It Takes Two Pt. 02

Authors Note: I appreciate all your kind words- romance isn't something I usually do. There will be more to come from this series, stay tuned.

***

I wasn't particularly sure how, but I had been awoken from a pleasant nap by Ken. I'm sure it was from the noise he made around the room- he wasn't particularly graceful in his movement nor was he careful in keeping the ruckus down. I awoke nude, with the sheets only partially covering my body. Despite being both fucked and embraced in passion- in that order- I still found being so brazenly undressed to be a bit uncomfortable, if not awkward. I definitely needed a shower, an actual one rather than another excuse to find myself naked with my 'friend's' boyfriend. A bath would be ideal, though I might just have to hold on until I was back home. Stil, I said propping myself up on my hands, I felt like I looked sexier.

Draping myself with one of the sheets, I slipped out of bed and grabbed the same Mickey Mouse t-shirt along with my panties. Shirt came on first, followed by my panties. I gazed down at my feet, wiggling my toes as I did. What a lazy day, I thought walking out of the bedroom and down the hall. There was no sign of Ken anywhere but his car keys and wallet were still on the table near the door so he couldn't have gotten far. Just as well, I took the opportunity to pilfer his kitchen cabinets looking for any form of sustenance. I wasn't starving, but I could definitely go for a snack. I hit the jackpot when I found a box of cookies, taking it with me while I marched towards the living room, humming loudly to myself.

I hadn't had much of an opportunity to examine his home at the party, far too busy working up the courage for my stupid plan. In retrospect, it was a horrible idea and was glad I hadn't gone through with it, but I was glad on the end result. If you wanted to build something, you'd have to get your hands dirty anyway, I told myself. Besides, even if my lover and I were simply a blip on each other's radar never to cross paths once again, I could live with the experience. It wouldn't be ideal, but it was enough. I grabbed another handful of cookies, distracting myself before I began to overthink things.

On the bookshelf on the far wall, I spotted a few more photographs, examining them as I chowed down on Ken's cookies. One was a photo of a child aged Ken dressed in what appeared to be hockey gear- sans a few teeth. What did he play for the fucking Mighty Ducks? I asked myself, chuckling as I did. I'd have to remember to use that one later. Beside him in the photo were a man and a woman who bore enough resemblance for me to logically assume they were his parents. His mother was a doting woman, with a heart shaped face and rosy cheeks framed by what appeared to be some very 80s teased AND permed hair. She wore a large, thick sweater and Ken's same smile. His father, on the other hand, was a much less jovial looking man, managing a half-smirk while holding up a beer in one hand. I was a huge sucker for family portraits, having grown up with just my nana. They looked so happy, especially Ken. For someone who called ME goofy, he sure had a doofus looking smile. It was endearing, in a way, especially since he almost always seemed pretty soic. I'd have to get him to smile more. Along with getting him to grow a beard.

I set the photograph down and gracefully dropped my rear onto the couch, turning on the television. I didn't care much for the sitcom that was on, more interested in killing time until Ken returned. I kept sneaking glances to the door whenever I heard a noise, promising myself not to keep doing it until because of how clingy it made me feel. Still, I found my head snapping towards the door whenever I heard any amount of noise beyond it. God I must have looked so pathetic.

Eventually, Ken did come through the door, with my purse and phone in hand. I felt a little perturbed he had gone inside my car but let it go.

"Hey buddy you can't just be breaking into people's cars." I flatly told him, turning my body towards him and outstretching both hands childishly for my possessions. My hands opened and closed, shouting 'gimmie' as I reached for both. Instead I was given a kiss on the lips, a soft tender one that made my heart grow warm. What an absolute sweetheart, I thought to myself. "No regrets." I whispered to him. I still preferred my phone and purse and while he leaned in, I managed to grab one but not both.

Unexpectedly, Ken pulled away, holding my phone from me before I could grab it. I leaned in but overextended myself, falling off of the couch onto the floor. I expected him to help me up but was only offered a "you alright there?". Undaunted, I tried to maintain my dignity by telling him this was in fact much more comfortable than sitting on the couch.

