Empty Bargains ~Jason McCann~

~11.08~

    “Why aren’t you getting ready?” Jason asked as he walked in the bedroom door.

    My eyebrows rose.  I was sitting on the bed, reading a book I’d found in the corner of my closet.  The cover had been too mangled to read and the first few pages were ripped out, so I’d started about halfway through the first chapter.  I hadn’t gotten that far into it before Jason came in.

    “Ready for what?” I asked as he closed the door and strode toward the bathroom.

    “The party,” Jason answered, sending me a confused look.

    “What are you talking about?”  I closed the book and turned to face him.

    “You’re coming with,” he stated before ducking into the bathroom and flipping on the faucet.  “I said we’re leaving at ten, and that’s in twenty minutes.”

    “Since when am I coming with?” I questioned.  “This whole week you’ve been going places without me; why would now be any different?”

    “Because I say it is,” Jason said, sticking his head out of the bathroom.  “Do you want to go, or not?”

    “Of course I do,” I replied incredulously.  “I just didn’t know.”

    “Well,” he shrugged.  “If you don’t want to wear pajamas to a party, you should change.”  He went back into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving me sitting with the book in my lap.

    For the past two weeks Jason had constantly been out, hardly leaving any time to even look at me.  It felt odd not seeing him as often as usual, and it felt lonely.  Something had changed in him since Leah had shown up, and it didn’t seem good.  Distant was one of many words that came to mind.  Other than Jason and Leo, there was no one in the house I really talked to, and since most everyone had been out on runs and doing other things, the house felt giant and I felt empty.

    The only time Jason and I really spent together was in the morning, when he accidentally stirred me getting up to leave.  I’d sit up and talk to him because I’d miss him during the day, and most of the time would fall asleep at night before he came back.  The cycle didn’t feel right, and now that he was taking me to a party I should’ve been happy; instead I felt awkward, like I didn’t know how to talk to him.  Thirteen days didn’t seem like much, but when you had nothing to do all day each hour felt like an eternity.  Maybe I just wasn’t used to being away from Jason this much, but my reaction was scaring me — it was like I was going through withdrawal, sick from not getting the drug I needed.

    I stood and walked to my closet, sighing as I ran over a rack of clothes with my hand.  A coral shirt caught my eye and I tugged it down.  Without waiting I pulled off my sweatshirt and slid the new one on.  It was sleeveless, loose-fitting all the way down where the front ended at my hips and the back ended mid-thigh.  I traded my sweatpants for dark leggings, then chose the black wedges I’d worn for the last party.  Shaking out my hair, I decided it was okay as it was, natural waves flowing down my back.

    Jason was digging in his closet for something as I came out of mine, stepping into the bathroom and reaching for my makeup.  I’d mostly run out and would need to get more, but I used what little eyeliner and mascara I had left to go with a casual look in under five minutes.  I pushed hair from my face, stepping back into the bedroom to find Jason striding to the door.