Partners

Partners
Viva la Viveca

Disclaimer : Schyra and I… well… as much as we probably both wished we did… we don’t own any of the Rave characters… Buuut I own this storyline and she owns me…

A/N: SORRY FOR THE WAIT!!! SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!! Dun kill me ._.

Chapter 10 :: Response

The next few days I tried to live my life like nothing happened. I didn’t hear from Catt, or if she called Musica never told me. I refused to answer the phone myself, and it really had nothing to do with Catt anymore. I didn’t really want to talk to Lucia or anyone else either. I was still trying to sort my thoughts, and in the state of mind I was in, I figured if I even tried talking to anyone I would have another mental breakdown. Musica seemed more than happy to get the phone. Even though I didn’t say anything about my feelings, I have a sneaking suspicion he already sort of knew where my mind was. I was really starting to feel that he was the only one I could trust, the only one who wouldn’t completely abandon me.

We played it off that I was sick and he got my homework for me and turned it in as well. That way I wouldn’t lose my grades in any of my classes. I felt bad making him lie for me, but he said he’d rather I stay home and keep myself busy than go to school and end up just making myself miserable. I didn’t ask questions, just sort of accepted it.

He started staying home more instead of going out all the time, which made me wonder if he was just watching me for any sign that I had cracked and needed to be carted off to the psych ward at the hospital, but at the same time I knew that was just my own paranoia talking to me. He just wanted to make sure I was okay… right?

I was surprised, when one day he even stayed home with me and helped me clean. I had never seen the apartment so clean in my entire life! It was literally spotless for once, and we both felt satisfied by it. We turned up the stereo and laughed and talked and cleaned and disinfected cupboards that we hadn’t even known existed. We were even talking about getting actual pots and pans and making real food for once instead of constantly eating out. We knew it’d be healthier for us, but we just needed to learn how to cook first. Musica wasn’t terrible at it, actually, so I figured if we worked hard enough it could work. It was a nice distraction laughing and acting like the week hadn’t happened at all.

By Friday the phone was ringing non-stop, and I looked to Musica to answer it… every time he told the person “sorry he’s not available right now, I’ll have him call you when he gets the chance”, though he wouldn’t tell me who was calling.

Finally I broke down and asked him. “Who is it that keeps calling so much?” I asked as we dug into our Chinese take-out that Musica had just run down the street to get. I figured it was Lucia calling, though I wasn’t sure why Musica wasn’t handing the phone to me for that. Maybe it was his way of telling me he really didn’t approve of my relationship with him?

“Elie… Well, at least 9 out of 10 it’s Elie… there was one time it was Julia, but I don’t doubt that she was calling for Elie, just to see if you were avoiding her or something…,” Musica replied. I nodded, as I wouldn’t have been surprised either. Julia and Elie were good friends. If anything Julia was more like a big sister to Elie if anything.

As the evening wore on I started thinking about confronting Elie, just to get it done and over with. I could honestly say I wasn’t worried about hurting her; she had hurt me first, with her words to Sieg and her actions with him. It wasn’t fair to me in any way, shape or form, and at least where I was standing right then, I felt she deserved it. She had never really been there for me when I needed it, and she pressured me into a lot of things that I didn’t really want to do. I just didn’t know what to say to her, or what to do either.

The phone rang again, startling out of my reverie as I stood there washing a plate for the fifth time. I heard Musica pick it up in the other room and sort of tuned it out until Musica tapped me on the shoulder. He was covering the mouth piece with his hand. “Lucia… do you want to talk to him or not?” he asked. I sighed. While I wasn’t quite sure where I stood with Lucia anymore, I couldn’t help but want to hear his voice. Stupid attachment issues that I was trying to break were already urging me to take the phone and just listen to him talk for hours.

I sighed again, with that thought in my head, taking the phone from him and giving a quiet “Hello?”

I heard a breath of relief on the other end. “Dammit Haru I was so worried about you when you didn’t show up to classes the past couple days! I thought you had died or something!!” Lucia said. I could hear noise in the background that sounded like plates crashing, which made me think he was at work.

“Sorry, I wasn’t feeling well… I figured I’d see you at school when I felt better or something like that,” I was staring at the ground, trying to think of a good excuse. Nothing was coming to me. Hearing Lucia’s voice was like music to my ears, despite my promise to try and break things off with him. I should have known I would fail again.

“Didn’t your roommate tell you to call me whenever you were able to?” Lucia asked, sounding just a bit hurt.

I looked at Musica confusedly. “Um… no he didn’t actually… Otherwise I would have,” I cringed, knowing I was lying. I wouldn’t have even if Musica had told me, but I said that anyways, just because I didn’t want to sound cruel. I did technically owe Lucia for four days of kindness that he didn’t have to show me. I closed my eyes and shook my head trying not to think of it like that, trying to think that what he did for me was because he loved me, like he said he does. But it was like I could only think of him as the person to leave me next.

Wait.

Musica hadn't told me that Lucia wanted me to call. So... I guess that means he doesn't really approve of Lucia after all..

“-aru? Haru!”

I blinked, startled, and hastily replied. “Hm? What? Sorry.”

“I said, 'Can I come and see you?'. After work. I get off in fifteen minutes.”

I looked around, trying to find something I could do to keep me occupied, a chore or something so I wouldn't have to go out and meet him. The dishes were mostly done, the floor was sparkling and our cupboards were full of food.

There was nothing.

I gulped.

“Umm.. okay.”

I hung up the phone, looking at Musica weirdly and then rushing to go get jeans on instead of my old ratty sweatpants I wore while cleaning. They had been through every cleaning chemical known to man and had survived. Plus I liked protecting my jeans as best I could as they were expensive these days. I pulled on a random t-shirt, not realizing until it was too late to change that it was one I had sort of stolen from Lucia the other day.

Musica stood in my door way, watching me dig through a pile of clean clothes to grab a pair of jeans. “He’s coming over, isn’t he?” he said, sounding a bit irritated, almost like just having him in the apartment would make the place unclean again. I nodded, sitting on my bed to pull on my jeans. I had changed in front of Musica a hundred times. Plus it’s not like he could see anything with my boxers on. I didn’t even know why I was making note of this at the time. I guess it was the correlation of my boyfriend coming over and the fact that my best friend was standing there watching me change, and how that probably should have been inappropriate in most cases.

I stood up and looked at him. “Listen… I know you don’t like him, and I know you don’t like me being with him, but it is what it is…” I said, then looking at the floor.

“Besides… I’m not even sure how long it’ll last… he’ll probably get tired of me just like Catt did… and like Elie did too…”

I wasn’t expecting myself to admit my fears to him, but it sort of slipped out. Before he could grace that with a response there was a knock and the door and I walked off to go answer the door, knowing it was Lucia. I was sort of grateful for his timing, because I didn’t want to hear Musica’s response in all actuality.