//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: Believe In Yourself // Story: Redheart Rehabilitation // by Emerald Omen //------------------------------// I lay awake that night while Redheart slept that night. Everything had happened so quickly. A simple, supposedly innocent dinner date, then a night trip to the beach, then the kiss. That kiss had changed everything for the better. Of course, at first, I was shocked, and thought Redheart would call it quits then and there, but it was her who had liked you from the start. The two of us were an item now, only a couple days in. But now that that was that, what would become of Redheart? Would she go back to work, and help someone who actually needed it, or would she stay with me for the rest of your week? And what about after the week was up? How would the two of us stay in touch? The more I kept thinking, the less I was able to sleep, so I got up off the couch, and quietly walked to the kitchen for a beer. Sitting back on the couch, I popped the cap off of the beer, and took a good sized swig. As the liquid washed down my throat, I leaned back and sighed. "I guess I should just enjoy it while I can..." I muttered, before taking another swig. "Enjoy what?" asked a voice. I quickly turned around to find Redheart standing behind me in her pajamas. "Oh shit, did I wake you? I'm sorry." I rapidly apologized. Red smiled, and sat next to me on the couch. "That's alright. I heard you talking to yourself out here through the door." she said. Had I been saying all my thoughts out loud that entire time? I grinned sheepishly. "I didn't realize I had been talking. I thought I was just thinking. Sorry." I apologized again. Red's brow furrowed as I took another gulp of beer. "What's wrong?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think anything is wrong?" I asked. Red took the beer from my hand before I could finish the bottle. "You don't seem like the drinking type, so I'm assuming something must be weighing on your mind pretty heavily to be making you drink at two in the morning." she said. She had me there. "I'm just wondering what will happen to us once the week is up. I've been going through scenarios in my head, and I find that I don't like most of them." I admitted. Redheart chuckled. "I told you last night, I don't scare away easily. We'll still be able to see each other once I go back to work. I can stop by after work any time." she said. That made me feel a little better, but the lingering feeling was still there. "Yeah but... I'm getting used to you being around all the time. It's going to be hard when I don't have you by my side." I said quietly. Redheart put an arm around me, and leaned her head on my shoulder. "You say the most romantic things. It will all work out, you'll see." she said, closing her eyes. I closed my eyes as well, and leaned my head onto hers. Between the warmth from each others bodies, and the sound of our gentle breathing, we finally fell asleep in each others embrace. . . . The clock struck six, and I was actually the first to wake up. I felt a weight on my lap, and looked down to find Redheart curled up on it, her head resting against my chest. I had forgotten about her intervention last night. As I watched her peacefully sleeping, I couldn't help but smile. The most beautiful woman on Earth sleeping in my lap. My life was complete. I wanted to get up, but I didn't want to disturb her, especially since I woke her up with my bullshit, so I sat in silence until she woke, which took the better part of the hour. "And you told me I slept to late." I teased once she opened her eyes. She looked up at me without moving, before cracking a smile. "This isn't something I usually let happen, just so you know. But we were out late, and somebody woke me up in the middle of the night, so I deemed it necessary to sleep here." she said, picking her self up. I smirked. "Maybe if it weren't for the fact that you literally told me that you had the hots for me, I might've believed that one." Redheart stuck her tongue out at me, and I chuckled, before throwing a pillow at her. "Why don't you go and get yourself cleaned up?" Red asked, walking backwards towards her room so I couldn't surprise attack her. "Speak for yourself, bedhead." I replied. Red's hair was in an absolute mess, frizzed in all directions. She blushed, and closed the bedroom door behind her. "Girls." I muttered before heading into the bathroom to take a shower and shave. . . . Once I had finished with my cleansing and trimming, I waited outside my bedroom door until Redheart opened it. As attractive as she was, I wouldn't want a repeat of what had happened the last time I entered unannounced. When she finally did open it, I gasped. Redheart was standing there in a light green sleeveless shirt, with a string around her neck holding it up, leaving a good one third of her back exposed. Her midsection was still slightly revealed, and she still wore the same pair of Yoga pants. Her pink hair, however, was different. Instead of being in its usual pony tail style, it was unrestrained, hanging straight freely behind her, lengthening just past her shoulder blades. "Holy shit..." I breathed, looking at her. She blushed, and wrapped her arms around herself. "What?" she asked. I stood up, put a hand to her hair gently. "Your hair. I've never seen it straight before." I said. She chuckled. "Oh that? I usually leave it straight before I wash it, then I put it into a pony tail." she said. "No, don't! It looks amazing down!" I nearly yelled. She looked surprised, but then took some of her hair in her hand, and looked at it. "It doesn't look messy?" she asked, looking unsure. "No, it looks beautiful! You've got gorgeous hair Red, let it flow." I insisted. After a few more seconds, Redheart finally gave in. "Fine, if you like it so much, I'll wear it down for today. But I still have to wash and brush it." she said, continuing her way to the bathroom. I watched her close the door, and then entered my bedroom to get on a fresh set of clothes. . . . Another twenty five minutes later, and we were both sitting at the kitchen table. Redheart's hair had a gorgeous shine to it, and it was straight as an arrow. It changed how she looked as a whole so much, it was unbelievable. She looked like a nice girl before, but with her hair down, she looked like a real woman. The two of us sat as the bacon and eggs sizzled away on the stove. Redheart was reading the paper, and I was staring at the table absent mindedly. Eventually, the