"For what?" He looked between her hazel eyes and her light pink lips that were parted slightly. 

"For everything."