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“The Housesitter”
by
Tonic Scars
Chapter 1
It was a dark and bitter cold winter night in the suburbs, a gentle snow fall covering the neighborhood in a pristine sheet of glistening white. It was almost midnight, all the street lights were off. Mostly all of the house’s lights were off too, everyone having gone to bed hours ago. The air was still, the night silent but for a gentle wind howling against loose windowsills here and there. In the distance, at the tree-line on the edge of the field behind the bucolic neighborhood, emerged a figure from the deep black of the woods. He was covered in winter-attire, keeping his head down to protect his naked cheeks from the sub-zero windchill. He trotted along in the paper-white field, his destination a house that shared this very field as a backyard. It seemed closer in the summer times, now a never-ending test of endurance and will. By the time he reached the back porch, he was in no mood to discover that the backdoor was locked. In fact, it didn’t seem as though anyone were home. His parents usually stayed up late, and he had been counting on this fact the whole walk here. He sighed heavily, upset with himself, turned back. He circled the house towards the garage, found the spare key ‘well-hidden’ under a flowerpot just outside the doorway, and let himself in. He closed the door behind him. Noting that his parent’s vehicle was gone, he realized he would not be waking anyone up tonight. He headed for the doorway and walked into the unexpected warmth of his home.
She awoke with a start. Something had just broken, the resulting noise having startled her from sleep. It sounded like it had come from downstairs. She was a light sleeper, and had been her whole life. Another sound, movement, cabinet doors opening and closing. Somebody was in the house. Her heart beat in her chest rapidly, her adrenaline rushing. She looked at her cell phone on the coffee table in front of her, her eyes re-adjusting to the dark. She had fallen asleep on the couch in the den again. She looked around, looked for anything that could be used as a weapon. Remembering where she was, the girl got up, tip-toed to the closet, and began her search. Seconds later she carefully opened the door to the hallway, making sure to make as little noise as possible. She gripped an old baseball bat in one hand, and her cell phone in the other. She was a tiny girl, and knew she couldn’t very-well defend herself, even with a bat, but was hoping her mere presence would be enough to spook any intruder into fleeing. Then she would call the police.
He was sweeping up the remains of a broken glass into the garbage can. Just as he was putting the trash back under the sink, someone spoke behind him, nearly causing him to die from a panic-induced heart attack right then and there.
“Don’t move,” the girl spoke with as much authority as she could muster. He turned ever so slowly to stare the unfamiliar voice in the eye. She was a petite girl he didn’t recognize, though she was extremely beautiful. She wore a baggy t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. Her hair was died an auburn/red. She had beautiful eyes and a wholesome girl-next-door look to her. She almost resembled Hayley Williams from Paramore, probably her school’s little punk-rock princess.
“Who are you?” he asked. “Who are you?” she replied. When he didn’t answer, clearly confused, she continued.
“I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. So just. . . leave before I call the police. ” Beads of sweat ran down her forehead, her hands still shaking. She was clearly attempting to control her breathing. The man could see this, glanced over at the phone on the kitchen wall. It was on the far wall, just outside the dining room.
“You think you can make it to the phone?” he asked.
“I have a cell phone,” she replied coldly.
“The way you’re gripping that bat, I’d say doing anything but keeping your hands on it and your eyes on me would be a mistake. The slightest window of error on your part could be fatal. ” He didn’t know why he was saying these things to her, but the words came out of his mouth. He wanted to play with her. He knew there was an honest reason for her being in his house (what it was he didn’t know), but it suddenly became clear to him what was going on. She was staying at his house for some reason, heard him drop the glass, and concluded there must be a burglar downstairs. He wasn’t that afraid, he knew he had the upper hand in this situation, that she’d never be able to swing that thing at him before he was able to move in and knock it out of her hands. He waited for her to make the next move.
She looked confused, more frightened of the burglar’s ability to access the situation. Clearly she was loosing control and that scared her. Call 911! She wanted to, but knew if she tried, she would loose. He might hurt her, or worse!
“Take whatever you want.
“I’ve no intention of hurting you. And I will take whatever I please, thank you. After all, I do live here,” he added comically.
“No you don’t. I know the people who live here. I’m house-sitting for them right now,” she said sternly. That was his answer!
“And doing a piss-poor job of it I might add. Not only has someone broken-in on your watch, but you’ve also just offered them everything but the kitchen sink and yourself. Do you have references?” He was now having fun, smiling at this last question.
“What? Why would I. . . I don’t think they’d. . . just shut up, okay!” She didn’t enjoy this game one bit. Tears fell down her cheek, though she attempted to remain in control of her emotions as best she could.
“I’m not lying. You know Mr. and Mrs. Reznick obviously. I do too. They’re my parents,” he stated as matter-of-fact as he could. She looked at him curiously, the way one looks at a familiar stranger just before realizing they do in fact know them.
“You’re Aaron?”
“At your service. ”
She smiled, laughed dryly, at what she didn’t know. They continued starring at each other, though she never lowered the bat.
