Help Wanted (closed)

[PlayfulDevil192]

I glanced at him as he stepped aside so I could fo in first. There was a joke to be made here about that seemed like something out of a horror film....but I kept the tease to myself. So instead I smiled and slipped inside. I took my time with exploring the downstairs area. Admiring the design of the building and then any pictures still out on the mantle of the fireplace in the living room. Sarah was beautiful and she looked so alive in her pictures. I didn't linger on them for long. I didn't want to make him sad again by talking about those beloved memories. I knew they were precious to him now and probably private. So I let him keep it that way. I understood. "Wow! This place is beautiful!!" I call back to him. Moving into the kitchen.

 

[susurrus]

For a second, Elizabeth turned to me with an amused look on her face. Her mouth opened then closed, then she looked away and began to explore.

She lingered a moment on the photos I had out. A picture from my parents' wedding, one of Sarah's mom and dad on the beach in Cape Cod, my brother, his wife and their two kids, and Sarah. Hers was hard to miss, as I kept a white rose floating in a crystal bowl of water before the photo.

Her attention didn't stay on the gallery for long, and she continued exploring the front rooms. She seemed delighted at the pocket doors that separated the foyer and staircase from the front parlor and ran her hand over the ball finial at the bottom of the stairs.

"This place is beautiful," she murmured as she explored, in awe of the details Sarah and I had painstakingly worked to retain.

When she'd satisfied her curiosity for the moment with the front rooms, she walked toward the back into the kitchen.

Sarah had refused to work with the kitchen that existed when we moved in. It shrieked of the 1930s. While it now was still dated, it was much more modern, with up-to-date appliances and furnishings.

The kitchen opened onto a pantry and the dining room, which was also accessible from the front rooms. The kitchen also had French doors that allowed one to the back, where the pool was...

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

The kitchen was just as stunning as the rest of the house! And I couldn't wait to see the upstairs room, but right now...I was eagerly following my feet out to the pool! The deck was in excellent condition and had those mosquito repellent torches with a similar candle on the table. The grill was covered, protected from the weather and I could tell it hadn't been touched in some time. Probably not since before... My eyes moved to the pool. It was clean and the waters surface shimmered with the reflection of the sunlight. Being this close to the water, I already felt cooler in this heat. I wondered if he kept this area in good condition because Sarah had loved it. It was obvious he did his best to keep the house in shape...if only for the sake of her memory. I was honored to be given the chance to help with that.

As I stood here by the water, I could already imagine the gatherings they must have had. In my head I could smell the steaks, the dogs, and burgers. Hear the laughter and music from a speaker. I could picture solo cups on the table or the deck banister. Hear splashing in the pool as they cooled off from the heat by lounging in the water with their beers. I smiled at my imagination before heading back inside to keep exploring. I paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking up there then back at him. "May I?" I asked, nodding to the stairs.

 

[susurrus]

When she saw the pool out the back, I watched Elizabeth drawn to it like a magnet. As she investigated, I imagined her out there in an almost-nonexistent bikini. The visual made my cock stiffen. Sarah had preferred one-pieces, and she'd looked spectacular in them, but I'd have loved to see her sporting a skimpy two-piece.

After a few minutes, Elizabeth came back in. I could tell she was excited to try out the pool. Still, she was as eager to check out more of the house.

"May I?" she asked, pointing back out to the front stairs.

"Absolutely," I replied, stepping in behind her as she started toward the second floor.

I couldn't help but look as I followed. Her young, perfect ass as it ascended before me was mesmerizing.

Once she reached the top, Elizabeth began peeking into open doors.

"First on the left's my room," I explained. "Yours will be across the hall. I'm afraid we'll have to share a bath."

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

Once upstairs I began peeking into any of the rooms with their door open. "First on the left is my room." Dan said from behind me. I looked behind me at him then paused at said room to peek in but not go in. It was a bit of a mess and it screamed bachelor versus previously married, and I wondered if that was the result of his grieving... "Yours will be across the hall." I looked towards the room her pointed out and moved on.

The room I would be staying it was beautiful and cozy. I had room to store my laptop on a desk for work, shelves in the spacious closet for shoes, (though I would be putting my books there), and a shelf above where the clothes would hang where I could store some stuff. I looked to him when he mentioned having to share a bath and grinned.

"Not the first time." I chuckled, moving to check out the bathroom. It wasn't as cluttered as I expected it to be and I had to remind myself of WHY that was. Which also meant I was making a mental note of what I would keep in the bathroom (such as toothpaste, my toothbrush, hair products...) and what I would keep in my room neatly on one of the closet shelves.

 

[susurrus]

Elizabeth was unfazed by the idea of a shared bathroom. That was a good thing, as there was nothing to be done about it.

There were two more rooms upstairs and a doorway at the end of the hall. The extra rooms held a few boxes of miscellaneous accumulation, nothing important but nothing I cared to part with at the moment.

