Chapter 4-2
805 Words
Rachel came home at four; Jayden was woken from a light doze by her keys in the front door, and Darren grumbled incoherently as she meandered past, wished Jayden a belated Merry Christmas, and kicked his boyfriend.
“Hey!” Jayden protested. Darren merely made a rumbling sound, like an angry cat. Jayden blinked at him, and Rachel snorted.
“He’s in the way!” she defended herself, pulling an innocent face, and took her shopping bag into the kitchen. “How was your mum’s house?”
“Busy,” Jayden said, “but it was good. Your sister’s?”
“Oh God, she’s only f*****g pregnant,” Rachel complained loudly, banging the kitchen cupboard above the toaster. Jayden listened intently and relaxed again when he heard her pop the padlock back on. “Everyone’s been asking me when I’m going to find a nice guy and have a baby too; it sucked.”
Jayden called a vague response, settling back into his dozing position and stroking a thumb over Darren’s collarbone lightly. Darren ignored him, watching the telly, and Jayden let him alone. He felt warm and tired, contented and right where he was supposed to be, in their squashed little house with Rachel banging around in the kitchen and Darren watching the football results with rapt attention.
Rachel eventually returned with a cup of tea and an aspirin; Jayden raised his eyebrows, and she said, “I locked the cupboard, fussy, it’s fine.”
Darren grumbled something, but they both ignored him. It was a rule in their house: all medication was locked away in a cupboard to which Darren wasn’t allowed a key. All but a week’s worth of Darren’s painkillers for his shoulder were left out. Just in case, you know? Thankfully, Darren actually hadn’t taken the decision too badly, although he had been a bit belligerent about it when he was first put on the antidepressants, the citalopram, but…but in the wake of that fiasco, Jayden was so, so glad they’d taken that step.
If they hadn’t…
They had a number of steps like it. No alcohol kept in the house, no medication left out or in the bathroom cabinet. Jayden would never admit to it on pain of death or dumping, but he checked the kitchen knives regularly in case any disappeared or randomly got cleaned, and the same for the razors in the bathroom. He openly checked Darren’s arms, all the time, and Darren’s reaction could be anything from frustrated anger to more-or-less ignoring him and letting him have his way. And Jayden wanted to trust him, but Darren in the grip of a bad spell just couldn’t be trusted, and the medication failure had proved that. If they'd had it just lying around, then…then maybe that time…
The thought made Jayden loop an arm back over Darren’s shoulder and hug him briefly, shifting forward enough to kiss the back of his head. Darren mumbled a vague greeting, or something like it, but generally ignored the attention again, and Rachel rolled her eyes at them.
“You’re both disgusting,” she opined and frowned. “When are you having babies?”
“When one of us gets pregnant, you’ll be the first to know,” Darren muttered, still watching the telly intensely. Jayden began to suspect he had a bet on with Paul or something.
“I like to think the doctor would be the first to know,” he said.
“No, because frankly, if either of us need a pregnancy test kit, she’s buying it,” Darren pointed out, and Jayden shrugged.
“Okay, that seems fair.”
“Can I be a godmother?” Rachel piped up again, settling deeply into the armchair.
“No,” Darren said.
“Why?”
“You might make our baby asexual.”
Rachel bristled. “So?”
“So, if I’m going to have kids, I’m also going to have grandkids to get back at my kids,” Darren retorted, and Jayden laughed. “I am willing to negotiate and name one Rachel after you. Or Twiggy.”
“I’m not having a kid called Twiggy,” Jayden objected as Rachel hit Darren with a cushion.
“Fine, then I’m breaking up with you.”
“Yeah, okay then,” Jayden said, kissing the crown of his head and pushing Rachel’s cushion away. “Stop murdering my boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend, you heard him!” Rachel insisted. “And I’m not twiggy! I put on weight over Christmas!”
“Where?”
“On my boobs, look.”
“No!” Jayden cried, covering Darren’s eyes. “He’s bisexual! He might be turned!”
“It’s not turning if he’s already bisexual,” Rachel sniped.
“You’re both freaks,” Darren said, and she launched out of the armchair to attack him; Jayden dodged out of the tangle, climbing off the sofa entirely and perching safely on the stairs, out of reach for the moment.
“Don’t bruise him too hard, he goes back to work tomorrow,” he said. “They might ask questions.”
“Doubt it,” Darren grumbled, escaping from her assault and sitting on the piano stool to massage his shoulder with one hand. “Some of the day shift wouldn’t notice if you came in with your head cut off.” His phone beeped on the sofa, and he eyed Rachel warily. “Jayden? Little help here?”
“All right, all right,” Jayden muttered, climbing down and snatching it up. Oi frizzy wat u up too??? “It’s Paul.”
“What’s he want?”
“Asking what you’re up to.”
“Being murdered.”
He’s fine, Jayden replied. Rachel’s attacking him.
hi jade! Jayden scowled at the nickname. i gots news for u bitchez!
“What’s he say?” Darren asked.
“He has news.”
“What news?”
Jayden dutifully asked.
And nearly dropped the phone.
“Holy s**t,” he said.
“What?”
“Ethan.”
“What about Ethan?”
Jayden reread the text, asked if Paul were kidding, and was told it was totes legit!
“Jayden?”
“He’s getting married.”
- Writer
