Stranger with the Stars

Independent Woman

By the time I was up and moving around again, Archie had already left. The clock by the bed told me it was a bit past 11am. I could get some cleaning done and try to clear my mind. I could give my Dad a call tonight to catch up with him. He’d be on a worksite right now, so I know I’d just get voicemail. 

I popped out of bed. Making sure I didn’t look like a hot mess, I popped on a pair of plain black boot heels. They weren’t the 6inches that Uncle Eren would have normally approved of, but 5 inches wasn’t bad either. They showed clear wear on the toes and bottoms of the heel. These were for cleaning, and they always made me feel better. I felt like a woman. Powerful yet elegant. I felt like nothing would touch me when I was in them. It was my house, and I was going to clean the s**t out of it.

I set up the TV downstairs to start blasting some metal, dubstep, and general electric music to get the energy in the house up. I started with changing the sheets on both my bed and Archies. I was going to surprise him, and I was sure he wouldn’t mind. From time to time he would clean up the kitchen or my bad messes with shoes at the front door. 

I’m in the zone. Dancing while mopping, throwing myself to and from as though I was giving the dust bunnies a private show. I still had the bralette and shorts on from this morning, they always gave me the room I needed to move. I had a whole day to be myself, in the privacy of my home, and in the privacy of the music filling my body.

_________________________________

I was in the kitchen, sexually harassing the countertop with my dances while making cookie dough. The house shined with the tenacity that showed through the work the past several hours. The floors shined from the moping, the dust bunnies cowering in the trash, the counters sparkled back. The music was still blasting, making me miss when someone popped into the kitchen.

“Damn, Archie keeps you tucked away in here?” Came from the doorway.

“AH. f**k!” I shouted. My back had been turned away from the entry way in, I was solely focused on putting the cookies into the over at this point. 

“Who the f**k are you? Why the f**k are you in my kitchen?” I was shouting now. I had no idea who this man was. Did I leave the door unlocked?

The music stopped in the living room, followed by a thudding of what sounded like backpacks.

“Honey, I’m home! I brought some friends with me~” Archie sang from the living room. Ah, so strange man was a friend. 

“Come get this one!” I shouted back. I wasn’t embarrassed by what I had on, but I definitely wasn’t dressed for visitors.

“Noah!” Archie called out. I could hear a few other people talking through the wall, telling me that there were at least two other people I couldn’t see yet. 

“Coming!” Noah said, without turning back. His eyes were on me, like a wolf hungry for the rabbit they cornered.

“Go.” I said as cool as I could. I wasn’t in the mood for a creep.

“Aw, but I’d miss the show. Seems like you could use a dance partner. You’re looking pretty lonely here..” His voice trailed off as he made his way towards me. I was backed up into the stove. I could feel the heat hitting my thighs as I pressed into it. I wanted to make space, but the kitchen's back door was through Noah. 

“Nope, I’m good. Feel free to f**k off now.” I tried to laugh it off. I was starting to panic. He was chucking in a cocky manner. It wasn’t happening.

“Don’t be like that, baby. It’s clear you need some… company.” Noah was cornering me, and I did what any frantic housewife would.

I grabbed the frying pan on top of the glass top oven. It wasn’t dirty, it just didn’t fit in the cabinet due to its size. It was solid, and it was going to be my friend if needed. I held it in one hand, spinning it around once or twice.

“You’re gonna get some company with your God if you don’t back the f**k up. I said no.” I spat at him. His face turned to one of rage and disgust. He didn’t like that answer. His hand was now resting on the countertop, clearly clenching into a fist. His other arm was starting to make its way to the wall to block my exit. I crouch, frying pan in hand. 

“No need to be so defensive, I just wanna play.” Noah responded in a taut voice. I didn’t want to throw hands, but I would if I needed to.

“NOAH!” Thank whatever god had been watching. Archie stood in his tiny glory at the entryway to the kitchen, just barely out of sight by Noah's figure. Noah wasn’t huge, but he did have a good 3 or 4 inches on me. He is somewhat muscular, something much like a basketball player. His size didn’t bother Archie one bit. He was pissed. 

“The f**k you think you’re doing? Get out. OUT!” Archie was screaming now. The other two people in the living room had died down, it sounded like they were grabbing their things. 

Noah looked shocked, his mouth agape like a fish out of water. He grumbled to himself before shoulder checking Archie on his way out. Archie quickly fixed himself, screaming at everyone to get out. Whatever they were going to was promptly over. 

I placed the frying pan back on the stove, I hadn’t even set a time yet for the cookies. They sat burning in the oven. I slapped on a mitt and grabbed what crispy bits were left, tossing everything in the sink with a crash. My nerves were everywhere, I was shaking with anger. I didn’t need this today. It was such a good day.

“Hey,” Archie called softly to me. I was lost in thought over the sink, staring at what would have been my even snacks. 

“Hey, you” I whispered back. I was hunched over in defeat. 

“Are you okay? I didn’t know that would happen. Noah normally doesn’t act like that around us..” 

