Chapter 77

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Kate was methodically chewing her last bite of pizza on the couch, her feet barely managing to dangle off. The TV was lit, distracting her with some kids show while I cleaned up our plates and napkins.

"I'll be right back," I told her before taking our trash into the kitchen. Kate nodded slowly, focused on the television as if she were in a trance. I scraped her uneaten crust into the bin before placing the plates in the sink.

Babysitting wasn't as bad as I expected. We had already played with dolls, eaten pizza, and were in the process of watching TV. I learned that as long as Kate was occupied, she was happy. She wasn't hard to look after and was relatively polite.

I had gotten a text every once in awhile from Michael, the most recent one telling me that he'd be done around ten just like Melissa had promised she would be back as well. He had offered to meet me somewhere after, but I was exhausted already and his uncle's words from before had me thinking. Not so much about marriage per say, but about what would happen to Michael and I in the future. If I did move, if that small possibility became my reality, what was our plan? We had discussed it briefly once, but all Michael promised was that he wouldn't let it happen. I knew in my mind that he couldn't stop my family from dragging me back home if that's the decision they made.

The house phone rang, forcing me to step away from the sink where I stood contemplating my current romantic relationship. I hurried over to the counter and pressed my ear to the speaker.

"Hello?" I spoke while popping my head around the corner to check on Kate. She was still sitting on the couch like I had left her.

"Leah? It's Melissa," she greeted me.

"Oh, how is your dinner?" I asked before grabbing a paper towel to wipe down their kitchen table. Kate and I had barely sat there for dinner before I decided the pressure of a conversation was weighing us down. Instead we chose to watch TV while eating, after Kate promised not to make a mess on the expensive looking couch.

"It's lovely, thank you!" Melissa replied, but her voice was masked by several others in the background. Wherever they were, it sounded like many tipsy couples talking loudly to one another. "I just called to let you know that we ran into some old friends and we'll be later than we thought. But don't worry, I already called Michael and he's on his way over."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," I insisted, resting my hip against the counter. "I really don't mind this whole babysitting thing."

"Well, you're very sweet, dear, but once Michael gets there, you can go on home. We didn't mean to be out so long and it's not fair to keep you hostage," she laughed softly, so I thanked her before hanging up.

Michael coming over was good news, even if I was somewhat exhausted. I wanted him to tell me all about band practice and how he felt about the upcoming gig.

I finished straightening up in the kitchen after Melissa's call and took a soda from her fridge, figuring she wouldn't mind.

"Good news, Kate," I called as I made my way back to the couch with my drink in hand. She was still watching her show with her hair flipped back on the cushions. "Michael is coming over soon."

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she momentarily forgot the television.

"Really?" she smiled excitedly before settling back against the couch. It amazed me how she was always so happy to see him, each time acting like she hadn't seen him in months though it was quite the opposite. "Good!"

"How is your show?" I asked, falling back onto the cushions while we waited for Michael.

"Okay," she answered truthfully.

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