mila (listentoteeth) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2017-10-27 13:27:00 |
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Entry tags: | #september 2017, mila, mila x roxy, roxy |
Who: Mila and Roxy
When: Shortly after 9:00am mass ends, Sunday, September 10th
Where: Joyland Coffee
Mass was never terribly exciting. There were some Sundays when Mila wondered why she continued to go. She had been lax on confession, or trying to speak to Father O’Shea, because she simply didn’t see the point. As much as she wished she could sleep in and not worry about repentance, Mila found herself once again sitting in between her mother and father during service. They were several rows in front of Aaron, who was sitting with Roxy and Gavin, and she had to resist glancing over her shoulder to look at him. It was a silly thing, really. They hadn’t spoken since Aaron drove Mila home Saturday morning after their motel trip the night before. She had considered texting him, or maybe bringing him coffee, but Mila hadn’t wanted to seem… pushy? Clingy? Desperate? So she let it go and went to work Saturday, happy to have something to distract her.
When they had seen each other before mass started, they had shared an awkward hug and Mila had hurried inside the church before her mother could see. Mila wasn’t in the mood for a lecture about her friendship with the Lucas’s. Mass had been long and boring, as usual, and after it was finished, Mila kissed her parents goodbye and walked down the aisle to find Roxy. She wanted to grab some coffee with her best friend and just put the entire weekend behind her. Thankfully Aaron wasn’t hanging about. She could see him a few rows over, chatting with a couple of friends. Mila smiled at Roxy and reached out to take her by the hand. “Coffee?”
Roxy had sat with Aaron and Gavin for Sunday morning service, as usual. Caden absolutely refused to go with her, and it wasn’t like she could ignore her quasi-brothers-in-law, especially since Aaron usually gave her rides, so she always sat with them. She made a point to sit with Aaron between herself and Gavin, with a good buffer zone between them, so no one could think anything was untoward.
She didn’t have many thoughts about the new priest yet. She didn’t know him, even though some people sounded like they did, but she hadn’t been to confession yet, all the same. The mass was fine, nothing that fired her up, but she didn’t find it too boring. After service, Gavin seemed to want to linger at the church, and Aaron was busy running his mouth with some people, so Roxy was a bit relieved when she saw Mila coming. She smiled back and took Mila’s hand, giving it a squeeze. The other woman looked cute. Roxy didn’t often dress up for church -- Caden didn’t like her to dress up unless she was going out with him anyway -- but she tried to look nice, at least. Low key nice.
“Yes please,” Roxy answered with a soft laugh. She pulled her phone out of her purse with her free hand to shoot Aaron a text to say she didn’t need a ride home, then started walking with Mila out of the church. “How are you, sweetie?” she asked.
"Fantastic," Mila said with a touch of sarcasm before she waved her hand and smiled. "No, really, I'm fine. It was just a bit of a stressful weekend, that's all. Mom says hi." Her mother had extreme distaste for the Lucas family, but she loved Roxy. Mila never said so to Roxy, but her mother often lit a candle and said a prayer for Roxy that she would leave 'that Lucas boy' and find a 'good man'. Mila could only imagine how dramatically her mother would faint if she ever found out Mila had slept with Aaron Lucas, of all people. She pulled her keys out of her purse to unlock her car doors as they walked across the small parking lot to the tiny blue Honda. "What about you, though? Did you and Caden make it through the power outage without any problems?" Or creepy, disembodied whispers and breathing? Mila didn't want to mention that if Roxy didn't. She didn't need her best friend thinking she had gone loco.
Roxy let out a little ‘aw’ at the mention of Mila’s mom, and turned her head to glance behind them as if to look for the woman. Mrs. Moretti had always been really nice to her, and she appreciated it. Caden’s mom wasn’t warm in the slightest, and she and her own mother had a basket full of issues, so having Mila’s mom around sometimes was pretty nice. She didn’t see the elder Moretti though, so faced forward again as they approached Mila’s car. “We closed the bar together, so we didn’t get home until really late,” she answered. “Kinda just fell into bed.” The power outage had been an annoyance, but not a big deal to them. Roxy had had some disturbing dreams, if she remembered correctly, but nothing that stuck out now. She let go of Mila’s hand to walk around to the passenger side and climb in once it was unlocked. “How about you? You were home, right?”
