A Will To Change (Hope) (14 page)

“This game sucks!”

“Don’t hate the game; hate the player.”

“You got that reversed, dummy!” She smirked.

“Uh, I don’t think so…dummy.”

She squinted her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me. “So, now, let’s discuss the particulars.”

“Like?” I raised my eyebrow at her.

“Well, I don’t want to interfere with the brothel that you run here.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “Ah, come on, Gabby girl. You could be the Madam.”

She giggled and shook her head. “Nah, I’ll pass, thanks. But seriously, Will. I don’t want you to feel like you have to rearrange your life just because I’m here. So if you know ahead of time, just -.”

“Gabby, will you stop? I don’t feel like that. Besides, I prefer to do
those
things at their place. That way, I can make a quick getaway and I don’t get stuck changing the sheets.”

She busted out with laughter. “You are too much!” She took a sip of her water that she had sitting on the table. “Okay, next item.”

“And what would that be? Leaving the toilet seat up, or putting the toilet paper on the roll?”

“Umm, no. Rent, silly.”

I held up my hand and she immediately shook her head. “Oh, no way, Will. There is no way in hell that I'm staying here without paying rent.” 

“Gabby, I don't need money from you. Really, I don't. I have an extra bedroom and I'm helping out a friend.”

“No, Will! If you don't -.” 

“If I don't what? What are you gonna do, Gabby girl? Pack up all those boxes that you just took two long hours unpacking and leave?” I teased.

“Will, if I have to smuggle money into cavities of your body while you're sleeping, I will!”

“Hmmm… That sounds like it could be fun.”

She sighed heavily, still not wanting to admit defeat. “Will, come on!” she pleaded.

“Just chill out, Gabby.” 

“You know I'm not letting this go.”

By the look in her eyes and her stubbornness that she always so freely displayed, I knew that she wouldn’t. “Hey, are you a good cook?” I asked, trying to switch the topic.

She creased her forehead in confusion. “Yeah, why?” 

“Okay, good first month's rent. You can cook me dinner tonight.” 

“I was planning on doing that anyway, and one lousy dinner does
not
make up for a whole month of rent.”

“Oh, Gabby, you're talking to a guy who has nothing but Ramen Pride noodles and Chef Boyardee in his cabinets. A home cooked meal is worth more than gold to me.”

She got up from the couch and looked down at me. “Come on.” 

“Where to?”

“We’re going food shopping.” She flashed me that adorable smile, making it impossible to refuse.

Will and I took the short walk to the little Italian grocery store on the corner. He held the door open for me, allowing me to enter before him. I looked around, trying to figure out what to make him for dinner. I wanted it to be something extra special. He followed behind me like a little kid as I walked up and down the aisles.

“What do you feel like eating?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, what do you like?” He shrugged his shoulders once again. “You're not making this easy,” I said.

“Surprise me,” he smirked.

“Okay, but you have to eat everything on your plate.” 

“No problem.”

I grabbed a basket and flung it over my arm. I lifted my sunglasses, placing them on top of my head as I sifted through the artichokes, completely forgetting about my black eye. I quickly shifted them back down once I remembered. 

“What the hell are those?” Will asked.

“Artichokes. You've never had one before?”

He shook his head. “Umm…nah. They don't look very appetizing.”

“Oh no, Will. They are so good! Remember, everything on your plate!” He rolled his eyes as I placed two artichokes into a plastic bag.

I finished picking out everything that we needed for dinner, plus a few extra items that I knew Will didn't have…bread, milk, and the one thing that I couldn’t live without - flavored creamer for my coffee. I had made sure that I took my Keurig and all of my k-cups from my apartment. I had bought that as a birthday gift for myself last year and there was no way in hell that Evan was going to get custody of it. After talking to the butcher for about fifteen minutes and finally deciding on pork chops, I turned to Will. He was rolling his eyes behind my back. “I think I'm done.”

“Finally!” He let out a deep breath.

I shook my head and laughed. “You are such a little boy.”

We stood in line while Will entertained himself reading all of the gossip rags on the side of the register. “Thank god!” he huffed once all of the groceries were rung up. He pulled out his wallet.

