andromeda // matty healy au

Corduroy Dreams

Rhonda took me up on my offer to babysit the following week.  She said that it was because she and Mr. Wilson had a birthday dinner to go to, but I think she just needed the break.  I'm okay with that, because I need the extra cash for my school fund.

She greeted me at the door with a warm smile, she immediately called to Mr. Wilson that he should be getting ready to leave soon.

She wore perfume tonight and her face was decorated with various shades of pink eyeshadow, lipstick and blush.  She looked much younger than the last time I saw her.

"So, these are my angels - Ariel and Leo."  she said as she ushered me in.  The babies sat on the floor in stereotypical pink and blue footie pajamas.  They really had the faces of cherubs; small, round, squishy, pink, soft.  Completely adorable.  "They probably won't be hungry for the rest of the night, but if they are, I have some peas in the fridge.  Try to put them down around 7pm.  Poison control's number is on the fridge."  She scrambled as she picked up her purse off of the kitchen table.

"Please, Rhonda, you're drowning her in instructions."  Mr Wilson stood in the door way and leaned his shoulder cooly against the frame.  He pushed his salt-and-pepper hair out of his eyes and gave her a leading man smile.

"Shush, Martin.  I've just told her the basics."  She returned the glance and then turned back to me.  "They have a specific bedtime routine and it's written on a piece of paper in their bedroom, just down the hall."

"List.  Got it."  I made a mental note and Rhonda and Mr. Wilson gathered their things and prepared to leave.

"I can't thank you enough, Celeste."  Rhonda gave me a kind smile and slipped her black kitten heels on.  "Call if you need us, but we've really got to scoot, hun."  By the end of her sentence, she was ushering her husband out the door.

I uttered a soft 'no problem' as they left, but I felt the air push past the door as it closed, and then heard them bickering on the other side of the door.  Something about Martin needing to hurry up, and Rhonda needing to not worry so much.

I turned to look at the kids with squishy faces.  They still sat on the carpet in the living room and looked up at me with eyes the size of saucers.  

"Hey kids,"  I said aloud as I kneeled next to them.  As if they understood me.  "What's up with you guys?  It's five o'clock now, maybe we could play with some toys?"  I offered a stuffed animal that was sitting on the floor to Leo.  His big green eyes looked at the elephant with disgust as his little forehead crinkled.

"Alright,"  I continued to look around the room at the other toys that were on the floor.  How about this jingly thing?  He seemed to like it more, the twins leaned forward to look at it, wonder on their faces.

I recalled when I first moved in to the building, Matty giving me the tour and telling me about the people in the floors below me.  He said something about these kids being little terrors, but I didn't see it at all.  They just looked like big, bumbling babies. They were -dare I say it- cute.

Maybe Matty was just saying that to scare me.  Timid new girl?  Tell her all the things that are hidden under the bed  He's full of-

"SHIT!"  I exclaimed.  Leo had my finger stuck between his top gums and his bottom teeth.  I pulled my fingers away once I managed to pry his jaw open with my free hand.  I stared at the bitemark, it went so deep into my skin.  How the fuck is a baby that strong?  Ariel was laughing at me, mocking me, while Leo sat and stared at me with his inquisitive eyes.

I decided to take it upon myself to look around for some gloves.  Thick ones, big enough to protect my appendages.  I should have listened to Matty, and now I'm stuck with these brats for three hours, probably closer to four, judging by how much Rhonda wanted to milk this date night.