Faded Into the Background
Chapter Four
Luka barking the next morning woke me up out of a dead sleep, causing me to jump off my place on the couch. A crick in my neck caused me to frown and my arm to shoot up, so that my hand could massage the pain. I let out a groan as Steph's phone went off, picking up the plastic, cellular device and threw it at the sleeping figure on the beanbag; it landing on her stomach but did nothing to wake the sleeping girl. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the barking dog, wanting to see why he had started to bark. Finally, I found the mangy mutt at the back, sliding door and peered out. I spotted another dog, patches of fur missing and it's body scrawny. Instantly I felt for the poor thing and slowly opened to the door. I pursed my lips and called for the dog, the dog's head snapped up and his eyes trained on me. His body was shaking and he looked so scared, a sign that either the dog has been a stray or someone had beat him. My heart went out to him as I went to get him a dish of food, holding Luka back. This time I set the bowl down and called to the dog, hoping this time that it'd come to me. Slowly the dog made it's way to me, his tail tucked between it's legs. I sat there, bent at the knees, and looked out at him. He slowly inched his way to the bowl until he was right there, his mouth snapping up the food as quick as he could.
I could hear Steph's phone going off in the house, causing me to jump a bit and the dog to move back to where he first started. In my head I cursed whomever was calling as I slowly stood and slid the slider shut, working on getting the dog back. The process began again, but this time once he was there I slowly reached out to touch his head. Inch by inch I stretched my arm out, the dog's eyes on my hand the whole time. Finally I felt its rough fur and began to slowly pet him. His tail began to wag slightly as he finished the bowl of food and hesitantly took a step towards me. My hand began to slowly massage his head and stroke his ears, trying to get the dog to trust me enough to go inside. I don't know how long I spent out there, but I had finally had him where I wanted him; inside my house. At first the dog growled at Luka, but let him sniff around her. Both dogs were getting to know each other when Steph walked into the room, her cell glued to her ear; Matt's rough voice came out of the other end along with a high pitched whine and a scream. That must have been Val. Steph rolled her eyes at me and looked over at Luka, her eyes going wide.
“What the hell?” She asked, as she took in the pitiful looking dog. The dog looking over to her, becoming scared again and huddling behind the bigger dog in front of her. Steph's eyes took in the dog, a look of sympathy flashing in her eyes.
“You know I can take a look at the dog for you? Give her her shots and check her over,” Steph offered.
I knew she would, because she owned her own Vet clinic, well her and her friend Tabby. Both of them met in college and an instant friendship had flourished, lasting well into their mid twenties.
“Would you?” Was all I could ask, my eyes trained on the dog before me.
Steph made a sound of affirmation before going back to talking to Matt, turning to go up to the room she had claimed as hers; it being one of the guestrooms but the closet having her clothes in it. Once she came down, she was in scrubs and making her way to the dog, the dog staying still but showing now signs of aggression. Slowly, she picked the dog up in her arms and went out to her 4x4 and set her in the front, passenger seat. Once that was done she called a goodbye as she got into the driver's side, starting the beast of the truck and heading off.
“Well, Luka it looks like it's just you and I,” I told him as we headed back inside the house.
He wagged his tail and took off to go God knows where, leaving me to grouse alone. The pain in my neck was still there, but I had forgotten about it because of the dog. Now I wish I had something else to distract my mind, but honestly nothing came to mind. I hated being alone, because there was nothing to do and I was left with my thoughts. I debated on calling one of the guys, but I knew they were probably busy with their girls. I didn't want to burden anyone so I decided to do a little bit of sunbathing, in my backyard. I trudged upstairs and into my room, looking for my purple and black, string bikini. I began to paw through my bathing suit drawer, trying to find it but I couldn't. My mind was already trying to remember where I put it last, then a memory hit me.
I looked to my watch as I waited for Brian to get home from their first tour. The other guys had been home for a while, because they had all came to say hi to me, but Brian was nowhere to be found. I had asked the guys but they weren't answering me, for some reason they wouldn't look me in the eye either. I knew they knew where Brian was, but none of them wanted to tell me. It was almost dark and the guys had left, after an hour of me interrogating them. When that turned up nothing, I tried to call his phone but it went straight to voicemail; letting me know that he had turned his phone off. That pissed me off and I had time to stew in my anger, two hours worth of time before he walked through that door.
