Home Again

Window

"Been a while since we've seen you, 'asn't it Junior?" Arthur boomed.

"Don't call me that," Junior groaned, he hated that his uncle Arthur could not speak below a shout. His uncles had forced their way into Clover's house and had helped themselves to tea and biscuits.

"These really are remarkable biscuits," said John through his mouthful of food. "Don't you think so, Arthur?"

Arthur took another huge bite of his biscuit and hummed in agreement before slurping his tea. A second later after exchanging a meaningful look with John, the two burst into laughter. Arthur beat the table repeatedly, unable to manage his mirth.

"Please, you guys," Junior cringed. "Keep it down, will you?"

Arthur began a new stream of laughter at the sound of this plea.  It was a few seconds before he could catch his breath enough to ask, "What for? You afraid the neighbors will hear the scary Blinders in house?" He and John laughed anew again. They were really enjoying poking fun at their nephew, although they knew that they were torturing him with their banter.

John spoke up with a smirk, "I think I oughtta get this recipe for Liza-"

"For the love of God," Junior burst, still careful of his volume. "Tell me what you're here for. Are you gonna take me in to my father. Or has he finally gone crazy and ordered you to shoot me. Which is it?" He managed to sound intense while keeping his voice barely above a whisper. He desperately did not want to wake Clover. He strained his ear, checking for any signs that she was awake and moving around in the bedroom. Despite hearing nothing but his uncles, he risked a look in the direction of her room. He saw nothing. But turning back toward his uncles, he saw a look in their eyes that made his throat dry and his heart constrict. They looked like they knew.

"Junior," John began slowly. "Is there someone here?"

Arthur's eyes lit up and his mouth opened as if he'd seen candy. Junior, despite the dread he felt, could not help but roll his eyes in embarrassment. They were finding him out.

"Is there...a lady?" Arthur asked.

Junior could barely open his mouth to answer before Arthur had pounced on him and began to ruffle his hair, ushering out a string of "atta boys" and "I knew you had it in yous." John came over and clapped him on the back, beaming from ear to ear and adding, "He's a Shelby man, indeed."

Junior became redder and redder at the chaos of the circus around him until a gentle voice shattered the scene.

"Good m-," Clover had said before she saw Junior...and his family. "What the hell is going on," she quickly added, moving her attention from one man to the next.

Junior blushed harder than before when he realized that she was in plain view of his uncles and in nothing more than his flimsy dress shirt, landing just past her knees.

She didn't seem to care about her exposure at the moment. She was lit by a new flame of agitation.

"Junior, do you know these men? And why are they in my house?" She spoke evenly but he knew that she was close to unraveling.

With a speed and precision that he did not know he possessed, Junior stood from his chair. Before his uncles could shout some abhorrent comment and before Clover could enflame them for it, he was across the room and to her. He placed a hand gently onto her chest and to the room he spoke, "Give me a minute," before pushing her and himself back into the bedroom.

He closed the door behind him before his uncles knew what was going on. Junior could tell that Clover was loaded with questions and arguments because she opened her mouth to voice them. But before she could speak, he kissed her.

Her eyes fluttering open, her heart recovering from fluttering at the kiss, Clover looked at him, infatuated but cautious.

"Look," he said, holding onto her neck ever so gently just because he did not want to stop touching her. "Out there are two very bad, and very insane men," he continued. "Those two men are also my uncles. Every time I've seen them in the last two years, I've been afraid and have felt shaken to my core." He grasped her hand and placed it just so that it was touching his chest. "Every time they or anyone else like them have found me, I've run. But right now, with them in the living room, I could laugh. Just because you are here. I feel so light and so unafraid." He paused for a breath, reading her eyes, which were simultaneously searching his. "Right now, we could hop out of this window together and take off down the road. Or we could kick them out, slam the door and finish what we started," he caressed her waist. "All I know is," he picked back up, "I'm not going back to my father and I'm not running from this."

She looked at him, feeling an odd, deep connection. It was as if something pulled her to him. She wasn't sure if she should fight back. Despite herself, she looked towards the window, feeling like she would run if he needed her to. She laughed softly and felt amazed at herself. I would pick up everything and leave, just for some boy I hardly know? That couldn't be true but still she couldn't shake the feeling.

Junior held her soft hands in his warm ones. "What do we do?" He asked her. Waiting for her signal, which he would follow without protest.

She took a deep breath before saying, "We kick them out. Finish what we started."

He looked at her and could've flashed all of his teeth at once, but instead, he smiled softly, matching her own quiet smile. He nodded and they turned toward the door, intending to march out of it and put up a fight. But their resolution wasn't needed. Because, just like magic, Junior's uncles were gone. And the house, save them, was empty.

~

Thanks for reading. Sorry for the sparse and sporadic updates. I intend to update my wattpad stories on Wednesdays now. Lord, help me.

What do you think of the story so far? Let me know :)

And check out my blog, DallasRey.com, which I update (from now on) on Saturdays.