mila (listentoteeth) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-04-17 13:44:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, kat, kat x mila, mila |
Who: Mila and Kat
When: Early evening, Sunday October 15th
Where: Mila’s house in Seaview
Status: Complete
After the stress from the past week and a half, Mila was thrilled when Kat sent her a text wanting to come over and hang out for awhile. Aaron was out working on his truck, so Mila invited Kat over that evening, more than happy to see a friendly face. Roxy visited and texted quite a bit, but Mila knew things were kind of tense between she and Caden, so Mila didn’t want to make things worse by demanding more of her time.
She made some pasta with ground beef and garlic bread, hoping Kat wouldn’t mind. Mila was not that great of a cook, but she knew how to make spaghetti, at least and Aaron always seemed to eat it up when she did. Then again, Aaron ate most things without complaint, so Mila wasn’t sure that meant much. In any case, she was happy she had the energy to actually cook. She was getting pretty sick and tired of take out.
The food was nearly done when she heard the front door. “Come in, it’s unlocked,” Mila called out as she drained the pasta into the strainer.
Irritated wasn’t even the word for how Kat felt toward Gavin at the moment, so she’d just decided not to deal with him about anything until she absolutely had to. She’d spent most of her weekend working on various projects, but she’d texted Mila because it was way past time they got together. She figured that by now, Aaron had told Mila that Kat knew about the pregnancy, so she’d dug through some of her stored boxes of vintage and come up with something cute to bring with her along with flowers. Kat loved flowers and she also loved bringing them to her friends when she visited, so along with her shoulder bag and the gift box she had a bouquet of fresh flowers in autumn colors.
At the door, she juggled the things she was carrying enough to get the door open, and then she closed and locked it behind her before continuing to the kitchen. “Hey girlfriend,” she said, smiling brightly and setting the box and flowers down on the table before slinging her bag over a chair. “Something smells great!”
“Hey,” Mila greeted, smiling at the sight of Kat walking into the house. “It’s just spaghetti, but I didn’t want to risk giving you food poisoning by trying something more complicated. Do you want to grab some plates?” She motioned to the far left cabinet. “How are things going? How’s the store?” She had always been slightly envious of Kat’s business. Mila loved making jewelry herself, but mostly sold it online. Mila just never had the capital to do anything more with it.
“I happen to love spaghetti,” Kat said, crossing the room to pull down the plates Mila had asked for. She was used to making herself at home at Mila’s; they’d all grown up together and had the comfort of familiarity. After taking out two plates, she went searching for silverware. “Things are good,” she replied to her friend’s question. “I can’t complain.” She’d worked her ass off for years and it was finally paying off, but she definitely didn’t want to brag. A few false moves and she could be back where she’d started. “But c’mon, you don’t really want to talk about the store. We should talk about the fact that I’m going to be an aunt!” She smiled brilliantly.
It was still strange that people knew about the baby. It was still so early yet, but at least with Caden and Gavin, they really hadn’t had a choice in the matter. And it only made sense for Kat to know. At least Kat seemed happy about it. Mila still hadn’t told her parents. Just the idea of it terrified her. “Oh, right, that,” Mila said with a grin. “Well, it was definitely a surprise. But we’re making the best of it. Aaron’s been great. He’s about the only one… other than you, of course.”
“Yes, that,” Kat said, closing the drawer where she’d found forks and knives and setting them down. “I won’t mention it if you aren’t telling the general public yet. Aaron’s just so happy about it.” Her expression shifted to more of a pained grimace. “And I’m sorry my other brothers are assholes.” She figured that Mila knew that already given how many years they’d all spent in each other’s company, but she was still horrified that Gavin had actually told her she should get an abortion. So wrong and so frustrating that he didn’t seem to understand why that was wrong. He probably never would, she thought.
