Kaylynn Langerak -> Part Two

  Pleasant(ly) Ever After 

(Kaylynn Langerak)
[Part Two] 

 (WARNINGS: There is some SWEARING, mentions of extramarital AFFAIR and some NUDITY in this chapter but not too revealing.
This chapter might be seen as a bit depressing. But it's not all bad!
I'm not an expert on putting warnings so apologies if I miss any!)

Kaylynn sat quietly in her lounge, quietly contemplating her decisions in life. 

Pondering how foolish of a sim she really was. 

She hated self-reflection because it always brought up all and every one of her insecurities that hindered her own ability to think better of herself.  

She knew she couldn’t go on like this. 

In this limbo of having an affair and not knowing if she would ever get to the other side of it, let alone when it would happen. She needed an answer from Daniel. 

But was he worth it? 

Did she even deserve him? 

Many would say no; he’s married so leave well alone. 

 Her stomach churned guilty, her own conscience eating at her. 

Her heart was full of nothing but admiration for her love, but her head was pointing out every time Daniel was falling short of requirements or assurances that she needed. 

Yes it was a secret relationship but her heart was very much involved. Not that she’d said that in so many words to Daniel but she wondered if she was only there as a convenience to him.
Would he replace her if she changed houses to clean? 

Her heart clenched painfully at the prospect of ever leaving Daniel or worse, him ‘cheating’ on her. 

Kaylynn had spent the morning tending to her small garden behind her small condo. It was fenced off for privacy and she had a couple of seedlings that she’d planted. 

These negatives thoughts had thankfully left her alone as she pottered around her garden, getting her normal spotless fingernails brown with mud as she worked. It was the only time her Neat trait allowed her some slack…mainly because she enjoyed the felling of scrubbing her hands clean afterwards.

Then she’d done a few household chores, retrieving a load of washing from the washing line in her quaint garden to put it away in her wardrobe. She cleaned both bathrooms and tidied her bedroom, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease as she scrubbed, as if cleaning herself of all her issues.
If only it were that easy.

She’d sat on the side of her bed, re-reading a very old love letter that she’d received when she was younger.
It was childishly sweet and she cringed reading it but the innocent Hopeless Romantic that she was, she cherished it. 

It reminded her not to be cynical in times of heartbreak or torment.

Which is what she needed most, more than ever.

She needed to remain positive. She needed to keep herself sane.

As she walked back downstairs the phone on the wall rang. She knew who that would be, only one person rang her landline.
Most sims she knew only had a landline to get internet access, she thought idly she answered it.

"Oi bitch! You home?"

"Hey Luce" Kaylynn greeted her fellow colleague and best friend, Lucy Hanby.
She was a fellow maid and they'd been firm friends ever since they'd first met when Kaylynn had first moved to Pleasantview a few years ago.
Kaylynn didn't trust anymore more than Lucy, even though the only secret she'd kept from her bestie was the one that was slowly destroying her morale.

"You didn't answer my question."

Blunt and to the point, that was Lucy.

In many ways that is why Kaylynn needed a friend like Lucy. Kaylynn would often hide her problems and because she was a Shy sim, she often kept them bottled up inside her.

"Yes I'm home" Kaylynn admitted, humouring her friend and wondering what she way planning. Lucy was always up to something.

“Great! I’ll be there in 15! I’ll pop into the shop and grab a bottle of wine for us on the way!” 

Kaylynn was about to protest but there was no sound other than the dial tone. Lucy had hung up, knowing her well enough to not give her a chance to turn her down.

Kaylynn smiled, despite her worries. She was so lucky to have a friend like Lucy.

Lucy didn’t knock when she came in via the side gate as she knew Kaylynn would be in the garden on a day like today. Kaylynn (like Lucy) loved the hot weather and it was the middle of summer in Pleasantview.
There was almost no point having the two double front doors to her house; everyone who came round were her close friends and they all used the side gate, and both Lucy and Remington (her other colleague) had spare keys to her home.  

"Kay, you look like crap girl!"

Ever the charmer, Kaylynn mentally thought dryly.

Lucy saw the look on her friend's face and hastened to clarify "I mean you look like you've not slept! When did you last give yourself time to de-stress?"

"Umm..." Kaylynn said helplessly, not wanting to admit that she wasn't sleeping well.

Lucy gave her a knowing look "Good thing I brought wine, wasn't it?"

Lucy turned and spotted Kaylynn's new additions to the garden.
"They look good Kay, you're really getting the knack of this gardening lark."

