“I'm going to leave for a while, and when I get back, I want you gone. All of your stuff, too.”
Kenny blinked dumbly at her. “What?”
“You heard me.” Ronnie grit her teeth. “My name is the only one on the lease, and the rent comes out of my paycheck. I want everything out by the end of the night, or I'll get rid of it myself.”
Ronnie took off her ring and put it on the nightstand before calmly walking out of the room and into the kitchen. She grabbed her purse, hesitating at the counter for a moment before grabbing Reagan and holding her tightly against her chest. She pulled her keys out of the front of her purse and took off towards the parking lot. She could hear Kenny behind her, begging her not to leave.
She walked faster and went skipped stairs, still acting as calm as she could even though she was screaming on the inside. She got to the parking lot and unlocked the car, throwing Reagan in and climbing in as fast as she could. Kenny had stopped at the door to grab some more clothes, so Ronnie used those few extra seconds to her advantage.
She swung out of the spot as Kenny ran out of the building, now in a pair of sweatpants in addition to his boxers. Ronnie took off down the street, Reagan jumping to the front and yowling. “Sorry, sweetie,” she said, scratching the cat behind the ear. Reagan meowed, turning her head so that Ronnie could rub under her chin with the hand that wasn't on the steering wheel.
Ronnie drove to the end of the street and pulled into a parking lot. She sat in silence for a moment before putting her arms on the top of her steering wheel and rested her head on them, starting to cry. She couldn't believe that she had been so stupid. There had been so many things that seemed off in their relationship-the lack of intimacy, all those extra hours that Kenny was working, those late-night phone calls with Carrie-she should have known that something was up.
Ronnie jumped as she felt a pressure on her thighs. She looked down to see Reagan staring up at her, purring and kneading Ronnie's thighs with her paws. Ronnie hugged her close and pressed her face against Reagan's fur, crying into it. Reagan sat patiently for several minutes before before she got antsy and jumped over to the passenger seat. She curled up and started to groom her paw, still purring loudly. Ronnie's tears started to slow down until she was feeling empty and numb. She reached out and scratched Reagan behind the ears before slouching back down in her seat and pulling out her phone.
The phone only rang twice before Amy answered. “ . . . hello?”
Ronnie tried to respond, but her throat was feeling tight. She took a deep breath before trying again. “Is it fine if I come over now?” She let out a shaky breath and sniffed, wiping her tears away and pinching the bridge of her nose as the headache surged back to life.
“Of course you can. Is everything okay?”
“We will talk about it when I get to your house, okay? I know you have to go to work but I just can't be at home right now, and I don't know where to go.” She sighed. “I'm sorry, I know I'm putting you out-”
“Don't even worry about that, sweetie, you aren't putting me out. Come on over. I'll figure out work.”
“Okay.” Ronnie leaned her head against the window, the cool glass a welcome comfort against her throbbing forehead. “Thank you, Amy.”
“You're welcome. Are you on your way?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I'll see you soon then, Ronnie.”
Ronnie nodded, even though she knew that Amy couldn't see her. “I'll see you soon.”
13
Fifteen minutes later, Ronnie pulled up in front of Amy's house. She had one hands on the steering wheel and the other tangled in Reagan's fur. She turned off the car and leaned down to kiss Reagan on the head before sending Amy a text to let her know that she was there.
By the time Ronnie hit “send,” Amy was standing on her front porch. She waved and gave Ronnie a tight smile. Ronnie lifted her hand in response before grabbing her jacket out of the back seat and using it to scoop Reagan up. Reagan let out a sound of protest and kicked her legs before settling down, purring as Ronnie got out of the car and carried her up to the house.
Amy gave Ronnie a look of confusion when she saw the bundle in Ronnie's arms. “Why did you bring Reagan?” she asked, reaching out to pat the cat on the head. Reagan purred louder in response, lifting her head for Amy to scratch under her chin.
“I'm sorry, I should have asked, especially with the dog . . . ”
“No, no, it's fine!” Amy interrupted her, stepping back into the house and reaching down to take Reagan from Ronnie's arms. “Tadpole is at my brother's with the kids so she's is fine here. I just wasn't expecting you to bring her, that's all.”
