I arrived at the apartment and the smell of chicken and potatoes were in the air.
“I'm home,” I announced, throwing my purse on the floor next to the door.
“I'm in the kitchen,” Rachel replied.
I wandered in to a mess of pots, pans, and a lot of smoke. “Did you try and cook dinner?”
“Only the potatoes are burnt. The chicken came out really nice,” Rachel gave me a half-smile.
“You've never cooked dinner before,” I stated.
“I thought it would be nice after the hell you went through last night. And because I wanted to celebrate.”
“Celebrate?”
Rachel fixed the plates and set them at the small dinner table. I sat down with her and the smell of the food was a lot better than it looked. I took my first bite of chicken and it melted on my tongue. How could she make something so good?
Rachel took a bite of potatoes and spat them out. “So I went out today...and found a job!”
“What?” I dropped my fork on the plate. “You finally got a job?”
Rachel nodded. “Photographer's assistant at a studio.”
“I didn't even know you were into photography.” I took a bite of the burnt potatoes and spat them back out too. At least the chicken was good.
“I didn't know either. I saw a help wanted sign on the way to the grocery store. I popped my head in and they hired me on the spot.”
I wiped my mouth with the napkin. “We really do need to celebrate.” I went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine that was half-full.
Rachel clapped her hands in delight. I poured our glasses and returned to the table.
“What's wrong, Constance? You seem happy but I can tell something's bothering you. Still thinking about Leland?”
I was hoping I could hide my feelings. But Rachel knew me too well. “He came by the hospital today.”
Rachel slammed her glass down. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “He wanted to apologize.”
She rolled her eyes and took a sip of wine. “Of course he did.”
I sighed, trying not to stress out too much. “I didn't even really listen to him and walked away.”
Rachel smiled and returned to her food. “Good girl. Better to give him no satisfaction. Maybe he won't try the same thing twice with the next woman.”
Next woman? I didn't even want to think about Leland with anyone else but me.
I finished my red wine and grabbed the bottle and set it at the table. “But maybe I should've heard him out. I kind of ditched him at the bar without hearing his explanation.”
Rachel waved me off. “There could be no valid explanation for what he did to you. You just need to forget and move on. I was thinking about trying this pilates class next door to the photography studio tomorrow morning. We should do it together. It will keep your mind off all this bad stuff.”
“That sounds fun. It's been a long time since we've gone out and done anything together.”
“Beats watching the same movie over and over again.”
“I'll cheers to that.” We clinked glasses and giggled the night away. My sister always knew how to make me feel better. But now that she had a job, was she going to move out? There was a time that I begged her to leave. But we were so close now. The thought of living alone terrified me. I couldn't even bring up the question to her.
A knock at the door interrupted our girl time. “I'll get it,” Rachel said.
She left me at the table and I listened hard to see who it was. “What are you doing here?” Rachel mumbled.
My curiosity got the best of me. Who would be coming by at this hour? I got up and approached the door. Rachel kept the door open a sliver and blocked the way. “You need to go away now,” she repeated. “Constance never wants to see you again.”
“Just please let me see her.” The voice was so familiar. I pushed Rachel to the side and opened the door all the way. Leland was standing there, his head down, his hands and clothes covered in blood. This couldn't be the same strong man who saved my life.
I pushed Rachel out of the way. “Come in.” I grabbed Leland's arm and pulled him inside.
“What are you doing, Constance?” Rachel yelled.
“Let me handle this. Stay in your room, Rachel.”
Rachel waved a finger at me. “If he lays a hand on you, by god, I'll kill him.”