The doorway, while it looked like all the others, didn't open onto a room. It was the route to the attic. Elizabeth climbed those stairs and glanced around. Not much to see, as nothing was stored there. The boxes in the spare bedrooms had begun residency in the attic, but had been moved one by one as I went through them.

When she made her way back down to the second floor, I told her, "Only thing left is the basement, but like most houses this age, there isn't much there, just utilities and a little stored junk. That's the area that looks like something out of a slasher movie.

"That's pretty much the whole place. Still interested?"

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

The attic and spare rooms were clearly acting as storage for things I assumed he wasn't ready to be parted from. Sarah's things most likely. I briefly wondered I could organize the spare rooms back into shape for him. Climbing down from the attic, I turned to him the moment my feet touched the floor. "Well...it's going to be a lot of elbow grease, but I'll manage." I said, placing my hands on my hips. "In other words, I'm very interested."

 

[susurrus]

Fortunately, after seeing the place, Elizabeth didn't feel overwhelmed. That was good. I'd done my best not to let too much pile up over the last few years and at least ran a broom and the vacuum when I thought about it.

"Good. Thank you.

"Any idea when you'd be able to start?"

Suddenly, I felt some apprehension. I'd be leaving this woman in the house several days a week. I hoped she was all she said she was. I needed to trust that she was. Last thing I wanted was to come home some day and find her and a bunch of my stuff missing. Then again, she had to trust I was what I was making myself out to be, too.

We both needed to just take this all on faith...

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

"Uuuh..." I blushed and the rubbed at the back of my neck with a sheepish grin. "How soon is ASAP?" I asked, laughing before covering my face with an embarrassed groan. "Ooooh that was....that was probably not a good answer!" I said, peeking through my fingers at him. Hoping that hadn't just messed things up. "I-I can be available this weekend! Give me time to get arrangements made." I offered up quickly, trying to cover my potential mess up.

 

[susurrus]

I couldn't help but laugh at Elizabeth's response. Even moreso at her reaction afterward. Again, it was charming as hell and turned up the cute factor several degrees.

"Just give me a call when you're coming so I can be sure to be here to let you in. How's that?"

I couldn't wait for her to start. While I sort of hated myself for it and thought of myself as a dirty old man, the eye candy alone was going to be worth it. That she seemed a smart and clever girl on top of it was just icing on the cake...

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

Blushing, I lowered my hands from my face as I nodded and smiled. "That sounds like a perfect plan!" I sighed with some relief that my response hadn't messed up my chance or anything like that. "Oh! Uhm...be sure to also like...let me know if you have any allergies and what not. Don't wanna get careless in the kitchen when making something!"

 

[susurrus]

"No food allergies I can think of, but tell you what, I'll put together a list of the kind of food I don't necessarily care for and what I especially like. And prepared correctly, you could probably get me to eat some of the stuff I wouldn't normally put in my mouth otherwise."

"Do you want to do any more exploring or would you like me to take you home?"

'Or would you like to use the pool, right here, right now?' I thought.

'But I don't have a suit...' she'd counter.

'Well, I won't tell if you won't."

I squashed those thoughts fast and hard. I'd been afraid of appearances off and on all morning. That kind of thought was a terrific way to scare her off and get the cops sicced on me.

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

I arched a brow at the comment of stuff going in his mouth he normally wouldn't eat. There was a joke to be made there but I would't say anything on it. It probably wouldn't go over well anyways. "That sounds like a plan." I smiled and stretched a bit, taking my phone out to glance at the time when he asked if I wanted to do more exploring or if I needed a ride home. I thought about it. I hadn't checked out the basement but to be fair...I had braved the situation enough as is. No need to push the horror movie gods. I quietly snorted at my own little joking thought. "A ride home would be nice. Thank you, Dan."

 

[susurrus]

"I dragged you all the way out here. It'd be unfair to make you find your own way back."

I held the door for her and back out to the car we went.

Elizabeth gave directions while I drove. When we pulled up in front of her building, I noted that I'd passed by the place many times over the years. It was on an alternate route I took to work some days when I wanted a change in scenery.

Before she could get out, I held out my hand.

"Thank you. I'm glad to have met you. I await your call. If you need any help moving things, let me know. I know a guy who has a truck I can borrow."

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

I almost dreaded getting out of the car when we got the apartment. Please let them be gone! Please let them be gone! Please let them be gone! I thought to myself, repeating my little internal mantra over and over as I moved to the get out of the car. I paused when he suddenly held out his hand. "Thanks." I placed my hand in his, ready to give my best firm handshake just like daddy taught me. "I'm glad to have met you too, and I'll be sure to let you know." I tell him, smiling. My other hand still paused on the half open car door.