Ronnie shrugged. “I just didn't want Kenny to take her first.” She unwrapped her jacket from around Reagan, who immediately jumped from Amy's arms and found a sunspot next to a cabinet. Amy moved to help Ronnie further into the house, putting a hand on her lower back and gently nudging her towards the living room.
After only a few steps, Amy stopped and pulled Ronnie into a hug, one hand rubbing circles on Ronnie's lower back and the other pushing gently in-between Ronnie's shoulder blades. Ronnie fought the tears as she put her arms around Amy and buried her face in her neck.
“He's been cheating on me,” Ronnie said after a moment, sniffing loudly as she lost the battle against her emotions. “With his boss.” She reached up and wiped away a few of the tears, but she was no match for their steady stream.
Amy hugged her tightly before stepping back and taking hold of Ronnie's hand, interlacing their fingers. She pulled Ronnie down next to her on the sofa and hugged Ronnie against her chest, resting her cheek atop Ronnie's head and drawing designs on her arm while the other girl cried.
After a few minutes, Ronnie had calmed down. She was still feeling sad, but she wasn't as upset as she had expected herself to be. In fact, she was feeling more angry than she was upset. She let out a huffed breath through her nose and raised her eyebrows. “I should have seen this coming. Kenny's been going in early and coming home late more days than not. He even left this morning to go to the station in plain clothes. How could I have been so stupid? He was obviously meeting her.” She wiped off her tears and sniffed, shaking her head.
Amy pulled her leg up onto the couch and turned so that she was facing Ronnie. She put her hand on Ronnie's knee and rubbed her thumb in circles. Ronnie knew that Amy was only trying to comfort her, but the feeling made Ronnie's cheeks burn and her heart race. She cleared her throat and pushed her hair out of her eyes before saying, “I'm sorry. I'm sure I look like an absolute mess.”
Amy squeezed her knee before standing up. “You always look great.” She walked over to the corner of the room and grabbed a box of Kleenex. She handed the box to Ronnie and sat back down on the couch, putting her elbow against the back counter and resting her head against her hand.
Ronnie took out a few tissues and blew her nose before putting the box back down on the coffee table, balling up the used tissues in her hand. She glanced down at her watch and felt another twinge of anger as she remembered that her phone was in the car with her purse. She was sure that Kenny had called or texted her at least once.
She grabbed another tissue and blew her nose again. “Is it all right if I stay here while you go to the cafe? I really don't want to go home.”
Amy shook her head. “I talked to Tony, and he is going to go close the cafe instead. My brother-in-law, David, is going to pick up the kids, and he already got the puppy. I called him as soon as we got off the phone.”
Ronnie's heart thumped again. “You didn't have to do that. Did it put David out much?”
Amy shook her head. “David and Tony literally live the next street over; he didn't mind coming over and grabbing him. Besides, you needed me. I wasn't going to just leave you alone at a time like this, especially when-” Amy's eyes went wide. “Oh, my God, I completely forgot about your head on top of all of this. Do you need Excedrin or something? Coffee? Chocolate?”
Ronnie had to think about it. Her head was feeling better than it had been, but she felt absolutely disgusting from crying as much as she had. Her hair was greasy, and she had dried snot and tear tracks all over her face. “Honestly? Would it be okay if I showered? I feel gross.”
“Yeah, of course. That's completely fine.” Amy held her hand out. “Come on. I'll get you some clothes.”
Ronnie took her hand, and Amy pulled her up and led her to the bathroom. She didn't let go until she flipped the bathroom light on and shoved her hands in the pockets, rocking back on her heels uncomfortably as though she just realized she had been holding on to Ronnie. “I'll, uhm, I'll go get those clothes now.”
“Okay.” Ronnie stuck her hands under her armpits and leaned against the counter, staring down at her feet.
It only took a minute, but it felt like ages before Amy was back with a pair of sweatpants and a blue long-sleeved tee shirt. “These might be a little big for you, but they're the best I have.” She put the clothes on the counter and put her hands back in her pockets.
