"That looks like it's a million levels of unhealthy."
"That's because it is."
"And I'm supposed to allow you to eat it?"
"You're not my father, so yep!"
"I'm not your father, but I'm your baby daddy and I have three lives to worry about."
"You'll have your own life to worry about if you keep me from enjoying this dessert in peace."
"Remind me never to impregnate you again."
"He says knowing damn well he can't resist all of this."
He laughed, shaking his head at me. He was having a chocolate brownie with ice-cream, while I was having a monster bowl of ice-cream with brownie pieces, chocolate and caramel sauces and almond pieces.
We'd spent the perfect day out together.
He'd managed to make me forget about my problems, and I think it was the first time that he was just as relaxed in the longest time. I realized then that the mole thing at his company was really messing with him and he needed a time-out as much as I did.
He took me to all his favourite spots in the city and we took lots of pictures. He pointed out to me that we'd been followed by the press at some point, but that they seemed to leave us alone once they got the photos they needed.
Given the size of my ring, it wouldn't be long before he would have to release a press statement about us and the nature of our relationship.
I loved every moment we spent together because for the first time, it felt like we were truly a couple getting to know each other. We even went to the mall and he ended up buying me anything I thought looked cute.
We even ended up buying me new maternity clothing.
He's super excited about the twins, but he didn't want to start baby shopping as yet. He wanted to buy me clothing first, and then we'd get around to the baby clothing shopping around my third trimester.
He confessed that he'd read up on multiples pregnancies and he was worried about my making it to the third trimester.
The moment I realized that he was actually panicking, I booked an appointment with Dr Martens. He told us that he could schedule us in the following day, which of course worked with our schedule since we were both free for the week.
"Oli?" a new voice joined us.
My fiancé frowned. "Mike?"
"I thought that was you! What are you doing here in the middle of the day?" the man asked, joining us.
Please, go right ahead.
"I'm having lunch with my fiancée, who you would know had you pitched up to my surprise party last night," Olivier replied.
Wait a minute...
"You're Michael?" I asked.
"Yes, I am, and apparently you're the new wifey to be. It's amazing how I'm only finding out about you now," Michael commented.
"As opposed to when? When was the last time we spoke?" my fiancé asked him.
"That's not fair. You know I've been working on some deals," Michael defended.
Olivier raised an eyebrow. "And picking up the phone just to check in with your best friend is so time consuming, and yet you have time to wine and dine a different woman every other night?"
"Alright you two, cool it. I'm trying to enjoy my dessert in peace," I told them both.
"No offence, but this is bigger than your stupid dessert," Michael snapped.
"Well excuse you, but it isn't. This dessert comes with my spending a peaceful time with my fiancé, which you are actually intruding on. Your rude self didn't even ask to join us. I don't know you, and you haven't even made the effort to learn my name, even after your best friend just introduced me as his fiancée, which I don't know, but to other normal people, would be a big deal. Anyway, I'm not bothered by that, but I am bothered by the fact that you're choosing this moment to have whatever the hell you want to call this. Right now, is my time with my fiancé, so yeah, this is bigger than my stupid dessert, but it's also bigger than your disloyal ass!"
I think I shocked them both with my outburst, but he was irritating me. Phyllis warned me that he was a piece of work, but I didn't know just how accurate she was. He wasn't just a piece if we're being honest.
"Does Val know about her?" he ignored me and instead proceeded to ask.
"Not that I see the relevance of your question, but yes, she does," Olivier replied.
"And Daisy?" Michael asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "I haven't spoken to Daisy in months now."
"How long have you two been together?" Michael asked.
Vexed, I got up and left, heading to the car. I didn't want to be around the asshole, and I didn't care that he's my fiancé's best friend. I just wanted to leave them to talk while I went to get my head straight outside.
"Rose?"
I turned back to see Celia there. She was with a man, so I assumed it was her boyfriend. I hadn't seen her in a while, and I hadn't gotten around to returning her texts. I turned to fully face her and her eyes zoned in on my stomach.
"Oh my God!" she said before arms wrapped around me.
"I'm sorry about him," my fiancé said to me.