“You going to lower that thing?” he asked smiling. She lowered it. He approached. She tensed. He took the bat from her, and for just a moment, her heart sank. Aaron studied the bat thoroughly. “My old little-league bat. Haven’t seen this thing in ages. Nice,” he added while returning the bat to the girl. “And you are?”
“Heather. ”
“And you’re house-sitting because my parents are out-of-town no doubt, but where is the question?”
“Chicago, visiting family.
“Ah, and you know my parents. . . ” He trailed off, gesturing with his hands.
“I moved in next-door,” she stated, pointing to her right. “About 3 months ago. They knew I was looking for babysitting work and hired me to watch the place whenever they traveled, which has been quite a lot actually,” she added, still very nervous, her body attempting to calm itself down.
“It’s what they do. Well Heather, I’m Aaron. Pleased to meet you. ” He extended his hand to her. They shook, she smiled.
“You scared the crap out of me! I thought you were a burglar. ”
“And your first instinct was to confront an unknown number of criminals in your pajamas while wielding a weapon that they would no doubt turn against you. Next time.
She smiled, nodded. “Yeah. Will do. ”
“Great. Well I just came home for a couple days while my roommate’s girlfriend is in town. He lives back East in New England somewhere or another. How long are my Mom and Dad going to be done?”
“Another 4 days. ”
“Well, I promise I won’t get in your way then. And I think it’s in both our interests to leave this whole incident out of your status report upon their return, hmm?”
Heather smiled. “I think so. ”
“Well I’m going to make a midnight snack. You want anything?”
Chapter 2
Aaron was busy in the kitchen making a late night breakfast for the two of them.
“You’re a bit over-done for scrambled eegs, aren’t you?” he said while setting the table, handing her a glass of milk.
“It’s not my house, I like to look my best. ”
“Fair enough,” he said while digging into a much needed warm meal. Aaron was a good looking guy, in his early twenties, having just graduated college in the spring.
“Yeah, it’s just this store in town I really like buying from. It’s no big deal. ”
“Well it looks good on you,” she stated honestly.
“Thanks. So how old are you anyway? You’ve got to be in high school still I’m guessing?”
“Hey it’s my junior year. I’m 18 already thank you very much. ”
“Wow, 18 That’s like way more mature than those 18 year-old freshman” he added playfully.
“I like to think I’m very mature for my age,” she stated quite seriously.
“I don’t doubt it. Friday night, probably 90 percent of your class is out getting wasted or doing drugs, and here you are all alone in my house.
He was good at observation, she gave him that. And that’s what she liked about him. Not only was he mature, but he saw the world for what it was, was able to recognize that she was a true-independent. Not that she didn’t have friends, but only a small group of true friends she could honestly rely on. When they were together, they didn’t need to be like everyone else to have fun or be popular. She figured he wasn’t all that different from her in high school. Would they have hung out?
“That’s true. I don’t know. I’m not into all that stuff anyway. It’s no big deal. ”
“Boyfriend?”
“Ex,” she replied. He nodded. “It’s high school. It happens. It seems like everything now, but that’ll quickly change.
“I hope so. ”
“What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?” Her intentions weren’t simple curiosity, but that was lost on him. He was actually still distracted reading the paper in front of him.
“Not really. Had one, but it was complicated. She was complicated. ” He said the words without any real emotion behind them, turning the page to continue a story he was reading on the front page. It was almost as if he was just reciting the words from memory and not immediately describing his true feelings.
“Ugh, I hate dramatic girls. They give us cool ones a bad name. ”
“You’re telling me. Don’t worry, a girl like you, I’m sure you’ll find that special someone in no time. ”
“I doubt it. .
“I don’t. Excuse me. ” He got up and made a phone call in the living room, was touching base with one of his friends about hanging out tomorrow afternoon. They were going to grab lunch somewhere. After he hung up, he looked at Heather.
“After I clean up here I’m going to hit the hay, I have to get up early to see a friend tomorrow. ”
“Cool. ”
“Make yourself at home. If you need anything, my bedroom is upstairs on the right. It’s unlocked, so if any real burglars break-in, come get me. ” He stated it so seriously it made Heather laugh out-loud. She nodded.
Chapter 3
It had stopped snowing outside, but it was still bitter cold.
“Boo!” Aaron shouted. Heather screamed, fell back. He caught her before she tripped over her own two feet, one of his hands grabbing onto her wrist, the other on the small of her back.
“Jesus Christ, how many times are you going to scare a girl in one day? I can’t sleep because of you ya’know?”
“Sorry. I saw you walk past my room and couldn’t resist. ” There was an in-the-moment honesty about Aaron that Heather found attractive. She wondered how deeply it ran, if she could exploit it. Why would she exploit it? What was she talking about? She had never felt this way about a guy before, why shouldn’t she have a little fun? After all, everyone else was having more than enough fun at her age. Why wasn’t she entitled to goof-off every once in a while. She couldn’t be the good girl all the time.
