bridget marlow 💀 helene aquilla (shrike) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2019-07-18 22:08:00 |
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Kesi had been mulling over the idea of moving out- or, more specifically, of buying a house of his own rather than renting. After the altercation with Luke, he'd intended to spend a few days at his sister's place, but Lyra had instead made a reservation for the both of them at the little B&B in town. It wasn't the first time they'd gone there to escape the rest of the world's bullshit, but doing that just solidified the idea in Kesi's mind. He had never been given reason to complain about sharing a house with Bridget, but if said house was no longer a place that he could reliably seek refuge- and it wouldn't be, so long as Luke Marlow had access to it- then it was time to move on. It wouldn't be an immediate thing, no, but he had an abundance of free time over the next few weeks- until school started again- so Kesi wanted to make the best use of said time in starting the house hunting process. Granted, Dunhaven wasn't a very wide market- and he fully intended to keep his word to Lyra and not look elsewhere- but even still, some things just took time. After checking out of the B&B Monday morning, Kesi had spent some time with his sister yet again, seeking a (hopefully) more level-headed opinion on the whole situation. In the end, she agreed that moving out was, if nothing else, the option most likely to result in the least amount of punching. Back home, then, Kesi parked in the driveway and, with no sign of Luke's car, entered through the side door that would put him in the kitchen. Once the door shut behind him, he knocked twice on the countertop- a familiar signal to Bridget, if she was home, that he had returned. (He wouldn't call out for her, in case she was practicing, but neither did he want her to think that it was someone entering who didn't belong there.) -- Bridget had been practicing, but the knocks had come at just the right time that she heard them between measures on her page. She felt a brief surge of relief at the realization that the sound meant that Kesi was home and she immediately moved to set her violin down and move to find Kesi. The last few days had felt odd without her roommate around, though she had understood his need for space. In truth, Bridget had needed some of that space herself. No matter what history Kesi and Luke had before she'd even come close to entering their lives, she had been determined to be able to make their living situation work. Though her attempts at keeping the two men apart had only been a temporary solution, it was hard not to be upset with how their first meeting at the house after Bridget and Luke had started dating had ended. She was certain that both men had played their own part in one way or another to escalate the situation, but only one of them had been punched. Still, the distance had been good in that Bridget was able to look at the situation a bit clearer and now she just wanted to move past it. She could only hope that they could move past it, somehow. Sticking her head through the entrance to the kitchen, Bridget smiled, albeit a bit tentatively. When she gave her greeting, she signed along with her words, just as she always did with Kesi. "Hey, you." -- Kesi gave a similarly tentative smile, raising a hand to acknowledge that he'd seen Bridget, and then watching her sign the familiar greeting. "Hey," he returned it the same. He still had a small overnight bag slung over one shoulder, but he didn't mind standing here for a minute, at least, to catch up. Maybe that would be easier than everything else he wanted to talk about. "I didn't interrupt you, did I? How was your weekend?" -- "I was practicing, but you didn't interrupt anything," Bridget returned, shrugging one of her shoulders. "My fingers were starting to complain." She glanced down at the tips of the fingers on her left hand, rubbing them each once with her thumb. Looking back up to Kesi, she managed a smile, albeit a weak one. "It was okay. Nothing too exciting to report." In truth, she'd spent most of the weekend with Luke, at least when she wasn't performing in DC. Not wanting to bring up a potentially difficult topic to traverse so soon after Kesi got home, she just didn't. "Yours?" -- If he'd been closer to her room, he likely would have been able to tell that she'd been practicing, if by the vibrations in the floor than nothing else. But Kesi was glad, at least, for the reassurance of having not truly interrupted anything. "Your callouses have callouses," he offered, a gentle tease accompanied by a smile. "Quiet," he added. "Lyra and I went out to Cozy Cottage, and then the rest of the time I was at my sister's," as promised. "Both helped… clear my head, a bit." Though neither had led him to believe that he owed Luke an apology. But that was what came of having biased friends, perhaps. Probably best to just be out with it, either way. "I've got an appointment at Down the Road Realty later this week. I don't expect the… process will go quickly, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm looking for a new place to live." -- Bridget was about to comment on how she was glad his weekend had helped with clearing his head, but hesitated as he continued. It wasn't anything she hadn't been expecting, but it nonetheless left her feeling a sinking feeling in her chest. She had been so sure that she could juggle her life and the people in it without disrupting their lives. Kesi feeling the need to move out of the house she had moved into after him felt very much like she was disrupting his life. "Okay." She wasn't sure what else she could possibly add to that, but she at least tried. "You don't have to go anywhere, you know. I feel like if it's too much, I should be the one to leave." -- "Both our names are on the lease, Bridge," Kesi offered, hoping that would, perhaps, ease the burden of guilt that it seemed she felt. "We've split everything else. I can't lay any more claim to this place than you." He may have lived here first, before she'd come to town, but he wouldn't say that gave him a right to the place over her or anyone else. "Besides, you've said more than once how much you like the acoustics here. I'd never take that away from you." He really was trying to keep this part light. -- Well, that much was true. Bridget had specifically sought out a house to live in when she moved to Dunhaven after too many chances of people complaining when she practiced in the apartments she'd lived in previously in New York. It had just been a lucky coincidence that her bedroom had been perfectly built for her purposes, the ceiling just the right height against the wood floors. She had also gotten lucky in finding a good roommate, too. Oceana had been her last roommate, her salary supporting her enough to live in what amounted to a closet on her own back then. Bridget could have afforded to buy a house or pay rent on her own, but having a roommate seemed like a good way to meet new people. It had been, too. She liked Kesi and they'd gotten along well. To see him leave wouldn't be easy, even if she understood. "The acoustics are a perk," she admitted. Bridget hesitated before adding, "I get why you're leaving. I just wish it could be different." -- Wishes were an easy indulgence, but Kesi didn't mind them, in this case. He gave a simple nod. "I do, too. But it's not like I'm going far." Even if he didn't know yet where his new place would be, within Dunhaven's limits was already decided. "And I don't want to be a stranger to you." There was another half to that sentence, a but, though Kesi left it unsaid. He could deal with Luke being in the same town. But not the same house. Not for the long term. -- "You'd better not." Bridget managed a small smile at that, even if she did find herself hoping that she wasn't kidding herself. She'd hoped that she could maintain her life at home, but that hadn't gone to plan. She could hope that the distance would be enough and her friendship with Kesi would withstand Luke's presence in her life, but the seed of worry was there. As much as she enjoyed Kesi's friendship, Luke was someone that she wouldn't compromise on but so far. He wasn't going anywhere, no matter what anyone else might think about him or her choices. Pausing to push her hair back for a moment, she continued, "I'll help you move when the time comes." She could do that much, Bridget figured. -- Life… happened, to everyone, and sometimes changes came that you couldn't have expected or didn't want to deal with. Sometimes distance was the only fix, whether that was the passage of time or just the moving of boxes a few small town blocks away. But Kesi didn't want to make Bridget compromise. Despite Luke's assumptions, he had a good regard for her, and he still wanted to count her as a friend on the other side of this whole thing. "You're the best, Bridge. Thank you." He readjusted the bag at his shoulder, then offered, "I won't keep you. Pizza for dinner? My treat." -- "Pizza sounds amazing." Nodding, Bridget smiled, this time a bit wider and warmer than the previous smiles. Kesi would be moving out and that was fine, but she wanted to make the most of the time that they did have left as roommates. Pizza was a good start to do just that. |