Unlikely Conditions

Chapter 8

Meadow peaks her head slowly round the corner that leads into Keegan's room. There's not much to it. Fitting for her. She had a double bed sitting at the right corner of her room, it hadn't been made. Her tank top had been throw onto her pillow. The covers were hanging off the corner. She lifted her eyes to look at the faded rainbow pride flag hanging above her bed. It seemed well loved considering the colours weren't as bright as most pride flags she'd seen. She hovered in the doorway leading into the room, unsure of whether to enter. She quickly spun round from the sound of a lock turning in the door. She darted out the room and towards the front door in hopes that Keegan had come back. She stopped suddenly as the woman stopped in her tracks as she stepped inside.

"Oh! You're the girl from the bar, right?" Libby said in surprise, a gentle smile on her face. Meadow swallowed nervously, taking a slight step back from her. The memory of the night at the bar was a haze. She couldn't remember anything she said or did that night.

"Y...Yeah.." Meadow stuttered, Libby nodded back at her slowly as she closed the door behind her as she began to search round the room.

"I'm just here to pick up a few things I left." Libby announced as she reached down to grab the bra from on top of the pull out bed along with the matching panties that were hiding underneath the bed. She smiled at Meadow as she slipped the underwear into her backpack before throwing it back onto her back. Meadow wasn't sure what to say. Libby hadn't even asked her what she was doing in Keegan's apartment. Why wasn't she curious?

"Aren't you curious as to why there's another girl alone in your...girlfriend's apartment?" Meadow asked nervously, she looked at the surprised look on Libby's face before she suddenly erupted with laughter. Libby caught her words as she calmed herself down.

"No no no! Me and Keegan aren't dating anymore! We're more like..friends with benefits!" Libby chuckled as she waved her hand in the air. Meadow blinked at her, her face heating up as she blushed from embarrassment.

"Er- I-" She stuttered nervously. Libby chuckled, reaching her hand out to rest it on Meadow's shoulder. Meadow looked at the soft welcoming smile on Libby's face.

"It's okay! Keegan is free to end our little hook ups at any time if she finds someone!" Libby chuckled as she winked back at Meadow. Meadow quickly looked away from her before she watched her place the key to the apartment gently on the coffee table.

"Bye!" She said cheerfully, waving her hand in the air as she disappeared out the door. Meadow lowers herself back into the chair with a heavy sigh, gently rubbing her temple between her fingers.

The night began to draw in quicker than Meadow expected. She peaked throw the small cracks between the blinds on the window. It felt like she was in a completely different world out here and Keegan hadn't come back yet. Its unnerving being in someone else's apartment while they aren't around. Meadow knows she could easily leave but there's a sick feeling in her gut telling her to stay. Her phone buzzed in her bag, she rustled inside in search of it before pulling it and reading the notifications on the screen. It was Heidi. She opened up her messages between them both before typing out her reply.

I'm at Keegan's. Might be back late.

She sighed softly as she placed her phone down on the coffee table before sitting down on the edge of the pull out bed. She then threw herself back onto the bed, glancing up at the cracks and stains in the ceiling. She could feel her eyes getting heavy, trying to hold back the wave of exhaustion that was ready to wash over her. She was all out of energy to fight it. She felt her body give in as her eyes began to close.

The front door opened with a creak as Keegan stepped inside, closing the door behind her with a heavy sigh. She wiped the blood from under her nose with the back of her hand. She glanced down at the blood on her hand before turning to look over at Meadow curled up in the fetal position on her pull out bed. She chuckled for a moment as she placed her key down on the coffee table. She winced slightly, slowly sliding off her leather jacket as she draped it over her arm chair. She quietly sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back slightly to look at Meadow's face. She looked at peace. A smile crept onto her face, reaching her hand out to brush the lose strands of hair from her face. She felt the smile fade from her face as she sighed softly, slowly getting to her feet, gritting her teeth through the pain as she disappeared into her bedroom in search of a blanket. She grabbed a folded up black fuzzy blanket from the top shelf of her closet, she quietly crept back into the living room before unfolding the blanket and draping it over Meadow's body. Meadow curled up tighter underneath the blanket as Keegan knelt down beside the bed, her elbows resting on the edges as she rested her chin on her hands. Her eyes danced across Meadow's face. Her face was scattered in beautiful soft brown freckles, her eyelashes were long and pretty despite the fact she wasn't wearing any make up. Her eyes fixated on her soft pursed lips that were slightly parted, exposing the small gap between her teeth. Keegan lifted her head as she reached her hand out to gently run her fingertips gently across the palm of Meadow's hand. Meadow shifted around under the blanket for a moment as she pulled her hand away. Keegan chuckled quietly to herself before getting to her feet again. She reached out to pull small strands of hair from Meadow's face as she then switched off the lights, disappearing into her bedroom with a sigh.