When she walked into the house, it was quiet and she thanked heavens he wasn't home. She wanted to get her things out of the house with as little drama as possible. She'd known he'd be at the gym at this time of the day so it was a great time to gather her life out of his house. Placing her set of keys on the coffee table in the living room, she made a beeline for the master bedroom. The door was wide open. The bed was unmade and there were a couple of shirts strewn around on the bed. He must have woken up late and had a hard time deciding what to wear.
Stepping around the monstrosity of a bed, she went to the bathroom to get her toiletries. Toothbrush hair brush, lotions, face wipes, perfume, roll on, box of tamps, more products and a fluffy wash rug all went into a small valise case. Bathroom items done, she went to what had become her side of the closet. She neatly paced the clothes into the suitcase she had brought along. It was enlightening to see just how many of her clothes had accumulated at his place. It seemed like she had moved in.
Next was the underwear drawer. She didn't take as much care with these as she tossed them into the suitcase without folding or sorting. They'd end up in her drawer the pretty much the same way so what was the point, huh? Teddi looked around to see if there was something else of hers lying loosely around. She couldn't see anything so she closed up the suitcase and went to the multi-plug at the far end of the room. She unplugged her laptop and phone chargers and deposited them in a side compartment of the suitcase. Anything else could hold till later she thought to herself.
After lugging the suitcase and the valise case to the living room, she stood and looked around for a moment before remembering the cold cream in the fridge. It was a tip she had seen loosely on some TV show.He had laughed at her for heeding that particular beauty tip. As she walked into the kitchen, she gasped at the sight of Andrew seated on the couch all loose limbed and casually reading a newspaper. He hadn't been to the gym by the looks of it. He was still in his work clothes. As an IT consultant, Andrew wore jeans and t-shirts to work. If he was feeling dressy he'd skip the sneakers and maybe put on some boots. Casual did not even begin to describe the man.
He looked up when he heard her sharp intake of breath. He smiled at her apologetically and put the paper down. Teddi could see he drink on the small coffee stool next to the couch. He was having a beer. She was slightly puzzled at not hearing all this activity going on from a room that was practically next door. She walked into the kitchen fully and stood at some mid point between the refrigerator, the door and Andrew. She was trying to find something to say that would discourage a lengthy conversation.
"You know, I bought this couch so I would watch you cook. You love to cook. And you like the company. Personally, I have a hard time not being in the same room with you." He drawled from the couch. It was true what he said. She had liked having him in the kitchen while she cooked. He complained about the dining seats in the kitchen saying they were stiff. So they had shopped around for a couch for him. And later a stool for his drinks or hers when he was cooking and she was watching. She cleared her throat wondering what the appropriate response to that was.
"I heard you packing." He stated flatly.
"I am sorry; I meant to do this while you were at the gym. Just came in here for my...."
"Cold cream." He finished for her. She smiled weakly and walked towards the fridge. Opening the door, she took out the jar from its pace next to the multi-vitamins and such. When she closed the door, Andrew had turned his full attention and body towards her. She felt slightly stalked. Like he was some prey just waiting to pounce. Clearing her throat once more, she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She wasn't sure what to say in any case.
"You could try telling me why you feel the need to sneak out of here." He supplied when it became evident she wasn't going to say a thing. She frowned at him. Sneaking? And here she thought she was being thoughtful by trying to avoid an awkward conversation. Ironically one was just about to happen.
"I wasn't sneaking Andrew. I was avoiding an uncomfortable conversation like this one." She told him hoping she didn't sound as irritated as she was starting to feel.
"It is bound to happen sooner or later. Why not now, while the wounds are fresh? It's much more reveling this way." He said with a small smile. He was quoting her. She'd said the very same thing when they had their first ever full out fight and he wouldn't talk about it. She smiled back and sat on the counter in front of him. "Ok speak." She invited and moved further up the counter in a gesture of getting comfortable.
"Only leave if you don't love me." He stated simply and she breathed in deep. He wasn't done.
"I talked to Tanya and explained that I wasn't interested. I also talked to your puppy and apologized for my rude behavior."
"You honestly think that's the problem? Tanya and James?" she snorted at him and shook her head.