Much to my shock, I felt his foot press down on my head. Instantly, I tried pushing myself up but was met with resistance from him. I felt pins and needles tingle over my entire body, which grew in intensity the more I strained to push up off the ground. The muscles in my neck flexed trying to lift my head up, but I was quickly overpowered. Strength was sapped from me, but in its place, I felt a rush. I tried once more and felt myself grow weaker, but the euphoria that washed over my body the first time around now grew even stronger. Was I always this weak? Was Ken just this strong? My face burned with indignation, yet the humiliation I felt was exhilarating. Ken's foot wasn't even pressing down hard, nor did he seem to be putting much effort into it, it made me feel so much smaller in awe. My skin grew warm, and the shirt on me grew to feel like a hindrance. I wanted it off of me, my body to be bare before his eyes. He needed to stop now before things grew too intense.

Finally, he let his foot up, chuckling to himself over his childish bullying. I rose to my feet as fast as I could, expecting him to tease me more yet but saw him simply paying attention to my phone, examining it a bit. He didn't even care, he just did that for his own amusement. I could feel my heart racing, beating against my chest ready to burst. I don't even remember what I stammered, but it certainly wasn't coherent in the slightest. I could feel my skin grow a bit clammy, the rush simmering down a bit. I breathed and cleared my throat, fixing my still messy hair.

"Don't do that!" I piped up. I wasn't sure what I felt, but I enjoyed it immensely. As if I needed another sexual awakening today, I thought to myself. But I wasn't even terribly horny as a result, simply titillated. I didn't want to raise my hopes up and let my lust boil over again, Ken didn't seem to be in the mood and I didn't want to keep throwing myself at him. Instead I simply tried to move on past it. "You can make it up to me by texting Willow and telling her I'm sorry for any trouble I caused her at the party."

Ken balked at the idea right away, frowning in a bit of a confusion.

"That's a bit passive aggressive," he said. "Wouldn't it be better just to say nothing?"

"Kendrick Pohlar you simply do not know the proper decorum involving frenemies do you?" I said in a comically haughty voice, throwing my nose up into the air. In truth it was the least I could do to start mending that bridge. I felt the need to apologize in some way, even if it was indirectly. Willow would no doubt find it insincere, but I needed to alleviate some of my guilt no matter how small or token. Ken didn't respond, and just unlocked my phone without question. His blank face turned into a soft smile and he flashed my phone at me, showing me the photo of my nana I kept as my background. It was an old photograph, cropped of her holding me when I was a small child. While Ken kept his parents on a bookshelf, I kept the picture of my nana on me at all times. Obviously he didn't know but she raised me alone, she was all I had.

"Shut up," I said with a bit more hurt then I should have properly projected. "That's my nana."

He said no more, turning his gaze back towards the screen. I began thinking of ways to bring up the photo of his parents, but I hardly had a chance to before I heard Ken suddenly bark.

"Mallory what the fuck!"

It wasn't a scream, nor a yell, but his voice carried the steady crescendo of a temper taking flight into greater anger. His eyes didn't blink, his body was tense. With a sudden, swift breeze, he had taken the wind out of my sails and instantly put me under his foot once more. I felt powerless, completely unsure of what to do or say.

The photos.

Oh no. Oh no no no no. Oh God, he had seen them. The photos I had snuck of me kissing him last night. Oh Jesus Christ. There were no words I could find then nor now to describe the sheer dread that immediately swallowed me and pulled me into the abyss. Physically I felt nauseous, like I was in a freefall. My heart ached, stinging as though it had been ensnared and the life was precipitously draining out of it. My mouth trembled, a lump in my throat halting all speech. This couldn't be happening, please let this all be a terrible nightmare. I had no words, but Ken had plenty.

"Mallory what the FUCK?" he repeated again. I felt compelled to finally answer, pushed into a corner.

"Ken please, I can explain!" How could I be so stupid? How could I forget? "Please God, Ken, I can explain!"

"THEN EXPLAIN."

I was nearly hyperventilating, stammering a simple "I" several times before Ken cut me off.

"Was this part of some fucking sick plan? What the fuck is wrong with you!" he yelled.

"No!" Please Kenny, let me answer. For the love of God I could explain. "It's not that it's...it's..." I looked at him. He wasn't any less angry and he no doubt expected answers now, ones that would have to be shorter than I wanted to fully get him to understand. "Please just calm down!"

