Break In

Ariadne clutched the duffle bag to her chest and stared out the window of the train. Her bones were rattling, and her heart was pounding. She hadn't been to Pittsburgh in nearly six years, and it had been longer still since she'd seen Tommy Conlon.

The sun began to peek out over the horizon, the first rays of dawn greeting her welcoming eyes. Any minute now, she'd be pulling in and she would take the familiar walk to her old friend's house. Last time she had taken this walk, she'd come back only to realize Tommy and his mother had left town with no word of when or even if they would be back.

The train jolted to a stop, and Ariadne looked up from her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat, and she took a deep breath. She stood.

"Here we go," she whispered to herself.

--

Tommy pushed open the door of his father's house, wiping the sweat from his face. As usual, his father sat in his big reclining chair drinking his coffee from his large white mug.

Despite all they'd been through in the last year, he still resented his father for his childhood, and nearly everything he did pissed him off. At this particular moment, what pissed him off the most was the smug look on his face as he sat there with his mug hovering near his chin.

"Tommy, you're back," his father said. "I've got some news to tell you."

"Oh yeah?" Tommy sighed, passing him to get to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and said, "What's that?"

"Do you remember the Vaughns?" asked Paddy.

Tommy's face went dark, and he stepped out of the kitchen and looked at his father.

"Why don't you just keep drinking your coffee?" said Tommy. "Don't ever talk to me about them. Ever."

"Tommy, will you just-"

Tommy stormed up the stairs, throwing his stocking hat at the old man. Paddy sighed and put down his mug. He got up, slowly lumbering after his son.

Tommy flung open his door. He stopped barely on the other side of the door frame, seeing a small shape in his bed. There was a duffle bag thrown down on the floor and a pair of tennis shoes carelessly tossed aside. He took a step toward the bed. The person's face was not visible, their long blonde hair messily laying across his pillow. Tommy dropped to his knees and shook his head.

"It isn't," he said.

Paddy stepped into the room behind him. He put a hand on his son's large shoulder, but Tommy swatted it away.

"What is she doing here?" he demanded.

"She called me last night," Paddy said. "You were out, and she told me not to tell you but that she would be here this morning. She showed up about an hour ago, and she's been sleeping ever since."

"You let her come here?" Tommy spat. "You let her back here? You let her sleep in my bed?"

"I let you back, didn't I?" Paddy said.

"Whatever you're trying to do, stop," replied Tommy. "If this is part of your plot to win back my approval, just stop."

"She asked for you personally. She hasn't seen you since you left with your-"

"I want her out."

"Tommy."

Tommy looked up at his father. Paddy's face was somber, and he bent down next to his son.

"She called every evening after you left for an entire year," he said. "After that she called every week, then every month, until finally she understood you weren't coming back. I haven't heard from her since she graduated."

Tommy stayed silent.

"Whatever you're blaming her for, you have to let it go," Paddy continued. "It's been too long. For both of you."

Ariadne stirred and turned over onto her side. Tommy looked at the face he hadn't seen in nearly ten years, still as perfect as he remembered. Her thin upper lip rested sweetly against her plump bottom lip, and her long lashes fluttered as she dreamt.

Lightly, Tommy pulled her hair back behind her ear, his rough fingertips brushing against her soft cheekbone. Paddy stood back up and sighed.

"You decide, Tommy," he said, "but this is my house and she is welcome here as long as she likes."