Oh, right. Caden and Roxy had been scheduled to close the bar. She supposed she could have just gone into work at the power outage, but who wanted to go to their place of work when they weren't technically working? "I was home," Mila said with a nod. "Aaron came over to keep me company." She decided against mentioning the weirdness. Maybe she would save that for another day. Or maybe Aaron would tell Roxy about it. Mila got into the car and set her purse in the back seat before starting up the engine. She spared one last glance toward the church, but didn't see Aaron, so she headed out, fighting back disappointment. "I'm guessing you guys were busy then, with the power going out. I should have come in to help out." And brought Aaron with her. It was the smarter decision and not one she had even considered. Figures. "What's Caden up to now?" He never came to church, and frankly, Mila couldn't blame him.
“We stayed pretty busy, yeah,” Roxy confirmed, sounding a little tired about it even though it had been a couple of days prior. There had been busy power-outage nights before -- the winters in Point Pleasant were unforgiving -- but the Porch had seemed exceptionally busy that night. No wonder she had passed out quickly after she and Caden made it home. Roxy waved a hand at Mila’s comment. “Don’t worry about it, we would’ve called you if we got too slammed. It was manageable.” She didn’t miss that Mila mentioned Aaron coming over to her place, but that wasn’t too unusual. Aaron didn’t like to be alone much, Roxy knew, so he tended to be at somebody’s house at any given time. Roxy checked the time on her phone and hummed thoughtfully. “He’s probably getting ready to open,” she said. Since Gavin and Aaron both went to church every week, Caden opened the bar almost every Sunday. He never seemed to mind too much.
Mila had forgotten that Caden tended to open the bar on Sundays. He was not a church goer - which wasn't surprising to Mila - and she usually got Sundays off of work unless someone asked to switch her shifts. She couldn't remember if Aaron worked later or not, but didn't want to ask and sound... stalkery or whatever. "How are things going with him?" Mila asked, sparing Roxy a glance as she turned down the street toward Joyland Coffee. She and Roxy spent plenty of time together, usually without Caden. It was a natural thing for Mila to ask about her best friend's boyfriend, but she always liked to know if things were good or Bad for Roxy at any given time. If Caden was being a dick toward Roxy lately, then Mila knew to be cold toward him at work until he had gotten his head out of his ass.
Roxy of course immediately thought of the tiff over her bringing Gavin food at home, but decided not to mention it. It hadn’t turned into a big deal, and the more she thought about it, the more she understood Caden’s position. That usually happened once she calmed down from whatever it was they were fighting about. She knew how jealous and possessive of her he was -- and vice versa -- and she also knew that she would’ve been pissed if the tables were turned, so ... whatever. She could compromise, that was what relationships were all about, right? Roxy also knew that one of Caden’s biggest pet peeves was her talking to other people about their relationship, and while she broke that rule a lot with Mila, she didn’t feel compelled to today. So Roxy shrugged a shoulder. “Things are okay,” she said, looking over with a little smile. “Y’know ... normal. So tell me about Aaron coming over, did you guys play cards by candlelight or something?” Her tone was teasing; she was very familiar with Mila’s incomprehensible crush on the youngest Lucas brother.
Ugh, normal for Roxy and Caden generally meant turmoil and bickering. That was normal for Roxy. It was fucked up to Mila, but she tended to bite her tongue when it came to telling Roxy how she really felt about Caden as a person. Roxy had been her friend since high school, and it was Mila's job to look after her. She couldn't do that if Roxy stopped speaking to her, which, sadly, Mila sometimes thought would actually happen if she pushed too hard on the whole Caden issue. Love was fucking blind, wasn't that the phrase? Mila noted Roxy's playful tone, and while her cheeks warmed in embarrassment, Mila shook her head with a quick roll of her eyes as she pulled into the tiny parking lot beside Joyland Coffee. "Well, there was candlelight," Mila said with a shrug as she turned off the car. She avoided looking at Roxy as she grabbed her purse to get out of the car. Mila couldn't exactly tell Roxy they had gone to a motel, because then she would have to explain why, and she wasn't sure she wanted to get into that story. It felt insane in her head now that she was a couple days removed from it. She and Aaron had been freaked out by the outage, and their imaginations had run away from them. That's all. "We had some beer and talked for awhile," Mila added as she reached for the front door to open for Roxy. "I don't think he had anyone else to call after the power went out, with you and Caden working. He looks really sexy wet by the way."
