"Loth, baby? You okay?"
He ignored her question and shut the bathroom door loudly, clicking the lock in place. She heard the water running and the swish of clothes being shed, then the shower curtain sliding open and closed. The shower radio turned on, a loud rock station blaring, and then the occasional muttered curse or gasp.
What is up with him? she thought. I mean, I knew he'd be jealous that Fangy came over while he was gone, but this is ridiculous! Sighing loudly, she headed for the basement and took Loth's favorite satin sheets down from the line, smoothing them over her arm. She took the sheets that had been on the bed off, tossing them into the basket negligently, then smiling to herself as she picked them up and sniffed the cologne. Shaking her head at how silly she was being, Deli folded them and tossed them back in with the dirty clothes.
She rearranged the comforter and pillows quickly, and lit some scented candles places around the room. Then she headed for the dining room, snatching a bottle of Chianti and glasses from the bar. She uncorked the bottle, and poured two glasses, and then changed into her silk robe. The best way to pacify him is to pamper him. This, I have learned. She lay down on the bed, closing her eyes and waiting for the water to switch off.
When it did, the bathroom door opened soon after, a towel clad Loth emerging as he dried his hair. He peeked into the bedroom, his heart softening at the sight before him. He almost walked in and took her in his arms. But then he remembered seeing that his girl was sitting on his dad's lap, hugging and giggling with him. And who knows what else? He looked at the dirty clothes hamper, noting the spare satin sheets peeking out from under the lid. Well that answers that, he thought, growling to himself.
He took one last look at his princess, her chest rising and falling slowly. She looked so innocent in her sleep and he longed to curl up beside her. But he was hurt, and he'd only say something stupid that was meant for Fangy and not Deli. He knew she loved him, and not Fangy, though she certainly adored the clone. It still stung that his dad had slipped in while he was gone and flaunted it to his face. He silently blew out the candles so they wouldn't cause a fire or something equally disastrous.
His door shut softly as he headed to his room dejectedly.
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Deli awoke early the next morning, her hands feeling around for Loth. Her brow
furrowed when she came up with nothing but bunched sheets and pillows. She opened
her eyes and looked around the room, her vision still clearing from being asleep.
She noted the full wineglasses and the practically unused candles. Confused,
she thought back to the last thing she remembered from the night before. She
remembered lying down to wait for Loth to get out of the shower…and she
must have fallen asleep. She sat up, swinging her legs off the bed, and headed
for the bathroom.
Her eyes caught the damp towel on the floor outside of
her door, and she raised an eyebrow. So he did see that I had set up a romantic
scene, she thought. And he ignored it. A hurt expression marred her face as
she stared at the door to Loth's room. He never closed his door, but this morning;
there it was…shut tight. Wrapping her arms around herself, she sighed and
headed for the shower.
************************************************************************
When she got out, she peeked out the door, and then streaked to her room to
find some clothes. The long, hot shower had been just what she needed to calm
her frazzled nerves. She pulled her favorite sweatshirt over her head, and stepped
into a pair of old sweat pants. It was then that the shape of her room caught
her gaze. The candles and wine had been cleared away, and the bed was made,
with her robe folded neatly on the pillows. The laundry basket was empty, and
the towel that had been by her door was gone as well. Puzzling, she walked out
into the hall, noting the door to Loth's room was wide open.
He wasn't there, so she went to the kitchen, hoping to find him making breakfast. Her smile drooped when she didn't find him there or anywhere else in the house. She headed to his room, frantically searching for a clue as to where he had gone. On his bed was a small handwritten note, obviously scrawled quickly as an afterthought.
Deli-
I'm not sure how to say this, but I need to get away for a little while. I'm
just…I don't want to hurt your feelings, and right now, I might. I'm not
angry with you at all. I just have a lot of things to deal with and I need some
space to do so. I'll be back soon, so don't worry about me. Just know that I'll
be back when I can.
Love,
Lothario
A small tear formed in the corner of her eye and she
put the paper down on the bed. The scent of Loth's shower gel emanated from
his pillow, and she swallowed hard, pulling it close to her and snuggling it
as she cried.
************************************************************************
Her first thought when she awoke, exhausted and bleary eyed, was to see if Loth
knew where she'd put her contact drops the last time she used them. It hit her
suddenly that Loth was the reason she felt like she'd eaten a bag of cottonballs,
and she buried her face in her hands What do I do now? she thought.
Swaying slightly from a head rush, she ambled to the dining room, still trying to figure out what she could do to keep from dwelling on Loth's disappearance all day. The IM sound on her computer beckoned her like a beacon in the night sky, and she shrugged. If the computer was good for one thing, it was definitely distraction. She logged on and checked her mounds of mail methodically, cocking her head to the side when she heard the sound of Yahoo Messenger calling her name. She peeked at the window, noting it was Angeline, and pondered what to do.
She knew Angeline would be worried about Loth and her,
and she didn't want to worry her friend. Nor did she want a full scale search
party, knowing instinctively that Loth would be prone to shrink further into
the shadows if people were looking for him. So she replied to Angeline cheerily,
quickly making up a story about being sick and Loth doing dishes busily in the
kitchen. Angeline put Fangy on after the rambunctious clone decided he had to
play with the IMvironments fighting game with her. This was a good idea, she
thought. I actually feel a little better…