LitShark
Predator
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2002
- Posts
- 3,628
((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.
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.
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