She noted the flush to her oldest friend’s cheeks, but Roxy just chalked it up to her crush on Aaron. She laughed a bit at the sexy comment as she walked into Joyland. Aaron was hot, objectively speaking -- even though Roxy would never breathe such a thing out loud -- but she knew him well enough that any attraction that might have been there had died a long time ago. He was Caden’s little brother, and that sort of made him her little brother as well, and that was enough to be gross. Not to mention the fact that he was dumb as a brick, and Roxy wouldn’t have been able to handle that. She needed a man with two brain cells to rub together. Caden had his flaws, but he was sharp.
Roxy didn’t say anything else until they’d gotten their coffee at the counter and had claimed a table. She hooked her purse over the back of her chair and looked at Mila with a bemused smile. “So beer and candles and lonely, sexy-wet Aaron ... and that was it?” she probed further, only partially teasing. It sounded like a perfect romantic setup to her. Mila deserved better, but Roxy knew how it was to be around someone you liked a lot like that. She wrapped her hands around the large mug to warm them up a bit before she took a sip. “I feel like you’re holding out on me.”
Mila knew Aaron wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was sweet - at least he was to her - and he made her laugh. He looked out for her, when he could. These weren't traits that sustained a long term relationship and she knew that. She also knew that Aaron Lucas and commitment was something of an oxymoron. But it wasn't like she could just hit the off switch when it came to how she felt. Mila had tried. And now that they had slept together, it felt so much worse. Mila took her time answering Roxy. She sipped her hot coffee and watched a young couple walk by outside, two dogs on leashes by their sides. Ugh. Stupid, happy people. Mila looked back at Roxy and all but grimaced as she spoke. "We sort of slept together." The words spilled out before she could really think of the best way to phrase it. "He said he wanted to kiss me, so I let him, obviously, and then it was just...it happened." Mila shrugged, looking almost pained.
Of all people, Roxy could understand not being able to control feelings about someone. There were times when she prayed that she would wake up without an ounce of love left for Caden Lucas. Hell, there were even times when she thought she’d accomplished that. But then he would smile in a certain way or pull her close by her hips or something, and Roxy would melt inside all over again. It was something she never told him, because he didn’t like to hear shit like that, but it was true. She wasn’t stupid, she was just in love, and she prided herself on being loyal. Roxy was focused on Mila now though, and her her jaw dropped open at what she said. A smile tried to join it, but it was short-lived because of the look on Mila’s face. “Only sort of?” she couldn’t help but tease first, but then she had to look concerned. “You don’t look happy about it. What’d he do?” Mila had been in love with Aaron Lucas since high school, so something had to have gone wrong for her to look miserable about finally hooking up with him.
"He didn't do anything," Mila said quickly, realizing that Roxy had probably been expecting Mila to be beaming and blushing like a schoolgirl. She sort of wished she could, but it wasn't that simple. Everything had to be complicated now. That just was being an adult, she supposed. "It was amazing," she continued after sipping her coffee again. "Reality never exceeds fantasy, but it did. I'm still kind of wondering if it actually happened, or I just dreamed it." And there she was, starting to sound gushy, so Mila shut that part of her brain down quickly. Mila twitched her lips to the side thoughtfully before sighing. "It's just... it's Aaron. Everything just seemed to align perfectly, and he slept beside me all night." It wasn't like he could leave after, or ditch out in the morning before she woke up. He'd been her ride, after all. "Morning was kind of strange. We didn't talk much, then he went home." After dropping Mila off, of course. "And I haven't heard from him since, except to say hello this morning at church. And it was super awkward and I know it's stupid to think he'd call, or text or stop by. Oh god." Mila's head fell back on her neck and she closed her eyes as she groaned. "I don't want to be one of those clingy girls after sex. They're so fucking annoying. But... I also don't want to be another notch on Aaron Lucas's headboard, and I kind of think that's where I've ended up."