Ronnie raised an eyebrow. Too big for her? Not likely. Amy was tiny-barely five-foot-two. Sure, she had a decent-sized chest and bottom, but she was definitely smaller overall compared to Ronnie. “Thank you, Amy.”
“You're welcome.” Amy bit her lip and stared at Ronnie, not moving from her spot in the doorway. She stood there for so long, in fact, that Ronnie had to clear her throat to get Amy to snap out of her trace. When she did, her cheeks turned a dark red and she quickly turned on her heel. “Sorry, sorry, I'll go now,” she said, hurrying out of the room before turning around and stepping back in, looking at the floor. “There's, uh, extra towels in the closet, and a toothbrush under the sink if you need it.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
There were a few more tense moments before Amy left the room and shut the door behind her. Ronnie sighed and went over to the shower, turning the knob and letting the stream warm up. She rubbed her face and took a deep breath, butterflies filling her stomach at the idea of being naked with Amy just down the hall.
Once the water warmed up, Ronnie got undressed and got under the stream. She immediately felt better and just stood there, letting the water pound against her shoulders and neck, relaxing the muscles that had grown taut from her headache.
It took a few minutes, but once the water had worked the knots out, Ronnie was feeling much better. She grabbed the shampoo bottle and opened it, the butterflies getting worse as Amy's scent wrapped around her like a blanket. She washed her hair and then moved on to her body, fighting away the sharp ache of arousal as she cleaned her most intimate areas with Amy's bodywash. She didn't let her fingers linger for more than the time it took strictly to be clean before moving on.
Once she was done, Ronnie stood under the water until it turned cold. She shut the water off and flipped her head over, letting her hair dangle as she twisted it and forced some of the water out before wrapping it in a bun. She stood back up and grabbed a towel, drying her body off and putting on the clothes that Amy had grabbed for her. The shirt was a little snug and the pants were too short, but they worked overall. She pulled on a pair of fuzzy socks that Amy had stuffed in the pockets and took her hair down before squeezing out the last remaining drops of water with a towel.
Ronnie turned off the bathroom light and turned on the fan to get rid of some of the humidity in the bathroom. She went into the hallway with her towel and her clothes under her arm, the delicious aromas in the house immediately filling her nostrils and making her mouth water. She went down the stairs and put her dirty laundry on the table in the hallway before going towards the kitchen, the smells getting stronger the closer that she got to the room.
Amy was humming to herself as she pulled sodas out of the fridge, dancing around in a “Kiss the Cook” apron. Ronnie shook her head at the sight and walked over, putting her hand on the small of Amy’s back. Amy jumped and shrieked, turning around and looking at Ronnie with wide eyes. She put her hand on her chest and caught her breath, glaring at Ronnie teasingly. “Dammit, Ronnie, you just about killed me. I didn’t hear the shower turn off. Did you just get out?”
“Yeah . . . ” Ronnie trailed off as she noticed just how close she was to Amy now that the girl had turned around. Amy was glancing down at her lips, her breath catching as Ronnie rocked forward on the balls of her feet. Ronnie’s breath was catching, too, her nerves skyrocketing and her heart racing as she fought against her desires. With Amy so close, the smell of her perfume was wrapping around Ronnie until it was all she could think about. She started to lean even further, her eyes fluttering shut before the realty of what she was doing hit her and she took a step backwards.
Ronnie thought that Amy looked disappointed for a split second before she coughed and turned back to the cabinets. She grabbed two plates and put them down next to the soda before waving her hand at the counter. “I ordered Hawaiian pizza for us, and there are molasses cookies in the oven.”
Ronnie’s brows shot up. “Really? I love both of those.”
Amy smirked. “I know.” Her cheeks turned red as she opened the pizza box and put a few slices on each plate. “You mentioned a few weeks ago about much you missed your grandmother’s molasses cookies, and you always stare at the Hawaiian section when we order pizza for the kids, so . . . ” She trailed off as she handed Ronnie a plate.