“Where were you?” I asked him, just as soon as he came in.
“It's none of your business, Dezi.”
“It is too my business, Brian! You're living with me, sleeping with me, and dating me! So that makes it my business!”
“Just because we're fucking dating doesn't mean you have to keep tabs on me at all times!!” He shouted, his arms raising above his head, causing me to look at him like I had been slapped.
I could feel the tears gathering in the corner of my eyes as I stalked off and up into our room, pulling out the bathing suit he had bought me. The one he loves seeing me in, my favorite; the purple and black one. I found a pair of scissors and began to cut it, because I was that angry.
“Babe,” his smooth voice permeated the air as his arms wrapped around me. Clutching the scissor in my hand I turned to him.
“WHAT??” I snapped, the anger blazing in my dark eyes.
Slowly he pried the scissors from my hand and kissed me with such a force, I forgot why I was mad at him in the first place
“So that is where it went,” I mumbled and pulled out a plain black, bikini.
I slipped that on and grabbed a towel to lay over my lounge chair, that way I don't have any lines from the chair on me. I made my way out back, calling Luka, my mind looking to where the dog got in, because I had a fence around my yard, seeing that somehow it was dug up there. Sighing I knew that I had to fill it but I wanted to sunbathe, and it wasn't like Luka was going to escape anyway, the dog being slightly smaller than him. I pushed that out of the back of my mind as I lay the towel over my chair and lay in the chair, a pair of sunglasses shielding my eyes. I was excited to sunbathe as I never had a chance to in a while, I was either working or just too damned tired. Slowly my eyes began to close and I fell asleep, not even meaning to.
Slowly I began to come back to life when I felt something dripping on my face, a constant drip. My eyes opened wide and there stood Zacky and Johnny, both of them holding onto a sprinkler, the spray right in my face. They let out laughs as they dropped it and began to run, my arms catapulted my body up out of the lounge chair and began chasing them.
“You bastards!!” I shouted as I pumped my legs as fast as they would go.
I could hear, Steph and Matt talking inside, the slider wide open. I guess I had slept longer than I though I did, as Steph gets out around eight. Excited barks and squeals of laughter could be heard, spotting the dog I found I stopped running. She looked a bit better, though the patches of fur were mange, as Steph rattled off what I had to do. I vacantly nodded my head as I continued to look at her. Matt was getting impatient, tapping one of his fingers on Steph's shoulders and begging for her attention. It was then that I noticed that Jimmy was talking to Tabby. I didn't even notice that most of the gang was here, a smile spreading on my face. Tonight was going to be a very goodnight, the end of my vacation off work and I was going to party hard.
I could hear Steph's phone going off in the house, causing me to jump a bit and the dog to move back to where he first started. In my head I cursed whomever was calling as I slowly stood and slid the slider shut, working on getting the dog back. The process began again, but this time once he was there I slowly reached out to touch his head. Inch by inch I stretched my arm out, the dog's eyes on my hand the whole time. Finally I felt its rough fur and began to slowly pet him. His tail began to wag slightly as he finished the bowl of food and hesitantly took a step towards me. My hand began to slowly massage his head and stroke his ears, trying to get the dog to trust me enough to go inside. I don't know how long I spent out there, but I had finally had him where I wanted him; inside my house. At first the dog growled at Luka, but let him sniff around her. Both dogs were getting to know each other when Steph walked into the room, her cell glued to her ear; Matt's rough voice came out of the other end along with a high pitched whine and a scream. That must have been Val. Steph rolled her eyes at me and looked over at Luka, her eyes going wide.
“What the hell?” She asked, as she took in the pitiful looking dog. The dog looking over to her, becoming scared again and huddling behind the bigger dog in front of her. Steph's eyes took in the dog, a look of sympathy flashing in her eyes.
“You know I can take a look at the dog for you? Give her her shots and check her over,” Steph offered.
I knew she would, because she owned her own Vet clinic, well her and her friend Tabby. Both of them met in college and an instant friendship had flourished, lasting well into their mid twenties.
“Would you?” Was all I could ask, my eyes trained on the dog before me.
