Tony
"Violet." I called, after dinner. She didn't look very happy with me, but I needed to make sure we were all right. I needed to make sure I hadn't majorly blown my chances with the girl I love. I wasn't upset anymore about her rejection to my proposal or that she'd invited Aaron over to have dinner with us. He wasn't a bad guy, annoying, but not bad. I could see the love that was between them. Friendly, caring, affectionate friendship. She'd defended me tonight and Aaron had left out of nowhere, not to say I wasn't thrilled about that.
But I wanted to know if they'd ever dated in the past. I needed to know because the way he looked at her made me want to rip out the brown hair atop his head and cover his gray eyes. His eye color seemed unrealistic, honestly, was he some sort of possessed alien?
He wasn't a bad guy, okay. I know he isn't, but I disliked him nevertheless. I was jealous and Violet had done nothing to help remove this insecurity. In fact, she'd stayed silent the majority of the dinner until Aaron commented on our non-engagement. It kind of filled me with pride to find out she cared that much about protecting me. Should I be jealous? Is this what she wanted? It seemed like a child's game if that was her plan.
What about all that talk of love? Was that all just a joke to her? Am I a joke to her? Was Aaron who she truly wanted?
I could feel the beads of sweat on my forehead, forming like raindrops on a mudslide. It was the same feeling I'd gotten after I'd attempted to propose to her. After I had worked so hard to initially get her to date me. And now she claimed love, but I couldn't feel that from her. Around me, all I felt was Violet's indifference. I wondered if she was even capable of loving.
She simply looked at me with forlorn eyes, clearly upset at how I had treated Aaron. I was beyond jealous— and Aaron had dodged my questions expertly.
At the start of the dinner I attempted getting information on his case and why he had to be around Violet. He was a detective, after all, so it wasn't hard for him to shift the topic to something else. Aaron was dangerous, I'd realized within the first five seconds, he was a master manipulator and the way he talked to me made me wonder if he knew what I was going to say next. I wouldn't put it past him to come up with the perfect words to say to ease himself out of difficult situations.
He seemed like the type of guy who was born with everything, who had the world in the palm of his hand, but for some reason, he wanted my Violet too. He seemed selfish and ungrateful. He dressed and walked like wealth, he had an easy smile that shined with his eyes, especially when Violet was around. I wouldn't doubt that they'd been in love at some point. I wouldn't put it past him to have been rejected by my girl.
It made me wonder, really wonder, if the reason she'd said no at my proposal was because he was there that night. And if so, then what the hell was I doing with my life. If he hadn't been there, would she have said yes to me? If I'm to be the second choice, I'd much rather be removed from the equation completely. Except, the problem was, I was— am— in love with Dr. Violet Veowsalot and it's near impossible to fall out of love once it's wrapped its vice-like grip around you. I shut my eyes, standing in her apartment at night gave me a very strange feeling.
It was knowing that I wasn't allowed here at this hour, but feeling like a rebel. All my life, I was never a rebel. I wonder if she would've let me stay if Aaron had never showed up. She'd let him stay. And I admit, I was jealous of the young, obnoxious, detective. I had sized him up all night and even now after he left. Good riddance.
"Tony, you were..." she pursed and puckered her lips, brows furrowing as she tried to figure out what to say. "You were..." she continued, but I simply took her hand and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Violet." I whispered into her dark hair. It shined like a silk sheet, thick and curly tonight. Her hair reached just slightly below her shoulders, and it smelled incredible. "I didn't mean to ruin your dinner with your friend. But I feel like you haven't been taking any of my feelings into account."
"What?" The word left her lips like a feather landing on the ground, simply put, she looked shocked. She still stood there, not returning my hug as she leaned back to look at me.
"I... it's just... After my proposal, you were in a rush to get back to your apartment. And then I saw..." I cleared my throat, trying to swallow the pain in my chest, "Aaron through your window. And that weekend, you went home and I know he was there... and then you invited him to dinner without telling me anything. I don't understand Violet. Why do you turn your whole world around when he shows up?" I stopped myself from continuing my speech, I didn't want to get angry. I wanted to be reasonable and to hear her out. Communication and reciprocation was the key to a successful relationship.