Lucy continued before Kaylynn could respond "Who'd have thought a neat sim like you would enjoy getting your fingernails black with mud?"

Kaylynn laughed "I wear gloves most of them time."

Lucy rolled her eyes "I need a drink, let's sit down and enjoy this lovely day."

"You not having a glass?" Lucy asked.

"I don't feel like it yet" Kaylynn shrugged then changed the subject "I got the plants the other day when I went to Bluewater Village. I stopped by that shop you mentioned, the one run by Florence Delarosa."

"I knew you'd like that shop!" Lucy exclaimed knowingly. "It was pure chance that I found her shop. How is Florence?"

"She looked healthy and happy to me, I didn't speak much other than asking about the vegetables..." Kaylynn trailed off hesitantly, wondering if she'd been inadvertently rude to the flower lady. She changed the subject again.

“It’s such a beautiful afternoon though” Kaylynn said wistfully. “This is why I love this area, you’d think it’d be noisy because it’s literally down the street from the shops and on the way out of town, but it’s not.” 

Lucy sniggered before saying "The only noises in this neighbourhood is the sounds of passion coming from two doors down!"

Kaylynn's face flushed scarlet, remembering the story she'd told her friend previously...when she'd first spent the night with Don.

"I should've never told you about Don!" Kaylynn mumbled through her embarrassment. 

Her relationship with Don was simpler than with Daniel.

Don loved woohoo but he cared about Kaylynn whilst they were in bed together, it wasn't ever about purely his pleasure. And he was therefore a close confidant. He was the only one who knew about her affair with a married man.

"I'm not ashamed of sleeping with him" Kaylynn said, somewhat defiantly. 

"I never said you should be" Lucy said calmly, reigning in her laughter as she looked seriously at her friend, like a mother would reassure her daughter. "Don is the one of the best people to have around you."

"Why?" Kaylynn wasn't sure where her friend was thinking from.

Lucy continued “People think badly of him but he’s not as woohoo-mad as everyone thinks. They make it sound like he’s whoring himself out but he just likes woohoo. We all do, he’s just being honest with himself. People can never handle the truth.”

Kaylynn was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke “Maybe because the truth is painful to accept to yourself, let alone other people who might judge you for it.”

Lucy looked at her knowingly. “Not yet Hun. We are going to sit here and enjoy the last of the afternoon warmth and then you are going to have a bath while I order some pizza. Then we can have the heavy relationship talk.”

Kaylynn nodded meekly, her gut clenching in worry. 

“Can we have Grilled Cheese sandwiches instead?”

Lucy burst out laughing in agreement. 

The bubble bath did ease some of the tension and soreness in her shoulders after a day of housework. She loved her little house because she'd given it the small touches that made it her home and that made it comfortingly cozy. It was her safe place, her security blanket and her private domain. 

Not unlike the giant home that the Pleasants lived in.

She thought sadly that she loved the building itself but the longer she and Daniel's affair went on, it only made her worry that she was putting her life on hold. She wanted to be a loving wife, become pregnant and have a loving family of her own. 

However she was putting that dream on hold - and she had no idea if staying with Daniel would 'pay off' and grant her this ideal life she wanted.
She loved him, that she was certain of. But she couldn't be with him publicly. He wasn't hers, he had her, but it wasn't equal.
He wasn't giving her the same due, having his cake and eating it, as the saying goes.

Or was it more complicated than that? It must be, or he would've done so before. Wouldn't he?

She was just a bad, evil, selfish, silly girl who didn't deserve anything, this pain was her karma for daring to believe she could be happy with Daniel, married or not.

She was a goddamn fool. Kaylynn felt her insecurities rising up again, risking to devourer her.

"OI KAY! WHERE DO YOU KEEP YOUR CHOPPING BOARD? I THOUGHT YOU WERE AN ORGANISED PERSON AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVER SINCE YOU WENT UP! HELP A GIRL OUT HERE!"

Thank goodness for Lucy.

And Grilled Cheese. ALWAYS Grilled Cheese.

"Thanks for cooking Luce."

"No problem Kay. Select a movie for us to watch and then we'll talk."

"You just had to choose Love Actually, didn't you?"

"Hey you said I could choose!"

"Well we watched that movie and you've hardly said a thing, other than crying at the emotional bits."

"You were crying too!"

"I'm not attacking you Kay" Lucy said calmly and turned in her seat. 

"Now spill. What has got you so uptight? And don't give me any 'I'm fine' bullshit, you know I can see straight through that."

