The Glory ( Freen❣️Becky)

25

Freen stood in her driveway, noticing the lawn had been recently mowed. She made a mental note to thank Greg, the neighbor's high school son. She'd lived here four years and whenever she was away, he always took care of her yard. She eyed the garage, but instead, pulled out her keys and went to the front door, her overnight bag slung on one shoulder.

The staleness of the house hit her immediately and she opened windows, letting in some fresh air. It was warm enough outside for the AC, but having the house closed up like it was, it was still cool inside. She moved about at will, landing in the kitchen. She opened the fridge, glad she'd thought to clean out all perishables when she'd left three months earlier. Two beer bottles and a can of Coke were her choices of drink. Well, there were the water bottles, but she grabbed a beer instead.

She walked through the house aimlessly, her glance landing on familiar items. She went down the hallway, pausing to look into her bedroom. The bed was in Surat Thaini, of course, leaving a void in the room. She went to the spare room and pushed the door opened. It was as she'd left it, and she tossed her bag on the bed. When she'd moved to her mother's, she hadn't considered sleeping arrangements here.

She only wanted to be comfortable and taking her bed with her was a must.

Freen went back through the house and stood in the living room, wondering why she was feeling so uneasy. This restlessness had followed her all week and she couldn't shake it. Truth was, she wanted to be back in Surat Thaini, as strange as that sounded. Oh, it would be good to see Nam and Tee again, but she wasn't up for a party. Actually, she wasn't up to seeing Heidi.

She finally went back into the kitchen and out through the back door, finding a chair in the shade. She sunk down and stretched her legs out, balancing the beer bottle on her stomach, looking at the familiar surroundings, yet feeling so out of place. Maybe since being back in Surat Thaini she had realized how little this resembled a home and how it was very much just a house she lived in when she wasn't bouncing around from store to store. But she didn't want to dwell on that. That would only make her miss what she didn't have.

Which, in turn, brought Becky to mind. She admitted that, yes, she missed her. Even though there was a tension between them whenever they were alone, they were still friendly with each other. That part was easy. But constantly trying to tell herself that she wasn't still attracted to Becky was exhausting.

She thought back to their impromptu pizza party, the two of them sitting on the floor in Becky's kitchen. She smiled as she remembered Becky's face as she bravely finished off the beer she didn't like. But her smile faded as she also remembered the look in Becky's eyes when she'd mentioned the party... and Heidi. But hell, she didn't know what Becky wanted from her. She was still married, for God's sake. She was still...married to a man.

Freen got up abruptly, ending that train of thought. She went inside to take a shower. She knew neither Nam nor Tee would be upset if she arrived early. She only hoped they'd be as understanding if she left early as well.

***

"Well, she returns," Nam said, hugging Freen warmly. "Good to see you again."

"You too. I hope you don't mind," she said.

"I'm a bit early."

"I was hoping you'd come early. Tee is busy in the kitchen. We'll have a few minutes to talk."

Freen nodded. "Let me pop in and say hello."

"I'll meet you on the patio."

Freen peeked in the kitchen, finding Tee bent over, putting something in the oven. "Smells good," she said.
Tee popped up, her face breaking into a smile. "Freen, you're early," she said as she moved closer for a hug. "We've missed you."