Forum

david was making his usual journey back from the office that he worked in. it was an average job, 10-4, it wasn't very interesting at all but it got them through the rent and it made their lives a little bit easier. his boss got on well with him and the job was pretty secure as far as he knew. he ran his hand over his head as he leaned back slightly in his plush leather car seat, tapping his fingers gingerly on the steering wheel, stuck in the rush hour traffic. he let out a groan as he heard the announcement on the radio '.. a broken down lorry is blocking the passage on the A5.. cars are being diverted..' he shook his head and sipped his phone out of his pocket, to text fawn. he thought it only right that he tell her he was going to be late.

he sent the message and then put his phone on his lap, moving steadily through the traffic, eventually time passed and he was finally through to the small village he lived in, which meant only a few winding roads until he was back into the comfort of his  he loved being at home. fawn was there, and that's what made it worthwhile. they had been together for six years now, and living together for four years. it was probably the best relationship he had ever been in. he pulled up outside of their house, a grin spreading on his lips as he saw the living room lights on. brilliant, she was home. he hopped out of the car, grabbing his suit jacket and brief case, and then entered the house. "baby, i'm home!" he cooed, taking off his shoes as to make sure he didn't ruin the cream carpet.

Fawn was already at home. She had taken the day off of work because she had planned to end it all with Eric, her ex-boyfriend that had been threatening her for weeks. He didn't like the idea that she had moved on from him and was spending her time with another man. Eric and Fawn had dated in high school but had split when Eric decided he wasn't interested in having a long-distance relationship while he went off to college. Unfortunately, he came back entirely too soon and was interested in pursuing a fling with Fawn. Scared that he was going to do something to hurt Eric, she decided to play along for a while, but she knew that it had to end soon. When she had gone to his house that morning to tell him that she never wanted to see him again, he lashed out and punched her square in the face, knocking her backwards and into the glass coffee table. She drove herself to the hospital, scared that she would get hurt even more if she called the cops, and told the doctors that she was cleaning and fell on top of a shattered lamp. She pulled out her phone and read the text message from David. She had completely forgotten that he had canceled his plans to stay late at work and that he would be home at his usual time. She went into their bedroom and changed out of her clothes and into a pair of comfortable pajamas. She went back out into the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, holding it against her aching jaw in an attempt to get the swelling to go down. She took a seat on the couch and leaned back against the pillows, her breathing ragged as she tried to calm herself down. Her eyes were glassy from all of the tears that she'd been shedding. When David came through the front door, a deep frown formed on her face. "Honey, there's s-something I need to tell you," she stuttered, chewing at her lip nervously. "Come into the living room, please. I c-can't wait much longer."

 

Nate ran his hands through his hair as he got out of his car in the driveway. He locked the car doors behind him and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, checking the time. Perfect - he was home quite early. He had been looking forward to this day for weeks. It was he and Mella's six-year anniversary, and he was planning on popping the question that weekend at a surprise getaway that he had planned for the two of them. He pulled open the front door and shut it behind him, setting his work bag down on the floor and kicking off his shoes. "How was your day, babe?" he called out as he made his way down the hall. He heard the television playing in the living room, so he turned and stopped immediately in his tracks. To put it nicely (or not), Mella looked like she had been hit by a bus. "What's wrong?" he asked urgently, dashing over and taking a seat beside her on the couch. She was all but curled up in a fetal position, and even though her hair was covering most of her face, he could see tears dripping off of her chin and landing on her t-shirt. When she didn't answer, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her against his chest. "Did something happen between you and that woman at work again? Do I need to call in and see what the deal is?" He went to place his large hand on her hip in an attempt to calm her down, but he froze when her hand shot up to block his. He noticed a number of scratches and bruises that adorned not only her hands but a good way up her arm, too. Her head rose up slowly and he brushed some of the hair out of her eyes, revealing her flushed cheeks and swollen eyes. His frown deepened as tears pricked at his own eyes. He absolutely hated seeing her like this, even though it had never been quite this bad. She had come home sometimes with tears grazing over her cheeks, but it was nothing that a few kisses and a glass of wine couldn't fix. This, though? This was very different. "Please, Mel, you have to tell me, something," he begged.