Roxy wasn’t too surprised to hear that Aaron had been a good lay. She’d heard as much from other girls. She didn’t quite trust them as much as she trusted Mila’s opinion, but still. A guy didn’t get that kind of reputation for nothing. Women had more discerning taste, generally speaking. Her expression turned sympathetic as she listened to the rest of what Mila had to say. Finally landing one’s crush of years and years had to be a little strange, and Roxy knew Aaron had zero finesse or insight when it came to women’s feelings. It’s just ... it’s Aaron really did sum it up perfectly. That was Aaron all right. She reached over to pat Mila’s hand. “Okay A, you’re not stupid, you’re normal. But don’t think that you’re just a notch yet,” she said, mentally reaching for something helpful to say. “He’s ... well, I mean, you know he has to be hit in the face with a clue-by-four to know what to do about anything, especially women. Maybe it was awkward just because it was church, and your mom hovers, you know?” Roxy wrinkled up her nose a bit, torn between telling Mila she deserved better and wanting to give her quasi-little-brother the benefit of the doubt. “If it helps, he’s never talked about you like you might be a conquest or something ... Do you want me to go smack him? ‘Cause you know I will.” She offered a little smile.
Mila sighed and returned Roxy's smile with a faint one of her own as she set her elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her hand. "You don't have to smack him, but thank you for offering. I also don't want to have to hit him with a two by four. If he actually feels anything there, then maybe he'll figure it out. And if it was just sex, then it was just sex and things can go back to normal." Whatever normal was. Mila pining in the corner and Aaron totally oblivious. That was normal. Mila studied Roxy intently for a moment, as if her friend was keeping something from her. "What would you do?" Mila asked. Roxy was being supportive and optimistic, because that's what friends did for each other. But she also didn't want Roxy blowing smoke up Mila's ass just to keep her happy. "No bullshitting, Rox."
Roxy was sipping on her coffee, and she arched a brow, then swallowed and licked her full lips. “No bullshitting? I would talk to him about it. But first, I would figure out what I really wanted from him, so I could let him know. But that’s me, you know I’m direct.” She gave Mila a look that managed to be stern and loving at the same time. “You’ve pined long enough, girl. If you want him to be yours, tell him so, see what he says. If the sex really was that good, my bet is he’ll be ready to give it a chance.” Now whether Aaron could make good on that chance was a different story., Roxy was guessing no, but that would be pessimistic to say. Maybe Mila was just what Aaron needed to straighten himself out. She was a good woman, and he needed one of those. “At least then you would know,” she added, lifting her mug again. “And if he’s too stupid to want to date you, then he’s a lost cause.”
The thought of being that direct with Aaron, telling him what she wanted, made her stomach churn uneasily. She knew Roxy could do it, but Mila didn't really have her confidence. And what if she was that direct with him and he just blew her off? Or let her down 'gently'. Mila wasn't sure which one of those would be worse. But, on the other hand, if he gave it a chance and it worked out, Mila had a feeling it could become something really amazing. She smiled a bit and shook her head before sipping her coffee again. "Maybe I'll just start with something small, like, asking him to dinner. That might be less likely to scare him off than telling him I've wanted him since seventh grade. Aaron seems like the skittish sort when it comes to feelings," she said with a laugh. "I guess I just don't want things to get weird. Don't mention it to him, okay? Or, Caden either." She didn't trust Caden wouldn't say something to Aaron, if Aaron didn't bring it up first.
