Conflicting Desires

Chapter Fifteen

Tripp

I drop my backpack on the floor and head to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I pick up the glass and walk to the zinc to fill it up.

"Hey,"

I close the tap, turning toward the sound of that soft voice. She lets out a frustrated sigh as she picks up my backpack from the ground.
"I was going to pick that up," I say before emptying the glass down my throat.
"You shouldn't have put it on the ground." She whispers, putting it on the couch.
"Why are you whispering?" I whisper.
"Maddie's parents had a fight again. I caught her sleeping on the stairs. I carried her, and she's sleeping on our bed."
I feel heaviness in my heart for the little girl. She reminds me of when I was in Foster care. "Does her mum know she's up here?"
"Didn't get the chance to inform her when she's yelling at her drunk husband," Audrey says defensively.
I shake my head in disapproval. " You cannot just take Maddie."
"Am I supposed to leave her to sleep there?"
"That's not what I am saying." I walk to her. "I don't want trouble for you. Remember the last time, she yelled at you for just giving her kid food."
"Well, she can yell all she wants. That's all she does anyway. I kept a note at their door informing them I am with Maddie."
"Okay, that will do," I say.
"Promise me we are not going to end up like them." She suddenly says, taking a step closer to me.
Them?
My eyes widen in realization. I am appalled that she even has that thought.
I take her warm hands in mine. "Of course not, we will never. It is crazy that you will think that."
I feel the need to convince her. The fact that she even thinks that breaks my heart.
I caress her face with my palm. She closes her eyes for a second then looks up at me.
"People in the building said they weren't always like this. There was a time they couldn't take their hands off each other, then Maddie came and-"
I interrupt her, "I don't know about them. But I know us and I have faith in us. We can never be like them, never." I pull her waist to bring her closer. "I promise."
Audrey smiles and then starts nodding with tears welling up in her eyes. "I know. I am sorry for even thinking about it." She releases herself from my hold, blinking the tears away. "How was work?"
I clear my throat. "Boring and slow," I say, taking off my jacket. "We had these rude customers in the morning and they are so annoying."
"Hazard of the job," Audrey teases.
I roll my eyes dramatically. "I guess."
She chuckles, taking my jacket. "By the way," She walks away from me. "I am spending next weekend with Daisy at her dorm."
I turn. "Why? You guys just saw each other a week ago."
I don't like the idea that she is going to Daisy. The last time she went, she was heartbroken.
"Yeah, I don't want her to forget that we are okay now." She jokes.
What's with the sudden need to spend hours in a car to visit her sister after just seeing her? It's harder to read Audrey these days.
It makes me uneasy.
About things that make me uneasy, the party Audrey went to. She didn't come home last night and she hasn't talked about it.
"How was the event you went to?" I ask leaning on the couch.
"Uhh," She turns to me with my jacket in her arms. "It was good, for the most part."
"And it was a work event?" I raise my eyebrows.
Her eyes are dancing around trying to avoid mine. She looks uneasy answering my question. "Yeah, kind of,"
Kind of?
My eyes catch Audrey's phone on the couch.
"We never talk anymore. I want to know everything. Did you take pictures?" I ask looking back at her.
Her eyes go to her phone on the couch, then at me. We both look at each other for a second before we rush to pick up the phone.  I am faster of course and taller so I put it over my head.
I watch her feeble attempts to retrieve her phone which makes me chuckle.
"I looked laughable." She protests.
"Not possible," I say before unlocking her phone.
I swipe and click on photos and the first thing I see is Audrey smiling at the camera wearing a stunning green gown.
Whoa,
I reduce my hand to look at the image clearly.
"I told you I looked laughable." She says.
"Wow, you are beautiful," I say, unable to say anything further. I wish I was there to see her look like the goodness she is.
"Scarlett, my boss gave me the dress, the shoe, and even the necklace."
"I guess your boss isn't a bitch as I assumed."
I scroll and click on the video. It's a video of Audrey coming down the stairs of a beautiful house.
"That's what I am talking about."
I hear a familiar voice hype her up behind the video. I can't look away. Audrey's smile is intoxicating. I haven't seen her smile like this in a long time, at least not around me.
I don't know why seeing this creates a weird feeling in my chest.
She drags her phone from my hand. "That's enough." She chuckles. "I am embarrassed."
"That's your boss's house?
"Yes, the video doesn't do it justice. The place is huge. It's insane witnessing that wealth and she's around our age. She lives there alone." Audrey speaks so highly of her. "She has this -"
"Have you eaten?" I interrupt her, for some reason not wanting to hear any further.
~~~
"Should I call him?" Jean asks playing with a contact card. She has been playing with it since I resumed my shift.
"Who?" I ask, putting the cash the customer leaving placed on the counter in the cash register.
"The guy who came in yesterday, his name is Ryan." She wiggles her eyebrows.
."Ughh," I pretend to gag.
She chuckles. "You are not jealous, are you?" She says.
I pause, freezing at her question.
"I am kidding, Jesus Christ."
I unfreeze. We haven't talked about the kiss. And the fact that we kissed makes jokes like this awkward.
"Duhh," I roll my eyes. "What about Axel?"
She sighs sadly. "We had another fight. I think he slept with his baby mama, he says he didn't. I don't know what to believe."
Knowing Axel, he certainly did.
"I don't think it is a good idea to contact Mr Fancy-pants."
"You are just saying that because you don't like his sister."
"Yes, I think she is a sociopath." I nod.
How can she easily come up with that fucked up story to mess with me? I know women like her and I don't like them.
"He is cute though."
I throw a napkin at the woman staring at the card dreamily. "Do whatever you want then."
She picks up the napkin that fell and throws it back at me. "What's with you anyway?"
I breathe out. "It's Audrey."
I see Jean's facial expression change. I can tell she doesn't want to ask but she does. "What about her?" She asks putting the contact card in the back pocket of her shorts.
I desperately need advice about the distance I feel with Audrey. But then I say, "Nothing,"
Jean is quick to change the subject. "Driving out to see Lil J this weekend?"
I still haven't told Audrey about the opportunity with Lil J and that I will have to drive out to Philly this weekend.
"Yes," I simply say.
Jean's phone buzzes. She picks it up immediately like she's expecting an urgent message.
I see a change in her facial expression, "What's wrong?" I ask.
She clears her throat, "It's nothing." She says.
I walk up to her and grab the phone from behind.
"Give it back!" She yells, hitting my stomach and jumping trying to grab the phone. I keep my hand stretched up until I see what's on the phone.
It's a picture of Axel kissing another woman –probably his baby mama.
"That asshole is cheating again?!" I yell, in anger. I feel my blood boil. She drags the phone from me like I haven't seen what I need to see. "Didn't you just forgive him a month ago?"
Jean sighs, trying to look unbothered but I know it's slowly eating her up..
"It's irrelevant. There's probably an explanation.
"Didn't you say you had your suspicions? What good will waiting for an explanation do? I seriously don't understand why you are still with him."
"It's not for you to understand!" Jean snaps.
I breathe out before I speak in a much calmer tone. "You are an amazing woman. You have any guy you want, don't waste your time on him."
Jean lets out a low laugh, "You are wrong," Our eyes lock, "I can't have any guy I want."
"Maybe you should call the Ryan guy," I say breaking eye contact.