Fawn shook her head profusely. "No, no pay cuts this time," she said, flinching a little bit at the sudden contact of his thumbs on her cheeks. She sniffled a few times and adjusted the ice pack before she looked up and into his eyes. She sat in silence for just a second before she choked out the words, "I saw Eric today." His eyes widened in surprise but she shook her head. He was under the impression that they hadn't seen each other since high school graduation. "It wasn't the first time in a while, either. You have to promise not to get mad if I tell you all of this. You need to know, but... you won't like it." She cleared her throat and reached out, gently cupping his jaw with her hand before retreating her arm back to her side. She pursed her lips before she spoke, "Eric and I have been... seeing each other for just under a year now." She swallowed hard, watching as he clenched his jaw. "We didn't - I mean..." she stumbled, trying to find the words. "When things started to go downhill at work, I went to a bar one night when I told you I was going to the movies with Anna. I ran into him there and trust me, the feelings of lust were not mutual. Apparently I had too many drinks and told him all about you. He wasn't pleased at all, and threatened to hurt you if he found that I was seeing you. I told him that we broke up, which was apparently an invitation for him to claim me as his all over again."

 

Nate let out a sad sigh when Mella spoke of her ex-boyfriend, Carlos. He had heard stories about what he had done to her and he was worried that if they were ever in the same room together, he'd have to be in a straight jacket to keep his hands from ripping Carlos' head off. He shook his head slowly, knowing where the conversation was going. He was taken back a little when she brought up that she'd seen him a couple times. He knew that they had seen each other a work event the year prior, but he didn't think that they fancied meeting up ever again. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head to look up at him. "Mella, you need to tell me what went down between you two," he told her, worried that she had put a permanent wedge between their relationship. When she refused to speak for a few moments, he began trying to put the pieces together. What would make her keep going back to Carlos, after all that Nate had to offer her? He'd given her many of the best moments of her life, and he had planned to create another that weekend. His eyes searched hers desperately as his brain kicked into overdrive. "Did you...?" he trailed off, watching as her facial expression changed to one of guilt. He felt his heart leap into his chest. "Oh, Mel..." he groaned, running a hand through his hair and shutting his eyes.

Fawn bit her lip, avoiding David's gaze. "I'm so, so sorry, Dave," she apologized, voice cracking as another bout of tears streamed down her face. "I wouldn't have agreed to share a drink with him if I knew he hadn't changed." That was one of her weaknesses, she gave in too easily. "You know what I've always said, how everyone deserves a second chance. I just didn't know that this chance would change Eric for the worse." Suddenly noticing his hands on her hips, she let out a shaky breath. "I went over there today to tell him off and he came after me. I had to go to the hospital and everything." She paused to lift up her shirt a bit to show David the gash that she'd sustained, which was now sewn shut with upwards of 20 stitches. "I wanted to tell you about all of this sooner, but if I did, I knew you would go after him and we'd both end up hurt. I didn't want anything to happen to you, that's why I kept going along with his little games. I wanted to protect you." This was where Fawn differed from David. He was much more of a go-getter, the kind of person to resolve a problem as soon as it arose, which she was more contemplative and wanted to wait for the right time to avoid damage to both parties. She chewed at her lip again, looking back into his eyes. "I don't know what to do, David," she said honestly, "it seems like whenever I try to avoid hurting other people, they always get hurt, twice as bad as I could have ever imagined. And this time, one of those people were me."