Kaylynn closed her eyes, bracing herself for judgement. "You'll think I'm a bad person."

"Let me the judge of that" Lucy said softly. "Do you really think so low of me that I'll outcast you?"

There was a pause whilst Kaylynn collected her frantic thoughts. But no words came to her lips. Instead she just kept fidgeting.

Lucy waiting a whole minute of silence before she spoke bluntly, as always.

"You kill anybody?" Lucy asked, as causally as if she was asking Kaylynn to pour her another glass of wine.

Kaylynn was appalled and gasped in horror "What?!-NO!"

Lucy didn't stop "Did you touch a kid inappropriately?"

"I would never! How can you say that? That's so many shades of fucked up I-!"

Lucy interrupted her "Then it can't be as bad as you're making it out be" she said simply. "From my view at least. For fuck's sake Kay, get it off your chest! BEFORE it eats you! Why do you think I'm here? I swear you are your own worse enemy sometimes!"

"I'm in love with a married man, and sleeping with him while his wife is at work!" she snapped impatiently, her head looking at the floor. 

"That it?"

Kaylynn looked up at her, staggered that Lucy was acting so calmly.

"Yes" she said meekly.

Lucy met her gaze before she spoke "Mr Pleasant, right?"

"How did you-?"

"Kay you aren't subtle!" Lucy explaining patiently. "You begged me and Rem so many times to swap with us that in the end we rostered you for their house permanently." 

"Oh" Kaylynn felt her shame creep up.

"Feel better now it's off your chest?" Lucy asked.

Kaylynn shrugged "Somewhat, but you'll hate me for deceiving his wife."

"You're grown up now kiddo" she shrugged. "I'm your friend and I am not Mary-Sue's. She's a bit of bitch to be honest from what I've heard. She's so concerned about her family image that she forgets to observe what effect she has on that household. I know one of her daughters hates her guts from what I heard from Rem. He's been cleaning for the Brokes since Dina got married to Mortimer and she still pays him to help clean their house. Well anyway, Brandi mentioned to him that he overheard her son and his girlfriend Angela arguing about her home life. I wouldn't feel too guilty Kay."

Kaylynn sat quietly, contemplating what she'd just heard. It didn't make her feel anymore more justified to have the affair.

"Yes, I think you should aim higher than Mr Pleasant, he’s too full of himself in my opinion but if he actually loved you rather than desired you - which I’m worried he’s mistaken the two for the same - then he’d have done or said something now. What were his reasons when you asked him?”

Kaylynn looked down again. “It ended in a row because he got defensive.” 

"So he avoided the topic and just wanted a quickie before his wife got back?” Lucy summarised.

  

Silence.

Kaylynn felt ashamed and heartbroken when she realised what Lucy was getting at.

Daniel Pleasant had been using her, not caring for her feelings, and focussed solely on his own pleasure.  

Bastard. 

Kaylynn felt anger, anger that she hadn’t felt like in years. She wasn’t the sort to get mad or violent. She was normally a quiet and shy girl who happened to look far more confines than she often felt. 

Not now. 

“Kay” Lucy cautioned her, leaning forward in her seat. “He might be a cowardly entitled shit but don’t go doing or saying anything hasty. You’re a thoughtful girl who actually would regret any rash choice you made now.” 

Somewhere through the haze of fury, Lucy’s words rang true and logic came to the surface, mellowing the red mist in front of her eyes.  

“He won’t use me anymore” Kaylynn decided. 

It was agony to realise that she wasn’t going to get what she wanted from Daniel, but her love for him stretched as far as not telling his wife and quietly leaving. 

“Did you still want the Pleasant gig?” she asked Lucy. “Or should we make Daniel squirm at the sight of Rem drooling over him?” 

They both burst into laughter before Lucy got up and gave her friend a warm hug. 

End of Kaylynn, Part Two

Note: THIS TOOK ME AGES TO PUT TOGETHER which is hilarious because this was originally meant to be a tiny one-off conversation between these two when I first wrote this chapter. But then I imagined that Lucy was the tough emotional support that Kaylynn needs in her life. I almost ship it! 🤣
And Lucy is just awesome. We all need a Lucy Hanby in our lives.
I put far more effort into posing Lucy and Kaylynn - you can tell it's been a while since I did this! 🙄

Thank you for all the reads. 🥰😘
By all means leave me a comment on here or on the link from my tumblr/simblr page - I don't mind which one you guys use.
Stay safe everyone x - Jess 😇