❝And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand❞
Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls
TW: Manipulative, controlling and cheating relationship!
(If you see * then that is the section with the trigger warning)
James' POV
A week. A week since I've seen her, and I hate it. I haven't seen her on her way to work in the mornings, or walking back from the flower shop late at night. She isn't in the mailroom on a Saturday, in the Launderette or in her usual supermarket. It's only ever Liam.
I'm not the only one who has noticed this. After work, Steve always asks me if I've seen her. But I always answer the same way - "No. Sorry, bud." I can see the disappointment and worry written on his face every time I say that to him.
Today is no different. I walk through the door and throw my gym bag by the door and Steve stands up from the couch.
"Anything?"
"No, sorry."
His eyes stay on my face, almost like he's reading my mind. He doesn't need to though, I know we are both thinking the same thing.
"Should we go check on her?" I ask.
Steve doesn't answer. Instead, he bolts towards the door and pulls the handle, stalking towards Olivia's door. I follow, slightly scared of the determined look on his face. He pounds his fist on the door and straightens his posture.
"You might want to calm down before you scare her, Steve." I joke, only slightly serious.
I see him relax. I stand next to him, not really sure what we're going to do when she opens the door. That is if it ever does, it's taking forever. I finally hear the lock click and the door handle jiggle before the door opens.
"Yes?"
Liam. Fucking Liam, of course. Not only is it Liam, but it's also Liam in just socks and a messy button-up work shirt.
"Is Liv in?" Steve demands. I can tell he isn't happy about seeing Liam either.
"No. Olivia isn't here."
It clicks. He's dressed like he rushed to get changed and his hair is all messy. I finally see the tint of purple beginning to form in the shape of lips on his neck. Oh god, I don't even want to think about them doing that.
"When will she be back?" Steve howled.
"No. I'm kinda busy, is that all?" He snarled.
The patronising little shit. I don't know if I can deal with him anymore, I think we should just wait for them to be...done and check on her then.
"Yes. Goodbye." I snapped.
I turn and grab Steve's arm, dragging him down the hallway with me towards our door. I hear Liam scoff as he shuts his door and I have to convince myself not to go back there and kick his door down. Liv wouldn't appreciate that.
"What are you doing?" Steve complained.
"We'll check on her in a bit, let them finish."
"Finish what?"
As much as I love Steve, he can be a bit slow sometimes.
"Dude, read the room. It took him ages to get to the door and when he finally did, he wasn't fully dressed, had messy hair and had a hickey forming on his neck."
"Oh." He grimaced. "I don't want to think about her doing...that."
I laughed. Steve is just a teddy bear in a man's body, such a prude. To be fair, I don't want to think of them doing that either, but for very different reasons.
"We'll check on her later."
"Yeah."
We start to walk to the door when I stop.
"Wait. What time is it?" I question.
Steve checks his watch.
"Uh, 5:58. Why?"
"She gets off of work at 8:00."
His eyebrow raises.
"Why do you know that?"
Shit. "She said once when we were in the mailroom." Good save, Buck.
I'm not a stalker before you ask, She gets home at 8:30 and the shop is about a thirty-minute walk from here. Okay, maybe I am a stalker. I need a hobby.
"Anyway, why's she at home and not at work?" I ask.
"Maybe she's sick, that could be why she hasn't talked to us this week."
"I guess. We'll wait about 40 minutes then go check on her?"
Steve laughs.
"40 minutes! Not all of us have the stamina to fuck like rabbits like you, bud."
My eyebrows raise. I'm shocked that the prude Steve that couldn't even think of someone having sex a minute ago, is now making a joke and swearing at me.
"Shut up, punk."
Olivia's POV
My eyes wander to the clock on the wall. 6:00. I can feel my stomach turning as I chew on my nails and concentrate on keeping it down. I really hate what I'm about to do, but I don't think I can take it anymore. I turn my head and instantly feel guilty.
"Hey, sorry to be a pain but can I leave? I feel really ill."
Wanda smiles at me, and I feel slightly less guilty for this. Only slightly.
"Of course, babes. Vis, Nat and I have got it all covered, get well soon."
"Thank you so much, Wands. I promise I will make it up to you on Monday." I plea.
"Don't be silly, Liv. You practically run this store as it is. Just focus on getting better over the weekend. Don't be doing any moving while you feel like this."
"Yeah, that's if Liam doesn't shove the boxes in my hand, first." I joke.
Her eyebrows crunch together, and she looks at me with a look I know all too well. Concern.
"What do you mean by that?" She questions.
I always do this, speak before I think. Liam says it's because my mouth is bigger than my brain, but I think I'm just an excited person. Although, right now I'm starting to see what he means. I always open my big, stupid mouth before thinking about it. Liam is going to kill me for this.
"Nothing, just a joke."
Her head clocks to the side and her eyes narrow.
"For the 15 years I have known you, I can always tell when you are lying. So why do you even try?"
I really have fucked up here.
"Don't worry, Wanda."
"No, I'm going to. I know Liam and I know that what you just said probably wasn't a joke."
"Well, you know. He can get quite...forceful sometimes. Nothing I can't deal with, though." Sometimes.
"Forceful? Like..."
"God no, he hasn't done that."
There was silence. A silence that made me feel even sicker than before.
"But, you would tell me if he did...that, right?" She questioned.
"Of course." I promised.
That made her smile, but from the look in her eyes, I could tell she wasn't quite done yet. She really is the most persistent woman I know.
"But what did you mean by forceful?"
"It's just...recently...he's been involved in parts of my life that...he shouldn't be"
"How?"
