Status: NEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Hesitate
It's Been A Rough Day
It was Monday morning. It had been exactly a week since she’d left Vegas. She was back at work and faced with at least coming up with a new floor layout for the store to make better use of the space they had…..oh, and there was that whole marriage thing that she had to think about. She hadn’t heard from him at all in at least 3 days and had begun to wonder what was going on. She had texted Jim and Samm who both said that Corey was just really busy and couldn’t talk. Weird. He always seemed to find the time before.
The store had been pretty slammed all day leaving them little time to think about the rearranging of everything. It had to be done so they just decided to stay late and try to get it finished.
“What if we take the cd racks from the middle and wrap the walls with them instead? It’d free up the whole middle of the store for other stuff.” Jaret suggested to his boss who had drifted off into space yet again. That had become pretty common the past few days. “Hellllllllo. Earth to Ashleigh.”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I’m just tired.”
“Sure that’s it?” he inquired. “You’ve been acting funny ever since you got back.”
“I’m sure. Now can we get back to the layout? I think what you said about the cd’s might work. We should probably leave a wall empty to put the action figures on though.”
Jaret was about to make another suggestion when they heard a loud, relentless banging against the front door of the shop.
“Geez. Can no one read a sign?” She snapped.
“I’ll go tell ‘em we’re closed.” Jaret said jumping up and heading towards the still loud banging sound. Normally, he wouldn’t have opened the door at all but he recognized the person standing there and immediately let him in.
She heard the door squeak behind her and said, “Tell him to fuck off?”
“Well, that’s not very nice.” He said with sarcasm in his voice.
She spun around in her chair quickly. He was the last person she expected to see.
“Corey? What are you doing here? Why the hell haven’t I heard from you at all in the past 3 days?”
“I’ve been busy…”
“Yeah….that’s the story I keep hearing…..”
“Well, what are you doing here so damn late? I went by your house first…”
She sighed, “Trying to come up with a new store layout. Back to my first question….what are you doing here? Aren’t you working on an album?”
“Can we talk about this when there’s not someone standing behind me listening over my shoulder?” he asked motioning behind him.
“Jaret, we’re going home.” She told him. “We’ll finish tomorrow or something.”
“Ok, bosslady.” He nodded, grabbed his jacket and keys, and left.
“So, you gonna follow me to the house?”
“Why don’t you just ride with me?”
“What about my car?’
“I’ll be fine here for the night….now come on….”
The ride home was pretty silent considering she was beat from the long day of work she’d had. He pulled in the driveway and helped her inside.
“I’m fucking tired.” She yawned.
“why don’t you go to bed? We can talk in the morning.”
“Nice try. Now, why are you here? What’s going on with the album?”
“Well, first off, I put the house in Vegas up for sale.” He started. “And we’re switching studios.”
“Why are you switching studios?”
“Because I want to be here…close to you.”
“And the guys just agreed to that?”
He nodded, “Yep.”
“And the reason I haven’t heard from in three days until now is?”
“Told you I’ve been busy…….”
“Please elaborate.”
“What about you? You thought anymore about us?” he asked looking in her eyes hoping she’d say she had and that she wanted to continue their marriage.
She sighed, “Can we do this in the morning?”
He shook his head, “You’re not saying you haven’t thought about it at all, are you?”
“No, I have. I just-.”
“You’re avoiding the subject then.”
“Corey, I’m tired. I’ve had a long fucking day.” She said rubbing her face. “and Nathan came in the store today. So, I had to deal with that….and I’m exhausted.
His eyes quickly narrowed, “What the fuck did that piece of shit want?”
“Calm down…”
“What’d he want? He say anything to you? He didn’t try to hurt you, did he?”
“He ran his mouth some but,” she sighed, “Jaret got him to leave…”
“This the first time he’s been up there?” She shook her head. “What the fuck? And you didn’t say anything? After what he did to you? What if he had tried something?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m fine. And that was like 6 years ago……”
“I don’t care if it was 66 years ago…” he snapped. “I shoulda killed him. I shoulda killed him right there on the spot. If Shawn hadn’t grabbed me, I would’ve.”
“Yeah, and then you’d be in prison.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around him laying her head on his chest. “And I wouldn’t be able to do this right now.”
“I just….I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Nothings gonna happen. I promise.”
“Next time he shows up, call me.”