Roxy gave a little laugh and waved her hand. “I didn’t mean like, a confession of your longstanding love,” she said with a warm smile. “Just, like, ‘hey you adorable dummy, be my boyfriend’ kind of thing.” She doubted that Mila would do that either, her friend really didn’t know how beautiful she was and what kind of power that gave her over men, but it was what Roxy would’ve done. She and Caden had gotten together much the same way, but it had been more of a mutual decision. He’d claimed her and she was happy with that. Aaron needed to be directed, in Roxy’s opinion, and she had the feeling that if Mila claimed him, he would happily go along with it. Whether he would stay faithful was a different story, but once they got together, Roxy fully intended on telling him she would personally have his balls if he hurt Mila. “Dinner works too. And don’t worry, I won’t breathe a word to anybody. But you gotta risk a little weird to get a reward, doll. ... he don’t deserve you, but if you want him, take him.” Roxy flashed her a grin.
Mila laughed again, thankful all of the sudden that she had Roxy to talk to. She had a couple other friends, but no one she could be this candid with. Certainly no one who would be honest with her. It made her nervous to even imagine asking Aaron out, even for coffee. Or a beer. She supposed she could feel how things felt once they worked together again and kind of go from there. How ridiculous to feel anxious about it after they had already seen each other naked. It should be easy now, but it wasn't. She just had unrealistic expectations when it came to Aaron, and she needed to tamper those down for awhile. "I can risk a little weird," Mila decided. She couldn't really say much about whether or not Aaron deserved her. She felt like Aaron deserved her more than Caden deserved Roxy, but that was a completely different conversation, and not one Roxy probably wanted to have. At least Mila would never have to worry about Aaron hitting her. She smiled at her friend. "I'm still trying to figure out how I can leech some of that confidence from you. I'm going to have to find a listening device to put in my ear so you can feed me everything I need to say to him."
It was good to make her laugh; Roxy had been friends with Mila since high school, and she loved the other woman. Even if Mila maybe didn’t understand it, she never gave Roxy shit about her relationship with Caden, which was something Roxy was eternally grateful for. She’d lost other friends that way, and it sucked. Part of Roxy knew that it maybe wasn’t good for Mila to get mixed up with any Lucas brother any more than she already was by working for them ... but on the other hand, she kind of already felt like a sister, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. Aaron was the dumbest of them, but he was also the sweetest, and Mila needed someone sweet. Roxy grinned. “Like that movie? Damn, what’s it called ... anyway, I can totally write you a script and everything if you want, or we could do it over Bluetooth or whatever,” she teased with a little laugh of her own. She took another swallow of coffee and shook her head. “You can do it, I got faith in you. You’re a catch, and he might not be bright, but he’s not blind. Just needs a lil’ nudge, is all.”
"He's bright enough," Mila said, tilting her head. Sure, Aaron wasn't the smartest person Mila knew, but she sometimes got a little rankled when people implied he was stupid. He meant well, and she would rather he be sweet than brainy. Mila knew Roxy didn't mean anything disparaging by it. She grinned. "Oh, I'm all about Bluetooth. Maybe I'll just text him everything so I don't have to see him face to face and die of embarrassment. Feels like high school all over again." Except her acne had cleared up and Mila had boobs now. Mila didn't even want to get into how her mother would probably dramatically faint upon the ground if she ever discovered Mila had slept with Aaron Lucas. Or was actually dating Aaron Lucas. Lord, have mercy on her soul. She wasn't sure she could handle a Maria Moretti meltdown. "Thanks," Mila added, once her laughter faded. "I guess I just needed some perspective. We'll see what happens. If he doesn't want to date me, maybe he'll at least fuck me once more for the road, yeah?" Mila arched a brow suggestively and took another drink of coffee. "Those Lucas boys. I'm starting to understand the appeal under all of the baggage."
Roxy laughed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “They’re a mess, but a hot mess,” she said with a grin. All three of them had their pros and cons, just like anybody else, but if Roxy was being honest, Aaron was probably the best of them. Not for her, but in general. She thought Mila ought to talk to Aaron in person instead of over text -- she probably wouldn’t get much coherence back -- but Roxy didn’t say so. She’d given the advice she was asked for, how Mila went about it from there was up to her. Plus she could only pick on Aaron so much when he wasn’t around. “Anytime though, sweetheart,” Roxy said, her smile warm. “And let me know how it goes. I can always talk to him if you want me to, but I won’t say anything if you don’t.” Going back and forth between a friend and the boy she liked was a bit high school, but he was kind of her brother, so Roxy thought he might listen to her. She paused for a second, then leaned in more conspiratorially and grinned. “So it was good enough to want one for the road, huh?” she prompted.
