Living Alone Together - Chapter Seventeen
Two separate lives are lived side by side, together.
Chapter Seventeen.
William wasn't sure about this. A bead of perspiration fell down the back of his neck when they got to the bottom of the stairs and were met with the presence of Aislinn's sister and grandfather. He wanted this, right?
"Hey, how was it?" Aislinn asked.
"Same. The drops really are helping. They're not getting any worse," Cora answered, helping Pa out of his outdoor clothes.
"Pa..." Aislinn began, "I have someone to introduce to you."
"Here? Now?" He grunted.
"Look over here, Pa. Can you see me?"
Pa nodded. His head turned stiffly to the right of Aislinn and he could see a blurred man.
"Who's this?"
"This is William Colin Drake, Pa. Name ring a bell?" Aislinn's eyebrows wiggled.
"Oh!" Pa's voice rang in surprise. He held out a hand for William to shake.
"How are you, sir?"
"I'm fine. I'll live," Pa said matter-of-factly.
"I hope you don't mind, but I've been dating Aislinn."
"Not at all. She's a big girl now."
"I intend her no harm."
"Doesn't guarantee you won't hurt her. Intentionally or unintentionally. Women, my boy, are unpredictably fickle. Just wait until you live with them... or three of them." Pa whispered over at William and chuckled silently.
"Pa! We can hear you, you know?!"
"Just as well..." he joked.
Leaning in to whisper over at William, Pa pointed a finger at Aislinn's general direction and said, "Be careful with that one."
"Pa!" Aislinn groaned.
"Don't worry, Sir. I'll take care of her."
"I won't doubt it," Pa grunted as he patted William on the shoulder.
Cora on the other hand had left the room, right after Pa gave out his hand for William to shake.
Leading William into the kitchen, she formally introduced him to Cora.
"Hi," Cora said. "Will you be sleeping over again tonight? Just thought I should ask so I can prepare my son for another sleepover."
"Cor!"
"What, Aze?! Maybe, I don't appreciate my son running down the stairs, telling the whole world that my sister has a boy in her bed."
"That's all there was to that, Cor."
"Whatever."
"Cor... Hey... What's the matter?"
Cora shrugged.
Aislinn turned to the man who held her hand firmly and asked, "William, can you go and see to Pa? Talk sports or politics? Lead him to the living room."
"Sure," he answered knowing the sisters needed to talk.
"You wanted this for me, didn't you? To find someone?" Aislinn asked.
"Yeah, I guess. I just never thought you'd find it so quickly."
"Well, I guess I did. You're going to have to get used to this, you know? And to him as well."
"I will."
"What is it? Is there anything else I should know?"
"I saw him..."
"Him? Who?"
"Travis. Seeing the bruises on William's face, I'm guessing they fought it out?"
"What makes you say?"
"Because Travis has a few bruises on his face too..."
"Serves him right."
"So there's no chance for Travis?"
"None."
"Whatsoever?"
Exasperated, Aislinn huffed out, "What is it, Cor?"
"He just asked me to get it straight out of you."
"Will he leave us alone, if it comes from you?"
"I don't know."
"Well, I won't go back to him, ever. I'm happy where I am now. I'm not pining. He shouldn't be either. The mistake he made is forgiven. I have nothing left for him. You tell him that. And you'd be a great sister, if you told him to just leave us alone for good."
"I will," Cora obliged.
"Cor. Is Tony ever coming back?"
"We're not talking about my life here, Aze. It's not open for discussion."
"Tonight it isn't but it's gotta happen soon, Cor."
"Where's James?"
"In your room, asleep."
"Thanks for watching him. I'm going to bed."
"You haven't had dinner yet.."
"Not hungry. Good night."
Over dinner, Aislinn let the two men bond with different topics of interest. She supposed it's different for Pa to have a male to talk to over dinner. It definitely seemed to lighten his mood. He seemed quite like the socialite with a hint of grumpiness just like before his eyes went bad.
"Great dinner, my girl. It's time for me to sleep now though. Great meeting you. About time..."
"Pa!" Aislinn groaned.
"The feelings mutual," William responded, ignoring Aislinn's piercing stare.
"You two are incorrigible."
When Pa was lead to his room, the two went to bed.
"I could get used to this."
"You know you have your own bed in your own house."
"But this one has people in it. And so does the bed!"
"Don't get too comfortable. I hardly know you," she joked, lifting his shirt to inspect the bruises.
"Yet... I've been beat twice in your honor, babysit your kin, dated you, hired you and slept with you..."
"Ok..." She said pressing into a bruise to get him to shut up. When he winced, she apologized.
Giving her a suffocating hug, he said, "Bedtime, m'lady. You wear me out."
