I awake with a jolt, hearing the screeching wailing of drills and saws. It seems the maintenance men have made good on their promise and are doing work outside. I know I wanted them here, but the noise levels make me want to castrate them.
Sluggish, I part from my bed reluctantly and regard my phone with confusion. The notification light is blinking at me. I check and see I've received ten text messages and seventeen missed calls from Amara.
I whistle.
"Some stalker quality there," I huff, tossing my phone on the bed, "Kind of stalkerish Amara, kind of stalkerish!"
I roll my eyes at myself, feeling ridiculous, before dragging myself to the kitchen for a breakfast of absolutely nothing because I hadn't done a food shop yet. My back groans in protest as I run the water to get a drink.
The maintenance men continue their banging about, and I chug my water back before spewing it all out again upon seeing Aerie at the window. She stood there sternly, obviously annoyed.
"Open the door," she demanded, loudly enough that I could hear her through the windowpane.
I shake my head at her.
"How the fuck did you get into my back garden?"
She swears colourfully before rattling the door handle.
"I climbed because you wouldn't answer the front door."
I groan and then stare in horror as the door opens from her rattling. Aerie frowns, surprised herself at how easy it was to get in.
"Well," she marvelled, "lucky it's me and not someone else."
I snort.
"Wouldn't call it luck. Perhaps, 'heavily inconvenienced', or 'plotting my own demise'. "
Aerie glares at me before coming in and closing the door.
"You are hard work, aren't you?" She remarks sourly and then composes herself with considerable effort, "Amara wants us to make up."
I blink in disbelief.
"There's nothing to make up. You're a rich brat, and I'm dirt cheap," I threw at Aerie, "and on that note, get the fuck out of my house."
Her eyes blazed with anger, and she grinned around gritted teeth.
"I can't go back until we fix this."
I roll my eyes and move around her to open the door for her.
"Says who? You're trespassing, and I have no intention of keeping you here. I'd rather lick Donald Trump's anus than waste another moment on you."
Her face twists.
"That's disgusting."
I smile.
"Well, duh, that's the whole point of why I said it, now fuck off, you nutty psycho, bloody climbing my fence. Get out."
Gesturing wildly to the garden, I wait, but she makes no move to leave.
Instead, she stubbornly goes to my dining table and sits, arms folded. She lifts her chin cockily, daring me to do anything about it.
"I think I'll stay," she chimes, looking around the kitchen, "not much of a home. It's rather dire."
Dragging a hand down my face, I try to summon energy from the deepest wells of my being before grabbing the sweeping brush. Her eyes widen as I come at her with it.
"You wouldn't?!" She screeches and then scrambles to her feet and around the table, "Don't hit me with that. I'll have you done for assault!"
I jab at her, thrusting the bristles towards her face.
"And say what, Karen? I climbed the fence, broke in, and then refused to leave private property?"
She narrows her eyes at me.
"I bet you're fun at parties."
I shove the brush at her again.
"I'm a fucking marvel at parties," I counter, clipping her arm, "people like my dry wit."
She dodges me as I thrust the broom at her again but ends up backed against a wall. Aerie's eyes burn into mine like flaming coals.
"We need to make up," she hisses, batting the broom out her face, "or Amara will worry. She was devastated last night."
I feel my heart clench, but my stubbornness reared its ugly head.
"No thanks to you," I countered, lowering the broom, "you took the piss out of me."
She gave a cutting smile.
"Only because you were being a bitch."
I whip the broom up again, smacking her in the stomach, and she curses.
"Jesus fuck!"
She tries to wrestle the broom from my grasp, and we tangle in a heated fight, pushing and shoving each other. I thrust the broom upwards, and it rips from her hands, sending me flying backwards. I smack into the wall, and she takes the opportunity to shove the broom flat against my chest to pin my hands to my breasts.
"If you stop squirming for one minute, we can talk this through like civilised beings," she chides bitingly, "or we can continue fighting like schoolgirls. Your choice."
Glaring at her with all the hatred I could fathom, I take her in. Her hair is sleek despite our tussle. Her lips are red and full. As I look, they are becoming increasingly enticing. Her skin is clear and smooth.
Aerie's gaze crashes with mine.
"What?" I snarl defensively, but it was too late.
The close proximity...the being pinned against the wall by someone taller than me...it was beginning to do something to me. I felt warmth seep between my legs, a deep throbbing as my arousal pooled. My cheeks flared red as Aerie came to recognise the expression on my face.
"Are you-?"
"Shut up!" I shout, embarrassed, "nothing's happening."
She stares at me, eyes flickering over my body slowly, before whipping them back up to mine. She hesitates a moment before speaking.
"I have an offer."