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Part 6 - Heartfelt (cont.)

Only one game was missing but Lina had a duplicate of it. However, she hopefully-wondered, "Maybe it got dropped behind a chair?"

While searching, she asked, "Do we have a vacuum?" 

Indeed, we did. An old Kirby vacuum Archie bought ages ago from a door-to-door salesman and had kept supplied with replacement parts ever since. It looked like something pulled from another era with its chrome head and long, tan bag but its suction was a thing of reverence. Lina giggled when she saw the name.

I helped her haul the massive beast into the hallway. Greg usually vacuumed, working up a thick, glossy sweat by the time he was done. Plugging it in, Lina wasn't prepared for the forward thrust, but she was soon able to wrangle it in the right direction.

While she cleaned, I sanitized the important parts of the restroom. No reason to do a full job until we were sure there would be no more surprise "wall artists".

Back in the waiting room, I pushed chairs and benches aside for Lina and carefully wiped down the blinds. It wasn't that bad. In Albuquerque, where I grew up, you sometimes had fucking dunes after less than a week. Still, the result was nicer and more professional. However, Lina discovered the game she was looking for was under some paperwork on the reception desk. No harm done but I was really eager for lunch.

We went about a mile up the main road to Jean's Diner in the heart of old downtown. The parking was shit but I'd been there a few times and enjoyed it. Lina picked the daily special and I got the chicken platter because I can never have enough cock. I quipped this to Lina and she let out a little snort-giggle through her tea. The old lady in the booth beside us gave me a disgusted look. Clearly, she wasn't getting enough either.

Tracing her cup lip with her finger, Lina announced, "I've been thinking about staying on at the office after this week. I like the work. Dealing with the people who come in, like I said yesterday, has really been satisfying. And I've been doing stuff I never thought I'd be able to do." 

I took a deep breath and listened to the little model train chug along the circular track above us. After a sip of coffee, I told Lina, "If it were up to me, you'd have a permanent place at OWL, but that's not my call. We already have three full-time staff in the front office. John, despite being a soggy bum lately, is the reason I don't lose my mind some days."

Lina nodded and breathed over her tea. "I get it. I wouldn't want John or anyone else to lose their job because of me."

Rubbing my forehead, I noted, "You're a great person for reception. We all usually take turns and it's so chaotic. I'd love for you to stay but, even if you came in early and late like we talked about, would working all those hours be worth it?"

"Yes", Lina looked up and answered without a flinch or pause. "No matter the pay or the exhaustion, it's worth it to me."

I raised my cup and told her, "In that case, I'll do what I can to make sure you're hired."

She clinked my cup and smiled. "Thanks."

Despite my words, I knew with my eyes that this Lina wouldn't last the week. I'd do my best to help the other one, though I barely knew her. She likely never found her way to Greg's bedroom. Never became an outsider in her own life. Never wore pink scrubs. Never gave a video game to a little girl with her hair and scalp falling out. Could she and I even be friends?...

Nah, not worth fretting about. We had now. We had lunch on a Tuesday. And I had a long piece of cock to eat, just not the one I was truly craving. 

Back at the office, the afternoon session was eerily-manageable. Deb did her thing. No soul-leeching orders came through, just the usual crap. Lina had only a few borrowers and their reactions were subdued. Still, she smiled through the end of the day.

After locking up and waving a friendly middle finger goodbye to Deb's black-smoke-puffing sedan, I sat down before the doctor scrawls we'd received. These would go into the archives. Like an archaeologist trying to decode ancient runes, I worked line by line to make everything understandable in case anyone ever tried to blame us again for a thing they screwed up.

Some of it was hopeless. I knew my fucking shorthand, but one note was literally just packed strings of circles. Any notes with those went in my metaphorical burn pile.

When I finished the last of them, I stretched, adjusted the shoulder straps of my bra, and glanced around for Lina. Nowhere. 

Standing, I checked both the break room and reception, expecting to see her slumped over something and snoring away. Nope. Same with the x-ray area, the lab, and Deb's space.

The last place was the restroom. In retrospect, I should've tried there first, but Lina had made far fewer trips today than Monday. I knocked and she quickly called through the door, "Oh! Just a sec! Be right out!"

Wow, she must've saved it all for one long go.

Listening, I heard clanking and scuffing, followed by water running and limbs banging into the sink and paper towel dispenser. Then, gasps and whimpering. 

Rushing back, I took the emergency key and unlocked the door to see Lina clinging to the wall with her weight off her feet and the lower half of her scrubs barely on sideways. One of the game machines she'd brought to share lay by the side of the toilet. 

I figured it out before Lina said, through winces, "Pins and needles..." 

