Georgia's POV
There was nothing left to describe the way I was feeling. Hurt. Betrayed. Humiliated. Those were all words I had used prior to Josh's arrival when expressing my emotions.
I had moved past that stage in my uplift of spirits, in my improved outlook on life. I was now past the fits of tears for now. I had better things that had my full attention.
Of course he would always stay put in the back of my mind. But I was making progress. I had come to terms with the fact that it hadn't gone the way I planned it to, and somehow I had to move past it. I couldn't hold onto that one moment for the rest of my life.
Living my life with regrets was a great fear of mine. I wasn't going to dwell on those I couldn't control. If Pat and I had worked out, I would be in a very different position. But I was accepting that not everything was going to go my way. And that sometimes, people do grow apart.
They lose touch, lose that bond and never regain it. Even in some of our bigger fights, I never saw us losing any touch. I always knew I would be there for him, and he would be there for me. But the lack of respect and human decency I received from him was below par.
Myself and those around me would definitely describe me as a perfectionist. I think that's why when something so important to me didn't go the way I planned, I freaked out. It always ended in consolation.
Maybe I was too positive about these things I cared so deeply for. It was possible that I put too much trust in those I loved. That's why it hurts so much more when it all comes crashing down.
But since Josh had arrived, which had only been 1 or 2 days, my spirits had been lifted in an enormous way.
I will never know how he does it. There is just something about my brother that radiates the type of buoyancy that everybody needs. The easiness and calmness and I feel when I talk to him could never be replaced.
He helped me to take a breath. After all this time, he just came in and had an impact instantly. He allowed me to look past what I was refusing to let go. It was the ultimate distraction to have him in Melbourne.
Even though I would never entirely overcome the rift between myself and Pat, there was a temporary fix that I was taking advantage of.
Starting with work, I planned on using that as my primary distraction. It was just a bonus that I got paid to do the thing I loved.
I was already ready, hoping to get in early and prepare myself for the day which I could already tell would just drag on.
Picking up all of my things, I headed towards the door. Making sure I had everything, I looked around a few extra times to ensure I wasn't going to forget anything the way I usually did.
I said goodbye to Billie, leaving her with Josh who was out for the morning. I juggled all of the things in my arms with great difficulty as I reached towards the door. Eventually getting a handle on it and swinging it open quickly so it wouldn't slam on me.
It seemed every time I spoke too soon about moving on with my life. Just as I did, those things that haunted me, just crept back in to my detriment.
I examined the person in front of me, having to stare for a few seconds as my morning vision was letting me down. Ultimately, I always knew it was only ever going to be one person, but I struggled to believe he just wouldn't leave me alone.
He appeared to carry some commiserations in his being. Flashing a shy smile, as if just to say he wasn't here to argue or defend himself. As if he knew he was in the wrong.
"I can't do this right now" I spoke harshly, scanning both his eyes directly. I judged for any signs of disappointment at my reaction. I think he expected it.
As hard as it was to see him in sorrow, I constantly had to remind myself to act composed.
I still stood in the doorway, but quickly pushed past him when no words exited his mouth. As if he hadn't prepared for my initial reaction to his presence. Maybe he just assumed I would sit down and hear him out. His next move was now unclear.
"Georgia please. I really need to talk to you" He argued with compelling facial expressions as he followed me down the stairs.
"Now you want to talk to me? How about when I called you 50 times trying to talk about what happened?" I vocalised my hatred toward that night and the day that followed. I shut him down once more, hoping he would realise how bad it was hurting me to have to talk to him.
"I'm really sorry George. I never meant for it to go as far as it has. I-I was...I was just confused" He uttered, knowing my reaction wouldn't be pleasant.
"And I wasn't. You left me without saying a word. You're the one that kissed me! Not the other way around" I declared, making my frustrations clear with the apprehensive tone of my voice.
I was already feeling my walls going back up. The exact reason why I didn't want to have this conversation. I was fragile still and not enthused about reliving that night.
Pat still managed to maintain his glance toward me even as I fired my words at him.
Our eyes locked together until the next things to come out of his mouth. I could tell he was holding back.
In his head, thinking if it was the right thing to say. All he wanted to do was say something and make it better, but it didn't work that way.
By doing so, I think he only made it worse.
"It was a mistake! I shouldn't have kissed you Georgia" He affirmed.
Well that hurt.
I surveyed the look upon his face following what he said. His confident body language shrunk to a new level of low. His eyes still drawing on the eye contact but delivered a different message.
"Yeah....a mistake" I nodded almost trying to wrap my own head around what he had just said. Knowing deep down it was crushing me inside.
I knew he deliberated whether that was the right choice of words. But that's the thing Pat, he just doesn't realise how that could hurt me.
Probably because he had no idea how I felt about him, but I still thought some kind of respect could have been an option.
With those words he made me feel small and unworthy of his love, or anyones love for that matter.
It was a mistake in his eyes. Kissing me was all a mistake, a regret that he now carried around with him.
"If I had known we would end up like this, I never would have done it" He added. Confirming what he said, he 100% meant.
"I get it Pat, it's fine. You don't have to explain yourself, you um...made a mistake" I nodded once more, trying to justify my new found feelings about what he had said.
I tried to hold back the seething torrent of tears that had been building up since that moment. I held them in well as only my eyes became blurry and lower lash line flooded. Only one or two tears fell, but I managed to wipe them away quickly.