 

[susurrus]

The look Elizabeth gave her apartment building was obvious. Again, I'm not normally so perceptive, but she was throwing off some really hard-to-miss vibes.

Still, she shook my hand readily enough, her grip strong. She'd been taught by someone who believed women should have a good handshake, just like any man. Her voice was steady as she reciprocated the pleasure of having met, but when she turned to open the door, she hesitated.

"You okay?" She'd told me a little about the situation. Apparently she'd glossed over some things. I almost offered to come up with her, but as with so much already, I wasn't sure how that would look. Nevertheless, if she asked, I'd certainly accompany her...

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

"Yeah...Yeah, I'm okay. Just...things with my roommates are tense right now after last night and this morning..." I shook my head, sighing. "It's fine. This is my mess...kinda...and I will deal with it." I smiled and gathered my courage as I stepped out of the car. "Thanks for the ride and the tour. And don't forget to send me that list!" I said, closing the door and waving as I headed inside. Once the front door closed behind me, I finally pulled out my phone and began going through all my missed notifications while making my way up to the apartment.

 

[susurrus]

I felt a little bad just leaving Elizabeth to deal with things on her own, but I had to remind myself: 'She's not your daughter. She isn't your responsibility.'

I promised I'd put a food list together then waited until she disappeared into the building before driving off.

On the way back home, I thought about a lot of things, but that internal visual of Elizabeth in a bikini kept popping into my mind's eye. By the time I pulled into the drive, my cock was hard.

Christ, I was going to have to get that kind of thing under control and fast. It was obvious she was going to use the pool. It wouldn't do to pop wood every time she did so.

So, I went inside and started putting together a food list...

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

Thankfully for me, both Marissa and Casey weren't home by the time I was back. A lot of Marissa's texts were rants and mostly her venting her anger about the whole situation (and about her owing me for replacements) and the few texts from Casey were him apologizing and telling me he still valued our friendship and wanted to know if we could talk and keep that intact. His text was the only thing I responded to. Saying yes, we could talk. Exhausted, I plopped down onto my bed with a yawn. I may as well nap while it was still quiet.

The rest of the week seemed to pass by me, the weekend couldn't come any faster. I spent a lot of time avoiding Marissa, I spoke with Casey, I went to have dinner with my dad (to whom I vented and ranted to about everything!). My dad had hugged me and told me, "Baby girl, you gotta do what's good for you and if that means gettin' out and taking this job then do it." I had smiled at my dad and clung to him. Just enjoying the comfort. He was sad that it seemed like Marissa and I may never be able to patch things up and move past this. I was confident that we could...after some time away from each other. My dad had even offered to help me with packing or storing things at home. I nodded and showed him a picture of the room I would be moving into it and we discussed what I could fit and take.

Aside from all that, my evenings were spent with something playing on my laptop while I packed up what I could before the weekend. Casey was the only one (not counting the landlord) about my moving plans and he would be helping too.

 

[susurrus]

I went on with my life. I'd let Elizabeth decide when she was ready. After almost a week went by with no response, I started to think she'd changed her mind about the job.

Oh well, if that was true, I'd accept it and move on. Maybe I'd put in a new ad, since I hadn't gotten any hits on it since those first - and only - three. Or maybe I should just forget it, get my ass in gear and straighten things up myself.

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

Getting out this weekend had been the plan. I was set and everything! I had Casey and my dad to help! ...Then shit really hit the fan when Marissa came storming in drunk as fuck...and smelling of weed. That was new. She had, had a whole screaming match with Casey before turning on me. Thankfully nothing had gotten broken, except feelings. Hers and mine with things that had been said. I was pretty sure it would be some time before we ever reconnected...if at all after this. To make matters worse, either in her inebriated state or in some form of grief we had been blind too...Mari almost ODed on us over night. I had never been more grateful for Casey being an early riser. He had gone in to check on Mari the next morning and found her. I woke up to him screaming for me to call 911.

So thanks to Mari and her dramatics over handling this whole situation...my plan went out the window! I got so caught up dealing with that and its repercussions, not to mention being exhausted and still having to work... a week went by before I finally realized I hadn't contacted Dan about any of this!!! But I was still very ready to go, and still very interested. So with a brave face...I called him up. I apologized profusely and I was sure he could hear my drop dead exhaustion in my voice as I asked if we could meet at that cafe again so I could explain stuff in person. Plus, I very much wanted to get out of the apartment for the day. So I was relieved when he agreed. I was already out the door by then too.

Hanging up the call, I put on an audiobook over music as I made my way from the apartment to the cafe.

 

[susurrus]

As the weekend approached with no word from Elizabeth, I despaired ever hearing from her again. Maybe the conflict with her roommates had eased, so the living situation wasn't so fraught.

Saturday morning arrived and I was preparing to get the lawn mown, when the phone rang. When I picked up, to my relief, it was Elizabeth. She said she wanted to explain some things and asked if I could meet her at the place we'd gotten together the week before. I didn't have to see her face to know the state she was in.

