{10 months later}
Work. Timberlake. Michael. These words could possibly best describe the past ten months.
Work. Ever since that fateful night when Sarah had been introduced to “trousersnake”, working hours had been abandoned. For the weeks that Angela and Justin actually spent staying in the house in Alabama, Sarah dismissed the timetable and concentrated on being around 24-7. She was actually considering taking up another job in the small town down on the outskirts of the city, until, due to new arrivals, she realised her work was cut out where she was. It wasn’t that Angela was proving to be too much of a problem. Sarah knew her style of mess; Angela would attempt to be helpful by occasionally clearing up the dishes. Not that she would clean them, all she did was stack them up for Sarah to clean whilst she left, pleased she had done a good deed that day. From the beginning, Sarah had become accustomed to her warped ways but Justin was proving to be a whole different problem.
Timberlake. Justin. It was all the same .Whatever you called him, it didn’t change his character. Christ, ten months and they were still going strong. It was just that he was just so….uncivil to Sarah. Despite most of the time she would go out of her way to try to form some kind of common ground, knowing that the way things were going, he was going to living with them soon enough, he remained obsolete. Sarah didn’t want to admit it, but Justin was kind of good-looking. Not in a handsome way, she could definitely come up with a long list of his faults. His half-way-there beard highly annoyed her, and also she was sure he could afford a hairdresser to control the animal taking root on his head. But at least there was something slightly decent to look at, wondering about the house. If only he could so polite as to acknowledge her presence then maybe things wouldn’t be so awkward. But the fact remained that the longest he had spoken to her was a few seconds, asking where the TV remote was or really needing a can of beer. It was at times like these she had genuinely considered moving to Tasmania.
He hadn’t made one attempt to make conversation despite the numerous times she would be left alone in the house with him while Angela was out, and he was really starting to piss her off.
In fact, it wasn’t that he had just started to annoy her, it had been the moment he arrived back at the house when Angela was pissed. Sarah got him a drink, attempted to make conversation after realising who he was and even resisted the urge to ask for an autograph for her younger cousin. And the whole time he seemed more interested in reading the label on his bottle of beer. She figured perhaps they would just never get on.
And then there was Michael. Finally, perhaps the only positive thing a strenuous ten months could produce. When previously her only relationship had been a friendship with the woman behind the counter at the grocery store, things had changed now she had met Michael. She knew that if Angela’s love life could change that dramatically in a short time, so could hers.
It had started off as nothing really. Sarah had the known the guy in high school and he had been an asshole. Sleeping around by the time he was 15 and notorious for two-timing, Sarah stayed well away from the sleaze he was. But bumping into him a few months ago was different. He didn’t even remember who she was, but it didn’t matter. The guy had changed so much. Sarah didn’t think she remembered anyone being that nice at her old school, never mind the guy who cheated on half the student population. God her had matured for the better. And someone to vent her feeling about the situation at the house hadn’t gone amiss.
So that was that. Of course, she was astounded at the way things could happen so quickly. God, these eight months had possibly been busier than her entire life. But she realised, this could be the start of a steady relationship she needed right now. He could be exactly what she needed right now. Between home and him, if she had the chance she would move in with him immediately.
*********************
Sarah slouched horribly as she stumbled into the kitchen. Her work clothes felt tight and uncomfortable this early in the morning but she had no other option. Angela and Justin had kept her up for the best part of the night.
She began preparing breakfast when she heard giggles from the living room. What the hell were they doing up at this hour in the morning? Oh God. It was their ten-month anniversary today. Christ it was all Angela had talked about for the past week, how could not have forgotten. Sarah began to unload a couple of loaves from the cupboard for breakfast. She made a mental note to buy a set of earplugs.
“Oh My God! It’s Justin Timberlake!” Angela shrieked sarcastically, jumping into the living room. “…Oh, no wait…I don’t care.”
“Hey! Don’t say that, or I’ll think you’re actually being serious...” he
mumbled, pulling Angela down on top of him. Angela giggled, twisting round to lower her head to his lips.
Justin smiled.
Angela laughed.
Sarah groaned.
