I'm back with THE most gut-wrenching chapter so far.
TW: Mentions of rape, abuse, and more. Please read with discretion.
- Genevieve -
I finished class late Saturday afternoon walking just above the river. Marvin is playing old school songs on the sax, hooked up to a speaker so the whole area can hear him.
He finishes up his set and immediately spots me. "Gigi, it's been a while."
"Fingers all healed?" I ask, remembering his injury from the last time I saw him.
"Hurt like a bitch, all fixed up now. The last appointment was at your ma's place with one of her Docs."
"I didn't know your physician worked under Mom. Did you see her there?"
"Yup, she told me your brothers are coming into town. The entire family." Right then I get a group chat text with my family.
"You should come to dinner next week, everyone would love to see you." I bid my goodbye's walking to work.
"Nice, show up in the worst clothing possible for what I have for you today," she snickers as I walk in.
"Good afternoon to you too Edna. How's it going?"
"You'll be on your knees today. Dusting the bottom shelves and staining them this brown color. I'll pay you overtime if you get it done today."
"Sorry Eds, I got a hot date tonight." She immediately looks intrigued.
"The tall drink of water from a few days ago I presume."
"Yes ma'am." I spend the rest of my shift staining the bookcases while she grills me about Adrian.
"And you're sure he's the one?"
"Not at all, but it's only a first date."
"Sweetheart, in my day if you weren't at least eighty percent sure, you wouldn't waste a first date on some random little shit."
"Thanks for the advice, but he's got loads of potential. So I'll take the risk." Almost looking proud, she tells me to leave early so I have more time for my date.
___________
By the time I get home, it's a lot closer to eight than I would've hoped. I begin by ripping apart my closet for an outfit to wear.
"Wear something formal Cherry." Couldn't have been more specific?
Mads shows up sometime later and helps calm me down. "It's your first real date since him, and this time you've learned from the past. Let's get you ready, okay?"
I nod and pick out a short light pink satin dress. It has spaghetti straps and drawstrings on the waist.
Madison helps me straighten my hair and picks out diamond studs for my doubles and a light pink diamond drop earring for my firsts.
I step into closed white heels with a rectangle heel and work on my makeup when the doorbell rings. "I'll keep him waiting." It reminds me of when I used to do it for her almost every week during Freshman year.
"And if the date runs past midnight, text me please," she reminds me.
- Adrian -
Working my shit up I find the courage to knock on her door. Madison appears and leads me to the couch saying she'll be out in a few minutes.
"You got her flowers, that's sweet." I'm wearing the nicest pants I have with a black polo shirt.
Mom taught me how to treat a lady right.
"They're nice. Just so you can score a few points with her, play Taylor Swift in the car, she'll like that.
"Will do, I'll take good care of her." She looks up at me almost hesitantly, not in a fearful way but it's apprehensive.
"Yeah?"
"She's been hurt before. She doesn't need that kind of pain. And if you cause it I'll castrate you." I'd like to keep my dick thank you very much.
"I'd never intentionally hurt her," I promise. It's so early in our relationship. I've only known her a short while.
"Hey," a voice appears in the room and I turn around.
"Fuck-" I almost lose my goddamn breath, "You look so good." Her smile is beautiful, stretched from her lips all the way to her eyes.
"You look nice too," I'm wearing a black polo shirt and white pants.
She grabs a white jacket from the closet and I help her put it on.
"Have her home by midnight," Madison calls from the door and I promise I will.
Leading her to Luke's car that he let me borrow, I open the door for her, "Thank you." She's so polite. "I miss your bike, whose car is this?"
"Luke's. I thought it would be more proper for our first date."
I grab my phone searching up songs from Taylor Swift before getting in myself. I look over to see her beam when a song comes on.
"Can I finally know where we're going?" I shake my head, turning the volume up a little. "You're not the least bit worried I won't like what we're going to do?"
"Not at all." A mixture of ease and relaxation, I got this.
"Arrogant?"
"Confident," I fixate. Turning into the location of our date I get out of the car and open her door. "Close your eyes."
"You're still keeping this surprise up?" She sighs, closing her eyes.
"Just a little longer. Patience, Love." Walking down the cobblestone steps, she has to know we're outdoors so far.
"Ready?" And she eagerly nods in response, making me let out a breathy chuckle. Relieving my hands from her eyes they flicker open.
She looks breathlessly breathtaking. Her small lips parted into an awe-faced expression with a light pink tint on her cheeks, and small wisps of hair crowning her face.
"This is the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me." Outdo every date she's ever been on? Check.
- Genevieve -
A glass gazebo with rose bushes around it on campus grounds. "How'd you pull this off?" Usually no one's allowed inside the garden after class hours. I remember the girls and I trying to sneak in once and almost getting caught by night security.
"We may be trespassing, but I paid the guard off for the night." His smirk deepens while he takes out a picnic basket.
"You really thought of everything," he brings out wine and plates, silverware, and a candle even though there's plenty of light in the room itself.