food was ready, so I got up and put a nice amount of eggs and bacon onto both of our plates. As I set Redheart's in front of her, she folded the paper, and took in a long sniff. "Why does your cooking always smell so much better than mine ever does?" she pouted, before taking a bite of the eggs, and smiled. "And taste better?" she added. I smirked. "I like cooking. You do it well enough, and it can become an art form. Not only does it look good, but if it also smells good, and tastes good, it's pleasing to everyone in three different ways." I said, sitting to enjoy my own food. As I ate, I became aware of Redheart watching me quietly. "What?" I finally asked. She smiled. "There's a lot about you I don't yet understand. Sometime's, you just seem normal, but then you say something so interesting, or do something so sweet, and I'm reminded that you're very different. Which is a good thing. I like different." she said. I smiled. "I'm glad my quirks please you." I said. Redheart frowned. "They're not quirks, they're just things that make you who you are. I can tell you are very smart, just from the things you say sometimes." she said. "Tell that to the job industry. One of the reasons I have such a difficult time finding a decent job is because I never went to College." I said. Redheart shrugged. "Neither did I, but I still managed to get my business up and running. Sometimes you just have to believe you can do something, and it will happen sooner or later." she said. I sighed, and threw my fork on my plate. "Red, I've been job hunting for three years, and the part time one I have now is the only thing I have to show for it. Sometimes, I just... I don't know. I feel like such a failure, and that I'll never amount to anything. I can barely get by with the money I make. How will I ever move up in the world if I can't move on?" I asked. Redheart placed her hand on mine. Her touch was comforting. "Because I believe in you. I know you're destined for something. With your personality, smarts, and good looks, something is bound to happen eventually. I know it." she said, smiling. I forced a smile back, but I didn't feel a whole lot better. "I have to work today at least. That will give me a little more money." I said, looking at the clock. My shift started in a few hours. "What time will you be back?" Redheart asked. I shrugged. "Probably around six tonight." I replied. She leaned back in her chair. "Maybe I'll stop by Redheart Rehabilitation today. I probably have some paperwork to catch up on." she said. The thought of her returning to the business made you uncomfortable, but you said nothing. "Hey, if you don't work for a few hours, do you want to go out and see my place? I've never even gotten to show you yet." Redheart suddenly said. I smiled. "That would be nice." I said, standing up from the table with my dishes. . . . Once the rest of the morning chores were finished, Redheart and I climbed into my car, and she gave me directions to her apartment building. It was an old brick building, with moss growing on all sides. Twenty windows were on the front, and a rusting hand rail was next to the cracked stone steps that led to the front door. "Wow. This is... nice." I said, trying not to offend her home. She scoffed. "No it's not. It's a run down old building that should be knocked down entirely. I only live here because it's the cheapest apartment in town, so I can afford it. Running a business, especially a new one, is very costly." she said. We stepped out, just as it began to rain. "Eeee! Hurry and get inside. I hate getting wet!" she shrieked, pushing me towards the front door. Rushing inside the small lobby, we just beat the rain as it began to pour. "Close one." I said, shaking the small amount of water off of me. Red inspected herself. "Definitely. Can you imagine how quickly water would turn my shirt transparent?" she asked. I blushed at the thought. "I'll try not to." Redheart smiled, and patted my cheek. "That's because you're such a gentleman." she said, leading me up a flight of stairs. "I live on the top floor. It was the only room available when I moved in." she said, fiddling with her keys as the two of us reached the end of the looping staircase. She led me down to a door at the end of the hall. A loud CLUNK was heard as the deadbolt slid from its locked position. Redheart opened the door. "Welcome to my humble getaway." she said. I walked inside, and looked around the room. It wasn't much, but I could see that Redheart didn't mind. She sat on her couch and sighed. "To be honest, I've been trying to get out of here for awhile, but I just can't afford anything else. This place is to small for me, and it's in awful shape. But, I'm used to it." she said. I scowled. Okay, she did mind, but just couldn't do anything about it. I had an idea. I would enjoy seeing Redheart everyday, even after our week was up, and she would enjoy living in a nicer place. "You really want to move out of here, right?" I asked. She nodded. "I would. Unfortunately, with the costs of my new business, it won't happen for quite a few years." she said. I looked around at her living space. Peeling paint, not much space, old furniture, a less than sufficient heating and cooling system. I wouldn't stand for it. "Would you come and stay with me? In my house?" I blurted. Redheart's head jerked up to look at me, her eyes wide. "N-No! I couldn't!" she stammered, clearly surprised by the suggestion. I sat down next to her, and took her hands in mine. "I'd love it if you did. Then we could see each other everyday. We could have breakfast together, go for morning walks together. Your problems would be my problems, and we would always be there for one another. You would never have to set foot in this apartment again." I said. Redheart bit her lip. "B-But, you don't even have two bedrooms." she tried to argue. I smiled. "That hasn't been a problem so far, has it? I'm fine sleeping on the couch, and we just take turns changing and doing our morning routines. It's a small price to pay, but I don't mind it at all." I said. Redheart sniffed. "You would really invite me to live with you? Would you really be okay with that?" she asked. I nodded. Redheart blinked her eyes a few times, before she began to cry. She leaned her head into my shoulder, and I held her in my arms. "Thank you. So much." she said. I patted her back as she cried. Life would certainly change a little, but it would most likely be for the better. Because I had my dream woman as a room mate.