Suzie’s House 137: When it isn’t What She Thought

“What’s going on?” Suzie tapped the door to Drew’s room lightly. She could see quite well what was going on. Drew was packing. Her question was why was Gene helping him?

“Oh. I was just.” Gene sprung to his feet. He flushed slightly and glanced around the floor like he might have misplaced something there. He glanced out the door with a wrinkled brow. “I’ll go.”

“No need.” Suzie squeezed his arm in reassurance on her way to Drew’s bed. She perched on the edge of the bed, smoothing down the perfectly flat spread until Drew joined her on one side. Gene waited until she patted the other side before he joined them. “So. You’re ready to go?”

“Yes.” Drew stared straight ahead, his lips drawn tight against his teeth.

Why did it have to be so hard? Why did they all have to be so noble all the time? Except Miranda. Miranda put passion over nobility, and hurt a lot of people in the process. Which actually answered Suzie’s rhetorical self questions. They were all putting a good face on it because of how much more it would hurt if they didn’t.

“Will you… Will you call?” She felt vulnerable asking.

“Yes! Oh, yes.” Drew nodded vigorously, though he wouldn’t look her in the eye. “I’ll call.”

“Good.” Suzie relaxed a little, letting her shoulder slump. She nodded jerkily.

“So, um…” Gene glanced shyly at her. “Mr. Banks, Drew, says I have to talk to you about the room.”

“The room?”

“This room. I’d, um. I’d like to move into it. If it’s all right with you.”

“Oh, Gene, no. I don’t think that would be such a good idea.”

“Why not?” Gene blurted.

“Because…” Suzie hesitated. She felt like she had stepped into a mine field. She didn’t want to hurt Gene, but she wanted her position clear to Drew. And she didn’t want to do anything that would make her cry in front of either of them. “I want the room to always be here for Drew. In case he decides to come back.”

Drew swore under his breath, making a short-lived motion with his hand, and looking away.

“You shouldn’t.” His voice was rough.

“What do you mean?”

“No matter what, I’m never moving into this room again.”

The uncompromising sureness of his voice slapped her. Hard. Suzie blinked back the pooling moister in her eyes, and inhaled sharply, too numb to really feel the pain of rejection quite yet. After every thing she and Drew had been through, everything he’d meant to her, she hadn’t imagined he would simply throw her away. How weak, pathetic, and useless he made her feel.

“So I can have the room after all?”

“NO!” Suzie screamed it, unleashing all the pain and frustration on a place it didn’t belong.

Gene recoiled in shock. He jumped to his feet, still staring at her with spook-wide eyes. She took a deep breath, getting herself under control.

“Gene, we’ll talk about it later.”

“Right,” Gene said tightly. He stalked out the door.

“Suzie.” Drew reached for her.

She twitched away from him. She couldn’t stand to be touched by him when she still loved him so much and he didn’t even respect her.

“I didn’t mean I wouldn’t come back to you. I meant that when I do, I’m not coming back as a renter. When I come back, if I can pull it off, I expect to move into your room with you.”

It didn’t take away all the hurt. But enough. She leaned into him and let her feelings poor down her face in salty trails.

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