“Put that back right now!” I scolded. 

“Why?” He looked at me like I was crazy. 

“Because I got this. Remember our deal.
I'm
cooking
you
dinner!”

“Yeah, the deal was you cook it. I didn't say anything about you paying for it.”

“Will McAdams, put that wallet away right now, or I will lift my sunglasses and introduce you to all of the bitchy housewives in here as my abusive husband, Butch.” He still had his wallet out, starting at me as if he was testing me. “You know I'll do it, Will!” I placed my hands on the side of my sunglasses and he immediately put his wallet back into his pocket. “I thought you’d see things my way.” I giggled.

“That was really good, Gabby girl,” Will said, taking the last bite.

“Thank you! And you even learned how to eat an artichoke tonight. Do you feel a little smarter?”

“Oh yeah!” He rolled his eyes. “Hey, remind me to give you a key. I gotta start my twenty-four hours on tomorrow so I won’t be around. Are you going to be scared sleeping here alone?” he teased.

I shook my head and smiled. His talk about work was a painful reminder that I had to go back in tomorrow and face everyone looking like this. Anger instantly shot through my body, thinking about Evan and the fact that I had let him do this to me. I had only hoped that his face was as bad as mine after Will had gotten done with him. Suddenly, the great time that I had just been having with Will was clouded with thoughts of Evan, my mother, and facing the world tomorrow.

“What’s wrong?” Will asked as I got up to clear the table. It amazed me how he was able to read me so well.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing,” I said, putting on a fake smile.

“Gabby…?”

“Just thinking about facing everyone at work tomorrow looking like this.”

He looked at me sympathetically. “Just keep your sunglasses on all day and tell your patients that you’re a famous movie star,” he teased.

“I wish.”

“Gabby, you have nothing to be ashamed of. The motherfucker that did this to you does.”

“But, in a way, I do. I mean, I let him do this to me. I should have fought back instead of -.”

“Gabby, don’t. He’s twice your size.”

I nodded, knowing that he was right, but it still didn’t change the fact that I felt like a helpless little girl. He got up and started helping me clean up.

I shook my head. “No! Sit back down. I got this.” I demanded.

He totally ignored me as he loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. “Will!” I shouted.

“Will you just shut up? Otherwise, I just might have to turn into Butch, the abusive husband.”

I smacked him with the dishtowel and giggled. “Oh, Will, something tells me you could
never
turn into Butch, even if you tried.”

Gabby and I had been roommates for six weeks and it was working out great. I loved having her around, and I found that I really missed her on the days that our work schedules didn’t jive with each other’s. As weird as it was for me to admit, it was nice to have a woman around. Maybe it was because Gabby wasn’t your typical pain in the ass woman. She didn’t nag, she didn’t ask anything of me, she was fun to be around. She loved to cook, which was a big plus for me. She always made sure that she packed something for me to take into work, whether it was for dinner, lunch, or just stuff that she would bake. Of course, I had to hear shit from all of the guys, but I didn’t care. She was a damn good cook. I had the last laugh when their mouths would water as they watched me eat my delicious homemade food while they ate their greasy fast food.

As I entered my apartment, exhaustion was finally settling in. I was up half the night with three different calls. I just wanted to jump in the shower, go to sleep, and not wake up for another seventy-two hours, which was when my next shift was to begin. Gabby gasped and gave an extra tug to the towel that she had wrapped around her when she opened the bathroom door and saw me standing on the other side. “Look the other way, please!” she said, running off to her room. I laughed. Once she was past me, I quickly turned around just to get a little peek before she closed the bedroom door behind her.

I turned on the shower, letting the water warm up as I undressed. My whole body ached. It had been a rough twenty-four hours. Stepping into the shower, I stood under the warm flow, feeling like I could fall asleep. Gabby's voice broke me from my trance. “I'm just gonna brush my teeth really quick,” she shouted over the running water. I poured the shampoo into my hand and rubbed it into my hair, pouring a little more when I wasn't getting much of a lather.