Free A Will To Change (Hope) by Beth Rinyu

finding that I would much rather be hanging out with Gabby watching TV than getting laid. This was so not like me. I jumped in the shower trying to shake off those feelings. After about twenty-five minutes of standing under the running water and trying to chase away my thoughts, I finally decided to get out, wrapping the towel around my waist. I grabbed my phone to find a missed call from my mother. As I dialed and waited for her voicemail to play, I was praying that it wasn’t anything that would warrant a return phone call. “Will, I'm just calling to see if you're still alive, and to see what your plans are for Thanksgiving. If you're not working, it would be really nice for you to spend it with your family. Call me.”
    I looked at the date on my phone. Was she fuckin’ serious? It was only October 5 th . Why the hell was she worried about Thanksgiving when it was well over a month away? I threw on some clothes just as my doorbell was buzzing.
    “Hey, baby!” Janelle exclaimed as I opened the door.
     I looked down at the plastic bag strung around her arm and the DVD in her hand. “What's that?”
    “Oh, I stopped at the deli and got us some sandwiches. And look. Dirty Dancing !” She happily held the movie up in the air.
    “Well, actually, I don't know if I have time for a movie because I may have to go back into work, and I'm not hungry for food.” I closed the door and pushed her up against the wall, immediately placing my hands up her shirt as I kissed her.
    “Will,” she whined. “There's plenty of time for that after.”
    “After what?”
    “After the movie, silly!”
    Did she really think that her pussy was worth wasting an hour-and-a-half of my life listening to her sing?
    “Janelle, I told you that I might get called back into work.”
    “Well, that's just a chance we're going to have to take,” she said, rubbing her hand along my cheek. “Now, where are the plates?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen.
    I sighed heavily and pointed to the cabinet.
    After twenty minutes of pure torture, I decided it was time to make my move. I moved in closer and kissed her, lifting her shirt over her head and unbuttoning her pants.
    “Wait, wait, wait! This is my favorite part!” She suddenly stopped kissing me and focused on the TV. Damn it, Janelle! Why didn’t she get it? I don’t hang out with women for anything other than sex. There was only one exception to that…my sweet little Gabby girl. I threw my head back on the couch, trying to figure out which was worse…my case of blue balls, or the chick flick on my television.
     

 

     
    I stepped out of the shower and changed into my sweats, planning a nice quiet evening in front of the television. Evan had been away on business for the past three days, and from what I had gathered from listening to parts of his phone conversations, he wasn't due home until tomorrow. As I cracked the bathroom door to let some of the steam escape, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. My mind began to wander. Did I lock the door? I could have sworn that I did. When I heard it again, there was no doubt that there was someone out there. I looked around for my phone, remembering that I had left it on the kitchen counter when Will had texted me earlier. Shit, Gabby, think! What are you going to do? I slipped on my flip flops so I would at least have shoes on my feet in case I needed to make a quick getaway. I scoured the bathroom for a weapon, but the only thing I could find was the can of air freshener. If worse came to worse, I would spray it in their eyes and make a run for it.
    I slowly inched my way out of the bathroom, trying to get to the front door so I could at least get to my neighbor's apartment and call the police. My stomach dropped when I saw movement coming from the kitchen. Relief and dread spread over me when I realized that it was Evan. Once I saw the glassiness in his eyes and the stagger in his stance, I was thinking I would have been better