I agreed, dropped everything and waited for her at the cafe. Remembering what she'd been drinking from her refill order the previous week, I got one of those so it'd be there for her when she arrived...

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

I had tried my best with some make up to hide the circles from lack of sleep before leaving. It hadn't been easy for me. Marissa was usually the make up genius between us two, but I think I managed pretty well from Youtube tutorials. Still...I couldn't have said enough thank yous over and over and over again when I got there and saw him waiting with my coffee order. After all but throwing myself down on the little couch/bench thing, I eagerly picked up my cup and took a large gulp. Moaning just a bit as the caffeine hit my tongue. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back for a few moments. Just letting the drink warm and wake me before I set it down on the cup and gave an exhausted smile to Dan. He was nice enough to let me have my moment before asking how I was and if I was okay. Again, I knew he had been able to hear my exhaustion in my voice.

I don't know what or why the tears the suddenly came, maybe it was the exhaustion having cracked my mental and emotional storage bottle. Or maybe now my brain finally had that scary moment to process that I had almost lost my best friend simply because she was mad at me and handled her anger poorly. Regardless of the trigger, I managed to keep the tears at bay while I explained my week and weekend to him before my hands were over my lips as I lost it and just started crying.

 

[susurrus]

When Elizabeth appeared in the doorway, she looked pretty good. The weariness I'd heard over the phone wasn't evident until she got closer. She'd tried to hide it with makeup, but as with so many things regarding her, I was proving far more perceptive than I'd even been with my wife.

Still, I kept my mouth shut as she sat, looked down at the mug I'd ordered for her, gave me a grateful smile, then took a big mouthful. I could almost see the warmth of the coffee diffuse through her body and prime her pump.

When I figured she was ready, I asked, "Elizabeth, are you okay? You didn't sound like yourself on the phone."

She looked at me a few drawn-out seconds, then slowly the emotions washed over her. I thought she was going to burst onto a fit of tears right then and there, but she clamped down on it, hard.

When she started to speak, I caught a trace of what had just swept over her, but her voice gained strength as she spoke.

I'd heard the cast of characters before, in the brief autobiography she'd given me the last time we met. It wasn't a large cast, but Marissa seemed to have much more of a starring role in the conflict than she had previously. There was frustration, rage, love, terror and a whole host of other emotions swirling around this one person in her narrative. This person meant a lot to Elizabeth, but she couldn't stand to watch this woman she felt so much for destroy herself. Still she felt like she ought to stay and try to help, even though it seemed sadly evident to me that Marissa needed more help than her friend had the capacity for right at that moment.

I wasn't surprised she confided in me. People had been doing it for years, telling me things I don't know that they'd have shared with just anyone. I had no idea why this was, but it was true. Of course, I think Elizabeth and I had developed a rapport in the short couple hours we'd been together the week prior. I'd proven to her I was a trustworthy guy, even if I was a good several years older, and she'd proven to me she was more than a vacuous, self-absorbed steteotype of her generation.

After a good long while - during which I just sat and listened, not offering my own take on anything she said - the story wound down and she sat there, her tank empty. There was relief in having gotten the story out, but something had to fill the void that story had occupied.

The tears she'd forced down earlier roared in to fill that void.

The enormity of the story she'd just told flooded through her, bursting through any barriers she had to keep it back.

When Elizabeth started to cry, I quickly moved my chair around the table beside her. Not giving a damn what anybody else was thinking as this played out, I placed an arm around her shoulders. We were still little more than strangers, but I couldn't just let this happen and do nothing...

 

[PlayfulDevil192]

I cried and cried till I had had nothing left to give. Until I was simply leaning into him, sniffling and hiccupping a bit. My eyes red, sore, and puffy. My nose stuffed and running. I was...just utterly exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, physically..... I KNEW I was in a bad situation. Toxic even. I wasn't blind to it. But Marissa had been my BEST FRIEND since we were kids. Was I in the wrong for staying and wanting to help her? Not really a voice in my head said, while another argued You know you can't give the kind of help she needs now. You need to get out before she drags you down with her unintentionally. I was too tired to argued with either of them. I was too tired to even care about how we might be looking to others. Me, this pretty young thing having suddenly just been crying, now leaning into this older gentleman. I just...couldn't care. I had nothing left to feel right now. I don't think I had the energy for it. It took a few tries, and me clearing my throat through the sniffles before my hoarse scratchy voice muttered out some kind of tired apology. "I'm sorry..." My voice cracked a bit, as if another fresh wave of tears could burst through despite having non left to give. "I kind of just unloaded all that and then cried and soaked your shirt..." I gave a sad attempt at a laugh. But I wasn't wrong. I had soaked his shirt, least where my face was, with my crying.