Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Thirty-One- Forgiveness

It was nearing midnight when a bang on the door woke Ada up on the couch, her sister jerking up next to her after being woken by the same sound. The television was still playing Lifetime, some mid-nineties movie at this point.

The banging filled the room again, and it took Ada so much longer than it should have to realize it was a fist hitting the front door.

"What kind of monster would do this?" her sister asked, disoriented and angry at the intrusion.

Ada flung the blanket off herself, knowing exactly what kind of monster was on the other side of that door. It was the same monster she hadn't told her sister anything about. "Why don't you go up to bed?"

"Like hell." Her sister rushed past her, stumbling as she hurried to the door.

Ada fought to catch up, pushing her sister out of the way and trying to block her from opening it.

"Who the hell is on the other side of that thing?"

Ada swayed back and forth, trying to find the right way to ease her sister into this. But there was no easing into this thing. "A guy."

Stevie put her hands on her hips. "What kind of guy?"

"A Caucasian one."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Huh?" She shook her head. "I mean 'who'. Who is on the other side of that door?"

"Tom."

"Who's Tom?" her sister pushed.

"A guy."

"Fucking seriously, Ada?"

She shrugged, not having a response to give. "Please go to bed?"

"No." Stevie shoved her out of the way and opened the door.

"What the actual fuck?" She looked him up and down repeatedly before she turned to Ada. "Why is Mr. Bennet at our house, Ada?"

"Stevie, right?" Tom asked her, receiving no response in return.

Hearing footsteps, Ada turned to see her dad trampling down the steps. By then, Tom had pushed open the door and stepped inside the house. "It's midnight, Tom. Go home, go to bed and talk to her in the morning."

Tom just shook his head, stumbling a bit at the simple gesture, causing Ada to wonder if he was drunk. "Ten minutes. That's all I need, Jeff."

Her dad looked at her. "You wanna talk to him or you want me to kick him out?"

She looked back and forth between the two men. Tom looked exhausted, his skin pale from a lack of sleep, making the circles under his eyes more prominent. He looked so tired that she questioned how he got here in one piece.

Her father's eyes were again on Tom, a grimace having taken over his face at the late night intrusion.

"I want to talk to him."

Her dad let out a huff of air. "You get your answers, then you send him on his way."

"Look at him, dad. He can't drive like this."

"He got here just fine, he can get home just as easy." When Ada kept her eyes on him, he ran his fingers through his hair. "If he sleeps here, he sleeps on the couch. I don't want him stepping foot in your room, you got me?"

Ada nodded and her dad gave one last took at Tom before turning around and heading back up the steps. "Stevie, go to bed and leave 'em be."

She then turned her eyes at her sister, who was still looking at Tom like he was a Martian until she felt Ada's stare. "I'm finding out all about this tomorrow," she said before heading upstairs.