On The Run

Frank complained a lot.

It annoyed me more than it should have as I paced. Those people hadn't been interested in me, or Frank, or anyone who had been inside the bar. They had wanted Chris. Which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't really my problem. But now I was stuck with a whiny prostitute, meaning I had to make twice as many plans.

I sat down on the step outside the motel room, staring at the stars. The man inside was beautiful. I'd met plenty of beautiful men, and fucked plenty too, but there was something different about Frank. He fought back.
I flicked the ash off the end of my cigarette and sighed. People who fought back had always interested me.

I stood up and ground out my cigarette butt with the heel of my shoe, then walked back inside. Frank was smoking as well, but it wasn't tobacco. My shoulders dropped. He grinned at me, waving me over. “C’mere, Gee! You wanna fuck?”
“No, you're high,” I snapped simply. He frowned and tried to get up, falling back against the sofa cushions. “I know, but I wanna fuck! Come on, Gee…don't be a wet towel.”
I closed my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. “Jesus Christ, Frank. I don't fuck druggies.”
He pulled a face. “I'm not a-...fuck..” He trailed off, staring at the floor. “I am a fucking druggie,” he mumbled to himself. “Jesus, Frank..”

Something soft poked at the inside of my chest and I sat down next to him. “It's okay,” was all I could come up with, patting his knee awkwardly. Frank shifted his gaze to me, the tears spilling over and down his cheeks. “I'm a fuck up,” he whispered, starting to sober up. I leaned over and kissed his lips, lingering for a couple seconds.
“So am I,” I answered. Frank stared at me, then suddenly scrambled into my lap, his short fingers curling and tugging at my shirt. I sighed.
“I'm trying to stop,” he offered up after a minute or two of silence. I rubbed his back absently.
“Mm?”
“I used to do really bad shit.”
I ran my fingers through his soft black hair, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Let's not talk for a while. I need to sort some stuff out and I think you need a nap.”

Frank grumbled, but slid off my lap and wandered to the bedroom, almost smacking into the doorframe on the way.


I stared at the page full of scribbles. Frank kept invading my thoughts, unraveling my plans and squashing my ideas before they were fully formed. My fingers twitched.
I heard a door slam and Frank threw himself down next to me, glancing at the notebook I was holding. “Why do you hate druggies so much?”
I tossed the book aside and gave a frustrated sigh. “I don't.”
“Yes you do, your face got all pinchy.”
I glared at him. “That's not even a word.”
He shook a finger and giggled. “Now you're deflecting.”
I slapped his hand out of my face, my lip curling unconsciously. “Stop that!”
He rolled his eyes and slumped back, turning the tv on. I looked down at the floor, studying the pattern in the carpet.
“My mom was a druggie. Too wiped out most of the time to take care of me and my brother.”
Frank sat up slightly and I felt him watching me.
“My brother died cause he got really sick and I couldn't take him to the hospital without my mom. She used all our money for drugs, so I wouldn't have been able to pay anyway. She didn't come to the funeral.”
Frank's hand ran over my thigh and he moved closer to me, offering his warmth. I leaned my head on his shoulder and let my gaze slip out of focus. “I bet you miss him,” he said softly, his arm sliding around my waist.
“It was her fault,” I whispered. Frank kissed my cheek, but didn't say anything.
“My mom died when I was two,” he mumbled after another lengthy pause. I shifted, blinking my eyes back into focus and looking down at the couch.
“I'm sorry.”
He played with my fingers, lifting my hand to his mouth and kissing my knuckles. “My dad was a bad man.”
I flexed my fingers and stroked his cheek, not sure what to say. Frank shifted and forced a smile. “Anyway. I'm hungry.”

I swallowed. The conversation was over and we were back in the present, in the cold and damp motel room with nowhere to go.
“We can go out,” I suggested, standing up and wandering towards the door. “I dunno what there is.”
Frank got up and stretched. “I'm sure there's a Denny’s or whatever.”
I shrugged. “Why don't you stay here and I go look?”
Frank sat down again abruptly. “Sounds great.”

Notes

Please let me know if anyone is enjoying this! I've written ahead pretty far, but if no one is interested, I don't know if it's worth putting up