I had one of those moments this week with Neeta Lyffe. You ever had a relationship that fell apart over the stupid things that were clues to the underlying problem? That's what happens with Neeta. Her relationship with her hot, sweet boyfriend is going sour. Brian is cute and thoughtful and girls sigh over him, but Neeta finds him clingy and is annoyed at how he wants to rescue her. She really wants a guy like Ted--funny, oblivious, who is neither in awe of her warrior-exterminator ways nor feels like she secretly needs emotional support to cope with the supposed angst of ridding the world of undead scum.
She's not recognizing that on a conscious level, however. So, the relationship falls apart over little things, like a door.
Neeta's front door sticks. Brian wants to surprise her by replacing it. She compromises by letting him have the old door painted and planed so that it closes more smoothly. But it upsets her that it doesn't stick. She mentions the door to Ted, who immediately says he liked how it stuck. Later, he gives her a door limiter, which he "acquired" at a wild party.
"You stole a door limiter."
"What a hoot, huh? I mean, everyone was grabbing souvenirs. Had to act fast, or I'd have gotten a splinter or something lame. Roscoe said this happens every time they hold a hotel party. Their manager pays for the damage ahead of time."
She glanced from him to the door lock--door limiter, she told herself. Then she grabbed her latte from him and took a large swallow. Caffeine. She needed caffeine to keep up with this conversation. When she thought she felt a kick, she started again.
"And why are you giving this to me?"
They walked up the two steps to the building and Ted pulled open the door. A blast of air conditioning caressed his hair as he went in, Neeta following.
"I'm not the knick-knack type."
"So?"
"Well, I sobered up, and I realized I can't use this thing. I'm in an apartment where I can't even put a nail in the wall. I should have gone for the safety procedures sign--I could have had them autograph it and stuck it up with poster tape. Live and learn."
"But why are you giving this to me?"
He shrugged. "You own a door."
1 comment:
When I first read over this story when reading when the character's boyfriend was clingy and annoying, ut therefore reminds me of how when one sees a girl/boy and others think great about them, and then you're in a relationship with them, they're seemingly no good.
I too am a storywriter, by the way. If you like, I can write for you anytime.
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