 

Nate tried to calm himself down by taking in a few deep breaths, but it was of no use. No one wanted to come home from a day of work and find that his girlfriend had been deceiving him all along. He'd been led on, and that was what hurt him the most. "I wish you would have told me this sooner, I could have helped you put a stop to it." He gently massaged the small of her back as he thought about what to say next. A light bulb went off in his head as he realized an important detail had been left out. "Mella, are you telling me that every time you... got together... it was consensual? Did he ever take advantage of you? Did you ever take advantage of him?" This was the fine line that helped him decide what actions to take next. If she was really that interested in being with Carlos, then what was she doing around Nate? Apparently, Carlos and Mella had more of a past together than he could have ever imagined, so what else was she not filling him in on? "Did I do something wrong that made you not trust me enough to tell me about all of this? You and I both know that you getting back with Carlos was only going to have one outcome, and it wasn't that far off from how you two separated the first time." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her; it was a brochure from the resort that they would be staying in. "Do you still want to go along with me, enjoy our anniversary, or do you want to go running back into Carlos' arms?" he spat.

Fawn shook her head. "I'm not even sure why I put it off myself, to be honest," she said, "I guess I just figured that it would hurt less the longer I waited, like I would be more prepared for the downfall of it all." Thankfully, her tears had slowed down to a point where she could see again and her throat wasn't aching any longer. She refused to look at him as she spoke, completely embarrassed with her behavior. When he brought up all of these points, she realized how much of an idiot she really was. Thinking that someone like Eric could change. Yup, she definitely walked into that one. "I know it's wrong, David!" she yelled, "I know that now! I just have no freaking clue how the hell I'm supposed to get out of all of this for good. No matter what I do, someone gets hurt. I tell you about him, you lash out at me. I tell him about you, he lashes out at me. I tell both of you nothing, both of you get hurt when the truth gets out. I tell you both everything, and I have to practically lock the two of you up to keep you from killing each other." She looked over and snapped her fingers in front of his face, hoping to knock him out of the trance-like state he appeared to be in. "Don't you get it, David?! Me breaking things off with him isn't going to fix any of this because you're still going to hate my guts!"

 

Nate let out a deep breath. "If it wasn't consensual, then why did it happen more than once?" he asked her, truly puzzled. "You didn't think to get out of it after the first time, or the second, or the third, that you woke up without your pants on?" He put his head in his hands and shook his head back and forth. He rubbed at his eyes and massaged at his temples for just a brief moment. "I want you to go with me, Mella, but I don't want you to go with me like this. I want you to show me how I can trust you, I want you to cut your ties with Carlos for good before we leave. I want you to prove to me that you're worthy of my attention, that I shouldn't just let you go running back to him." He was livid. He didn't know what else she had snuck past him while he was too love-struck to see what was really going on. How could he have let something like this happen? In the back of his mind, he always knew that Mella's problems were more than coworker troubles, he just figured that she would speak up and tell him all about them when the time was right. Maybe that was the problem, he was too easygoing with her, the complete opposite of Carlos. "If you believe that you're the only problem here, then I need you to show me that you're up to facing the only solution."

Fawn's jaw dropped as she listened to David's retorts. "I don't expect you to forgive me right away," she said, "that's exactly what I'm trying to say. I know what I did was beyond messed up. I realize that I've managed to hurt all of us by not telling you sooner." She paused to reflect for a moment as she tried her best to calm herself down. She hated lashing out at David; she rarely did so, and the idea that it was entirely her fault made her feel even more guilty. She had no real reason to yell at him, yet here she was, doing it anyway. She bit at her lip as she let out a breath, finally understanding where he was coming from. It was all starting to make sense to her. "I trust you, I just don't trust him. I always did, or told him that I did, exactly what he asked me to, thinking that it would keep us all safe. As we both know, I could kiss the ground before him and he would still find some reason to punish any of us for my actions." She played with her fingers as she contemplated how to answer his next question. "I met up with him every Saturday for a few weeks, but then he started getting suspicious and was paranoid that you would try and accompany me to Anna's some time, which would leave him exposed. After that, it was more along the lines of 'he says jump, I say how high'." She shook her head, new tears pricking at her eyes. "I don't want to tell you much more than that. It makes me feel more ashamed of myself every minute and I don't want to be put through what I basically let myself go through with."