Should I tell her? Tell her about him stopping me from seeing James and Steve, and everything since then? She is the only person I could trust my life with.
"Well, you remember last week when James and Steve came into the store? The two guys from my apartment complex."
She nods her head.
"Somehow Liam saw them in the store and didn't like that. When I came home, he got mad and...well..."
"What Liv? What did he do?"
"He stopped me seeing them."
I can feel the pressure lift off of my shoulder from the past week and I can't stop the tears from falling from my eyes. Wanda wraps her arms around me and lets me cry. She doesn't try to speak, instead lets me ready myself to continue, which I have to admit feels good.
"He also has been quite controlling. I haven't been able to leave the apartment without him commenting on my outfit, or make my own food without him taking over and saying I need to watch what I eat. He shouted at me for painting my toenails 'cause he thought I was doing it to impress someone." I ramble.
I can feel the bile rising in my throat as I think bout the past week. For the past year, Liam has never been like this in our relationship. Never controlled what I wear, what I do, or what I eat. I'd never felt so small and pathetic until he made all those comments on my body and called names that I physically had to force the tears back from.
"I'm so sorry, Liv. I'm glad you could tell me that. Do you want to stay with me and Vis for a while?"
"No, I couldn't interrupt your guys' life like that. And besides, it's not all the time, I can deal with it."
She sighed, knowing I would hate it to come crashing into their lives with all my problems.
"Okay, but promise me you will come to me if it gets any worse. I hate knowing you're going back to him, but you are always welcome here. You know that we love you."
"I love you too, and I promise." I sniff.
I reluctantly get out of her grasp and pick up my handbag, pulling it over my shoulder. I smile up at her and say my goodbyes as I rush out of the doors. I practically run home, knowing that Wand has to make a call to my apartment to let Liam know that I was off work sick. It brought a slight tremor to my hands at the thought of him being angry if I get back late. I bite back the bile rising in my through as I run through the streets and pull my keys out of my bag when I turn the corner and see the apartment complex in the distance.
❀❀❀
*I push through the door and drop my bag on the couch, singing as I don't see Liam sitting watching TV. He must be out. All I want right now is to get out of my work clothes and lie in bed. I scurry to the bedroom door and open the door, ready for bed. My whole face drops and once again I feel the bile rise in my throat.
"What..."
My eyes dart between a barely dressed and messy Liam with lipstick smudged all over his lips and a hickey forming on his neck, to Liam's work Secretary lying in my place in my bed. I feel my heart drop as a stolen tear runs down my cheek. I stumble over my words, unable to form a sentence.
"Olivia. I didn't know you would be home yet."
I can't help the scoff that falls from my lips.
"Oh yeah, 'cause that makes this alright!"
I have never felt so angry, betrayed, and ashamed. His secretary climbs out of the bed, pulling the covers with her, covering her naked body. She looks just as shocked as Liam.
"What are you even doing home so early?" He questions.
"I feel sick. You would know that if you picked up the phone instead of fucking your side chick!"
The anger boiling inside me overpowers the bile sitting in my stomach. The shame and hurt gave me the strength to shout at him.
"Don't scream at me! You want to talk about this, we talk outside." He screams.
I storm out of the room, unable to look in there anymore, and grab my bag from the coach. Liam follows me into the living room and grabs my wrist when he sees me heading towards the door.
"What do you think you're doing?" He barked.
"Leaving. I'll leave you to finish up here." I challenge.
This only seemed to piss him off more. It's quite amusing that he thinks he has the right to be pissed in this situation.
"Really! Where are you going to go to? James'?"
"OH MY GOD! GIVE IT A REST, LIAM! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO IS ACTUALLY CHEATING!"
I rip my wrist from his grip and pull the door open, walking through it. Liam follows me into the hallway, grabbing my wrist again.
"Where else would you go?!"
"To Wanda. To someone who actually cares about me."
"Typical of you to run from your problems and make others solve them instead!"
I feel an immediate burst of confidence as he looks at me as if I'm the problem.
"Go to fucking hell, Liam!"
That was the final straw for him. The hand that held my wrist raises to my shoulder, as the other one lands on the other shoulder, pushing me into the wall. I let out a sob, knowing a bruise will soon form on my back and wrists from how hard he is handling me.
"DON'T EVER SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT, YOU BITCH! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU WILL FIND SOMEONE BETTER THAN ME, HUH? I TREAT YOU LIKE HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TREATED. A SLU..."
I suddenly feel his harsh grip loosen and see him lying on the floor. I feel strong arms engulf me in a hug, and I instantly cry into their chest.
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" Liam screeches.
"Shut the fuck up!"
I know that voice, but it sounds different when he's angry. James. I look up from the chest and see a concerned Steve staring down at me. He smiles down at me and grips me tighter In his arms. Instead of feeling trapped, I feel warmth and comfort.
"It's okay, Tiny. We're here for you." Steve reassured.
"Get the fuck up, you piece of shit." James barked.
James grabs Liam by the collar of his shirt and yanks him up off the floor. He drags him down the hallway towards the stairs, but before he can throw him out, Liam gets out of his hold and bolts toward me. I grab Steve's shirt tighter and hid my face behind his arms.
"This isn't over, I can promise you that!" He declared.
Before Liam can get to me, James grabs the back of his shirt and speeds down the hallway with him. Once I know they are gone, I weep onto Steve's shirt. He rocks me back and forth in his hold and kisses my head, trying to calm me down. Eventually, I feel like I can breathe again and I stop sobbing into Steve's shirt. Sensing this, Steve pulls me back slightly and my head rises to look at him.
"How about you come into ours, Little one?"