As the summer ended, Beth wasn't really inclined to find a job. The cabin was paid for the next 2 months after she saved up for it the camp.
After their last argument, she didn't see Aaron around. Her best guess was that he got arrested or something
It was the second week in September. She was cooking a nice roasted squirrel that she killed and gutted the night before on the furnace inside the cabin. She brewed coffee that she stole from the camps kitchen supply (to be fair, a lot of counselors did.) But they had a rule: Just enough so you don't get caught. As she was gnawing on the squirrel's leg, the door flew open. It was Aaron. She kept chewing.
"We need to talk," he said. He was wearing a blue flannel this time. Same jeans though. He spun the chair around, put his arms over the back of the chair and looked right in her eyes. She looked at the furnace kept chewing.
"I need a place to stay," Aaron said.
"Not here," Beth said as she put down the leg bone on the paper plates that she also stole.
"Why not?"
"I don't want you here."
"You didn't answer my question."
"I just did."
Aaron stood up reached behind his back and pulled out his 9 Millimeter Glock handgun, pointed it right at Beth and walked over to her. Beth knew Aaron pulled the gun out but continued to look at the furnace.
"I've seen one before, you're not scaring me."
He pointed it a half-inch from her left temple. "
" The fuck is wrong with you?! I could bring in some money, get better things for this place. I wanna stay. I know you do too. Otherwise, we wouldn't be fucking as much as we have. If this was a fling, I'd have left "
" How noble," Beth said. She pushed her glass over to Aaron. "Take care of it." Aaron cocked his gun and turned the safety off. "Bitch, I'm not your fucking maid." Beth looked at him from the corner of her right eye. " That's the first time you swore at me."
"So?"
"You're not as soft as I thought. You got some balls." Aaron tilted his head in amazement. "Where is this coming from?"
"Just take the fucking compliment and put the gun down."
Aaron didn't move his arm away. " So I can stay?"
"Put the gun down."
"Answer the question ...(he forces it out) bitch."
"Not telling you again."
Aaron took some breaths and put the gun back.
" No. On the table."
Aaron kept breathing and rested the gun on the table. He turned the safety back on. He walked over and tossed the glass.in the sink. It clanked when it landed but didn't break.
Aaron turned around and saw Beth pointed the gun at him. Beth pointed it right between his eyes.
Aaron just stared at her. Her hands were gripping the handle tight. Her left pointer finger primed on the trigger. "You can handle one too I see."
"My dad taught me."
"You a good shot?"
Beth smirked. "You'll just have to see."
"Only if you put it down this time."
"No. See you don't realize that this is MY house. The only reason you're here is that I let you fuck me."
"I told you I could help out…"
Beth raised her arms up and pointed the gun at the ceiling. She shot one bullet up and the bullet shot through the ceiling, through the attic, and through the roof as it was soaring into the sky.
"Warning shot," Beth said matter of factly.
"Jesus, are you trying to get us arrested or something?!"
"You tell me."
There was a pause. Beth kept her aim fixed on him.
"Now what?"
"You tell me."
Another pause.
Aaron and Beth stood and stared at each other. The furnace was burning out.
Aaron walked over and threw some logs into the fire. The flames shot out of the door And Aaron closed the door, feeling the heat on the handle.
"Well, I can keep the heat going."
Beth said nothing.
"I can teach you how to cook more than a squirrel. I have a rifle at my place. I killed a deer once."
"Once?"
"That's more than you"
Another pause.
"Alright, if you're so apt on staying, you can. But certainly, know that-"
" This is YOUR house? Yeah, I got that. It's fucked, but I get it."
Pause.
Beth lowered the gun and handed it over, handle first. He deserved that much. He put it back into his jeans.
"Now what?" Beth asked.
"You tell me"
Beth got up and walked over to the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Aaron thought about what the hell he was doing. After all that, things are normal now? He thought about just leaving than when Beth said from inside, "Clock is ticking…."
Aaron thought that he won this round. But something made him go in the bedroom.
It was a part of him he hated. But he didn't wanna tell Beth that.