 

Nate's face started to soften when she went on about how they really didn't know each other as well as they thought they did. He didn't like the idea that she was comparing him to Carlos. They were two entirely different people with opposite standards and views on how to treat a woman. "I believe you," he said suddenly, "I know how you work. I know you would have at least tried to put up a fight, you've definitely got that spark in you. I know that you have probably made an attempt to resolve all of this before it got out of hand just because you're always concerned with trying to be the bigger person, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that." He realized that him sitting there and challenging her every thought and action wasn't going to reverse what had happened. They had to react proactively now, nip the problem in the butt before it made any more of a downward spiral. He drew in a deep breath as she mentioned that he shouldn't be getting involved. "You're right, I need to stay away from this," he agreed, "this is technically between the two of you. That being said, I'm 100% on your side and I'm willing to support any decisions that you make." He was glad that he could finally make an offer for a compromise, which was more like throwing up a white flag. If it meant that he had to back off for a little while, that's what he would do. "We do have a lot to sort out, but I think we should do it when we're on the same page. I still think we should go away this weekend, get rid of all of this bad energy and just enjoy ourselves for a little while. I think it'll help us a lot in the long run when we go after Carlos."

Fawn leaned back a little bit as he stood up. She didn't like what he was saying, not one bit, but she knew that it was his way of coping with what she had done. She hadn't done the right thing in any way, shape, or form, and now she was paying for it. She shook her head as he made accusations against her. She threw her hands up into the air, frustrated at both herself and at David. "Don't you get it?!" she said, standing up and taking a few steps toward him to stop him from pacing, "I was scared for my life, David! I was afraid that if I didn't go over there, he would come here and hurt you." Her heart broke when he mentioned that he felt that he was useless. "That's not... I mean..." she stammered, her lips quivering as she tried to stifle a fresh round of tears. "You're more than enough for me, David," she whispered when her forehead came in contact with his, "that's why I tried to do what I thought would be best for us in the long run - key word here being 'thought'." As soon as he began to talk, she zipped her mouth shut and let him tell her what to do. They were generally democratic in all of their decisions - well, there were obviously a few exceptions - but neither one of them usually told the other how to do anything, so she knew this was important. She frowned nervously and looked at the floor while he held her to him, not really sure how she was going to do all of what he asked. "I understand," she eventually said, glancing up to look in his eyes but only for a brief moment. "I'm guessing you don't want to come with me, so should I just head over now? Any final words of recommendation? Obviously I'm not good at doing this kind of break-up thing..."

 

Nate shook his head, upset that she saw herself in a bad light. "You haven't been terrible," he corrected her, "you've just gone down the wrong path for little bit. We just need to turn you around and get you headed back into my arms." He shrugged his shoulders, hoping that his analogy would make her feel a little bit better about herself and would make her more willing to do what had to be done. He sat still in thought for a moment before he asked her a question. "Do you have a mutual friend that could help you to go against Carlos?" he wondered. "If I can't get involved, I want you to go with someone that can keep you safe. No one knows what will happen when he finally gets 'no' for an answer, and he might just need a taste of his own medicine. He needs to learn that he isn't always in control, that you aren't a piece of property that deserves to be taken advantage of." He took her hands in his and held onto them lightly. "We can't jump right into this, we need to take some time to get everything sorted out before we go charging after him. What does he do during the day time? Is there a possibility that we could catch him out in public and get this over with? It'd be far too dangerous to track him down after dark, especially if you have to go in alone." Before she could answer, he added, "I want you to promise me that you're going to do this for the right reasons, Mella. I need you to do the right thing. You're the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I don't want to lose you because I got left out to dry. As much as I hate saying that, there's always a chance and I definitely don't want that for us."