"Tony," she finally sighed, a sadness in her eye, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was hurting you like that." She whispered, placing her hands on my arms, "I guess, I was just surprised when he showed up here. I haven't seen Aaron since we graduated high school. He was my best friend." She said, hurt flashed in her eyes as she slid her fingers down to my hand and held it. I wondered why she'd be hurt by declaring another man as her best friend, whatever that means. I, as her future husband, should be her best friend. But I'd keep working on it. She'd said Aaron was her best friend, meaning he wasn't anymore.
I stood there patiently, wanting to know everything, she'd kept her high school history a secret from me. Before last week, I didn't even know Aaron existed.
"Can I tell you something?" She finally spoke, eyes boring into mine as she walked us to the couch and sat. Her fingers laced around my own when she turned to face me. It seemed like she was lost in thought for a moment before she returned to me.
"Yes." I responded with conviction. I didn't want to push for information, I wanted her to be willing to share it on her own. I wanted to communicate so we could move forward. I was ready.
"In high-school," she began, swallowing as she spoke, "I was raped." Her words hit me like a fire truck as my heart began to race. I suddenly felt too protective over my Violet and several things I'd said tonight came racing back. I knew it must've been hard for her, even now, to share this piece of information. But the fact that she shared it meant she was willing to work through our issues, to consult with me and love me.
"I'm so sorry Violet," I said, holding her as she looked up at me, pain in her eyes. I didn't know how to react to her vulnerability. There were always the type of vulnerable statements that made you uncomfortable and others that didn't; this revelation definitely made me uncomfortable, but I wanted to learn and understand her. She was a survivor. It suddenly made sense why, at the start of our relationship, she'd never let herself be alone with me. And made the boundary of not being over at her apartment late at night. I understood now. Her pain was a type of pain that didn't just go away overnight— it lingered with her for years and I could even see it now on her face.
"It's been almost seven years since it happened," she shrugged, but she let me hold her as she continued speaking, "the guy who did it was my ex-boyfriend. He's still... in Rosemond somewhere. But that doesn't matter, I just want to tell you about Aaron so you feel more secure that I love you." She said, extremely straightforward.
I nodded, trying not to smile when my heart skipped a beat. The room was brightly lit with the fluorescent light from her kitchen. The smell of the dish she'd made was still fresh in my nose. She really tried so she'd to make tonight perfect, and because of my insecurities, I had completely misunderstood her friendship with the detective. I'd ruined the night with my jealousy, and that was something I'd need to work on.
"Um..." she continued on, "this is going to sound crazy, but please keep your mind open." I nodded when she looked at me with a strained expression, "my dad. He's was a professor at the Institute. He was sent to jail for the last six years because he would experiment on his students." I gasped and tried so hard not to show my expression, I didn't want to cut her off and then never hear these stories again, "he recently got out of jail. That's why Aaron sought me out. My dad experimented on me and Aaron." I wasn't sure how to process this information. What kind of experiments required a guy and a girl? And why was she suddenly telling me about her dad? I was confused, but I hoped it would all make sense soon.
As she spoke, my heart continued racing. How had I not known that the beautiful girl in front of me had been through so much, that she'd experienced more than she ever needed to in high school!? It was unfair that she'd been dealt a bad hand, but she seemed to have tried turning it around... until her past came back to haunt her.
I told myself to calm down, stress was the number one cause of heart disease and I didn't want to develop that anytime soon.
She continued talking and I continued listening, understanding. Until she mentioned that Aaron could hear my thoughts.
"What?" I'd asked and she nodded, explaining the whole open-mindedness thing to me again. I tried to think about it. Aaron had had a solid response to every single question I had asked. He seemed to have a comeback before I could send an insult.