A hot mess was probably a total understatement, but Mila knew what Roxy was saying. Mila rarely heard Gavin say more than three words at a time. Caden could be an outright, unapologetic dick, and Aaron... well, he had his own flaws, but Mila couldn't really compare them to the ones Gavin and Caden harbored. Mila waved her hand dismissively. "No, it's okay. I can talk to Aaron. I'm a big girl, despite how I behave sometimes. Besides, if I really want this to be like high school, I'll just write him a note asking if he likes me, with the yes, no or maybe boxes for him to check." Mila grinned, clearly joking. She figured she could just suck it up and ask Aaron out on a date, or something. Because she wasn't entirely sure he would take the initiative. Roxy's question had Mila blushing again, but she laughed. "Yes, absolutely. He definitely knows what he's doing. And you know, he has..." Mila arched a brow suggestively. "Well, I can see why so many women enjoying sleeping with him. Size matters."
The idea of handing a middle school note off to Aaron made Roxy laugh again, and she bit her tongue on a mean joke about that being too much reading for him. It was all affectionate ribbing in her head, but if Aaron and Mila were going to get together, Roxy was going to have to be nicer about him. She grinned through the rest of what Mila said, genuinely glad to hear it. At least Aaron had that going for him. Not that Roxy was surprised -- sometimes she thought the electric sex was what kept her and Caden together. It must run in the family. Caden would be livid at her thinking of his brothers like that at all, but girl gossip was girl gossip. Roxy trusted Mila to keep it to herself. She made a little teasing ‘woo’ sound and took another sip of coffee. “Girl, you’re just hooked now,” she teased. “It’s all over. I better be maid of honor when y’all tie the knot. ... really though, I’m happy for you. Best of luck, babe, I mean that. He’s a good guy.” Not good enough for her best friend, maybe, but still good.
"Oh god," Mila whispered, looking out the window into the street. "Don't mention tying the knot. I swear my mom has ears like a fucking bat and she'll be in here any second asking who I'm seeing." God, if it ever even came close to that level of seriousness with Aaron, Mila would just have to decide to wait to marry him until after her parents were both dead and gone. If not, a wedding to a Lucas boy would surely kill both of them. Mila smiled and arched a brow in Roxy's direction. "If you're my maid of honor, I get to be yours." Mila wasn't terribly sure a wedding was in Roxy's future, given how she'd heard Caden talk in the past. But the two had been together long enough that surely it was inevitable, right?
It was Roxy’s own fault for bringing up marriage, even jokingly. She ought to know better. But she’d gotten pretty practiced at brushing off any suggestions about her and Caden eventually getting hitched. They’d had more fights about it than she could count. He just wasn’t ready. Roxy felt deep down that someday he would be, and then they could get married and have babies and settle into the rest of their lives ... but she wasn’t holding her breath. It wasn’t a fun topic to even think about, so she didn’t right then, just smiling warmly at Mila. “That was already in the plan, duh,” she said. Mila was her best friend. Roxy sure as fuck wasn’t going to ask her sister to stand with her. If she did end up marrying Caden, she was pretty sure her family wouldn’t even come.
Mila didn't really expect Roxy to say much on the subject, and Mila didn't want to push her too much either. She might have had the hots for Caden's brother, but secretly deep down Mila sort of hoped Roxy would meet someone else. Caden was gorgeous, of course, but he was an asshole. Not only just to Roxy. The way he talked to his brothers, and sometimes even the customers. He just didn't seem to care much about anything. But Roxy was in love, and Mila knew from experience that love was blind. She just wished her best friend would let Mila be her eyes every now and then. "Everything is okay with you two?" Mila asked casually while lifting her coffee to take another another sip as she studied Roxy over the rim of her cup.
