For Them, We Must

I'll fix you.

"You still pissed at me?" Kayce asked, leaning his hands on the couch.

A day ago, she would have pounced on his question. She would have fought back, gotten defensive or worse. But Oakley was tired.

"I don't know what I'm pissed at," Oakley replied. "I go back and forth of wanting to cry and then wanting to tear things apart."

Kayce nodded his head from where he stood. Oakley watched him, she felt this build inside her as she looked at him longer. It was like she needed to scream, but not at Kayce. He was a trigger for her, she did know that much. But he wasn't the root, he wasn't the cause. Oakley didn't know the root just yet, but seeing Kayce look like he didn't believe her made her fingers shake almost.

She just wanted to feel something other than this back and forth misery. Oakley wanted a break from this place of feeling stuck. She wanted more answers to what happened, but she couldn't get past this feeling she had right now.

"I can't seem to...get out of this cycle," Oakley sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"The crying or the tearing things apart?" Kayce asked, walking back over to where Oakley was.

"Yeah," Oakley looked up at him. "I just...need a break from trying...trying to figure this out."

Kayce placed his hands in his pockets. Oakley could tell he had something to say, but the past few days were probably keeping him from it. Oakley stood up and turned to face Kayce. He was eyeing her, he seemed to be in alert just like her. They were both wound tight from everything.

"A break?" Kayce asked.

A new heaviness sunk over the room.

"I don't know," Oakley sighed. "Tate told me I've needed a break for a long time."

Kayce gave Oakley a funny look.

"Maybe he's right," Oakley shrugged. "Maybe this was a wake up call for me? To really look at what I'm doing."

"You take advice from a kid now?" Kayce asked her.

"We were just talking," Oakley raised an eyebrow.

"Good to know you have someone to talk with," Kayce was being petty, but Oakley also knew she had caused it.

"Well...I can't talk to my husband because it only seems to end with us yelling at each other," Oakley said.

"Alright, Oakley," Kayce nodded.

"Or him being pissed at me," Oakley frowned.

"I ain't pissed at you," Kayce told her. "Just pissed at this situation."

"That I caused," Oakley said.

"Maybe so," Kayce ran a hand over his head. "But you're focusing on the past now and I just..."

"You what?" Oakley asked.

"I just wanna sleep in my bed with my wife again," Kayce said.

Oakley felt a bit of the tension slip off her shoulders.

"You called me weak," Oakley said softly.

"No, I didn't," Kayce shook his head. "You're one of the strongest people I know."

"But I can't handle what happened?" Oakley asked confused.

"Seem to be doing fine so far," Kayce pointed out."So, what do I know?"

"I'm..." She looked into is eyes. "No, I'm not, Kayce."

His eyes widened slightly.

"I'm...so angry right now," Oakley said. "Like it boils inside me and I feel like I could spit fire, that kind of angry."