I shut my eyes, maybe he was a mind reader. Maybe, hypothetically, those existed. I blinked my eyes open, trying to figure out if I was dreaming right now. There really was no way to know, none of the remarks he'd made tonight indicated that he could hear my thoughts. It seemed illogical and completely unscientific, but I wouldn't doubt something like that— someone like that— appearing in Violet's life. Violet explained how he'd unintentionally found out about what happened to her, listening to her thoughts the day after her rape, how he'd bothered her to no end that day and somehow, they'd found themselves in the hospital and somehow she'd gotten his mind reading abilities.
I almost wanted to laugh, what kind of science fiction was I in? What type of fantasy? I wondered if there was some type of drug in her food tonight that made her come up with vivid stories about her friends.
"How?" I asked, wondering if she was just retelling a story that she'd read. There was no way this could be true; it was scientifically impossible. Mind-readers did not exist. I kind of wanted to test his IQ if that was the case, was he just above average— but, if he was, why was he a detective. I snickered at my thoughts and regained my composure quickly. Violet was telling me something important— I didn't want to shut her down by laughing.
"I learned later that my dad's serum needs two people to work. It still connects us— like throughout dinner, you didn't know this, but I kept telling him to... um... stop insulting you. But he can't really hear what I'm thinking anymore." She said and I smiled, she'd done that for me. She'd tried so hard to make me comfortable.
I sort of regretted my attitude toward Aaron now that I knew he was harmless if he were my competition. He didn't stand a chance with Violet. I suddenly felt violated when I realized that Aaron knew everything I was thinking tonight. He heard when I'd pictured myself beating him up. Or worse— the thoughts I'd had— my random fantasies about Violet. I knew I could turn red at any second.
If Violet's explanation was to be believed— then I'd royally (unintentionally) embarrassed myself in front of Violet's oldest friend.
Violet explained something out of a novel, it seemed surreal. But I kept listening, trying to comprehend. Trying to be closer to her. I wondered why Aaron had to be the catalyst for her to finally share this information. This was the most honest— the most she'd ever shared with me before. And it made me see her in a completely new light.
I loved her even more, my heart would just swell at the thought of her.
"I'm sorry that I haven't told you this before. I usually try to keep things inside. But, Tony, I want you to know that I trust you and I love you. And there's nothing to feel insecure about in our relationship. I just need to figure out a way to get my dad behind bars— then maybe you can try that proposal again." She said and I kissed her.
I couldn't hold back as my lips collided against hers and it felt like the world was serene and chaotic at the same time. She smiled against my lips as I murmured, "I love you too."
My heart skipped four beats as our lips joined and I felt like I was a starved man who was finally getting a drop of water. I felt like a hole finally being filled with diamonds and gold. I felt whole and happy as she kissed me back, her mouth so soft against my own.
"Thank you for telling me." I said between kisses, "I'm sorry that I was so impatient. That I didn't understand. But I love you, and I'll wait for you. For anything you need. I want to be there for you because I fucking love you, Violet," I said, voice cracking. I saw her eyes glow like mine. I couldn't remember a time when kissing had been all I wanted to do with someone, not until I met Violet and she gave me a chance to love her.
I'd never seen someone who'd turned into the sunshine of every day. She'd pushed away the clouds and repositioned the stars, Violet was an anomaly in a world of clones. I love her.
"Um, Tony," Violet pressed her hand on my chest as she pulled back, dark eyes sparkling like sapphires, "do you want to sleep over tonight?" She asked and my eyes widened. She chuckled softly when my eyes widened at her and she kissed me.
Sleep over? What did she mean? Why am I overthinking? Though, didn't she say she was celibate? She is celibate. She doesn't let me in this late. She—
Before I could think of what to say, she was kissing me again and my mind was somewhere out in space, orbiting around Jupiter while my heart was racing against the confines of my chest.
Woohooo! Long chapter!
I dunno guys, I kinda like Tony.
Until next chapter 🤪♥️