Unpromised Home

a chance meeting

'in which you go for a walk'

A groan falls from your lips as you stomp down the wet sidewalk. Each time your feet make contact with the ground, water splashes up onto your leg. The bottoms of your pants were drenched, clinging awkwardly and desperately to your skin.

The breeze whipped past your ears, followed by indignant droning coming from behind you. A sigh falls from your lips as you huddle your coat tighter around you. The siblings have been arguing nonstop since they woke up this morning, and it was driving you up the wall.

Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have minded. Petty sibling arguments are petty sibling arguments, after all. You had left the house initially, to let them blow off some steam, without you to interfere, but, that plan didn't work very well when they followed you out the door.

You groan as Vivian lets out a cry of shock. Her footsteps stomp up next to you, splashing even more water up onto your pant leg. You glance at her with a raised brow. She stares directly ahead and you shrug your shoulders in dismissal. This was getting ridiculous.

Briefly you glance up at the sky. The clouds coat the sky in a puffy gray coat. The sun's rays peek through behind the cover dimly, casting a glow onto the surrounding cloud.

You glance at Vivian again, catching her gaze. She stares at you, anger resting beyond her intentionally placid gaze. You stop dead in your tracks, watching as she stumbles over the skirt swishing around her ankles. Justin's footsteps stop short behind you as well.

"Is there something I missed between the two of you?" You watch Vivian stare behind you. Her expression read a complicated dance of anger and confusion. When her gaze falls back to the sidewalk you sigh dejectedly. A quick glance back to Justin shows the same level of cooperation. He stood sideways, gazing out at the passing traffic, his arms crossed over his chest.

You sigh, breathing into the palms of your hands. As the condensation rests on your hands you rub the bridge of your nose with your index fingers. Dropping your hands to your sides, you turn on your heel and walk. Past Vivian, past the end of the street, you walk.

You had little idea as to where you were going. You weaved in and around on the sidewalks, unaware if Justin and Vivian were continuing to follow you, or if they still stood back as if they were deer in headlights.

Your walk has your head lost in the clouds. Just what was their deal? They had been perfectly civil the day before, and you hadn't noticed anything from the arguments that morning that would have set either of them off the way that they were. Who were you to judge though? You hadn't noticed Vivian struggling with the move until she broke down a couple of weekends ago.

Wrapping your head around the trust they put in you was something you still struggle with. Even months after you had met them, you have no clue why they didn't just leave you in a ditch. You would have left yourself in a ditch, not letting you move into an apartment and then not making you pay for rent.

A sigh falls from your lips as your pant legs get even more drenched as you accidentally step in a puddle. You shake your leg out in disgust. As small water droplets fall from the fabric footsteps approach from behind you. You realize how stupid you must look with your leg in the air so you slowly lower it to the ground, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

"Are you okay [Name]?" Vivian stares at you, amused, with her hands in the pockets of her skirt.

"Yeah..." You mumble, averting your gaze, "Just a bit wet."

"A bit?" You stare at her pointedly as Justin chuckles from behind.

"You two work things out?" They glance at each other for a moment before nodding, "That's good." You place your hands on your hips, moving your foot across the ground further to your side. You cringe at this action almost immediately. You forgot you were standing in a puddle, and now, you have water even further up your pant leg.