True As Cheese

October 21: Don't Run With Knives

          Blood rushed to my head, my neck beginning to ache from the uncomfortable position. My fingers begin to get a cramp from holding on too tightly. My palms sweat as I struggle to keep a grasp, my mind spinning in drowsiness. Michael sits across from me, groaning in boredom. He tosses his knife high into the air, catching it before repeating.

          My heart races as I watch, up, then down. I finally fall to the floor from my upside down position on the couch, plucking Michael's knife out of his hand once he's caught it again. Sitting back in my original spot, I toss it up slightly. Catching it, I smile at Michael. He watches me, eyebrows raised with a smirk on his face.

          "Be careful dumbass, don't wanna hurt yourself." I glare at him, stubbornness taking over as I toss it higher, his smirk disappearing.

          "Uhh, that's that's enough now." He stands to grab it, making me take off in the opposite direction immediately. Now, I know I shouldn't take the mafia's weapons, but I couldn't resist, he basically called me a pussy! I hear him curse quietly, chasing after me. As we're running, I do the smart thing and toss the knife in the air, laughing maniacally.

          "Don't do that, you psycho!" His yelling sounds through the apartment as he trips over the couch. Just before he can wrap his hands around my waist, I trip and send the knife flying through the air. Silence fills the room as I look up, my eyes widening as I witness what I hit. The knife landed square in the face of the man himself, Bear.

          Or it would've, had he not moved out of the way.

          I quickly look at Michael who's at my feet, his face holding shock. My laughter fills the room before Bear's angry voice interrupts.

          "What the FUCK is wrong with you two? Can I not leave you alone for five seconds without you tearing apart my house?" He rips the knife from the wall without effort, making me wince at the hole. I bite my lip anxiously as I look back at Michael, hoping he'd take care of the situation.

          "We're out of milk!"

          "Really? That's the best you've got." I roll my eyes, looking up at Bear.

          "I would send you two to the store but apparently I can't trust you alone. Get your coats, we need to go shopping." Bear storms off to his office behind the living room, slamming the door.

          After a while, we finally leave, Michael receiving a text from Leonardo that he needs supplies. Leonardo was the angry older man from last night that drove Michael and me to the apartment. The day is cool as leaves fall from the trees, crunching under our feet as we make our way to the store. Grey clouds protect my pale skin from the sun, the wind blowing my hair in all directions. The crunching stops as our shoes meet linoleum flooring, Malnart's bright lights blinding us as we walk in.

          "What's his problem?" I turn to Michael as Bear takes a phone call a few feet away. I grab a cart as we walk through the front doors, the store packed full of people, music drifting through the air as we shop.

          "He's got a stick up his ass." Michael licks his lips while looking at Bear, sending a wink towards me as he bags cucumbers and throws them in the cart. Bear doesn't notice, too focused on work to pay attention to us. I nod at Michael, our twin powers activate as we read one another's minds. Game time.

           Five cheese items are thrown in the cart by yours truly, remembering just how much Bear enjoys cheese. I smirk at it, already planning evil situations before my thoughts are interrupted.

          "Be careful, you'll fall for him quickly if you keep that up." Michael glances between Bear and I, Bear turning to glance at us before turning away again.

          "He wishes, but he's not my type. I like my men nerdy, not... scary."

          "Oh, I'm serious. You better tread lightly or he'll wanna hanky panky in your pan- Ow!" He's cut off by a smack to the head, my hand stinging slightly as I glare.

          "There will be no "doing the dirty" with anyone." He laughs as we follow Bear down another aisle. We make our way through the store, making small talk about ourselves. Things were thrown at each other, people's glares burn our backs as we ran, but we couldn't care less. He's like the older brother I never wanted. By the time we made it to the checkout line, we had security following us.

          Bear tells us to load the conveyor belt as he walks to the cashier, still on the phone. First, pregnancy tests, lotion, tissues, laxatives, and super-sized toilet paper. He hasn't seemed to notice, too busy talking about a poker game. Next, knives, a black hoodie, gloves, disposable phones, dry cement, shovel, plastic wrap, supersize garbage bags, and duct tape. The cashier's, Marie, eyes were wide as she set the stuff in bags, but Bear stands oblivious.

          Condoms, cucumbers, medical masks, electric dog collar, vegetable oil, chocolate syrup, and zip ties. Now, I have Bear's attention. Looking at me, the groceries, Marie, then back to me. A look of confusion crosses his face before he burst into laughter, looking like a crazy man while Marie scans the knives and the dog collar. With a mischievous look, he turns back to Marie. The next few words get us banned from the grocery store for life.

          "Date night gets quite interesting."

          We walk into the apartment, a couple of workers helping us carry all the groceries. As we set them down, Bear shakes his head.

          "I can't believe they banned us from there. I'm never taking you, idiots, anywhere again."

***
          "Good morning!" Michael shouted in my ear at the break of dawn. I screamed and pushed, finding myself on the floor in pain.

          "You asshole," I say growling, sweeping my foot behind his. A loud 'thud' sounded through the room before silence shadowed the apartment. I held a finger to my lips angrily before tiptoeing to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I grab the spray cheese and close the door silently. I glance at Michael, who somehow found a feather, and slowly tiptoe to Bear's room.

          The door opens without a sound, thankfully. I look around, his room dark except for a little sunlight peeking from behind the curtains. We slowly make our way to his bed, where Bear lie asleep. I pull the covers down slightly, his hair a mess over his face. For a second, I almost "aw" at how cute he is, but I stop myself. He is NOT cute. Stop that shit, Tessa. Get your head in the game.

          I gently take his hand in mine, glancing at his face before I slowly spray the cheese in his palm. He stirs a little before going back to sleep, my heart beating rapidly. Once I'm satisfied, I take the feather from Michael. Slowly taking a breath in, I caress it down his cheek. Nothing. I do it again, and this time he moves. It all happened in a flash. One moment, his hand is slapping his cheek, the next, I'm running for my life.