Not a great move.

"Calm down? You were fucking going to send these to Willow!"

"It's not, no it's not what it looks like!" Pleading to be heard wasn't going to work at this point, I had to throw it all out into the open now. "I was going to originally yeah but then, but then...but then I thought it was a stupid idea it was a fucking horrible idea Kenny, I know it was I wasn't going to! But then we got to know each other!"

"So you WERE!"

"I WASN'T!" I yelled back. Why couldn't he just listen? "I obviously didn't fucking go through with it, even though I could have!"

"Then what the fuck do you want from me? What's your fucking game?" he shot back, confused as he was hurt. I wasn't sure how to answer, not in the slightest. It was an unfair question, because I knew damn well he didn't know what he wanted either. But the finger was on me, and I was drawing a blank. I couldn't say love, no fucking way, not after only a single day. Nor could I say I wanted him, that was too clingy. The truth is I wanted him all to myself at least for now. I wasn't sure how long, but for as long as I could be his. Every word that might fit seemed to not work; "lover" seemed too tawdry, "affair" too dirty, and anything too flowery such as paramour seemed too tacky.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "But I don't want to hurt you. I know that much."

Ken took a step back and rubbed his head, turning his head away from me and refusing to make eye contact. At that point the tears begin to form in my eyes, feeling discarded, having outlived my purpose just as quickly as I had been used.

"I can't believe you used me like this," he said, still refusing to look my way. My hands balled into fists and I felt the anger within me boil over. How dare he accuse me of using him, of all the things to even consider.

"Fuck you, you're the one who cheated on their girlfriend!" I yelled back. "Don't act all high and mighty, I thought you said it took two to tango! I thought you said there were no regrets!"

"That was before I knew you were going to blackmail me!"

"I WASN'T, YOU ASS! Unlike your fucking cunt of a girlfriend I actually care about you enough to not emotionally fuck you over!"

Ken fell silent, but still looked as angry as ever. He was finally at a loss for words. I didn't want to bring up Willow, but he had left me no choice. On the plus side, at least I could unload about her as well so it was really a two for one. Without any interruption, I continued.

"How many times has she texted you this weekend? Huh? Did she help you clean up? DId she even say 'I love you' before she left?"

"Shut up." Ken growled.

"No no no!" I shouted over him. "Don't take out your anger over settling for, for HER, out on me!" It was a bit of a scummy move, but I had pivoted the conversation away from the pictures, at least for now. It wasn't without merit though, Ken couldn't try to hide behind the sanctimony of a reltionship he himself didn't give a fuck about. "Why are you even with her?" I angrily spat.

Ken turned and went to the door. He didn't take his car keys nor his wallet with him.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Fix your car." he tersely offered before slamming the door shut.

***

Cars from this era weren't particularly difficult to fix, not in the slightest for myself anyway. They were simple and easy to maintain and the relative age of this relic in particular was a testament to their durability. The Oldsmobile wasn't built for leisure or performance, but it did manage to survive in spite of itself.

There was more to the issue than meets the eye, however. I initially suspected the starter had failed but was quick to discover the spark plugs needed replacing, and the oil needed to be changed as well. Judging by the looks of things, the car had long been neglected and would require some considerable attention. Things weren't all dire however, as luckily I would be able to get her on the road in no time...with the right parts of course.

Technically a technologist by trade, it was easier to describe myself as an engineer. I disliked this for a number of reasons, chiefly because people assumed I was well versed in the repair of electronics and other random pieces of technology. Cars were a different story, however, and despite my father's wishes, I had spent a good amount of time getting my hands dirty working on them when I was younger. Mal's Oldsmobile, in a way, thus provided the perfect outlet for me to idly will my thoughts away.

I honestly wanted to believe her, that she wasn't going to blackmail or betray me by sending Willow the photos she had covertly snapped. For all I knew, she could have done so the moment I stepped out from the apartment. It was better to leave her for the time being than continue to argue with her until she DID, however. I was also keenly aware of how she began to shift the conversation towards Willow rather than the morality of her actions.

I rubbed my forehead with my forearm, stretching my back and twisting from side to side. I'd have to hop into town to pick up a few things to solve Mal's interim auto trouble, and several more to fully resolve her issues. Just enough to get her out of my hair, anyway. I wasn't a full stop service station after all- I wasn't about to save her a couple grand considering she tried to blackmail me.