“Thank you.” The pizza smelled even better out of the box. “Where are we eating? Dining room?”
Amy shook her head. “I figured we could watch a movie while we eat.”
“Okay.” She followed Amy into the living room and sat down on the couch. Amy started to scroll through the movies, stopping on one and selecting the “play” button. Ronnie bit her lip. “Uhm, can we skip that one? It’s just . . . Kenny and I used to watch that all the time.” She looked down at the ground, biting her lip and putting her plate down on her lap.
Amy put her plate down, too, before reaching out and placing her hand on Ronnie’s foot. “I’m sorry, Ronnie.”
Ronnie shrugged. “It’s not your fault.” She forced herself to pick her pizza back up and take a bite. She nodded at the television. “I’ve never seen that movie before, we could try that.”
Amy cleared her throat. “Okay.”
The girls started the movie and ate in silence for several minutes until Amy held the remote out and hit the “pause” button. She cleared her throat again. “How about some wine?”
“Oh, God, yes.”
***
Three hours later, Ronnie was feeling much better. Amy and she had made their way through two bottles of wine and several Smirnoff Ices, and had moved on from watching bad movies on Netflix to talking about their past relationships and playing drinking games. They were well on their journey into intoxication, and everything seemed much more intense than it really was.
“I swear,” Ronnie said, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table, “being with Kenny made me swear off Mexican food. I couldn't breathe after Kenny ate a burrito, it was so bad.”
Amy laughed, her cheeks flushing and her smile so bright it could blind a room. “I guarantee Andrea was worse. She could clear a room faster than anyone I've ever met.”
Ronnie shook her head and took a long drink of her Smirnoff. She pulled her foot up on the couch and leaned her head against the back cushion. “Man, I don't understand how she could ever leave you guys. If you were my wife I'd be worshipping the ground you and the kids walked on.” She drained the bottle before holding it up. “She's an idiot.”
Amy snorted. “Well, look at Kenny. You're the hottest girl I've ever laid eyes on, and he decided to fuck his lame boss instead. I'd freaking love to be in his shoes.”
Ronnie looked at Amy, that urge to touch her surging back to life. “Really?”
Amy nodded. “Really. I'm sure sober-me is going to hate me for drunk-me telling you this, but I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you.” She hesitated before putting her drink down and moving
closer, putting her hand on Ronnie's knee. Ronnie's breath caught. “And I think you want me, too.” She glanced down at Ronnie's lips before leaning in.
Ronnie froze as Amy's lips pressed against hers. Amy rubbed her thumb in small circles against Ronnie's knee, which tickled at first and then caused a burning sensation so strong that it brought Ronnie back to her senses.
She pushed Amy away gently. “I'm sorry, Amy, but I don't know if I . . . ” She trailed off and bit her lip, her heart sinking at the devastated look on Amy's face.
The other girl played it off well, though, the sadness in her eyes lasting only a second before she put a mask in place. “Right, I know. You're straight.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I'm sorry.”
“It's fine.”
Amy moved to the other side of the couch and nursed the rest of her drink. Ronnie shook her bottle and started to get up to get another one, but before she could, Amy held her hand up and stood. “I'll grab it.”
Ronnie watched Amy leave before putting her face in her hands and letting out a long breath. That kiss with Amy had been brief, but it left Ronnie longing for more.
When Amy came back into the room, Ronnie made a decision. She waited until Amy was near the couch and had put the bottles down before she patted the spot next to her, looking up at the other woman though her lashes. “Come here,” she said, grabbing Amy's hand and pulling her down when Amy looked at her warily.
Amy sat down stiffly, carefully keeping a few inches in-between Ronnie and her. Ronnie kicked her feet up and put her legs over Amy's lap and laced their fingers together. Amy was staring at the ground, but Ronnie could see the hopeful look on her face even though Amy tried to hide it.
Ronnie inched closer to Amy. “Amy, look at me,” she said, reaching out and nudging Amy's chin when the other woman shook her head.
“Don't tempt me, Ronnie,” Amy whispered, her eyes darting down to Ronnie's lips again.
In Her Hands Page 9