Lights, Camera, Rumblefish!

Ch. 21

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Ch. 21
We let Cruise off at his place. When we returned to the hotel, we dropped Andrew and John off and Rob and I were on our way to our room.
"No one tells Christine about this," he said to me in the elevator.
"No one tells Matt."
"Deal." Rob fumbled in his pocket for the hotel key and opened it up only to find Christine and Matt sitting on each bed, arms crossed.
"Why, good morning. So nice of you to join us," Christine rose from the bed and stepped towards us. Matt followed her.
"What the hell is he doing here?" I said.
"I am your fiancée, Essie. I have the right to see you. Which is why I came over here to see you and you weren't here. Now why's that?"
"No, no, Matt, I know this. They were practically bathing in alcohol. I'm could smell them from the street," Christine said, picking at Rob's jacket like it was a dead animal.
"Who told you?" Rob asked her.
"Alan. Said y'all went out for a drink," she said.
"And a smoke. My god, what did you two do, drown in alcohol and nicotine?" Matt said.
"Look, Christine, I'm really sorry. I never meant for you to get upset... Nothing happened. We just got a little to drink and drove around for a while," Rob apologized. I wasn't so quick to say sorry.
"Who were you with?" She asked.
"John, Andrew, Cruise, and Essie. No other girl," he said. She sized me up and looked at my clothing.
"I have a question. Why is you shirt inside out?" She asked me. I was quiet.
"Honestly, Essie, if it isn't me, you'll bang 'em. Won't ya? Was it Andrew? Did you finally hit a grand slam with your boy toy?" Matt snapped.
"No! I didn't sleep with anyone. We...just- we just took our clothes off that's all. Look, I don't have to answer to y'all. Y'all aren't my parents!" I sneered.
"Oh, give me a break, Essie! If someone doesn't watch over you, who will?" Matt said.
"Matt, you literally cannot give me a week alone. I cannot do anything without you breathing down my neck, it's actually ridiculous. Please just give me some time," I said.
"Essie, I've given you nearly four weeks of..." I started to zone out. My chest was tight and my back started to ache and I could barely breathe. I couldn't catch my breath and everything started to get blurry.
"Matt, hold on, something's wrong. Essie? Essie, can you hear me?" I heard Christine say, but everything was starting to get darker and darker, almost like I was falling but into my own skin. I started to try to catch my breath but with each falling inch I could not breathe. Everything was consumed by blackness. And I saw nothing.
**********
"Honestly, why do I have to get checked in Tulsa? I'm alive, aren't I? I could stayed in Chicago a little longer," I said. Matt touched my hand and laid his head against the airplane seat.
"Just try to get some rest, sweetheart. It's a long flight," he said. I jerked my hand away.
"You're only being nice and gentle because I was in the hospital," I said.
"No, I just don't want to fight anymore. It's exhausting. I don't know how you keep doing it," he said, closing his eyes.
"And cause we don't know what's wrong with me," I said.
"Let's not talk about this, babe. Just get some sleep. You've been awake for days," he said. Soon he was asleep and I was still wide awake, flipping through magazines and books. He was nearly laying on my shoulder, arm laid across the arm rest.
"You must be exhausted..." I whispered. He didn't answer.
"I don't know how long you've been awake... But thank you," I whispered and pressed my cheek against the top of his head. I grabbed his hand.
*********
"Welcome back! Haven't seen you in, what, four weeks?" Mickey said. He was seated at the dining room table, smoking a cigarette, legs crossed and hair flaming red.
"Four weeks," I said.
"Wow. Come here, darlin," he got up and came to hug me, kissing me quickly on the mouth.
"Shoot's almost over?" I asked him.
"Nearly. How about we talk about it over dinner? I know you have a lot to talk about with Susie," he said.
"Yeah."
"I'll pick you up around eight." He walked out of the house. He would probably be here around nine.
"Essie?! Is that you?!" Susie called from the bathroom.
"Yeah, Aunt Susie, I'm right here!" I yelled.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" Matt came in through the front door with half the luggage and David came in with the other half.
"How are ya, kid?" David hugged me, kissed the top of my head, and walked into the kitchen.
"Alright."
"You want something to drink?"
"Just water."
"Comin right up," he said. I opened the door to Matt's and my bedroom. Everything was still in perfect shape, everything where I wanted it to be.
"Matt, can you come here a second?" I said. He appeared seconds later in the doorway, and I closed it behind him. I grabbed both his hands, facing him, staring into his eyes and instead of talking like I planned, I just hugged him. I squeezed him around his torso and nudged my face into his chest, and now instead of releasing myself, I started to cry, tears streaming down my face, one by one.
"Shhhhh..." He stroked my hair and rubbed my back, "I know. It's been hard. Shhhhh.... There you go...."
I looked up and smiled.
"I honestly don't know what's been going on all this time but I love you, okay? I never stopped," I said.
"I love you," he said and kissed me. I hadn't kissed him in four weeks.