Into Your Icy Blues
Twenty-One.
A silence settled over the house soon after Frank exited with his disgruntled fiancé in tow. No one seemed to know how to act, especially around Jade. They chattered a bit at first, but eventually all dispersed when it became apparent that there was nothing to talk about.
Jade spent the morning scrubbing the kitchen from top to bottom. Cleaning has always been a good therapy and, in her opinion, a wonderful alternative to completely shutting down. When every last dish and pan was sparkling and its place and every surface as germ-free as possible, she retired to her room. There she spent the next two hours curled up under her covers with her eyes gazing tiredly at the partly closed door.
When at lost she heard the front door creak open, she hurried to her feet. Halfway to the doorway leading out to the hallway in direct eyesight of the front door, she thought better of hurrying out to see him. She retraced her steps back to the bed and slid down to the floor to sit facing the door, and she waited. She waited for almost half an hour until the door was eased open and Frank stood there. He held a blank expression for a moment before adopting a sheepish look and raising a head to scratch at the back of his head. Jade could hear the sound of his scruffy hair moving under his fingers as she pulled her knees up to chest.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course,” she breathed.
He stepped in and closed the door before taking a seat on her bed. They sat there for a minute or two before Jade puffed impatiently and tapped her finger on his red sock.
“She said she just wanted me to be happy. I should be okay with that, right? Okay with her not yelling and screaming and hating me?”
“I don’t think she could ever hate you, really.”
“She probably should.”
“Probably you should be thankful that she doesn't.”
Frank leaned over and leaned the side of his head on his thighs to look at her in the eye.
“I want me to be happy, too,” he told her quietly.
Jade spent the morning scrubbing the kitchen from top to bottom. Cleaning has always been a good therapy and, in her opinion, a wonderful alternative to completely shutting down. When every last dish and pan was sparkling and its place and every surface as germ-free as possible, she retired to her room. There she spent the next two hours curled up under her covers with her eyes gazing tiredly at the partly closed door.
When at lost she heard the front door creak open, she hurried to her feet. Halfway to the doorway leading out to the hallway in direct eyesight of the front door, she thought better of hurrying out to see him. She retraced her steps back to the bed and slid down to the floor to sit facing the door, and she waited. She waited for almost half an hour until the door was eased open and Frank stood there. He held a blank expression for a moment before adopting a sheepish look and raising a head to scratch at the back of his head. Jade could hear the sound of his scruffy hair moving under his fingers as she pulled her knees up to chest.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course,” she breathed.
He stepped in and closed the door before taking a seat on her bed. They sat there for a minute or two before Jade puffed impatiently and tapped her finger on his red sock.
“She said she just wanted me to be happy. I should be okay with that, right? Okay with her not yelling and screaming and hating me?”
“I don’t think she could ever hate you, really.”
“She probably should.”
“Probably you should be thankful that she doesn't.”
Frank leaned over and leaned the side of his head on his thighs to look at her in the eye.
“I want me to be happy, too,” he told her quietly.
♠ ♠ ♠
end.(you could be happy. i hope you are.)