Friends With Benefits

Leave Me Breathless

I felt the strongest urge to ask a another question. But it may ruin things... ah, hell.

"How many girls have you brought up here?" I heard myself ask. Come on now, I had to know. This was all too early 2000s movie for me not to ask this question. 

He didn't looked shocked or offended at all. He continued to smile. "You're the first."

He walked over to me again and I stood still. He better kiss me this time or I'll start yelling. "Oh." I said slowly not letting my eyes move from his. "Violet can I ask you a question?" He said raising him eyebrow. I nodded. "Shoot."

"Do you believe in Fate?"

Did I? It would explain how me and Sean met. It would explain how Elliot and I came to be what we are now. It would explain every audition I ended up getting or losing. But did I really believe in it?

"I'm not sure... why?"

He gave me a sly smile, walked back to his car, and hopped on the hood. I tilted my head and continued to stare at him. He patted the spot next to him and I followed.

"When I was in the book store that day I was trying to research something. A disease my mother has." He suddenly said. I turned my head to face him properly, unsure of what to say. Plenty of my friends have been through issues like this but I never know what to say. I'm pretty sure no one knows.

I settle for what I usually do. I reached for his hand and give it a light squeeze. He smiled sadly at me and squeezed back. "I'm sure you don't want to hear a depressing story on our first date. Not very sexy." He said wrinkling his nose. It was an adorable look on him.

"Its fine. First date's are suppose to be where we talk about each other right? We'll just start with you. You can tell me anything Sean I'm here to listen." I added. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask me Are you sure? I nodded and he sighed.

"If you say so..." He shifted closer to me and I breathed in his smell. It was hard to describe and I couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was. But it was mesmerizing.

"My mother was the only one taking care of me and my little brother Jake for the majority of my life. My father--the asshole--left. He was abusive and lazy. He left some time around when my mother found out how sick she was. He found her useless to his needs and that was it I guess. That was maybe five years ago. A complete waste of space and yet my mom still clung after him. She still thinks about him as some god I'm sure. Jake was too young to understand what was happening and I never was there when it went down. And for awhile my mother just acted like it never happened and whenever we got home he made sure enough of the evidence was gone."

"Evidence?" My voice barely squeaked.

He nodded solemnly. "The things... he would hit her with. I won't go into details but it wasn't pretty. It wasn't until three days after he left that I figured it out on my own." He clenched his fist in anger and I wanted so badly to reach out and hug him. But he wasn't finished talking, I could tell.

"The doctors told us the disease was caught through a common cold. The type of cold you get when you stand outside in the rain for too long without the proper clothing. She later admitted that she would stand outside my father's apartment begging for him to come back. Because she needed him. She had to have him in her life. So I went to the library that day to look up anything else I could find that the doctors couldn't see. Doctors are a waste of time these days. And since my mother thankfully works at home she can pay for some of her treatments but the little acting things I've done has paid for the majority of it. Which is fine, I prefer it that way I guess." He frowned and his face was turning red. He gripped my hand tighter, I winced a little but didn't pull away. He needed this right now and I wasn't going to let him stop now.