He serves us linguini with Pinot Grigio and a cheese board. I didn't even know he knew what a charcuterie board was.
The amount of thought and effort he put into this date is more than Michael put into anniversaries- if he even remembered them.
New chapter Genevieve, clean slate.
"Pre-season training must've already started, doesn't Coach King put you on some crazy diet?" I watch as he brings out Tiramisu.
"If by crazy you mean 'No alcohol, no caffeine, and limited carbs,' all of which this involves, yeah. But if you and I keep this a secret I'm sure it'll be fine." He lifts a giant spoon full of cake to my mouth which I welcome.
It melts in my mouth, directly on my tongue, tasting of coffee and cream. "I made it myself, and I know it's probably the best thing you've ever tasted but I've still gotta ask, did you like it?"
"That was the best meal I've ever had." There are so many thing I want to know about him, like
"I'm expecting our next date to top this," he tells me. His cologne can be smelled from here, rich with charm and wood-like hues embedded in it.
"I don't know if anything will ever top this night."
His phone rings and he reaches into his pants pocket to grab it. The contact name 'little monster #1' shows up and I assume it's his brother Casey.
"Sorry, do you mind if I take this?"
"Of course not, go ahead." He looks distressed all throughout the call. I try my best not to eavesdrop but it's not like he's trying to conceal anything either.
Words stick out like hospital, cancer, and 'on the brink of death.' Holy shit.
He leaves the call with a big sigh and turns back to me, "Sorry about that, my dad's in the hospital and it hasn't exactly been the smoothest ride for my family."
I remember our conversation from the riverwalk about his home life. I can barely conceal my condolence.
Adrian, on the other hand, looks anodyne. Not that he's trying to be so monotone about it. His tone makes it clear it's been exhausting dealing with this.
"How long have you known he was ill?"
"Since that night I saw you at Grady's after the party." Not long at all. He silently cleans up, and I lift myself off the floor to help with the blanket.
"Do you wanna take a ride?" He asks me while we walk back to his car.
_____________
Less than 10 minutes later we're at the beach, sitting in the sand, our heels digging in the dirt, staring at the sky, and sharing stolen glances.
I'm starting to thing I may find salvation in the arms of Adrian Castillo.
Unwillingly handsome, suave, and connoisseur of all things charming and right in the world. He's almost too good to be true and there's still so much I don't know about him.
And right now, on our first date, he's spilling his heart out to me.
"I've never told anyone this," he starts off. My heart under the pink silk dress, heaving while it drips near my cleavage and I listen closely. "Sometimes I'm grateful he left. It's not fair to my siblings to say that but we're better off without him."
In some ways it reminds me of Michael, how I needed the pain he inflicted to realize just how perfect I am, especially without him.
"Him leaving allowed you to grow in ways you wouldn't have been able to if he stayed," I added in, "and in some ways it's heartbreaking to know that, because no child should ever have to live with the fact that their life is better off without a parent, but in your case it strengthened you."
"You understand me." I understand you. "Can I ask you something?" I nod slowly.
"Who is Michael?" I'm stuck in a daze before he continues on, "I heard you say his name, that night you were drunk" I'm never drinking again, "you don't have to tell me," he reassures.
"My boyfriend from high school. He was two years older than me, and he-" Trying to pick out the right words, and the amount of words which would be appropriate for a first date stop me in my tracks until he reassures me.
"Anything you leave out is completely your decision."
"He was abusive- not at first. But within the first six months there were signs, signs that I either chose to ignore or was too stupid to realize were there." Memories of the series of events filter into my mind. "At first it was the occasional verbal abuse and putting me down, then it became 'holding my hand too tight' or 'twisting my wrist.' That was before it turned sexual. Mostly just blow jobs and rough kissing."
I try not to make eye contact, the embarrassment flooding my cheeks and tears burning my eyes. A slight turn towards him is prompted by his arm around my waist and there is fire in his eyes.
Like a 'he'd burn the entire world down and wouldn't let a single flame touch me,' book trope type of look.
"The reason I told you I wasn't into athletes that day was because Michael's temper was usually dictated by the games he won and lost. Unfortunately for me he was pretty ass at sports."
I let out a small laugh trying to lighten the mood even though I can tell Adrian is having none of that.
"I'm sorry," he lets out, "that you had to live through that. If you drop the address I'll be sure to pay him a visit."
"My brothers took care of that, it was pretty traumatic when my family found out. I'd broken up with him but he showed up at my house, and he tried to rape me, when my Mom and sister-in-law came home from Holiday shopping they found me on the floor, him on top of me, clothes ripped, vases smashed in the foyer. He was charged with aggravated assault, but that was about it. His parents were rich, his grandparents even richer. One a judge, the other an attorney. I didn't stand a chance when I accused him."
Tears stream down my flushed out cheeks and he voice breakingly murmurs, "You're so unapologetically perfect, please don't let the past hurt you more than it already has. He doesn't deserve your tears."