They kissed good night, and almost instantly fell asleep.
William wasn't sure about this. A bead of perspiration fell down the back of his neck when they got to the bottom of the stairs and were met with the presence of Aislinn's sister and grandfather. He wanted this, right?
"Hey, how was it?" Aislinn asked.
"Same. The drops really are helping. They're not getting any worse," Cora answered, helping Pa out of his outdoor clothes.
"Pa..." Aislinn began, "I have someone to introduce to you."
"Here? Now?" He grunted.
"Look over here, Pa. Can you see me?"
Pa nodded. His head turned stiffly to the right of Aislinn and he could see a blurred man.
"Who's this?"
"This is William Colin Drake, Pa. Name ring a bell?" Aislinn's eyebrows wiggled.
"Oh!" Pa's voice rang in surprise. He held out a hand for William to shake.
"How are you, sir?"
"I'm fine. I'll live," Pa said matter-of-factly.
"I hope you don't mind, but I've been dating Aislinn."
"Not at all. She's a big girl now."
"I intend her no harm."
"Doesn't guarantee you won't hurt her. Intentionally or unintentionally. Women, my boy, are unpredictably fickle. Just wait until you live with them... or three of them." Pa whispered over at William and chuckled silently.
"Pa! We can hear you, you know?!"
"Just as well..." he joked.
Leaning in to whisper over at William, Pa pointed a finger at Aislinn's general direction and said, "Be careful with that one."
"Pa!" Aislinn groaned.
"Don't worry, Sir. I'll take care of her."
"I won't doubt it," Pa grunted as he patted William on the shoulder.
Cora on the other hand had left the room, right after Pa gave out his hand for William to shake.
Leading William into the kitchen, she formally introduced him to Cora.
"Hi," Cora said. "Will you be sleeping over again tonight? Just thought I should ask so I can prepare my son for another sleepover."
"Cor!"
"What, Aze?! Maybe, I don't appreciate my son running down the stairs, telling the whole world that my sister has a boy in her bed."
"That's all there was to that, Cor."
"Whatever."
"Cor... Hey... What's the matter?"
Cora shrugged.
Aislinn turned to the man who held her hand firmly and asked, "William, can you go and see to Pa? Talk sports or politics? Lead him to the living room."
"Sure," he answered knowing the sisters needed to talk.
"You wanted this for me, didn't you? To find someone?" Aislinn asked.
"Yeah, I guess. I just never thought you'd find it so quickly."
"Well, I guess I did. You're going to have to get used to this, you know? And to him as well."
"I will."
"What is it? Is there anything else I should know?"
"I saw him..."
"Him? Who?"
"Travis. Seeing the bruises on William's face, I'm guessing they fought it out?"
"What makes you say?"
"Because Travis has a few bruises on his face too..."
"Serves him right."
"So there's no chance for Travis?"
"None."
"Whatsoever?"
Exasperated, Aislinn huffed out, "What is it, Cor?"
"He just asked me to get it straight out of you."
"Will he leave us alone, if it comes from you?"
"I don't know."
"Well, I won't go back to him, ever. I'm happy where I am now. I'm not pining. He shouldn't be either. The mistake he made is forgiven. I have nothing left for him. You tell him that. And you'd be a great sister, if you told him to just leave us alone for good."
"I will," Cora obliged.
"Cor. Is Tony ever coming back?"
"We're not talking about my life here, Aze. It's not open for discussion."
"Tonight it isn't but it's gotta happen soon, Cor."
"Where's James?"
"In your room, asleep."
"Thanks for watching him. I'm going to bed."
"You haven't had dinner yet.."
"Not hungry. Good night."
Over dinner, Aislinn let the two men bond with different topics of interest. She supposed it's different for Pa to have a male to talk to over dinner. It definitely seemed to lighten his mood. He seemed quite like the socialite with a hint of grumpiness just like before his eyes went bad.
"Great dinner, my girl. It's time for me to sleep now though. Great meeting you. About time..."
"Pa!" Aislinn groaned.
"The feelings mutual," William responded, ignoring Aislinn's piercing stare.
"You two are incorrigible."
When Pa was lead to his room, the two went to bed.
"I could get used to this."
"You know you have your own bed in your own house."
"But this one has people in it. And so does the bed!"
"Don't get too comfortable. I hardly know you," she joked, lifting his shirt to inspect the bruises.
"Yet... I've been beat twice in your honor, babysit your kin, dated you, hired you and slept with you..."
"Ok..." She said pressing into a bruise to get him to shut up. When he winced, she apologized.
Giving her a suffocating hug, he said, "Bedtime, m'lady. You wear me out."
They kissed good night, and almost instantly fell asleep.
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