She was right though, Willow hadn't texted me at all this weekend so far. I pulled out my phone and lit up the screen. Nary a text from her. I shouldn't jump to conclusions, I thought, there could be a very logical explanation. Maybe her phone had died. Or had been stolen. The more I wrapped myself up in hypotheticals, the more anguished I became. Finally, I opted to simply nip this in the bud and sent her a text message. My fingers tapped the screen quickly sending a simple "hey hope you landed safe :)". Short and sweet. Like Mal. No, not like Mal. I looked at the screen again. Obviously Willow hadn't texted back in such a short amount of time, but I kept my eyes focused on the screen, even tapping it once it dimmed. I repeated this process for about 5 minutes before I could bare it no longer and turned it off. Sticking my phone in my pocket, I grasped the hood of the Oldsmobile. Whatever I was looking for certainly wasn't in this hunk of junk, but it was no better than looking at my phone screen.

I didn't want to go back inside to grab my keys and wallet, but I also couldn't try and fix a car without any parts. I'm not one to cry, but fuck if I didn't feel like it then. I let go of the hood and sat down on the ground, leaning against Mal's car and drooping my head down. Looking at the pavement wasn't going to help, but I simply didn't find the energy to do much else. As weak as it sounded, I simply sat and moped on the ground. Tears didn't come, the stress that weighed down on me simply drained me of the clarity to do even that. I didn't deserve tears, I rationalized, I had cheated and didn't deserve to feel bad for myself. Worse yet, I had cheated on someone who couldn't care to give me the time of day. I lifted my head up and looked out to the seat of trees that the apartment complex was situated next to.

The words 'I love you' hurt to think about, and moreover, I couldn't remember the last time Willow had said them to me. When had it been? I thought back, going day by day. I had said it to her on Thursday for sure, but she didn't say it back then. Ditto Wednesday. Maybe Tuesday?

Despite not hearing or feeling my phone, I reached back in and whipped it out. Still nothing.

Undaunted, I arose and ran my hands through my hair, taking a deep breath. There was no need to worry, I'd need to simply just distract myself is all. I looked back at the car's engine and decided I'd just go ahead and fix Mal's car and that would be that. I went ahead and closed up the hood and headed back into the apartment like a doomed man, each step a fleeting moment of freedom and levity that would be robbed from me eventually.

It had only been about 20 minutes, still entirely too soon to try and engage with Mal once more, but I'd just be quick. Grab the keys and my wallet and be out. She was probably holed up in my bathroom again, or at least in my bedroom. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was finding her sitting on the couch in the living room. Mal had curled up into a ball, bringing her knees up to her chest with one arm around them while she rested her head in her other hand. My entrance caused her to whip around and face me. It was a bit eerie but I also wasn't exactly sure why she was surprised to see me.

I said nothing, giving a solemn look before grabbing my things.

"Where are you going?" she asked in a hoarse voice. On closer inspection, her eyes were pink and she looked a mess. I suppose I should have showed more concern, but I was confused by the bag of frozen peas she had by her side. One thing at a time, Kendrick, I reminded myself.

"Out." I said tersely.

"Will you be back?" she asked, with a bit more concern in her voice. What an odd question. Did she think I was going to run off and never come back?

"I live here," I promptly reminded her. "I'm getting stuff for your car."

Mal didn't say any more, but instead watched me head back towards the door.

"Drive safe." she mumbled before turning her head away from me once more.

"Oh, er, thanks." I said walking out. I almost said "you too" but caught myself on how silly that would have sounded. I stepped back out and locked the door, taking another step before pausing. Did she say that just to be nice? I'm sure it was customary, more out of habit than anything. I wasn't about to overthink it.

The moment I hit the bottom of the stairs, however, I turned right back around. Maybe it was a mistake, I reckoned, opening the door once more. Mal turned on cue, looking back at me.

"Did you say drive safe?" I asked quizzically.

"Yuh huh." she said quietly.

"Oh. Thought so." I said looking down at my feet. "Thanks." I added. I pulled my head back out the door as I heard another "drive safe" from her, clearly necessitating me to open it once more.