• Troublesome • Rhett x Reader •

• Chapter Twenty Three •

Y'all, I am SO SORRY for delaying this so long. I've been getting a lot of medical stuff done the past months in addition to my grueling job hunt and inexcusable reoccurring writers block. This chapter will be more like a half chapter.... I'll try not to let it happen again. :(

Rain hounds against my bedroom window. I watch the raindrops trickle down the glass, overlaying the dark of the night. Thunder rumbles in the distance, blending into the bedtime ambience flawlessly.

The heavy covers cradle me in a lazy fetal position. My left hand absently runs along my leg in an attempt to soothe the intensifying aching within it.

It gets like this sometimes, but especially when it's stormy. I'm not sure why.

Rhett and I had grabbed some pizza to share after picking up my car keys earlier. We sat on the porch for a couple of hours before we said our goodbyes and goodnights.

It was hard for both of us, at least I think it was. He seemed reluctant to leave, and I didn't want to go back to being alone. Even if was just for the night. But while we do have plans together for tomorrow, he does have to record early in the morning with Link. I understand.

I close my eyes and inhale the faint scent of dryer sheet from my blanket.

Despite being alone, I actually feel okay. I feel like everything's going to be okay.

I wake up a bit past noon to the bright sun shining directly into my eyes. At some point during the night I had managed to completely kick the blanket from my bed and sprawl out diagonally, but still not taking up all of the mattress.

It'd be nice to share this a bed this big with someone. Having a bed this big all to yourself is nice for a while, but always seems to remind you that you're by yourself, whether or not you want to be.

Everything's silent. Past the sound of a family of birds chirping outside, I hear the faintest sound of a click. The click I recognize as the front door being closed. And I can't precisely recall whether or not I had locked it last night.

My mind immediately goes into panic mode.

I tip-toe out of my open door, slide one of my dad's dusty pool sticks from their hooks on the wall, and grip it like a weapon. With every step that i take closer to the stairs, I hear hushed voices. Whispers. Two of them.

Hovering on the top steps for a moment, I hold my breath to listen intently, but as soon as I take in the breath, they stop talking. Only to start up again. Just near the foot of the steps.

With no time to prepare, the second a man appeared at the bottom step, I hurled my arm forward, jamming the small end of the stick against their chest, just below their throat.

"What the-?!"

Now that he's actually speaking, I recognize his voice. And stepping up into the lighting only confirms.

"Dad?!" I beam. "Dad, how did you...?"

"My new buddy paid my bail. Looks like I'm in even more debt." He nervously confiscates the weaponized pool stick in my possession.

"Hey, I told you not to worry about paying me back." Rhett steps into sight and nods at my dad before flashing me a subtle wink.

"Rhett, you paid my dads bail?!" My jaw drops in utter confusion and slight embarrassment.

"Yeah, and we got breakfast together too."

"Thanks for that, by the way. The stuff they gave us at the jail wasn't great. But thank god it's not like the prison food." Dad chuckles and Rhett raises an amused eyebrow in his direction.

"Oh." I mumble. "Um. I'm just gonna squeeze by you guys and grab some orange juice."

"Can you grab me some too, bear?" Dad asks as I slip away and into the kitchen as fast as possible.

Weird. Weird. Weird. This is freaking weird.

I rinse my face with cool water from the kitchen faucet, washing away the total dread I had the second that I woke up today. But it doesn't seem to wash away the anxiety currently bubbling in the pits of my stomach at the sound of the two men casually chatting it up in the next room.

I return with two glasses of orange juice, handing one to either of them. I avoid eye contact with both, rather, I stare blankly ahead of me.

"Thanks." Rhett smiles at me before continuing the conversation with my father. "So, can I see those embarrassing prom photos you mentioned before?"

UGH.

"I'm going back to bed." I announce, before turning to go back upstairs.

"I thought we were running a couple of errands today? Are you feeling okay?" Rhett follows me almost all the way up the stairs before I turn around and speak quietly.

"I really appreciate what you did for us, for my dad and I. But it just made me inexplicably uncomfortable. And the fact that you're getting all close with him - I dunno... It just makes me feel off..."

"(Y/n), consider this an isolated pay bonus."

"But-"

"Every crew member who's idea for an episode is very successful - gets a bonus included in their paycheck." Rhett ruffles my hair and leans down, kissing my forehead and speaking into my ear. "And your fanfiction idea was genius. Now go and get ready to head to the store, I'll be waiting."

>At this point (Y/n) is literally just