Station De Coeur

When I had dawned on consciousness, I noticed I was facing the door and there was a strange heavy weight crossing my side. I looked down and saw Elliot’s arm and it was then that I noticed his breath tickling my shoulder. I took hold of his hand and slowly lifted his arm so I could slide out of bed.

Once out of bed, I picked up my phone and saw that it was only half eight- I was to get ready in an hour. I groaned as I made my way into the bath room. I stared at my messy black hair and tired, pasty face in the slightly murky mirror. I counted down from five before throwing up into the toilet.

I fell down onto my knees, tears falling from my eyes. I hardly caught the flu but when I had I preferred to be dead rather than live another day of it. I flushed the toilet and washed myself clean before making my way back to bed. This time, I fell down onto of the covers and allowed the cold air to cool my hot skin. Why was I still going to the show? I thought I probably wouldn’t make it alive to the show, anyway.

“Did you throw up again?” Elliot asked in a murmur.

“… yeah.” I sighed.

“Please, stay home today.”

“No. I need to go.”

He leaned on his elbow and looked down at me, his eyes squinting with tiredness. “Stubborn, huh?”

“You can be, too.”

He narrowed his eyes, looking to the side and nodded his head. “True.”

He laid back and I slowly sat up. I looked back and rested my hand on his chest- it was so much colder compared to my hot skin; I ran my finger down the centre of both his pecks and saw that he was watching me. He sat up and I turned slightly to face him; he took hold of my chin within his fingers and he leaned closer until I could feel his breathe skitter across my lips.

And then the front door rattled.

I fled the bed and was about to leave the room when I turned sharp. “Hide in the bathroom,” I whispered.

I trotted towards the front door, closing my own door on my way out. The knocking continued and I hear Aunt shouting for me.

“Hold on, hold on!” I shouted.

I took the chain off and opened the door. Aunt didn’t look particularly happy so I tried to avoid her eyes as I coughed over my shoulder.

“Why was the chain on?” She questioned.

“Safety; that’s why it was invented.” I mumbled.

“Hmmm, fine,” I watched her walk into her bedroom. Her hair was messy than normal and she scarcely wore any make-up which came to a shock because she always wore make-up. She carried a heavy looking bag of her clothes.

“You home for good now?”

“No, well, I still live here. Me and Mike had a fallen out so I’m just dropping my stuff- which I need you to clean for me- and then I’ll be going to make it up to him.”

“But, I don’t have the energy nor time, I need to get ready for the show-“

“Please, Maxxi.” Aunt held onto my upper arms and smiled at me intently until I sighed.

“Ok, but it probably won’t be a full job,”

“Just get it washed, Max.” She demanded as she left the room to fix up her hair in front of the mirror. “The place looks quite tidy. Did Rhea come by to do it?”

I had a bad habit of being lazy at tidying so Rhea did it for me because strangely it was her passion and Aunt always knew it was her; Arabelle was never impressed with my lack of tidiness and had said ‘if you were tidier, the place wouldn’t always have to be tidied by others’. She had a point but that’s not my point.

“Yeah and so did Elliot.”

“Your… your internet friend?”She asked, her face lost of all light.

“Yeah, we finally met a couple of days ago.”

“But you had him in the apartment?”

“Yeah-“

“Max, what did I say about guys in the house?”

“But you bring guys here all the time-“

“That’s not the point. You are a guest here, so I want you making any kids in this place!”

“Is that why don’t want me to bring guys over?!” I asked, one eye wider than the other. “And besides we haven’t even had sex.”

“It’s just when you bring guy to your home, you normally want something more of your relationship and I don’t want you to get hurt within love.”

“You’re so weird,” I mumbled, quietly so she wouldn’t hear it.

She finally left and I watched her from the floor as I crouched and glared like an unhappy dog. Do your own washing, idiot. The bed room door opened and Elliot was doing up his belt as he top hung from his mouth.

“She gone?” he said after taking his top from his mouth and pulling it on.

“Well, yes,” I laughed.

“Ok,” He said and smiled, stretching a hand out to me. I took hold of it and he pulled me up.

“When do you need to be at your show thingy?”

“Fashion Show,” I laughed. “I need to be at Uni for 11.”

“I’ll drop you off and then I’ll come by later after I’ve gotten myself ready, if that’s ok?”

“That’s fine,” I sighed as I walked into Aunt’s bedroom and picked up the washing from her bed and took it into the kitchen. “I wished the stupid bitch would do this herself. There was no ‘maid service’ in the contract.”

I threw it onto the floor and began to separate it by colours and delicates and started the dark wash first. I found myself staring blankly into the washing machine, no thoughts or movements.

“Max?”

I looked up back at Elliot. “Yeah?”

He crouched down beside me. “Maybe you shouldn’t go.”

“I need to go. Staying here would only make me go insane.” I mumbled.

I struggled to stand and eventually used Elliot as a leaning post before making my way towards my bedroom. I rummaged through my closet for my dress and gathered clean underwear before going into the bathroom. Elliot walked passed me and fell onto the bed, his face into the mattress. Weird boy.