Celia gasped while I turned to face him. "It's fine. I just want to go home."
"Let me get the car then," he said before kissing me and walking away.
"I... You... He..." Celia trailed off.
"I know," I replied.
"Is this why you left the school?" she asked.
"You could say so," I said.
"Rose..." she trailed off once more.
"Look, I know what you think of him, so I'm not really expecting you to say anything. I know what I'm doing, and I'm happy," I said, stopping her before she could judge me.
I could just see it in her eyes.
Luckily for me Olivier's SUV arrived and the valet opened the passenger door for me before I got in. As we drove away, I spotted the concern in Celia's eyes and it irked me to no end. What had started out as a crappy day, went to being a great one, and then ended up right back at the crappiness.
To say I was pissed off was an understatement.
"Who was that woman?" my fiancé asked after a while.
"Her name's Celia. She's one of my friends from King Francis, or at least she was," I replied.
"Was?" he questioned.
I sighed. "She's one of the people who don't think very highly of you. When Grace came to King Francis, she was one of the first people to warn me to stay away from Grace, let alone you."
"And that upsets you?" he asked.
"The look she just gave me when she put two and two together is what upsets me. I knew that reactions like that were coming, but I guess I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was. You throw people like Michael in the mix and you just have me feeling like ripping someone a new one," I admitted.
"I really am sorry about him," he apologized.
I looked to him. "You do know that he doesn't like me, right?"
"He doesn't know you," he corrected.
"Oli, he has no intentions of getting to know me. Hell, he probably knew about us before he even sat down with us. Nothing about that confrontation was natural," I pointed out.
"Why would he have reason to hate you?" he asked.
"I have no idea, but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's picking up when people don't want anything to do with me," I replied before looking outside.
Silence settled over us, bringing with it an awkwardness that I hated. It was the first time that I found myself in an awkward silence with him, and it was easily something I never wanted to experience again.
I was more than relieved when we made it back home. I left the car before he could come and help me out. I headed into the house and headed straight for the kitchen to drink water.
"What's wrong with you?" my brother asked me as he walked into the kitchen.
"It's nothing," I lied before heading upstairs.
I decided that maybe taking a shower would do me some good. I was washing my back when hands took over from mine. I already knew who it was, so I let him join me. We washed each other's bodies and there was nothing sexual about the whole thing.
When we were done, he handed me one of hi t-shirts before helping me to blow out my hair. When it was dry and combed out, he led me to the bed where we lay down and I cuddled into his side as he stroked my hair.
"Are you ready to tell me what's really going on with you?" he asked.
"I don't know what's wrong with me, that's the problem," I mumbled.
"That's a lie and we both know it. I don't know what else to do here beautiful. I'm trying to reach out to you but you're shutting me out," he pointed out.
"Because I don't know if letting you in is a good idea. I'm overwhelmed by everything and all these things that keep blindsiding me aren't working in my favour either," I complained.
"That's what I'm here for. I'm here to share the load with you. Let me in and let me help you," he pleaded.
I was quiet for the longest time and he didn't rush me. I'm surprised he hadn't thought of me as asleep with how long I'd taken to speak, but I was grateful that he'd allowed me to gather my thoughts without interrupting me.
"I was nine when my father first hit me," I whispered.
"What?" he asked, making me look up at him.
Tears filled my eyes as I remembered. "He hit me because I didn't cook his meal right. He's the real reason why I learnt how to cook. Once I perfected my cooking, the beatings stopped. Richie was too young then to really know what was going on, but he caught on when my father hit me again when I was fifteen. He was eight at the time and he screamed bloody murder, only to have my father punch him so hard, he blacked out. The following day, Richie told my mom what happened when she came back from her nightshift, but she didn't care. Instead she told us that we should be grateful that he takes care of us when she's out at work. The beatings continued, especially once my father found out that Richie had told on him. I used to shield my little brother, but that meant that I would get it the worst. I used to run track and I had a bright future until the man broke a chair by hitting my leg with it. He simultaneously broke my leg and ended my track career there and then. I was good at hiding everything, until one day my mother came home early. She found him in the middle of beating me, and she didn't even blink. Instead, he smirked darkly and told her that she had to hit me with the pan or else he'd hit her..."