It was a question she heard so often, Roxy had started to not even know how to answer anymore. She generally shrugged it off from most people -- they didn’t really care anyway, and who wanted the truth? But Mila was a little different, as her best friend. Roxy confided in her the most, even if she didn’t tell Mila everything. She knew how their relationship looked from the outside, she wasn’t that dumb. People just didn’t get it, they didn’t understand the love she and Caden had, and Roxy was so tired now of trying to explain it. Gazing down at her coffee instead of her friend, Roxy shrugged a bit. “We had it out a little over something stupid, as usual ... me bringing some leftovers to Gavin’s house, but ... he got over it.” She glanced up as she lifted her coffee again.
There always seemed to be something Roxy and Caden 'had it out' over. Usually something insignificant and stupid, but enough to set Caden off anyway. Because he was a dick. "He doesn't want you bringing leftovers to his brother?" Mila asked, arching a dark brow. "Why not? Was Gavin pissed off about it, or something? Or just Caden." Who knew with Gavin. Mila never knew what kind of mood the guy was in. She had a feeling Gavin's stoic expression rarely changed, even when he was excited, happy, or sad, or coming during sex. Stoic grunting. Grunt, grunt, grunt. She didn't need to think about that now, because giggling during this conversation would probably give off the wrong impression.
It was always something, and most of the time it boiled down to Caden being jealous. Of course, Roxy had her own bouts of jealousy, so it wasn’t like she could blame him completely, but that always seemed to be at the core of their issues. She rolled her eyes and sighed at the further questioning, though it wasn’t directed toward Mila. That was all for Caden. “It was mostly that I brought it to his house,” she said. “So he got all suspicious about why. I told him it was for the kids and ‘cause Gavin’s divorced and alone. Which of course just made him more suspicious.” She shrugged again, even though it hadn’t really been a shrugging matter at the time. “I told him I’d just bring food to work instead, and that made him happier.”
"Yeah, well, gotta keep Caden happy," Mila murmured, looking out the window as she drank a bit more of her now lukewarm coffee. She wasn't trying to be snarky, or not supportive of Roxy, but it drove her crazy sometimes, how ridiculous Caden could be. "You'd think at this point he would trust you, right? And trust his brother, if anything. I think Gavin is about this close to monk hood." She held her thumb and forefinger close together. "It's just weird to think about someone like Caden being as insecure as he is. You've got the patience of a saint, Rox."
Roxy’s lips pressed together a bit tighter at the first thing Mila said, but she didn’t dispute it. She did actually have to keep Caden happy, but she didn’t like to look at the reasons why too closely. Or argue with other people about them, least of all. Caden kept her happy too, to a certain extent. That was just what you did in relationships, right? She shrugged in a way that suggested she totally agreed. She never understood it when Caden was so jealous, it wasn’t like she’d ever given him a reason to be suspicious of her. “I think he just ... doesn’t get what my family was like, what food means. You’re Italian, you know what I mean, right? Gavin’s pretty much my brother, so ...” she trailed off and made a helpless gesture. “But their family was so fucked up, Caden doesn’t get it. ‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, Rox,’” she said, mimicking him before she shrugged again.
Mila rolled her eyes and let her head fall back against her neck briefly. "Give me a break. That phrase is so outdated, I can't even. But yes, I know what you mean. My mom makes dinner for me and my dad and it's like she's feeding a football team. And then she packs up the leftovers and takes them to our neighbors or friends. It's part of the culture." Mila shrugged. "But, I guess on the other hand, if Caden and Gavin didn't grow up in anything remotely close to a happy home, then it's understandable why they don't get it. I'm sorry he's being a big pain in the ass, though. You would think at this point those boys would know how you operate, and that your intentions are good ones."
From what Roxy knew -- which wasn’t all of it, she was sure -- the Lucas home had been the polar opposite of happy. They had all been abused, but Caden and Gavin had taken the brunt of it, and she knew it had screwed them up. It was part of the reason Roxy did have so much patience with him. His shittiness wasn’t all his fault. Neither was her own. Their shittiness just sometimes didn’t mesh well, but that was okay. Roxy felt like he was worth it. She pursed her lips to the side and nodded a bit at what Mila said. They should know, but they didn’t, so she had to deal. It was what it was. Mila had her sights on the right brother, at least, if she was going to want a Lucas. “How is your mom, by the way?” she asked. The Moretti family was a nicer subject than the Lucas brothers’ issues.