david had to take her over there. he didn't want to admit this fact bu at that moment in time his trust in her was lacking, and he wasn't quite sure how much of leaving her to do things on her own he could take. what if she simply went in there and made some shabby excuse, but she still went ahead and carried on seeing him? all these kinds of thoughts were filling up his mind and making him feel ill, as he got into the car, turning his head to her, he gave her a reassuring smile, feeling her petite fingers slide between his. "I wouldn't ever dream of making you do something like this alone. especially when there is someone like eric on the receiving end of this break up." he leaned over and kissed her cheek, letting their hands rest on his leg as he drove along with his other hand, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. he eventually pulled up, turning the engine off, he took a deep breath on her behalf, and turned to her. he pulled his hand from the hold of hers and rested it on her cheek. "if anything, and I mean anything, makes you feel uneasy when you're in there. just send me a quick text and i'll com straight up." he smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "and after this, we're going to go home and we're going to forget about him. because that's what I want to do. I want our relationship to carry on." he smiled and pulled away from her.

mella smiled for a little while, jut holding onto him. it wasn't very often they got to just stop what they were doing and hold one another, enjoy each other's silent company. that was what she wanted the most, yet it never really happened. they were both always busy with other things, him with work, her trying to manage all the skeletons in her closet. she wiped her eyes once he pulled away and she leaned up to kiss his cheek, before taking his hand, listening to him, a small smile on her lips. "I like the sound of that, definitely. you now how much i'm a waterbaby. you won't get me out of it once we're there." she laughed a little and followed him up to their bedroom, getting out her small weekend back she always used for their romantic escapes. she put in a couple of pairs of shorts, some floaty dresses, and a couple of oversized shirts. she then went ahead and packed her swimming costume. it was black and had little red hearts all over it. she went into the bathroom and packed all their necessities, going back into their bedroom, she smiled slightly. she loved both shirts on him. she loved anything on him. nate was her perfect man, both emotionally and physically. a small grin slid on her lips. "unpack your grey one and take them both. that way you're gonna look good all the time." she tucked her hair behind her ears. this was nice, forgetting about what had happened and just concentrating on the now.

Fawn drew in a deep breath as the car slowed to a halt. This was it, and there was no turning back. Talking to David made her realize how she truly wanted to separate herself from Eric. She knew Eric wouldn't exactly be thrilled but in a few short minutes it wouldn't be about him any more. It was about what was best for she and David. She slid her phone back into he  pocket and gave him a swift kiss on the lips, wishing she could have held on a bit longer. "Alright, I will. I hope this goes well." With that, she got out of the car and approached the building. She climbed the set of stone stairs and knocked her signature knock on the door. When Eric pulled the door open, her heart sank. He looked worse than she'd ever seen him, but for entirely different reasons. He looked as if he was severely depressed and had been crying - definitely not the red puffy eyes and bed head she was expecting. "Eric, I have something to tell you," she breathed nervously, amazed as he took a step back and politely invited her inside. What was going in with him? She listened to him tell her that he heard the two of them pull up and it finally hit him, how he was taking advantage of her. "I've found another woman," he blurted out suddenly, "I don't want you anymore. However, I would like to speak to this David of yours." Afraid of what he would do if she didn't obey, she sent a message to David asking him to come up immediately. When he came charging inside, it struck her that Eric might want to go after him after all. Uh oh.

Nate grinned, "You're a genius, but I'll never look as attraciive as you," he told her before kissing her on the forehead and going back to packing. He followed her instructions and finished gathering all of his things together. He threw his bag over his shoulder and asked if she had any of hers finished yet. He took her tote bag and purse back downstairs and placed them by the front door so that they were out of the way but they wouldn't forget them. He made sure that he packed the engagement ring away in one of his spare pairs of sneakers where she would never find it. He had a few ideas for how he was going to pop the question, but he didn't want to make his final decision just yet. He would have to play everything by ear, of sorts. When they were all done and ready to go, he packed their bags into the trunk of his car."I'll drive us to the airport," he told her, "and I might even let you open the moon roof. I know how much you like it, since it's the closest thing we have right now to the convertible that you wanted." He picked her up bridal style and carried her out to his car, eager to have her all to himself for the next few days. He sat her down in her seat before taking his own and driving towards the regional airport, which was roughly an hour away. "I wasn't going to tell you," he spoke, looking over at her and taking her hand, "I got us the penthouse suite. You're going to love it."