God, didn’t she have work to do? Justin could easily title this his ‘second home’. All either of them ever did was fly out to each other’s house's on a regular basis. Angela would leave to Tennessee for a month then fly back with Justin who would stay in Alabama. Surely Justin had a career on his hands. Between partying and seeing movies he somehow squeezed recording albums into his ‘busy schedule’.
For the months Angela was away it was great. Sarah had the house to herself and more importantly, weeks off. For the first time in months she had been able to get out and re-learn the meaning of socialising. She could freely admit to herself that she had slowly developed a deep envy for Angela. Before, nothing about her job or the house bothered her, but only in the past few months she had transformed into a personal assistant for Angela. Taking phone calls when she and Justin were occupied, running stupid errands while she took ‘well needed’ days off.
But they could at least have the decency to not make out in the same room as her while she cleaned the windows or polished the surfaces.
Sarah jumped at the sound of the phone shrieking in the living room. Please spare me from going in there.
“Sarah get in here, Michael’s on the phone!” Angela was screaming, irritated that the phone had broken up the ‘moment’ her and Justin were sharing on the couch.
Michael. Possibly the only person that provided Sarah with an escape. God if she hadn’t met him she might have considered taking a trip to the gun shop, so Michael could literally be hailed as a lifesaver. It was pretty pathetic she had to take a trip to Montgomery on her own to socialise, but actually starting to date someone again, convinced their was life behind the four walls of Angela’s mansion. Sarah finally had someone to vent to and so far Michael had put up with everything she had thrown at him.
Sarah dropped the butter knife in her hand and ran to the door, grabbing the phone held at arms length by Angela, who was drumming her fingers on the doorframe. Sarah couldn’t help grin at her annoyance.
“Hi.” She sighed, unsurprised at the sudden perkiness she felt.
“Sarah Cooper, this is your seven am wakeup call ”
Sarah laughed as her face settled into a smile. This was nice, getting phone calls. Oh God Sarah. You’ve really stooped low this time. It seems the only time you smile is when someone calls you.
“Yeah, well I’m not the only one awake at this hour.”
“Who? Angela and Justi-“
“I mean they’re just everywhere I turn”, Sarah didn’t even bother to let Michael finish his sentence. “Angela always takes me aside for little talks, asking me to try and keep out of their way, but they’re everywhere I turn. Eve-ry-where.
“Ok.”
“It’s just that I do deserve a little slack. You know all about the past eight months.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Sarah hesitated. Michael usually had more to say than that. Oh God. She had begun moaning again. No wonder she repelled men.
“So, um…” Sarah decided to tone down the whining.
“Yeah, look Sarah. Do you think we could er, met up sometime this evening.”
Oh No. Please don’t let this be what I think it is.. “Yeah sure…I guess. One second.” Sarah held the phone against her sleeve and called to Angela. “Angela! Are you gonna be in tonight?!”
She paused for a moment as Angela groaned and stomped into the kitchen loudly, expressing her irritation. “Why? You want the night off?”
“Um…only you’re not busy, I mean, I can stay if you want.”
“No, its fine. Justin and I are going out anyway. We’ll be back around twelve just so you know.”
Sarah looked at her quizzically. Angela only acted like that if either she had made a good deal in her company or, her and Justin came back from a date. Either way Sarah was worried. The last thing she needed was something like Justin moving in.
“Where are you going?” Sarah queried, putting the phone on hold.
Angela grinned. “Oh, nowhere, she replied, waving her hand in the air. Sarah didn’t even want to know.
“Yeah sure I guess. Is it important?” Whoops, no need to sound like a bitch.
“Well, yes very. Do you think we could meet up at The Balintyne. Maybe roundabout seven?”
Sarah grew shaky. Not just at his sudden tone of voice, but at his choice of restaurant. Saying something like can we met up at The Balintyne might aswell be translated as I’m breaking up with you.
“Seven, yes that’s fine. So…see you then?”
“Good. See you then.”
Sarah hung her head as the dial tone sprung to her ear. It looked as though Angela and Justin’s anniversary wasn’t going to be the only one of the day.
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