"Georgia" Pat spoke, stepping forward to show his remorse.
"I think you should go" I stepped back, knowing damn well it wasn't a good idea to keep myself in the situation any longer.
"Please just let me say a few things" He begged, his eyes now met with the top of my head as I looked at the ground. Ending the everlasting contact between the blue and brown.
"I think you've said enough" I told him, pointing my arm down the driveway with hope that he would make it easier for me.
After a few seconds, I saw it finally click in his head as to stop pushing, stop fighting. To accept the consequences. He nodded in understanding and dragged himself down the driveway to his car.
The second he left my sight, I rushed to my car nearby and threw my stuff down which had been pressing tightly on the skin of my arms. I shook my arms out with great relief and hopped in the drivers seat.
Pulling out of the driveway, Pat had already left and I was free to go to work. But the tears still threatened to expose me each minute of the car ride.
I dried them up as much as I could to continue with this day which I used to be excited for.
Reaching the school grounds never felt better as I was getting that distraction I longed for. Now I had even more of a reason to need it. I switched off my personal worries as soon as I walked through those gates.
Strolling through the school grounds on the brisk Monday morning that it was, I was all rugged up in my basic puffer which protected me from the brunt of the wind.
I made sure to wear as many layers as I could as the school's heating was never warm enough.
I carried my belongings through to my classroom, unlocking the outside door and finding my way inside. I had arrived at an early hour in the morning so I didn't expect to see any kids wandering about.
After settling in and warming up the room, I headed down to the staffroom at the very next building. I was sure to grab myself something warm to eat and drink before sitting down next to a couple other teachers.
My closest friend of them all sat beside me. The two of us sectioning ourselves off to the others so we could talk properly and catch up.
Emma had been at the school for a similar amount of time to myself. We were both the same age which I think automatically set us apart from the others. Most other teachers were in the middle of their 50's and 60's.
"You okay? You seem a little off" She mentioned, scanning me worriedly for any signs. I refused to cry in my workplace and made sure to compose myself before explaining what had happened.
"Pat showed up at my door this morning" I told her, nodding as she reacted just as I thought she would. As I had already filled her in on my situation with Pat, she was just as frustrated with him as the rest of those around me were.
"What did he say?" She questioned in disbelief.
"He told me that kissing me was a mistake" I expressed to her. Knowing more tears were close by, I grabbed a tissue and held it up to catch the tears that fell.
She quickly grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the teachers lounge. Still ridden with shock, her jaw sank closer to the floor.
"Georgia I'm so sorry" She spoke sympathetically.
"Yeah well, what can you do" I shrugged, hoping to feel better as the day wore on.
I continued to feel down about the morning I had endured, but Emma had definitely lifted my spirits in the same way Josh had.
I returned to my classroom after we talked for a bit longer. I knew I still had a job to do and I wasn't going to let Pat disrupt the thing I loved to do, which was teach.
Controlling my emotions for the rest of the day felt like a struggle. But as the day came to a close, I was beyond proud of myself.
Of course the kids smiling faces made it easier to bare, but all I wanted to do was go home and be alone for a while.
I exited the school with positivity that I could get through the pain as I had hoped. It was possible to do it on my own, I just needed to find that out.
Sitting in my car as I waited for other staff to clear out of the carpark, I received a text from Josh asking me to pick him up from the boys' house. He had been with Marcus all day and both were still walking back from a teammates place.
I changed my course of direction as I was finally allowed out of the crowded car park. Turning right out of the school, I followed the roads I knew until I found myself at their house.
Pulling into the driveway, I intended on waiting in the car for Josh.
Plans changed as I turned into the entrance. I was suddenly greeted with misfortune.
The sight of Pat with clenched fists around the collar of someones shirt, as that person returned the gesture. He seemed to be locked on with this figure while many other unidentifiable strangers stood around and watched.
I caught a glimpse of their face but not enough to make out who it was. My priority was Pat. I became more worried as they looked to be overpowering him.
My earliest thoughts were all surrounding confusion. I didn't know how Pat had ended up in this situation, but I didn't care. The sight was enough to increase my heart rate. With a sense of foreboding, I was quick to act upon it.
I sprinted out of my car, as if it was a predictable action film that I always refused to watch. Feeling like everything was happening in slow motion.
As I ran up the driveway, I made eye contact with the same eyes I couldn't look away from this morning. This time they were filled with fear. He looked at me and genuinely looked afraid.
"What the hell is going on?" I yelled at them all, trying to figure out who could be involved in such silliness. Most of them turned to look at me but quickly returned to watching what was happening.
I left the contact with Pat as I finally caught a glimpse of who had their arms around him.
Panic. Alarm. Angst.
This was bad. As bad as it could have gotten and I didn't know how to stop it.
The one person I would have least expected to be in Pat's driveway now had his sights set on hurting him.
My hair stood on my forearms, my heart was in my throat as I met the person's eyes.
Darcy.
............
A/N
Darcy is back! 😱😱😱
Once again Pat has found himself in a compromising situation. Let's hope Georgia can sort it out before things get ugly.
You should have known I wouldn't go easy on them 😂 Not just yet anyway. Hopefully soon Georgia and Pat will find their way back to a bit of normality.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed it anyway! Can't wait for you to read the rest of this story!
Cheers x
^ Loved having this guy back!💙