“You don’t have to apologize for them,” Mila said with a small smile as she finished up the spaghetti. “At least with Gavin I can sort of get where he’s coming from? But one, he’s having trouble seeing the world from another view but his own, and two, he has a really shitty way of expressing himself.” When he actually does express himself. “I haven’t spoken much to Caden, but I know from Aaron that he feels pretty much the same as Gavin. And you know, it’s fine, they’re allowed their opinions. But a guy who has no kids, and a guy who’s barely a dad to the ones he does have, probably shouldn’t be giving parenting advice.” Mila carried the small pot over to set down on the table. “The only person whose opinion matters to me is Aaron.” She paused and grinned. “And yours, of course.”
Kat was aware that she shouldn’t have to apologize for another full-grown adult, but Gavin’s current degree of asshole-ness made her feel as if she should. At least she knew that her brothers could twist her around like no one else. “Neither of them do very well at seeing anyone else’s point of view,” she said with a faint sigh. “Just don’t listen to them.” What were they going to do, anyway? Her oldest brothers couldn’t make Mila comply with their wishes, so whatever. “Aaron is thrilled, and I am too.” She was definitely a believer that sometimes things were meant to happen despite the timing possibly not being ideal.
“I’m not,” Mila admitted. “It’s Aaron I’m worried about. He looks up to his brothers, especially Gavin, so I know it hurts him more than it hurts me.” She motioned for Kat to sit so they could eat. She knew the situation wasn’t ideal, but they were going to make it work if they could. That’s all they could really do. “I’m glad he has your support, though. He needs it. I think we’re both a bit scared to tell our parents. We’re both adults, but… telling them makes me feel like I’m sixteen and knocked up,” she admitted with a small smile.
Kat settled herself in her chair, crossing her legs and reaching for a napkin to place on her lap. Somehow it made her feel better to hear Mila’s insights into Aaron. Most of the time he didn’t have great taste in women, in her opinion, and it was nice to see improvements in that area. She’d trust Mila with his heart more than she would anyone else he’d dated-- or maybe that was one night stand-ed with-- and she wondered if her other brothers had considered how horrifying it could have been if he’d impregnated one of those girls. “I’ve always got Aaron’s back,” she said. “It’s felt like just him and me standing against both of them so far.” She tucked strands of hair behind one ear. She smiled too at Mila’s admission. “Yeah, that’d be rough. Do you think you’ll tell them pretty soon or wait a bit?”
“I hate that anyone has to stand against anyone,” Mila admitted, motioning to the spaghetti for Kat to help herself. “They’re family. If we’re going to get crap from anyone, I would expect it to be our parents, but…” She shrugged and sighed. “We’ll probably tell them after the first ultrasound, just to make sure everything is okay. I keep wondering if I should say something sooner, just in case one of your brothers spills the beans and it gets around. The only thing worse than telling my mom I’m pregnant is someone else telling my mom I’m pregnant.” Mila took a sip of the water she had poured herself.
Kat’s smile was rueful as she reached for the serving spoon to fill her plate. “As you may have already figured out? The Lucas family is fucked up.” She didn’t feel that she was telling Mila something she didn’t know already, so she had no qualms about saying that. She put the spoon back so Mila could serve her own plate and made an unladylike snort at the notion of her brothers spilling any beans. “They aren’t going to say anything. Those two are the masters of secret keeping.” Aaron had told her, but she didn’t imagine he’d go tell a bunch of other people when none of their parents even knew yet. She took a bite, chewed and swallowed and added, “This is fantastic!”
Yes, Mila knew the Lucas family was definitely dysfunctional, but she had always sort of been on the outside of it. Now she was experiencing it first hand and it was more than a little unpleasant. It made her feel even worse for Aaron, and she had no idea how Roxy had handled the bullshit for so long. At least Kat made her feel a bit better about Caden and Gavin not telling other people about the pregnancy. Mila lifted her brow when Kat complimented the spaghetti, and she smiled slowly. “You don’t have to say that,” she said with a small laugh. “Although spaghetti is probably the only thing I can make that’s remotely edible. Aaron eats everything I make him, but I know he’s just trying to be nice most of the time. We get a lot of take out.”