“Fine.” She smiled. “I’ll call you. You win. Now, can we go to bed?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
She drifted off to sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. He, on the other, was an entirely different story. He laid there just watching her chest rise up and down slowly as she breathed in her sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about that Nathan guy. He remembered him all too vividly and couldn’t help but go back to that night when she had introduced them.
The store had been pretty slammed all day leaving them little time to think about the rearranging of everything. It had to be done so they just decided to stay late and try to get it finished.
“What if we take the cd racks from the middle and wrap the walls with them instead? It’d free up the whole middle of the store for other stuff.” Jaret suggested to his boss who had drifted off into space yet again. That had become pretty common the past few days. “Hellllllllo. Earth to Ashleigh.”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I’m just tired.”
“Sure that’s it?” he inquired. “You’ve been acting funny ever since you got back.”
“I’m sure. Now can we get back to the layout? I think what you said about the cd’s might work. We should probably leave a wall empty to put the action figures on though.”
Jaret was about to make another suggestion when they heard a loud, relentless banging against the front door of the shop.
“Geez. Can no one read a sign?” She snapped.
“I’ll go tell ‘em we’re closed.” Jaret said jumping up and heading towards the still loud banging sound. Normally, he wouldn’t have opened the door at all but he recognized the person standing there and immediately let him in.
She heard the door squeak behind her and said, “Tell him to fuck off?”
“Well, that’s not very nice.” He said with sarcasm in his voice.
She spun around in her chair quickly. He was the last person she expected to see.
“Corey? What are you doing here? Why the hell haven’t I heard from you at all in the past 3 days?”
“I’ve been busy…”
“Yeah….that’s the story I keep hearing…..”
“Well, what are you doing here so damn late? I went by your house first…”
She sighed, “Trying to come up with a new store layout. Back to my first question….what are you doing here? Aren’t you working on an album?”
“Can we talk about this when there’s not someone standing behind me listening over my shoulder?” he asked motioning behind him.
“Jaret, we’re going home.” She told him. “We’ll finish tomorrow or something.”
“Ok, bosslady.” He nodded, grabbed his jacket and keys, and left.
“So, you gonna follow me to the house?”
“Why don’t you just ride with me?”
“What about my car?’
“I’ll be fine here for the night….now come on….”
The ride home was pretty silent considering she was beat from the long day of work she’d had. He pulled in the driveway and helped her inside.
“I’m fucking tired.” She yawned.
“why don’t you go to bed? We can talk in the morning.”
“Nice try. Now, why are you here? What’s going on with the album?”
“Well, first off, I put the house in Vegas up for sale.” He started. “And we’re switching studios.”
“Why are you switching studios?”
“Because I want to be here…close to you.”
“And the guys just agreed to that?”
He nodded, “Yep.”
“And the reason I haven’t heard from in three days until now is?”
“Told you I’ve been busy…….”
“Please elaborate.”
“What about you? You thought anymore about us?” he asked looking in her eyes hoping she’d say she had and that she wanted to continue their marriage.
She sighed, “Can we do this in the morning?”
He shook his head, “You’re not saying you haven’t thought about it at all, are you?”
“No, I have. I just-.”
“You’re avoiding the subject then.”
“Corey, I’m tired. I’ve had a long fucking day.” She said rubbing her face. “and Nathan came in the store today. So, I had to deal with that….and I’m exhausted.
His eyes quickly narrowed, “What the fuck did that piece of shit want?”
“Calm down…”
“What’d he want? He say anything to you? He didn’t try to hurt you, did he?”
“He ran his mouth some but,” she sighed, “Jaret got him to leave…”
“This the first time he’s been up there?” She shook her head. “What the fuck? And you didn’t say anything? After what he did to you? What if he had tried something?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m fine. And that was like 6 years ago……”
“I don’t care if it was 66 years ago…” he snapped. “I shoulda killed him. I shoulda killed him right there on the spot. If Shawn hadn’t grabbed me, I would’ve.”
“Yeah, and then you’d be in prison.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around him laying her head on his chest. “And I wouldn’t be able to do this right now.”
“I just….I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Nothings gonna happen. I promise.”
“Next time he shows up, call me.”
“Fine.” She smiled. “I’ll call you. You win. Now, can we go to bed?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
She drifted off to sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. He, on the other, was an entirely different story. He laid there just watching her chest rise up and down slowly as she breathed in her sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about that Nathan guy. He remembered him all too vividly and couldn’t help but go back to that night when she had introduced them.