living in fiction

[LazyCat]

There was sunshine, that came in through the wide windows, shining over the white styled apartment. The drip of a faucet, and the fatal plop of water meeting water. Red grew in his eyelids, and the sound mocked his ears. Head pounded as he sat up, to a new day, another life, alone in this apartment. Feet scuffed to the kitchen and then he filled a glass of clear, water. Reaching, blindly for a bottle, which he fidgeted with to get three pills, chased down by the water. This was reality, hands gripped the edge of the counter, and eyes squinted into the bright light of the outer world... Cars, buses, and bicycles, all containing people in motion. A constant, never ending cycle, and this life.

A hand brushed the water from his lips, rough stubble brushing against the back of his palm. If there was someway to stop this, insensitivity, he'd look for it. But even his feet felt numb against the cold stone floor. It was better than before, he would imagine, and then without a second thought he headed for the bathroom. The lights automatically flickered on, shining brightly against sparkling, clean white decor. His robe slipped off, and then he was in the shower, scrubbing away the late night's grime. He stood there, an hour, in the warm heat, taking away what he would leave behind. Everything. Once he was out he'd be the same again.

Water dripped on the cool floor, soaking at the pads of his feet. It didn't matter. He wrapped a towel around his waist and headed for a sink. Shaving properly, and then rubbing his hair dry with the towel, disposed of in the hamper on the way out. The lights flicked off. And he opened the closet. Packed with different suits, a shelf of designer shoes, and drawers of watches, and different selections of ties. Fingers straightened the blue stripped tie, matching it's black silhouette properly. Shoes, silver watch, and a proper smile.

These things were easy to do. He reached for the papers that scattered the coffee table, stacking them neatly, and pressing them into his briefcase, it was the things he knew how to do. And as he headed for the exit, his cellphone rang. Outside, he presses it on, "hello, my sweet son," says the voice on the other line. He smiles, and presses the down button, and shortly the elevator opens.

"Hello, Mother," he replies, readjusting his tie as she begins to hover. Being the only son, his mother doted far too much, and though he had two sisters for her to reckon with, she seemed to set her affairs in meddling with his life. Not that he minded, she was a fair woman. His sisters both lived with her, happy to be a part of the family looming business, but he had moved out at the age of seventeen. "Sorry, I have to go," he mumbled as the elevator reached the first floor, and then there was a sense of urgency on the other line. Blind date? He shook his head, at this tedious task, but complied, "of course, I shall go. Love you, ma," and then he hung up. Glad to be leaving for work.

Something refreshed him about work. It was a place where he could use his talents, accomplish something, anything, outside of his own wants. Because what did he want right now? He climbed into a cab, and beckoned them onward. Flipping his phone open to call his assistant, "make sure Mr. Brown is in today, we need to have a conference, and the household agreement," and then he hung up. Left to tapping his briefcase, and staring out the window to the busy street.

Everything was already known about Thomas Brown, your average boy, hard worker, but dissatisfied with his relationship for some reason or another. It was almost the same for everyone in this city. The fiction of forever love, and the reality when it was torn down. All the same. He nodded to his assistant in greeting on the way in, who stood up immediately and announced Mr. Brown was inside.

"Hello," he greeted pleasantly, laying down his briefcase and sitting down in the comfortable, red, plush chair across from Thomas. He crossed one leg over the other, and smiled, pulling a few papers, "so you want your girlfriend to sign full ownership to your shared apartment?"

The man nodded in agreement, and then took a look over the papers, "yes, that's right, the sooner the better."

"Yes, I understand, but you must, legally, allow her to stay until she has other accommodations, as it says in the contract, otherwise she can sue you for breaking the contract."

Thomas glared, the tart, and leaned back in his chair, throwing down the papers rudely, "then take it out of the contract, I don't want her in my house anymore."

He straightened up, leaning down to sort the papers, "are you asking me to change the law? It is a shared apartment, she paid half the taxes on it, therefore she is entitled to time there. Like it or not, you have to deal with it, and if you do harass her in anyway, I'll be sure to get your ass," he reached back to pull a pen off his desk, and set it on the coffee table between them, "now sign Mr. Brown, and I will deliver these, personally, to your partner."

In a huff, the man signed and left the office in a dash of frustration. His assistant looking back in the room that the man had just stormed out of. "You know that will come back haunt you?"

He shrugged on his jacket, folding the papers safely inside his pocket as well as his pen, "doesn't matter, scum can't touch me." And then he headed out, to personally find this person that would be dating a temperamental brat. Who ever she was, he hoped she wasn't as troublesome.