"Don't tell me she actually hit you," my fiancé whispered.
"That woman would do anything to save her own skin, and that was the first time I learnt that. It also got me curious about why we didn't know her side of the family, so one day when she was at work and my father was drunk and passed out, I left and visited my grandmother after finding her information in one of my mother's books," I said before pausing.
"You don't have to go on," he told me.
I smiled before kissing his cheek, despite the tears rolling down my own. "I have to. You need to understand. So, I got to my grandmother's house and the moment she saw me, she knew who I was. She let me come in and I asked her to tell me the real story behind my mother. I learnt that my mother ran away with my father when they were in high school, but that their relationship had always been toxic. They both used to cheat on each other, and their fights were often volatile, but they always made it back to each other. I then told her my story and she couldn't believe what I was telling her. She especially couldn't believe that my father had become that violent, and that my mother was letting it happen knowing very well that my father would never hit her. Apparently, he'd threatened to many times, but he could just never bring himself to do it. Essentially, we learnt that my mother was actually afraid that if she didn't listen to him, he might just really hit her, so instead of her, it was fine that I be the one to get a beating. If there's one thing I could take back from that night, it's leaving Richard behind."
"What happened?" he asked when I wasn't saying anything.
"I went back home to find the house on fire. The man was standing outside, laughing like a maniac, while I could hear Richie screaming inside the house. I didn't even think twice about it as I went into the burning house to find my brother. Luckily, we both made it out without any serious injuries. Richie just has a scar on his back from a wooden frame that fell onto him. They didn't even arrest the son of a bitch. He made up some story and they bought it, including my mother. From that day on, true fear consumed me every day when I realized that he truly wanted to kill us. On the night of my high school graduation, he almost succeeded in killing me. He had me in a chokehold, but Richie managed to hit him upside the head with a bottle. He passed out and Richie and I spent the night at his best friend's house. When we went back home the next day, we found my mom sitting on the porch, crying her eyes out. Apparently, he'd come to, drunk his ass off, before heading out, only to be killed in a car accident that killed three other people. My mother blamed us for the longest time, and she even hated us, until her best friend suggested she go for therapy. She started getting better, but she used to hang out with some sketchy people. When we found out, we made her promise that she'd stop, and she did, until we left her alone that is. When you came to Denver and found Richie and I pissed off, it was because we found her with one of her sketchy friends. She's relapsed and I honestly want nothing to do with her."
My fiancé held me as I sobbed onto his chest. He was part of a handful of people who knew my full life story. I used to see Cammy everyday but not once did she see anything going on until our Senior Year in high school.
That's how good I'd become at hiding everything.
When John found out, he was all but ready to resurrect my father just to kill him again. I'm seen as a naïve and happy person, but I know pain on a level most people wouldn't even understand.
I just chose to not let my past define me.
"I don't know how you made it, but I not only applaud you, but I thank you as well. Thank you for fighting to make your way to me. I will do everything in my power to protect you. God, I love you so much Rose. I want to avenge you, but besides knowing that there's nothing I can do, I know that it's not what you want from me. I'm here for anything you need from me," my fiancé told me.
"I just need you to hold me."
And hold me he did.
I fell asleep to the sound of his steady heartbeat, only to be woken up by arguing. I was alone in the bed, and I could tell that the arguing was coming from outside our bedroom door. I got up and put on my slippers before walking towards the door.
"I knew it was just a matter of time before you hurt her! Why won't you let me see her?"
"I'm telling you for the last time that I did nothing to her. She's the love of my life and I wouldn't harm a single hair on her head, despite whatever you think of me!"
"I don't believe you! Move so that I can see for my own eyes that she's fine."
"She's not fine and she needs to rest. I'm letting you nowhere near her, especially because it's you. She doesn't need this right now."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I'm her best friend!"
"Are you? Are you really?"
I knew then that I had to intervene.
"Cammy?" I called as I opened the door.
Her eyes moved from Olivier to me, before glaring back at Olivier. "What the fuck did you do to her?"
