Feels Good Being Bad

[LitShark]

((LitShark & monique_minx))

It wasn’t an extravagant house. Just your cliché track duplex, three bed, two bath, stucco box with a one car garage. The corner lot placement lent a bit of status, but the lack of a useable front or back yard quickly undermined it—but for better or worse, to Kyle Carver, it was home. Not a happy home, not since the disappearance of his mother, but a home. His home.

Any port in a storm.

Kyle was lucky in love, even if his home life was far from ideal, because he was dating Hailey—who seemed to him nearly perfect as a person. She was kind, supportive, understanding and objectively good looking. Everyone wanted to pretend that they didn’t notice such things, but really it was the first thing people noticed about her. Kyle’s girlfriend was a goddamn smoke-show!

Where there’s smoke…

But bad luck followed Kyle like a vengeful storm cloud. He and Hailey had actually begun discussing him moving into her quaint little studio rental—when that same week, her studio burned to the ground along with the other units in her rent-controlled building. Hailey’s parents were living abroad and she quickly found the limits of her finances. Moving in with Kyle and his family was not at all appealing, but it was better than her having to sleep in her car.

Kyle offered to let her stay somewhat freely, though she was adamantly loathe to accept help from Kyle’s step family who clearly had a strained relationship with each other. Eventually they compromised with a pledge from her to earn her keep in housekeeping chores and duties.

It may seem obvious that Kyle ought to have discussed this arrangement with his stepfather, but he was already very accustomed to avoiding his mom’s ex. He never told anyone, but Kyle still suspected the old man in his mom’s disappearance—even if he continued to claim she ran off on them. So as the days passed, Kyle procrastinated talking to his stepfather successfully until the day Hailey was moving her things into his room.

It was lucky that both Frank, the stepfather and Chad, Frank’s son from a previous ex, had been up late drinking—as they often were. Kyle made plans to move Hailey in before they woke up. Then he could broach the subject over a dinner that she cooked for them all… it would be a more compelling pitch like that.

He opened the door and welcomed her into his arms, kissing her tenderly. He was dressed in a tight concert t-shirt and grey sweats, casual dress for moving day.

After the kiss, he grabbed her bags, “are there more?” he asked, his tone somewhere between concern and relief.

 

[monique_minx]

It wasn't ideal, it was just the only option really. Just a step up from living in her beat up but beloved little Toyota Corolla. The red paint was faded and the air conditioner made a noise similar to a rusty shopping cart squeaking its way through a supermarket. The driver's side window would stick and none of her hubcaps matched, somehow there was melted candle wax in one of the cup holders and the check engine light had become a permanent dashboard feature over time but it always saw her through. She, however, had to agree with Kyle that living in her 'ol' reliable' was not going to be comfortable, easy or safe over any stretch of time.

Hailey Bennett was 22 and had that girl next door charm to her appearance. She worked in a reasonably priced women's fashion store called Urban Petal inside a large mall near the campus where Kyle attended college. He often spent his time there between classes and dragging his feet to avoid going home. At first, Hailey had thought he was browsing for a female relative or a girlfriend and it took him a long time to say something other than 'no, thank you' whenever she offered him assistance. She caught on because he returned many times and never bought a thing. It wasn't fireworks when they met, it was just a slow burn that almost ended up in friendship before he finally plucked his courage up to ask her out for a coffee. The rest was history.

Almost.

Though they'd dated a year, they'd never slept together. Hailey assumed it was because he thought it was important that she saved herself for marriage. She wasn't a virgin but she never corrected his assumption on that either. Kyle was kind and comfortable and most importantly - stable. A security blanket Hailey never had. She wasn't rushing to give that up.

Still, she was anxious approaching the front door to the modest little home. Frank and Chad were the polar opposites to Kyle - loud, opinionated, rude and lewd. Hailey had caught them openly staring at her during awkward 'family' dinners though she pretended not to notice, they didn't hide it well. Or, perhaps, they simply didn't care to. Hailey often wondered if Kyle noticed but if he did, he never said anything. She rapped gently on the door and Kyle opened it almost immediately. Her smile was dazzling as she swept herself into his arms and kissed him before either of them said a word.

He took the three duffle bags from her hands which she gladly handed over and she shook her head, "No...everything else is ruined. I'm gonna have to replace so damn much." She sighed, "At least I don't need furniture for now."

She stepped inside and looked around uneasily at the somewhat disorganised living room with empty cans littering the coffee table, "Where's Frank and Chad?"