"Ah, good day Mr. Hanson," called his assistant to his back on the way out. And that was all that needed to be said.

[aprettyoddgirl]

Last night had been the most recent sleepless night out on the couch. Thomas was being childish, as always, but just couldn't let it rest. Yeah, maybe they weren't right for each other-- she couldn't remember dating such a baby. And if he had been this immature every time he had tried to get into her pants (unsuccessfully!) there would have been no relationship to start with. There would have never been talk about Jacelyn moving in with him. No talk about buying a ring some day. No talk about having a family. However, there had been talk, and plenty of it.

"I don't even know you," "Yeah, well I can't remember too. Glad we agree on something." Words were thrown back and forth, mostly being the word 'bitch' which Thomas liked to use more than Jacelyn did. "Maybe if you weren't such a bossy bitch we'd be together!" But it began to hurt a little less as he continued to say it, bitch bitch bitch.

Today was self-proclaimed D-Day for Jacelyn. She just had to get everything packed up, sign a few papers and she would be out of there. She didn't know where she would go, especially since her mother lived hours away, but she was going to go somewhere. A hotel, a brothel, a park bench. She wasn't going to stay with Thomas for one more night.

As of right now, Thomas was speaking with the lawyer, which allowed Jacelyn adequate time to pack all of the belongings she had obtained over their 3 year relationship. Most of the time, however, if she found a picture that had she and Thomas pictured in it, she ripped it right in half, just as she used to do with the pictures of her mother and her father when she was a teenager, and tucked it away for later burning. She had to throw away more of her things than she would have liked; there just wasn't that much space in her car.

With her dark brown hair pulled into a shabby ponytail on the top of her head and sweat dripping down her forehead even in this relentless cold, Jacelyn reached for the silver duct tape and taped the box closed. She brought her hands to her mouth and blew warm air on them before she shoved them into the pockets of her hoodie. Thomas always kept it cold in the house, no matter what. Jacelyn used to joke that it was because he was so hot-tempered, and now she was positive of it.

There came a knock to the door before long and Jacelyn sighed as she heaved up from her knees. "Forgot your damn key, Tommy-Boy?" She muttered to herself before she unlocked the door and held it open. Surprised whenever there was another man at the door. Jacelyn leaned back against the doorframe and crossed her arms. "Can I help you?"

She didn't recognize the man, but it could be the lawyer. That was the only other person she was expecting to pay the house a visit, anyway, but it could be another one of Thomas' buddies... something made her doubt it. This man was dressed too nicely to be associated with Thomas.

[LazyCat]

The trip up there was not easy. Especially with the vague address he was given. Thomas, clearly didn't really care if his lawyer got lost, or wasted precious time on this job, but he could have easily sent his assistant. Only enough, he felt it was necessary to come personally, perhaps it was his own curiosity, to see who could deal with a jerk for such a time, even a day.

He stepped out of the cab, on the correct street, and glanced back down at the address. It really shouldn't be too far. Street vendors littered the street, a part of town that was not often toured by the police. And inside there was a stifling memory of a smiling face. Of written stories, and when he still believed in them. Though, he could easily bust them for selling products illegally, but it wasn't even worth it. He tucked the address back in his coat pocket, and headed up the steps to the apartments. He hit the buzzer, and as there was no reply, slipped inside, while an older woman came out.

Number five, it was all the way up the stairs, and so he wandered up the long, spiral staircase. It was endless, and as he reached the third floor, he was already fatigued. His chest becoming unbearably tight, and he coughed, his asthma activated by the dust and exercise. And there was too more floors left. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and grabbed the rail, pulling himself up the way, wondering why a place like this didn't have an elevator.

When he finally reached the correct number, he wiped away the sweat, and stood for a few minutes to catch his breath. He didn't want to appear to be dying at a time like this. Readjusting his tie he stood straightly in front of the door, and knocked twice, gently. There was a murmur on the other end, that confirmed he had made it to the right place, thank god.

It was more than obvious to him when she opened the front door, boxes were stacked up, and clearly ready to bring out, while half the items in the apartment were untouched. It wasn't easy to spot. He smiled pleasantly, despite being called, 'Tommy-boy', he would remain in good nature for this job. Once it was complete, the rest was up to him. He blinked as she leaned against the door, arms folded defensively, hair a mess, more or less he didn't expect her to be much more fun than her boyfriend. "I've come to discuss the matter of ownership of this, household," he said peeking inside again at the place.

