Hard To Believe

Chapter Twelve

Rosemary and Russell hadn't spoken a single word the whole way back home. The tension in the car was so thick, Rosemary could almost hear it pulsing. She tried to avoid making eye contact with Russell, who was trying to do exactly that with her. She was trying to mentally work it out, for she couldn't understand why she would feel so guilty when she looked at Russell. Because every time she looked at him, she would remember the hurt look that glazed over Davy's normally bubbly brown eyes.

Every time she looked at him, she would feel guilty for thinking of Davy instead of him. Her love. The man she had committed so much for. She was worthless. She didn't deserve someone like Russell as long as she was thinking of Davy.

"Are you gonna tell me what the hell's going on with you and Davy?" Russell finally spoke once they arrived at his home, his tone as sharp as a razor.

Rosemary flinched. "Um... nothing, love," she swallowed nervously.

"Really?" Russell eyed her skeptically. "That didn't look like nothing to me, Rose."

"Honey, it's no big deal," Rosemary forced on a smile to assure him. "Me and Davy just don't see eye to eye, that's all."

"Did you two used to date?" Russell demanded.

Rosemary's smile vanished slowly. She chewed and sucked down on her lower lip out of habit whenever she would contemplate on whether to tell someone something or not. Russell's gaze pierced into hers, a firm, acerbic stare that made her look away quickly.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"And when exactly were you planning on telling me this?" Russell's eyebrows knitted together, seething.

"I didn't think there was a point," Rosemary meekly shrugged.

"No point?" Russell repeated incredulously. "Rosemary, I'm supposed to trust you to not keep any secrets from me!"

"It wasn't really a secret at first." Rosemary was becoming irritable. "I forgot about him when we got together."

"Oh yeah?" Russell folded his arms, frustration bubbling up his normally kind features. Rosemary could tell he didn't believe her.

"Yeah," she finally looked at him. "Then a few days ago, I saw him on the telly again."

"And you didn't bother to tell me," Russell said through clenched teeth.

"No, because I knew you'd act exactly the way you're acting right now!" Rosemary yelled. "Look, what happened between me and Davy is over now, ok? It's in the past. So why can't we just let it go?"

"Let it go?" Russell restated angrily. "How could you say that?"

"Because that's what I've been trying to do ever since he cheated on me!" Rosemary shouted. "And I have until I saw him again! Not only on TV, but today as well. I'm trying to forget about him, for God's sake! And at the moment, you're not making things any easier!"

Russell opened his mouth to retaliate, but then thought better of it and closed it. Rosemary hadn't spoken to him for the rest of the day.

Since then, for the rest of the week, things were tense between them. The silences were awkward and uncomfortable. Rosemary would always squirm during breakfast, lunch, and dinner whenever they would eat together. They hardly spoke two sentences to each other. When they went to bed, their backs would be turned against each other. This had continued for the next two weeks.

And during those two weeks, Rosemary would get lucky. She would hang out with Carol, and even The Monkees. Though with Davy around, it was slightly uncomfortable. They managed to exchange a few words to each other, but other than that, they would only chat with Mike, Micky, and Peter.

Rosemary had grown to like these three boys. They were cute, funny, witty, and charming. When around them, she'd think nothing of Russell. Once parted from them, however, she would wonder what Russell did whenever she was gone.

Wow, what an exciting chapter (note the sarcasm). I'll try to post something better than this crap soon!