Steph made a sound of affirmation before going back to talking to Matt, turning to go up to the room she had claimed as hers; it being one of the guestrooms but the closet having her clothes in it. Once she came down, she was in scrubs and making her way to the dog, the dog staying still but showing now signs of aggression. Slowly, she picked the dog up in her arms and went out to her 4x4 and set her in the front, passenger seat. Once that was done she called a goodbye as she got into the driver's side, starting the beast of the truck and heading off.
“Well, Luka it looks like it's just you and I,” I told him as we headed back inside the house.
He wagged his tail and took off to go God knows where, leaving me to grouse alone. The pain in my neck was still there, but I had forgotten about it because of the dog. Now I wish I had something else to distract my mind, but honestly nothing came to mind. I hated being alone, because there was nothing to do and I was left with my thoughts. I debated on calling one of the guys, but I knew they were probably busy with their girls. I didn't want to burden anyone so I decided to do a little bit of sunbathing, in my backyard. I trudged upstairs and into my room, looking for my purple and black, string bikini. I began to paw through my bathing suit drawer, trying to find it but I couldn't. My mind was already trying to remember where I put it last, then a memory hit me.
I looked to my watch as I waited for Brian to get home from their first tour. The other guys had been home for a while, because they had all came to say hi to me, but Brian was nowhere to be found. I had asked the guys but they weren't answering me, for some reason they wouldn't look me in the eye either. I knew they knew where Brian was, but none of them wanted to tell me. It was almost dark and the guys had left, after an hour of me interrogating them. When that turned up nothing, I tried to call his phone but it went straight to voicemail; letting me know that he had turned his phone off. That pissed me off and I had time to stew in my anger, two hours worth of time before he walked through that door.
“Where were you?” I asked him, just as soon as he came in.
“It's none of your business, Dezi.”
“It is too my business, Brian! You're living with me, sleeping with me, and dating me! So that makes it my business!”
“Just because we're fucking dating doesn't mean you have to keep tabs on me at all times!!” He shouted, his arms raising above his head, causing me to look at him like I had been slapped.
I could feel the tears gathering in the corner of my eyes as I stalked off and up into our room, pulling out the bathing suit he had bought me. The one he loves seeing me in, my favorite; the purple and black one. I found a pair of scissors and began to cut it, because I was that angry.
“Babe,” his smooth voice permeated the air as his arms wrapped around me. Clutching the scissor in my hand I turned to him.
“WHAT??” I snapped, the anger blazing in my dark eyes.
Slowly he pried the scissors from my hand and kissed me with such a force, I forgot why I was mad at him in the first place
“So that is where it went,” I mumbled and pulled out a plain black, bikini.
I slipped that on and grabbed a towel to lay over my lounge chair, that way I don't have any lines from the chair on me. I made my way out back, calling Luka, my mind looking to where the dog got in, because I had a fence around my yard, seeing that somehow it was dug up there. Sighing I knew that I had to fill it but I wanted to sunbathe, and it wasn't like Luka was going to escape anyway, the dog being slightly smaller than him. I pushed that out of the back of my mind as I lay the towel over my chair and lay in the chair, a pair of sunglasses shielding my eyes. I was excited to sunbathe as I never had a chance to in a while, I was either working or just too damned tired. Slowly my eyes began to close and I fell asleep, not even meaning to.
Slowly I began to come back to life when I felt something dripping on my face, a constant drip. My eyes opened wide and there stood Zacky and Johnny, both of them holding onto a sprinkler, the spray right in my face. They let out laughs as they dropped it and began to run, my arms catapulted my body up out of the lounge chair and began chasing them.
“You bastards!!” I shouted as I pumped my legs as fast as they would go.
I could hear, Steph and Matt talking inside, the slider wide open. I guess I had slept longer than I though I did, as Steph gets out around eight. Excited barks and squeals of laughter could be heard, spotting the dog I found I stopped running. She looked a bit better, though the patches of fur were mange, as Steph rattled off what I had to do. I vacantly nodded my head as I continued to look at her. Matt was getting impatient, tapping one of his fingers on Steph's shoulders and begging for her attention. It was then that I noticed that Jimmy was talking to Tabby. I didn't even notice that most of the gang was here, a smile spreading on my face. Tonight was going to be a very goodnight, the end of my vacation off work and I was going to party hard.
11/16/12