"Are you going to invite me inside?" he asked after a few moments, tried from his march up this stupid building, he honestly didn't know why Tom wanted to keep this apartment so much. He could a break on that sofa, and a nice glass of water. That would be pleasant. He waited for her to respond, at same time ready to collapse on the doorstep. A bead of sweat forming on his forehead. Elevator.

[aprettyoddgirl]

Jacelyn looked the man up, down and over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't brought anyone else with him. His cheeks were flushed to a pink, a look that Jacelyn herself recognized on Thomas sometimes when he was drunk and had to climb the stairs. She herself was well practiced with her home, and never drank, so she didn't become so winded by the flights of the winding staircase. Carrying these boxes downstairs, however, would be trouble some. One box at a time... 20 something boxes? Up and down 5 floors... that would count as her running exercise for the day.

She tried to hide the amusement off her face at the expression of the other man; typically she wasn't a mean person unless there was reason, but she did find it funny for a Suit to have to come all this way to have her sign a few simple papers. Jacelyn nodded and stepped out of the doorway to let him inside; the least she could do was offer him a chair. "I'll have to unbury one. Give me a moment." She turned to a pile of boxes that were stacked on the easy chair in the corner of the living room and hefted them down on the ground.

Once more she turned away from him and went to the kitchen. Pulling the door on the wood cabinet she plucked out a glass, investigated it for cleanliness, and filled it up with tap water. When she returned, the man was already collapsed into the chair and she held out the glass. She gently sat down on the uncovered arm of the couch near by and crossed her legs. "So where do I need to sign?"

[LazyCat]

He thankfully stepped into the apartment, careful to weave around to the boxes, and wait for her to clear a chair. Was she amused by him? Well, at least one of them was in a good mood. He collapsed in the chair, though it wasn't naturally very comfortable, it felt like heaven. He wiped the sweat from his brow, again, as she turned away to get a glass of water, and tapped resettled himself for when she returned. Courteously accepting the water he sipped it, the taste salty, leaving his mouth dry. It was tap water. Unlike the water he had filtered at home. Nodding he murmured a thanks before carefully setting the glass back down on the box.

It wasn't that Lucas couldn't adapt. He could easily drink tap water, if the situation demanded it, but at the moment he wasn't desperate enough to drink the salty liquid. He turned toward her as she sat down on the arm of the couch, and blinked, where to sign? Ah, that was correct, he had come here for her to sign the papers. He hadn't even remembered after the hike from hell. He patted the inner pocket of his suit for the papers, and then pulled them out to read.

"By signing you are giving over the properties of ownership for this household, fully, to Mr. Brown. As the previous owner to this residence, you are entitled to stay, maximum a month, until you find proper accommodations" he flipped to the back page, holding the boy's angry signature, and an empty space for her to sign. "If any terms of the agreement are broken, then he or she has the option of suing the other, for obstruction of the law." With that he settled the papers onto his thigh, pulled out a pen from his inner jacket and signed as the overseer of the contract. And then passed them over her.

"You understand the terms then?" he asked as she signed her name, "he can't force you out until you have proper accommodations," he glanced around the room full of boxes with silver tape, "you have a place to go, right?" It wasn't meant to be nosy, in any shape of form, but somehow that was how it turned out. He was just doing his job, no matter, it was busting the ass of that guy, Thomas Brown. He adjusted his tie, in the awkwardness, and looked straight, wondering if it was worth saying, but it was already said. He looked back at her, to take the papers, and hopefully escape.

[aprettyoddgirl]

Jacelyn noticed as the man took hardly a sip of the disgusting water, but didn't mind. Tap water was an acquired taste that she had become used to all of her life. This lawyer was probably much more well off; probably lived in a house 3 sizes too big with a happy wife and a precious cloned child. And, most importantly, he probably had filtered water cooled to the perfect temperature.

She reached over to the end table and picked up a blue ink pen, clicking it as she thought and as he spoke. It was a bunch of legal babble, but she understood. Too bad it just wasn't going to happen like this. Who knew what would happen if she stayed one more night here with Thomas. He'd probably bring over countless girls (prostitutes, she was sure, because Thomas was not that charming) and have sex with them in her former bed just to show her what's what.

She glanced down at the papers when they were handed to her, and placed her own pen into her lips and signed with the lawyer's pen, writing in her always elegant script compared to the furious signature of Thomas'.

"I understand," Jacelyn said simply as she looked back a couple of pages to ensure that there were no other places to sign. "I have accommodations lined up, thank you," She lied neatly. She had her car, anyway, and a full tank of gas. She could turn on the car every other hour to keep herself warm enough while she slept. It would be good enough of a temporary home for a little while, anyway.