Yeah, if you sit on the pot for an hour, that will happen. Granted, I spent a lot more time than I should've the same way, with books as a teenager and with my phone before it turned to the path of evil.

I supported Lina until the pain went away and she was able to fix her clothes. I had no idea what Dragon Warrior 3 was, but it sure had her in its thrall. 

She put extra effort into helping me finish off the last few things but still received her payment for the day with downcast eyes. 

No down notes. Setting my hands on her shoulders, I announced, "Let's go shopping."

I needed to eat, and she needed to make Wednesday breakfast. Her eyes lifted up and she flirted with a smile at the reminder. "Sure!"

A mile down the road the other direction, just past the highway, was the Frostwell Walmart. I could pick up four dozen eggs and still not spend a full dollar. Not that I had any real use for that many, but I could. Bless the fact we were literally surrounded by local farms (aside from over-anxious cocks). The fruits and vegetables were all local too, so Lina had plenty of cooking material to choose from. 

Along the way, she picked up a one-month supply of overnight pads and a massive set of toilet paper rolls. I curled my lips back and held my tongue. 

I intentionally-avoided seeing most of what went into her cart since she talked on the way about keeping the meal a surprise. But I did watch when she wandered over to the accessories section in clothing. 

She held a barrette against her head. She tested the feel of a scrunchie, a band, and a ponytailer without breaking the packaging. And she traced a hair clip with her finger before she noticed I was around. 

"I was just looking. I haven't really done anything fun with my hair...gosh...in almost a decade now."

With a frown, I asked, "How come?" 

She set the clip back. "Family. Most of them. Greg actually taught himself and me how to braid my hair. Mom didn't like it. I had these little Triforce clips. I loved them. But, one day, this girl who I thought was my best friend...snapped them in half, just because." She closed her eyes and sighed through her nose.

I looked at the selections on the wall. Triforce? Fuck. I might've seen it once in my life but...Gold triangle, maybe? 

I picked out a golden, triangular clip and ripped it out of the packaging. Lina looked around nervously. Whatever. It was two bucks. I was gonna buy it, no matter what. 

She slipped it in her hair and over her ear. It held that droopy lock out of her face. She checked herself in a little mirror nearby. 

"I love it", she proclaimed with a pearly flash of teeth. "And it holds really well." Despite her soft protests, the clip and its packaging went in my cart to buy.

When we were done, Lina immediately dodged away from the self-checkout and straight to the regular cashiers. She wore the clip the rest of the way back to her place (while prodding me with two dollars in repayment).

A homemade breakfast would be my repayment. She eventually gave up trying to give me money, partly because her eyes were starting to droop and mostly because I wasn't budging. 

After she'd taken in her groceries and we'd said goodnight, I thought about whether I should make a backup breakfast in case something went wrong. Like she crashed on the couch and woke up right before work time. Or it didn't come together how she wanted. 

I could do that, but I resisted the urge. I had faith in her.

Back home, once everything was put away, I put on something carefree and light and took a nice bath. 

Good thoughts. No bugs. No justifiable murder of senseless people on the phone. No twitches. No worries about the rest of the week. Just calm thoughts of sweet dick. Ahhhh...

However, sounds plagued my night. Paper rustling by the dresser. Beams settling in the ceiling. Rattling in the window. Someone shuffling over a tile floor. A far-off crashing like trash cans struck by bats. A car peeling rubber on the nearby road. Some rumble like a train thundering over tracks.

In the end, the cacophony of chaos became my lullaby to sleep...

The door slammed. Greg roared, "How fucking could you?!"

We were in the bathroom of the OWL. His voice echoed in my ears. "I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do."

"You let Lina believe lies! She died in the middle of the night, sobbing in agony and fear as her life slipped away. Her lost soul will be inside me till the day I die!"

Scalding, bitter tears dripped down his face. 

I shook my head. "Not lies. I told her at first and she nearly broke. It was mercy. It was kindness." 

He punched the wall, cracking the hard tile. "I remember every single moment of your self-absorbed, so-called kindness. Just biding your time till I was back. You never really cared about her. You just wanted another nice fuck. Well, fuck you."

He slammed the door and left. Never to return. Never to speak to me again. His gorgeous scent burnt away by his fire. The cold of the tile closed in all around me, dragging me down until...

A succession of four, careful knocks on the door.

I blinked, my eyes bleary and wet around the edges. My phone was playing that annoying, default ring I never bothered to change. The faintest mottle of morning light dripped over the nearest window. I shivered as I realized I'd kicked the covers off in the middle of the night. Knocking again. 

Wiping at my eyes, I hustled to my front door and unlocked it. 

Lina stood there in her scrubs with a couple bags on her shoulders and in her hands. She beamed. "Surprise! I hope I didn't come too early. But I saved you having to drive over to my place. I took a cab."