I guess I didn't look all that great.
"Please refrain from talking to my fiancé like he's some insignificant person," I told her calmly.
"Fiancé? So, it's true?" she asked me disbelievingly.
"I'm going to try and make you something that you can keep down ok? Have you thrown up yet?" Olivier asked me.
I shook my head. "I'm feeling a little woozy though."
"Please dress warmly and I'll bring you some tea," he said before kissing my forehead. He headed downstairs soon after.
"What are you doing here Cammy?" I asked her warily as I walked back into the room to look for my gown.
"Really? You've been begging for my attention, and now that I give it to you, this is how you treat me?" she asked.
I stopped what I was doing to scowl at her. "I've been begging for your attention?"
"John told me about how badly you wanted to see me," she said.
"Because you're my best friend, though I don't know the person standing before me right now," I replied as I tied my gown. I pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail in case I found myself needing to throw up.
"Well, I'm here, and you're with the one person I told you not to be with," she commented.
"Who I decide to be with really isn't up to you," I pointed out.
"Except I'm the one who has to deal with you when you have a broken heart and shit," she countered.
What?
"What are you doing here Cammy?" I asked her, refraining from saying anything that I truly wanted to say then.
"I was coming to see if I could talk some sense into you, but I guess I'm too late. You're engaged to the man," she replied.
I was about to say something when my stomach flipped. I managed to make it to the bathroom in time to hurl last night's dinner. I was in there for a while and once I was done, I brushed my teeth and washed my face before walking out of the bathroom to find Camila and Olivier in the middle of a stare down.
"Would the two of you quit it?" I snapped.
"Here's your tea," Olivier said before walking out.
Oh great, I'd pissed him off too.
"You're pregnant? You're fucking pregnant Rose? This is a new level of stupidity, even for you!" she said, laughing humourlessly. I guess it wasn't obvious before that moment.
"Get out," I said lowly.
"I see you finally grew a backbone, but don't think I won't tell you the truth. You're being stupid Rose, and all of this is going to come crashing down on you. You're going to realize that all the warning signs were there but you chose not to listen. That man isn't your knight in shining armour. He's your very end, but don't say I didn't warn you. Remember this day as the day you kicked me out because you didn't want to accept the truth," she said.
"Get out Camila and don't ever come back here if you still have that attitude about me, my fiancé, my children or our lives in any way. What I do with my life from this point onwards has nothing to do with you, and I will never come running to you if ever I'm in trouble because you've just made it clear where our friendship stands. Thank you for all the years you stood by me, but this, this I didn't sign up for. I have never felt the urge to hate you before, but right now, that's all that's consuming me, so please leave while all I still have of you are good memories," I warned.
She shook her head, disappointment visible on her face. "Goodbye Rose. I genuinely wish you the best of luck with this fucked up fantasy of yours."
"Ditto."
She shot me one look before turning to leave. I felt all the life leave me as my knees buckled. I fell onto the bed before sliding to the floor. The first wave of sobs racked over me and seconds later, I was in my fiancé's arms as he soothed me.
"I'm sorry," I croaked minutes later when my sobbing had died down.
"I'm the one who's sorry beautiful. I heard everything she said. I didn't want any of this to happen. I'm so sorry that I've brought you so much misery," he apologized, stroking my hair.
"You haven't brought me any misery Olivier. My life just seems to be adamant on showing me everything terrible about it all at once just from one decision I made, but this is a good thing," I realized.
"It is?" he asked in confusion.
I sat up, a new wave of determination coursing through me. "It is. It hurts, but being with you is showing people's true colours, and not just in my life. If you think about it, you're also starting to see some changes in the people in your life."
He scowled. "I didn't even realize."
Just as I'd suspected.
"I love you Olivier, and you are my chance at true happiness. All that these experiences have done is weed out what needs to be left behind on my route to happiness. I choose you. I choose you, I choose our family, and I choose our future. I want no one and nothing else, and I'm ready to fight for that. Are you going to fight with me?"
He pulled me in for a passionate kiss. "Always Miss Kidman, always."