Live And Let Die
Chapter 6
By: Makena
"For moving, you sure didn't bring a lot of stuff."
Makena stopped sobbing into Benji's shoulder and straightened herself up to see Paul, dragging two of her suitcases down the stairs. Benji looked down at Makena - who was 5'5" and still had to be looked down on - and gave her a questioning expression.
"You know you're staying here, right?" he asked. "I mean... you're not leaving when we leave."
Makena nodded and looked back up at Benji. "That's all I own."
Benji didn't know what to say. She had brought only three suitcases with her, which was less than some people bring on a week's vacation to Hawaii, and it contained everything Gavin and her owned between them.
"Oh," he said. Makena met Paul and the foot of the stairs and helped him with the bags.
"Gavin's is the red one," she said, taking the red suitcase from Paul and putting it into her son's new room. Paul took the pink one and put it on the floor in Makena's room, shortly followed by Billy who had the blue one.
"I gotta get back to making Gavin's lunch," Paul said, motioning to the stairs. Makena stopped him and pulled him in for a hug.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"It was all Benji's idea," Paul told her.
"Thank you, anyway," Makena said. She released her old friend before repeating the same thing on Billy. Again, it was just Benji and Makena. She sighed and walked slowly into her bedroom. She looked around and finally sat down on her new bed. The mattress was soft and comfortable - she knew she would have no trouble getting to sleep in her new bed.
Benji watched her from the door frame. "You can get settled in, if you want," he said. "I was going to go upstairs and take a shower."
Makena nodded and watched him leave before she took a chance to lay across her bed. She knew she didn't deserve it. She had thought that she would have to crash on Benji's couch, or maybe in a guest bed room, but - a bedroom all her own? She had never expected that. And she had no way of paying them back for their kindness.
She sighed and got up, unzipping her two suit cases and beginning to find places for everything to go in her new room. Her's.
-----
Quietly, she slipped up the old creaky stairs and through the kitchen. She knew Gavin was old enough to sleep on his own by now - he didn't need her to be in the same room.
She walked through the kitchen and into the living room where she found the staircase and silently climbed to the second floor. The first door on her left was left slightly ajar.
'Please don't be awake,' she pleaded as she pushed it open. The door creaked a little, but she found a sleeping figure in the bed instead and she quickly shut the door behind her, relieved that he was asleep.
She tiptoed to the side of his bed where she crawled into bed next to a sleeping Benji. She took his arm and wrapped it around her like a blanket and fell asleep.
But Benji hadn't been asleep. He had woken up when he heard her walk through the kitchen. He waited to see what she was going to do when she suddenly appeared at his bedroom door wearing blue plaid pajama pants and a long, button up pajama shirt that matched her bottoms, and were a little big on her.
He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep when she walked to him and laid herself down on his bed. She was asleep in minutes and Benji readjusted his arm around her before he fell comfortably into a deep sleep beside her.
-----
'You fucked her life up, Benji.'
'No!'
'You know you did - don't deny it you cheap piece of shit.'
'I know! I didn't mean to...'
'You fucked everything up for her, you know. Her life - it's ruined now.'
'I didn't mean...'
Benji's eyes snapped open. He had been drifting in and out of sleep for about an hour, always going back to the same conversation with himself.
"I'm going insane," he said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He decided it was better not to go back to sleep. It was then he realized that Makena was no longer sleeping in the bed next to him.
Not exactly surprised, Benji listened to the noises that drifted to his room from the kitchen and frowned. He could hear what sounded like bacon frying and a mixture of coffee and french toast filled the air.
Benji swung his legs over the side of his bed and stretched before he walked down stairs. He wasn't surprised to see that he was the last one to wake up.
He was surprised, however, to see the table set for six people. There were eggs and french toast, bacon and hash browns, as well as orange juice and coffee. Makena was standing at the stove, finishing the last of the bacon.
Benji stood in the kitchen and looked at everything she had done. Paul looked up at him from the table and grinned.
"She made breakfast," he said. Benji nodded and looked around.
"I noticed," he said. Makena turned around from her cooking and smiled a little at him.
"Breakfast is almost ready," she told him. Benji nodded, but watched her anyway, not having anything else to do. She finished minutes later and put everything on the table.
"Ah, man it smells good in here," Billy said, walking into the kitchen from the living room. Joel followed him in and took a seat next to Billy at the table.
"I know Paul's the only one who eats meat," Makena said, sitting down once every one had taken their own seat. "But I made some anyway - I hope you don't mind."
"No, man," Billy said, shaking his head and helping himself to the potatoes.
"This is great - I didn't think you'd make breakfast at all."
Makena smiled a little and poured Gavin some orange juice.
Benji sat on the end of the table between Joel and Billy, poking his eggs with his fork while resting his head in his hands, his fingers locked in his dark hair. He hadn't expected her to do anything. He had fucked up her life, and he was trying to make it up to her, but this - this was making things difficult. And then there was the fact that he couldn't forget how he had ruined her entire life and nothing could ever fix that.
Makena cleared her throat and Benji's head snapped up from the blank stare he had been giving his eggs. He looked around the table to see everyone looking at him but Gavin, who was chewing on a piece of bacon.
"Sorry," he muttered, finally taking a bite of food. He could hear Makena sigh slightly. "Sorry if you don't like it," she apologized quietly, carefully picking up some hash browns with her fork.
"No," Benji said, shaking his head. "I just - I'm not that hungry right now." The room was silent as he continued to poke his eggs. Still, everyone stared at him.
"Jerk," Billy muttered from beside him.
"This is really good," Paul spoke up finally, taking a bite of potatoes and eggs. Makena sighed slightly but smiled anyway.
"Thank you," she said, looking up at him.
"Hey, why don't we clean up," Joel offered after everyone had finished their breakfast. "You made this excellent breakfast for us - " he shot a dirty glance at his brother " - so we'll just do the dishes and everything."