Tragic Magic

Chapter Five

It was about 2:30 a.m. when I first heard a weird noise. It took my awhile to realize it was the front door.

I look over at Ronnie, sound asleep, and kiss his cheek before getting up quietly.

The closer I get to the living room, the more visible a dark figure becomes. I'm not afraid because there's a stranger in my home, I'm afraid because he isn't exactly a stranger.

"Craig, what the fuck?" I say in a whisper, moving closer to the figure.

"I don't have anywhere else to stay. Do you mind if I crash here?" He says back to me.

"Shush, man. That's going to be a problem," I whisper a little louder.

"Why?" He finally learns to whisper.

"One, I don't like you. Two, I want my house key back. And three, Ronnie's home."

"Oh shit," he says.

I run over and cover his mouth, "I'm going to cut your lips off in a few seconds if you don't learn to shut the fuck up."

"Okay, well if I can't stay here, can I at least borrow your phone to call a friend?" He mumbles against my hands.

I roll my eyes and head back to my bedroom to get my cell phone. The second I unplug my phone from the charger I feel a hand grab my wrist.

"What are you doing, Juliet?"

I jump back, "Oh my god, you scared the crap out of me."

"Who were you talking to?" Ronnie asks in a tired voice.

I search for excuses but can't come up with anything smart, so I just turn to the truth.

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you. Craig is here and he needs a place to stay. I said he couldn't stay here so I'm bringing him my phone so he can call someone else."

"Oh shit, I love that guy!" Ronnie says, getting up.

I give him a weird look, "Not really, but if you say so."

He looks back at the bed and points to where he was sleeping, "Oh shit, I fell asleep on your laptop."

I head back to the living room, "No you didn't, babe."

I feel like this is going to be interesting. When Ronnie is tired, things are way more interesting.

"So he's awake now," I say to Craig, throwing him my phone.

"Shit," he says, running out to the balcony.

Smart guy, I must admit.

Ronnie walks in behind me, "Hey, where'd he go?"

"Go back to bed, babe." I laugh and guide him back to bed.

I walk back into the living room and wait for Craig to come back.

"Psst," I hear from behind the balcony screen.

I walk over and open the door, "You're fine, he went back to bed."

He steps back inside and hands me my phone, "So I'm kinda fucked at the moment," he says.

"Fine," I look around the apartment. "You can stay here, just leave before daylight, alright? Just wake me up if you need a ride."

"Thanks, dude!" He gives me an awkward hug.

"Uh, the blankets and stuff are in that closet to your left," I say, gesturing to the closet. "The couch is yours. Goodnight, man."

I head back to my room and crawl into bed. Thankfully Ronnie went back to sleep.

Let's just hope things go well when he actually wakes up.