Two Months

His hand on her knee, he strums his fingers to the beat of the music. She knew something was on his mind but she didn’t push it. ‘He’ll tell me when he’s ready.’ She thinks as she relaxes her shoulders and settles back on the car seat.

A few minutes of peacefully singing along to the music he looks at her, ‘Are you excited?’

‘Don’t know about excited, but I definitely don’t want to be dead. Turn back towards the road.’ She commands.

He chuckles lightly as he removes his hand from her knee to run it through his hair and put it right back to where it was.

‘Two days together; no parents, no friends. Just us and a lazy weekend.’ He smirks as a smile forms on her face. Of course, he’s going to be cocky about making her happy.

She leans over to the driver’s seat and plants a kiss on his cheek. She laughs as he pouts, ‘You’ll get the rest when we reach the farmhouse.’

The first thing they do when they reach the house is jump on the couch. With her head on his lap and his fingers in her hair, he says, ’Umm, we need to discuss something.’ She smiles, taking one of his hands from her hair and intertwining their hands. ‘I knew this trip would be you trying to convince me of something. What is it now? You have to go out of town again? You just came back last night.’

‘I’m trapped in this city for at least two months, you know that.’ He says, giving her a pointed look. ‘Of course, go on.’

‘My mom thinks it would be good if we don’t see each other for two months.’ She tries her level best to keep her poker face on as he mentions his mother. Surprisingly, she did way better than the previous times, but that didn’t stop him from noticing the lines on her forehead.

‘She’s coming back?’ He nods. ‘How long is she going to stay?’ ‘Two months.’ She sighs, ‘Why does she always separate us? She didn’t have a problem with any of your ex-girlfriends.’ ‘It’s really not about you; you know that right? She never cared about them because I’ve never really been that serious with them. She can see how serious I am with you and she’s worried. She’s worried about the choices I’ll make.’

‘You mean she’s worried about the choices I’ll make for you?’

‘My mom knows that you never interfere in my matters. She kind of respects you, in a weird way.’ 

‘I’m going for a shower.’

‘Want me to join you?’

She flips him the bird as she runs upstairs.

*

He’s in the kitchen drinking water when she walks in and hops on the counter. He stands between her legs as she loops her arms around his neck, ‘I was thinking, since we only have two days before we separate for the next two months, we should make the most of it.’

He raises an eyebrow at her, ‘You don’t have a problem with not seeing me for two months?’ She puts a hand over her heart, ‘Distance only makes the heart grow fonder.’

He rolls his eyes.

‘I don’t want to come between your mom and her experiments with couples.’

‘What? Really now?’

‘Let’s not argue. There’s a reason why she’s doing it, I know and I’m willing to go along with it just to keep peace at your house. I don’t want the both of you fighting again.’

‘You’re the best girlfriend anyone could ever have; have I ever said that to you?’

‘Only a million times.’

*

‘No, no, no. Shut the fuck up! You’re always texting him, always talking to him! This was our day for a getaway from everybody but here you are, texting him again!’

‘Dude, calm the fuck down. He’s only a friend and we were texting bec-‘

‘Dude,’ he says, mocking her. ‘I don’t care why you were texting him.’

She looks at him and sighs, ‘You know this is your insecurity speaking right? You wouldn’t have had a problem with this if we were not being separated for two months.’ She uncrosses her arms and walks towards him, touching his cheek, ‘We’ve talked about this honey, and it’s not a break. Those two months I’ll be yours just as much as I am now. You don’t have to worry.’

‘Worry? You think I’m worried?’ He snickers. ‘I’ve been trying to tell you –in so many different ways- that I don’t want to be with you. You just don’t get the fucking hint!’

He might have as well slapped her and that would’ve still hurt less. She stares at him blankly, not knowing how to react. She slowly turns and moves to the kitchen to calm herself.

She finishes the glass of water when he walks in. Without a glance towards him, she walks out the kitchen, past him.

As she starts climbing the stairs she hears his voice, ‘I didn’t mean it, and you know that I didn’t mean it.’ She turns around to see him standing at the doorway. She gives him a small, tight smile, ‘Sure.’ And walks away.

*

Two hours of silent anticipation, he hears the door open. He looks up to watch her walk down the stairs with her luggage. He does a double – take, ‘No. She’s walking down the stairs with grace.’

She walks up to him, standing 10 feet away. ‘I always thought the phrase ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ was a whole lot of horseshit. But today, I might just understand it.’

‘Love, you know I didn’t mean what I said.’

She smiles. He knows it’s the sarcastic smile as she hears the endearment come out of his mouth. ‘You know you speak the truth when you’re angry right?’ She drawls, almost looking bored.

Almost.

Before he could say anything, she interrupts, ‘Look, you say you’ve never been as serious with anybody as you are with me. Then you say you’ve been thinking about breaking up. Why would you get me out for the weekend if you didn’t want to be with me? But again, one little miscommunication and you’re telling me how I don’t get the hint. Honestly, at this rate I feel like we’re here in this farmhouse so that you could get away with killing me and dumping me in the trash can.’

He rolls his eyes, ‘Of course, only you would be sarcastic when we’re discussing something serious.’

She continues, unfazed, ‘But that would be stupid because everybody knows we’re together.’

‘And that leaves you with?’ He asks, playing along with her game.

‘It leaves me with the thought that you’re an indecisive, shitty piece of an ex-boyfriend.’

He raises his eyebrows, both this time.

She knows what surprised him, ‘Look, I love you and everything and I don’t know if it really is your mom suggesting the two months separation, but right now, it doesn’t sound so bad.’

‘You know I didn’t mean that, and you know I love-‘

‘My brother’s already here,’ She interrupts. She takes her suitcase and walks towards the door. Opening it, she turns back to face him. ‘Oh, I know you’ll be back for me after two months. But don’t blame me if someone gets there before you do.’

He smiles as he looks at her black button-down shirt tucked in her white high waist shorts. Long legs, black heels and how could he miss that hair flip she did when she walked out.

She’s always going to make a statement.

Taken from Google Images