Free Fragile by Veronica Short Page B

in the bed beside him. I knew as soon as I did it, that it was the wrong thing to do. I should have insisted that he moved Aiden but when I felt Rick put an arm around me, all my doubts disappeared.
     
     
    “Coffee… coffee… coffee,” I sang in the kitchen the next morning as I looked at the machine. I was trying to figure out how to use it without breaking it.
    “There you are,” Rick said as he came down the steps and into the kitchen.
    “Here I am,” I chimed. “Did I wake you?” Rick pressed a button on the machine and it started chugging away and started to pour coffee into my cup.
    “No, the bed was empty.” He got a cup down for himself too.
    “A thought occurred to me last night.” I said as I grabbed my cup from the machine and put Rick’s in its place.
    “What was that?” He asked through a yawn.
    “You’re still tired. Why don’t you go back to bed?”
    “I’m up now, I won’t be able to go back to sleep. What were you thinking, Lu?”
    I dropped my eyes away from him and brought my coffee to my lips, “That I don’t have anything to put in my new home.”
    Rick tilted his head to the side, “You don’t, do you. Well we’ll have to change that.” He looked serious for a moment. He started to say something but thought better of it.
    “What is it?”
    “It’s nothing,” he said with a shake of his head, instead he took a sip of coffee.
    “Tell me, Rick.”
    He took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m just worried about the price of the apartment. I know you’re successful, but it’s a lot to fork out for an apartment. I didn’t pay that much for this place.”
    “If I pay an insane amount of money for somewhere to live, it gives me something to stay for,” I said softly and honestly.
    “Ok then.” Rick drunk his coffee as we cooked breakfast together then got ready for work.
    I slammed the front door as I entered the apartment later that night, and Rick immediately came into view “What’s wrong?”
    “I don’t want to talk about it.” I stormed past him, went up the stairs and into the bathroom. I started to pour the bath and as I watched the tub fill there was a knock at the door.
    “Lu?” Rick’s worried voice came through the closed door. I walked over to it and opened it a crack to see Rick looking just as worried as he sounded. “Talk to me,” he pleaded.
    “It’s stupid.”
    “Tell me anyway.”
    “The apartment I wanted to see is already under contract. I got the call earlier today. The real estate agent said it was first come first serve.”
    “You’ll get the next one,” Rick tried to assure me.
    “Yeah,” I whispered, not believing it. Rick placed a finger under my chin and lifted my head up.
    “Hey, you’ll find one.”
    I sniffed back tears and wiped my hand under my nose, “Sorry.”
    “Don’t apologise for being upset.”
    “I just don’t have the freedom to say I can see it today. My days aren’t routine and...” I trailed off as I began to cry harder. Rick wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest.
    “You’ll get one.” He whispered into my hair.
    I nodded and wiped the last of my tears away as Rick left me to have my bath. When I got out, Rick had something ready for me to eat, then I fell asleep on the couch and I woke to see Rick carrying me to bed, placing me down gently and covering me up with blankets.
    “Up.” The side of the bed dipped, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. Aiden growled, “Watch it, dog. I feed you.”
    “Don’t threaten the dog.” I rolled over to see Rick fully dressed and I squinted up at him. “You got plans?”
    “We have plans. You have five minutes before I come back and dress you myself.” That was all he said before he stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him. “Four minutes, Lu!” Rick yelled from the other side of the door.
    I turned my head to face the door. “You are so not counting from the hallway!”
    “You just wasted another minute arguing with me.