Dance with a Devil

For the second time in a very short amount of time, Violet found herself in front of John's front door, clutching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban this time. She was feeling nervous and uneasy again. She didn't know what John would do this time.

She rang the doorbell. Within thirty seconds, she heard John go,

"You again."

"Hi, John," Violet said, sighing. "Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"Why not?" She retorted.

There was a silence, and then she heard the door unlock and he opened it just a crack, to reveal a sliver of himself.

"What do you want?" He asked, scrutinizing her.

"I've come to keep you company, if you want it. We don't even have to speak to each other!" She added.

John was silent.

"Plus, your house is a landfill, and I cannot stand for a house to be a landfill, therefore I will clean it so you don't kill yourself from the chemicals emitted from said landfill." Violet continued. "Don't make me climb through your window again."

A hint of a chuckle was present on John's face at how many times she said the word 'landfill', but he gritted his teeth, opening the door wider and letting her in.

Violet let out a breath of relief. Step one down.

The house looked even worse than she last saw it, and she was horrified. Garrett always teased about how much a neat freak she was. She kept everything neat and orderly in their apartment.

John smirked and Violet led herself deeper into his place. She had been a few times over the past two years, but that was usually because John held parties there. Violet didn't usually come over just for kicks--only when her friends came along, too.

Violet was still horrified. Stuff was littered everywhere. Clothes, old food cartons, glasses...she could almost feel the grime on her skin. How could John live in that?

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" She asked, incredulous.

"Violet," John said, making her turn around. "Are you serious about cleaning my place?"

"It may not look like it, John, but I care about you. If cleaning your house is going to at least make your living environment healthy, then so be it." Violet said, though she may not be true to her words. She was technically bound to this by the guys.

He looked skeptical, but Violet didn't falter. His eyes stayed on her and she looked away from his stare. She looked around.

"I guess I'll get started then..." She said, still feeling John's eyes on here.

"Just one thing," John's voice suddenly boomed. "The room at the end of the hall--don't go in there."

Violet stood up from kneeling on the ground and she furrowed her eyebrows, "Why?"

"Like you need to fucking know," He snapped. "Just don't go in there."

She shot him a look but nodded her head. "Fine."

Violet went back to her car and got Windex, Lysol, Clorox, and anything else she had. She went around the house. John watched her for awhile, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. His bright green eyes just made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Can you stop?" She snapped, turning around, pushing her messy hair out of her face.

John rolled his eyes and walked the other way, towards the living room. He turned the TV on and started watching the basketball game.

Violet felt a little better, except her attention kept going back to the room. She passed by it several times in cleaning his place. It looked like a normal room--a white doorway with nothing on it. Her eyes lingered there just a second longer before she resisted the urge and walked away.

It didn't really feel like it, but hours went by. The house wasn't big--just a one story house, and yet Violet felt like she was cleaning a castle. That was mostly because she spent twenty minutes working on just one tiny window. She was just obsessive compulsive about that stuff. She did get some progress done. At least it smelled and even looked loads better.

Violet, exhausted, plopped herself down beside John just as he flipped through the channels, finally landing on How I Met Your Mother.

"I love this show!" She exclaimed.

John looked at her, surprised. "Really?"

Violet nodded. "My favorite show ever. Is this a new episode?"

He shook his head. "It's a rerun. It's the one where Ted gets into a car accident."

She gasped. "I love this one! I think this is my favorite episode, thus far."

Her eyes were glued to the TV, and John glanced at her multiple times, but she didn't even care to notice. After having an exhausting day, watching her favorite show on television definitely made it feel a little worth it.

"Are you done cleaning?" John asked, he looked annoyed.

Violet shook her head. "I still need to do the bedrooms, the kitchens, and the bathrooms."

"Well, if you're done now, you can leave."

She looked at him, feeling a little hurt that he was kicking her out. John's expression didn't change.

"You're kicking me out after I just did a service to you?"

John rolled his eyes. "I didn't ask you to do it."

"But you let me anyway." Violet said, glaring at him.

He muscle in his jaw twitched. He really looked like he wanted to be alone, but Violet didn't want to leave him be. She promised the guys that she would stay with John and hopefully try to get him to leave his shell and join The Maine again. Leaving him would break that promise.

"At least feed me," Violet rolled her eyes. "I spent all day cleaning up after a damn pig, it's the least you could do. And, I'm even going to come back and clean the rest of this place. Be honored."

John looked flabbergasted. Being told what to do in his own house by a girl who barged in on her own--and yet, he seemed to like it.

"I don't know how to cook."

"You don't how to--?!" Violet exclaimed. "Seriously, how on earth are you alive?"

He stared and Violet stood up.

"Okay, well, tonight I'll make something." She moved to the kitchen, still feeling John's eyes on her. "It just depends on what you have..."

Violet didn't plan on staying for that long. She mentally asked herself what on earth she was doing, but her mind went back to Garrett's disappointed face. She couldn't leave John to rot--she had to at least teach him how to take care of himself. She was doing this because she hated seeing Garrett so sad about his lifelong passion of music.

She found old pasta in the cabinets and decided to make some Alfredo pasta. She started boiling a pot of water and stuck the noodles in, to soften them.

John came into the kitchen, he didn't look too happy.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I don't want you to die."

John rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Violet. Why are you cleaning my house and making me food?"

Violet sighed and she said, "Is it hard to believe that I care a little about you?"

He stared.

"You don't even have to talk to me or anything--just let me clean up around here and get your house back in order." She continued, seriously. She looked into his bright green eyes, trying to convince him.

"The guys made you do this." John stated.

"I had a choice." Violet shrugged.

"This is another way to get me back into the band." John glared at her. "This is just a fucking ploy because you would never want be alone with me. You bolt at any second whenever I'm mentioned in something. What's in it for you?"

"John," She stopped him. "You said it yourself--I'd never want to be alone with you because look around you, asshole. Why would I want to be in something like this? I'm doing this because the guys don't deserve this. What's in it for me? A chance to get The Maine back together."

"You won't even have a chance, Violet." John spat. "You should just leave now because this isn't going to fucking work."

"I don't give up, John." Violet shrugged, tearing her eyes away from him and making her pasta sauce. "I don't think you're a lost cause and neither do the guys."

The silence from John's end made her look up at him, his eyes were fixed on her but he didn't look like he was going to say anything. He looked angry, but she could see that there was flicker in her eyes. Maybe he did want it?

"Just leave, Violet." John said, pointing to the door.

She didn't move an inch.

"Violet," John's voice was stern. "Get out of my house."

She dropped everything and sighed. She looked up at him, a disappointed look on her face. Just when things were doing okay, John ruined it, again.

"John, just let me help you." Violet said, inching closer to him. She reached out to put a hand on his arm, but he jerked away. "Please. You don't have to talk to any of the guys, you don't even have to talk to me. Just stop isolating yourself like this--let someone in...and I mean that both literally and figuratively...even though, right now, I mean it literally..." She started rambling and shut herself up instantly.

Another hint of a smirk was on John's face but he kept a straight face. His jaw clenched but he finally sighed.

"What days?"

Violet felt herself smile. "It depends on how long I work. Expect Wednesday's, Friday's, or Sunday's."

John nodded. "Fine."

She turned back to her Alfredo pasta and poured them onto two plates. She handed one of them to John, who stared at it for a second, and then followed Violet back to the living room, where they continued to watch How I Met Your Mother.

Violet felt her phone vibrate and she read the text she got from Garrett:

Is everything okay? John didn't kill you, did he?

She rolled her eyes but had a light smile playing on her face. She replied to her boyfriend,

No, but I think we're going somewhere with this idea.