Mila was aware of how the boys, and their sister, had grown up. Living next door, Mila had heard plenty when her bedroom window stayed open at night. It was horrible, and she supposed that was why she tolerated the majority of their moods when they were directed towards her. But, at the same time, she didn't think it justified how shitty Caden could be toward Roxy. He should be thrilled a woman like Roxy was even giving him the time of day. She didn't understand it, but... it wasn't really her place to. If Roxy was happy, what could Mila do? Roxy's question prompted a raised brow from Mila before she shrugged. "She's all right. She's been a little morose since finding out Cruz Acosta was back in town. I think my parents were hoping to never see his face again. So she's been stress cooking a lot. I'm sure I'll have food to bring you this week, because their refrigerator only holds so much," Mila added with a faint smile. "But physically, she's doing fine. You'll have to come have Sunday dinner with us some week. I'm sure she would love to talk to you outside of church."
Roxy had heard from Caden that Cruz Acosta had been released and shown up at the bar -- the goddamn nerve was amazing -- and she’d immediately texted Mila at the time. But she hadn’t had a chance to follow up much, and now she felt like a shitty friend for it. “I will,” she said, nodding a bit. “Really soon.” Mrs. Moretti had been like a second mother to Roxy for years now, and she really needed to catch up with her personally. She would accept any of the food she was given too -- something Caden never questioned, of course, but Roxy didn’t want to dwell on that anymore. She leaned forward over the table a bit, a line between her brows. “And how are you doing with it all? Anything I can do?”
Mila's brows rose a bit at the question before she offered Roxy a small smile. "I'm doing all right. It was a little surprising, but..." She shrugged. "I can't exactly chase him out of town. I'm fine, though." And she did feel a little guilty for not telling Roxy that they had plans to go into Blackwater Woods to hunt... whatever. Something. Maybe nothing. She had a feeling Roxy would try to talk her out of it, or worse, want to come along, and Mila had already taken a risk by telling Aaron, even if she needed him for specific purposes. "I think I'm still trying to figure out what I believe even though I know Adrian is still going to be gone, no matter what the truth is. I'm more concerned with how my parents will handle it than anything else. Thankfully he hasn't tried to see them."
In Roxy’s humble opinion, that asshole needed to stay away from the entire Moretti family if he didn’t want to get hurt. She felt very protective of Mila, and that extended to her parents too. And Roxy knew that the Lucas brothers would go to bat for her, too. Possibly literally. They had their flaws, but they protected their own, and Mila would definitely count as that. Especially if she and Aaron started dating. Roxy didn’t even have strong opinions one way or another on Cruz’s guilt or innocence, but she did know she didn’t want to see Mila hurt or unnecessarily stressed. “That’s good,” she murmured. Roxy finished up what was left in her coffee mug and sat back a bit. “Anything you need, just ask. Time off, extra shifts, a girl’s night, someone’s kneecaps broken, I got you.” She gave her a little grin.
"I'll be fine," Mila promised Roxy, her smile easing into something more genuine. "But I promise, the first time I need broken kneecaps, I'm going to come to you." She needed to shift the topic away from Cruz, because she didn't want to accidentally say anything that might get her into trouble. Roxy had enough going on in her life that she didn't need to be worrying about Mila. "But I will take that girl's night," she said with a pointed look. "Soon, please." She nearly made a joke about dressing up and going out to make their men jealous - not that Mila really had one, officially - but quickly opted against it. A jealous Caden Lucas was not cute in any shape or form. Mila motioned toward Roxy's coffee. "Are you ready to go? Do you have to work?"
“Definitely,” Roxy agreed. It had been a while since they’d had a girl’s night in -- wine and pajamas and movies Caden refused to watch with her. Granted, they tended to end up talking all night instead of watching anything, but that was okay. Roxy glanced at her phone and noted the time, then pushed her chair back. “Yeah, in an hour or so. Gotta run home and get changed.” She figured that Mila was ready to go too since she’d asked. Roxy stood up and slung her purse over her shoulder again. Church and coffee had been nice reprieves, but now it was back to the tedium of service-industry life.