“I was just going to get a glass of water. I couldn’t sleep. ”
“Well if you’re bored, you’re welcome to hang-out. I’m just playing video games hoping I’ll get tired sooner or later. I got some two-player games somewhere in there. ”
“Sure. ”
They had been playing Mario Kart on Aaron’s old Nintendo 64 (which he had to dig out and plug in) for nearly twenty minutes now. They chatted about school, friends, pop-culture, and everything else that they could think of. It was Heather who drove the conversations though, interested to hear Aaron’s opinion on everything she could think of. They found they had a lot in common, though Aaron felt a bit odd being alone with a 18 year-old high school girl he found attractive. It’s not like she wasn’t turning 18 sooner than later, but it was the principle. He couldn’t just act on a whim. Especially with a girl so innocent as her. Heather was a video game addict at heart, having owned at least a better portion of all the classic games at one point or another in her childhood. Aaron dropped his controller in amazement.
“That’s twice now I beat you. ” she said with a playful grin. He looked over at her. They were sitting on the floor in front of a small T. V. hooked up on his dresser.
“That’s game. You want to go again?”
“Nah, I don’t want to embarrass you anymore tonight,” she said. He smiled, impressed by her ability to keep up with his sense of humor. He found that very attractive.
“You going to bed?”
“Nah, I’m actually less tired now than I was before,” she said.
“Yeah me too. ” They both laughed. “So.
“We can play another game. ”
“Like what? I think the only other two-player game I have is Goldeneye, and you already said you’re no good at that.
“No, not video game. Just. . .
“Like Monopoly?”
“Like Truth or Dare. ”
“Truth or Dare? I think I’m a little bit old to be playing that game. Plus, I don’t even think I should be playing with someone as young and innocent as yourself. ” He stated honestly, though his heart burned for this night to continue running it’s course.
“I’m not that innocent!”
“That’s what all innocent girls say. ” Aaron stated.
“You want to bet?” she asked.
“Are we playing then?”
“Yeah, and it’s your turn apparently. ”
Aaron looked at her, unsure of what might happen. At any moment he could cross a line, she would walk out on him, tell his parents. Then what? He couldn’t have that. He wasn’t like that, but this was such an unusual circumstance. Was she telling the truth? He was dying to know.
“Fine. Truth or dare?”
“Truth. ” She said, hear stomach in knots.
“What is it. . . that makes you. . . not so innocent?”
“I don’t know. . . ” she bumbled, embarrassed by the question.
“That’s no answer. You wanted to play. You have to answer or take a dare!”
“Fine!” The notion of being dared to do something enticed her though. She liked playing this game with someone older, more mature, more experienced. “I think about sex sometimes. Okay?”
“Like, how?”
“It’s not your turn. Truth or dare?” she asked.
“Truth. ” he stated flatly, not knowing what to expect.
“Have you ever been in love?”
“Yes. ” He was thoroughly impressed by the question, impressed by this girl.
“With who?”
“My ex-girlfriend. It was a long time ago. My turn. Truth or dare?”
“Truth. ”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“Not really. ” “Not even with your boyfriend?” “No. We only went out for a few months, and it wasn’t even that serious. My turn. Truth or dare?”
“Dare!”
Heather’s eyes widened. She wasn’t expecting a dare for quite some time. “Um. . .
“Kiss you on the nose? Okay!” He crawled over to her, she scrunched up her face playfully. He looked into her eyes, held her gaze, and softly kissed her on the nose. He pulled away and returned to his original position. That definitely got Heather’s gears going. She wanted to do more than kiss on the nose for her next dare, that much was certain. She was just testing the waters, and she was certainly happy with the outcome.
“Okay. My turn.
“Dare!”
“I dare you to let me kiss your belly button,” he said, holding his breath afterwards.
She made a goofy face, smiling. “Okay. ” She laid back down, pulled her shirt up just enough to reveal her belly button. Aaron crawled over to her and bent down. He grabbed her shirt and pulled it much further up. He could now see her whole flat stomach, and even the bottom of her white bra. Her eyes widened at this, but she definitely did not stop him. Nor did she want to. He kissed her on the belly button a couple times technically, slowly, but she did not stop him. Then, just before pulling away, blew gently down her stomach. Heather arched back just a bit, but Aaron noticed. It had definitely turned her on. He smiled, looking at her just as she looked back at him, a surprised look in her eyes.
“Truth” He knew what he was doing, how to play the game with this girl.
“Um. . . what turns you on?”
“Plenty of things. I guess just fooling around with a girl is pretty hot. You get to see her naked and make her feel good at the same time. ” This was both true, and the right thing to say.
Heather was getting hornier by the second. “What do you mean ‘fooling around’?”
“You know, like fingering and handjobs, stuff like that. Have you ever done that stuff?”
“No.
“Truth or dare?”
“Truth. ”
“Are you horny right now?” he asked, She nodded her head.