Kat thought that Roxy had to be a saint. Who else could put up with Caden? She loved the guy, but he was a dick. It took nerves of steel to handle the Lucas family, and she hoped Mila was up to it. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like Mila would be great for her brother. “It’s good,” she insisted. “My main problem will be not dropping it on myself.” She didn’t indulge in pasta very often, but when she did she wanted it to be worth it. This one was. “Aaron’s easy to feed,” she agreed. “One of his many benefits.” She took another mouthful.
Mila grinned. “I’ve always got some extra shirts if you make a mess of yourself.” She definitely knew that it took a special kind of person to put up with the Lucas family. At least the boys. Mila had always found Kat to be easy to get along with. And Aaron too. Caden and Gavin were the oldest and she knew just by living next door when she was a kid that they always seemed to get the brunt of the abuse. It made her sad, and sympathetic, but they had people who loved them and they didn’t seem to truly appreciate it. “Aaron definitely has plenty of benefits, most of which I won’t tell you since you’re his sister.” She chuckled and twirled her fork in her spaghetti. “But what about you? Any guy in your life that you’re trying to hide from your brothers?”
“Thanks, I may need it,” Kat said dryly. She could remember sometimes swapping clothes with Mila in their teenage years, so it was definitely possible. They’d had some fun experimenting with crazy clothing looks back in the day. She snorted at Mila’s next comment. “Yes, please don’t elaborate.” She wanted to hear that about as much as Aaron would want to hear it about her, she felt sure. She reached for some parmesan cheese to add to her spaghetti and made a mock-sad face. “I wish. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had much going on in that direction. I have to work harder at that!” Sometimes there were guys coming out of the woodwork and sometimes there was absolutely nothing. Nothing like feast or famine.
Mila snickered. “Please, you don’t have to work hard to get a date, Kat. You could just walk into… well, anywhere, and ask who is going to take you out and you’d have twenty guys lined up. Not that you need a man, but… you know what I mean.” Kat was beautiful and had her own successful business. The men in Point Pleasant would have to be blind not to find that attractive. “How’s work going? I need to stop by soon and pick up some new pieces.”
“Just dating gets a little tiresome,” Kat said lightly, although she was appreciative of her friend’s assessment of her worth. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to date anyone steadily and bring them into the chaos that was the Lucas family, but it would be nice to have the option. “Thanks, though.” She cut a couple of neat lines of spaghetti to scoop up with her fork. “It’s good, going really well. I actually have more vintage items around than jewelry right now. I’m going to make some stuff with a box of jewelry bits I got at the last estate sale.” She loved that part of it, making something saleable and potentially quite valuable from materials that others would consider to be junk. She’d once picked up a broken bracelet from the sidewalk and combined it with a couple of others she’d had so long she’d forgotten from whence they’d come and sold the end result for two hundred dollars.
Mila supposed she could understand that, although she rarely dated. She’d had a couple serious boyfriends, but it was difficult to truly commit to someone when your heart belonged to someone else. Probably cheesy, but it was true. She ate some more, listening to Kat talk about work and feeling those subtle pangs of envy. She hadn’t touched any of her own jewelry in so long, distracted by Aaron, and now the pregnancy. There was a table in the small extra room covered in her supplies. “If you need any help with anything, let me know,” Mila said with a small smile. “You wouldn’t even have to pay me. It might be fun just to go to an estate sale and see how it all works.”
“You should come with me to the one I’m going to in a couple of weeks!” Kat exclaimed. “I’d love to have company. As long as you’re feeling okay and all.” She had no idea what it was like to be pregnant, not really, so she couldn’t gauge how Mila would be in two weeks. “I love going and finding stuff other people would think is junk.” She had no idea why she loved vintage and antique things so much; it wasn’t as if her childhood had been particularly elegant. Maybe it was because it seemed like a throwback to another time when life had been less hectic and more intentional. Who knew?
“That would be amazing,” Mila said, her smile widening. “I would love to go. I’m already feeling a bit better, so I’m sure I’ll be fine. Just let me know when.” It might be difficult if it was during her work hours, but she would make it work. Maybe she could get off and running with her own career, or something similar. It was a nice thought anyway, and it would always be pleasant to spend time with Kat. At least she knew there was a Lucas she could depend on besides Aaron, and that made her feel better than she had in quite awhile.