“No, I’m good. One more step and I would have Kung Fu Panda his ass. He did, however, ruin my monster cookies.”

Archie's laugh lightened the room at that moment. The fear, anger, and uneasiness washed away in an instant.

“I hated those cookies anyway.” He was laughing with each word. It sounded like he was trying not to cry.

“Well, they hate you too. I didn’t think you’d be home so soon? What were you guys supposed to do?” I turned to face him, resting my hands against the edge of the counter. Archie was clearly distressed, he couldn’t hide it as he shifted from one leg to the other.

“We were going to talk about our groups for English, but Noah wanted to grab a drink. I heard the music when we came in, but I thought you’d be upstairs or something.” He was wiping away soft tears that occurred. His sniffling was gentle.

“I was cleaning. You have clean bedsheets now by the way. I thought you’d like to not sleep on the same sheets since you’ve been here.” I gestured towards the laundry room to show the many stacks of clothes, towels, and bed dressings that were done. 

“You’re such a good wife to me. That and I come home to a view!” Archie clasped his hands together and wiggled his feat in happiness. He was used to me dressing like this at home, but normally the shoes were off before he got back. 

“You know I wear heels when doing stuff.”

“Not at school or when we go out.” He shot back, turning back to the laundry.

“Well, I’m just a gentle woman in a world where gravel and uneven ground exists. Sorry I like my ankles too much.” I had turned off the oven. I made my way to the stacks and started to carry the baskets to their proper places. Archie picked up a basket and was trailing after me.

“I promise he’s never coming back. He’s banned. BANNED FROM THE BUNGALOW.” Archie made his declaration loud enough to ensure anyone outside would have heard as well. I could hear a car outside driving off. They must have driven themselves.

“Does that mean your car is on campus?” I curiously asked him.

“No, I drove myself, and it was supposed to just be me and Ashley, but I guess she invited the other two. I was just as surprised to see them when I pulled in.” He sounded disappointed in himself. Like he was supposed to know what was going to happen in the kitchen.

“Sorry he’s such a f*****g creep. I’d never seen him act that way before. I’m deleting him off Snapchat. No more cute pictures of the squirrel who likes my window too much.” Archie said matter-of-fact.

“Oh, a fate worse than death!” I did a fake swoon to him while we made our way up the stairs.

“Get your ass out of my face before you’re next!” 

“Ugh, stop walking so close behind me!”

“It’s not your fault you bought a house with only one pair of stairs. Move!” He pushed his basket to my butt. At the top of the stairs I opened my double doors to air it out. My room was the first thing I had cleaned up. I had gone through Archie's floor and bed to take his sheets, blanket, pillow cases, and stranded clothes.

“I know some of the clothes aren’t yours, could we make a dresser or stash of spare clothes in case someone needs to change?” I shot at him. He had his double doors open too and I could see him putting his sheets on. He had a faint smile on his lips.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just make sure your hands aren’t pregnant from the things you touched in here.” He shot back. I knew that the crunching coming from some of the clothes weren’t from food, I had already washed my hands a thousand times before he came home.

“I demand child support if they are.”

“Only if they make cute babies!”

Archie was a family I never knew I needed. Fleur and I used to be as close as he and I are. It took us a matter of months, and I couldn’t imagine a life moving forward without him. It was like he was always meant to be there. We practically knew everything about one another, and I couldn’t get Fleur to answer the phone half the time. I loved my little hardware worker. I knew he loved me too. The home wasn’t just a house for us, it was our home. It was our safe place. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

I could see him holding his hands together to send me a heart before flipping me off. 

“Love you too, whore.” I sang back to him.

The air was filled with happiness. I wiped away the kitchen incident and went on cleaning up for the night. It was movie night anyway. 

“Don’t forget to call your Dad!” Archie called out.

“I knew you were listening!” It wasn’t hard to tell Archie didn’t go all the way back to his room. He probably sat on the stairwell like a child trying to hear his parents whisper what the presents were going to be for the holidays.

“Only did it out of love. Your Dad is going through it right now. Maybe you should go see him one of these weekends. You don’t have a full time class schedule, so it wouldn’t hurt you.”  

“Maybe I will. I think I’ll wait until the break though, that way I can spend more than a day or two with him. I don’t think he’d come up here. I can’t imagine Cheryl remembers the address, but I don’t want her tagging along.” It’s true, she would.

“Does that mean you’d stay with Dr. Hot?” Archie asked curiously.

“Yes, I’d be staying with Dr. Hot.” I laughed in response.

“Maybe… Maybe I could come with you to supervise? I mean, I wouldn’t want you to have to drive all by yourself.”

“You just wanna see my Uncle.”

“And? How’s that a bad thing? You could call me Daddy number three!” 

“No. Visit is off the list now.”

Archie loudly sent out a groan followed with the sound of him throwing himself across his bed. I’d consider going down to visit, I wouldn’t mind if Archie came with me. I just didn’t want to impose on Uncle Eren, knowing I couldn’t stay at Dad’s house anymore. It was a thought for another time.