▲▽Marquis de Lafayette's P.O.V.▼△
★Modern AU★
★・・・・・・★ ・・・・・・★
A gentle touch made me crave him. A soft tone made me fall faster in love. A loving look made me keep loving. I believe those were some of the best parts about being with Thomas Jefferson.
"Mon amour, mon âme, mon Gilbert," ("My love, my soul, my Gilbert") he would whisper at night, pulling me closer to him.
"Je t'aime," I'd whisper back.
He would repeat what I said before we both fell asleep.
Tonight was not one of those nights.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I glanced at the clock, a soft ticking echoing from it as I read the time; 2:29. He had not returned from work, saying he would be working a little later than usual. Whenever he said that, he'd usually be home by 10, knowing I hated being alone in bed. His usual work hours ended by 7, sometimes 8.
I glanced at my phone once more, checking if he had replied to my three messages I had sent.
'I hope you get home soon. I miss you.'
Sent at 9:34.
'I'm starting to worry, Thomas. I love you and hope you get home soon.'
Sent at 11:48.
'Thomas, at least reply to my messages, please. I'm worried.'
Sent at 1:58.
He hadn't even read them.
I looked away from my phone, a bowl for the Mac and Cheese that I made hours ago placed in my hands. The food was probably cold by now, but who says I can't warm it up when he gets home?
The front door opened and I turned to see my boyfriend, Thomas, walking in. I smiled, quickly saying, "Welcome home, mon amour! I made macaroni and cheese, it might be cold, but I can heat it up for you if you'd-"
"I'm not hungry," Thomas interrupted, his hand up dismissively.
My smile slowly dropped, the grip on the bowl I held getting tighter. "Oh, that's alright! I'll just save it for later."
"There's no need," Thomas said, walking past the kitchen to the bedroom. I watched as he went, his stance emotionless and his face unreadable.
"D-D'accord."
I put the bowl away, my hands slightly shaking as I felt tears fall down my face. I slowly cleaned up the uneaten dinner, made with love. I homemade it, hoping Thomas would approve.
Maybe I am being over dramatic. Maybe I should assume it's exhaustion that has him in this mood and I should be going to bed.
I was thinking about throwing the food away, the food I took about an hour to make. I decided against it, thinking he may eat it later on. I scooped up all the Mac and cheese into a container and stored it in the fridge as leftovers. I cleaned up the kitchen a bit and put the extra dirty dishes I had in the sink, knowing I would do them tomorrow.
I walked towards the bedroom, peeking in to see Thomas was on his side of the bed, facing away from the door. The door was closer to my side, which I did not mind.
I slid into bed and looked at the back of my lover. He looked tense, from what I could see from his muscles poking from his shirt that he changed into. I reached to touch him, but hesitated, my hand barely missing him. Deciding against touching him, I turned around in bed and faced away from the Virginian. Maybe this will turn out better tomorrow.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Another day in paradise," I heard Hercules exclaim, his arm thrown around Aaron's shoulders. "I hope the flower shop has that flower I've wanted."
"I believe it does, Hercules," I reply, smiling. "I know Peggy ordered it, it should be coming really soon."
"That's good! I'm excited to see how excited my momma will be when I show her that type of flower," Hercules rambled on, a smile on his face. "I'm so glad to have two of my friends and my boyfriend working in the same place!"
"I am, too," Aaron stated, a small smile written on his lips as he looked up at the tall Irishman. "It's fun working with the Frenchfry and-"
"And Peggy!" Peggy jumped out in front of us, making Hercules screech. Everyone stopped and took a second to be shocked before we bursted into laughter.
We got to the shop the Schuyler's owned, Peggy deciding to run the shop with the three other workers working with her. Aaron and I were two of the three, the third being Samuel Seabury. He was a nice man, though Hercules never really talked to him, so he wouldn't be considered a friend of our group.
"I'll see you later," Hercules murmured to Aaron who stopped by the front of the building. Peggy unlocked the door and I heard Herc mumble, "Can I get a kiss and a hug?" before I walked into the store. I smiled at their relationship and how cute it actually was.
"Young love; what a wonderful thing," Peggy gushes, making me laugh quietly.
"Oui, it is wonderful," I agreed as Aaron walked into the shop.
"Samuel should be here, soon. He just has to go get himself some coffee with his boyfriend, Charles, before getting here," Peggy told us, handing me a watering can. "Aaron, can you go check in the back of the store and count how many red roses we have left? I'm not sure if I need to grow more or not."
Aaron left to the back and I got to watering flowers carefully. "Hey, Peggy?"
"Hm?" I heard her hum.
"Would you think it's weird if your lover comes home at 2:30 at night?"
I heard silence throughout the shop after I asked that. I stopped watering the plants, turning to see Peggy looking up at me, shocked. "Thomas didn't return home until 2:30?"
I nodded, hoping it wasn't a bad thing. "A-And I tried to give him some of the homemade macaroni and cheese I made, but he wasn't hungry. He also didn't give me a glance when we were in bed."
Aaron came from the back of the store, his eyes to the ground. "Thirty seven roses left."
Peggy cleared her throat, looking away from me. "Thank you, Aaron."
I went back to watering flowers, my hope never disappearing as I did my job.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Glancing at the time, I sighed. The clock said, 1:14.
I looked down at the homemade chicken noodle soup, the steam that was floating above it disappearing hours ago.
Maybe he had an excuse. Maybe he was stuck with a very difficult project that he had to finish in the next few days. There had to be some excuse that would make sense.
The door opened and I turned to see Thomas, his usual cleaned up self looking very disheveled.
He didn't give me a glance as he walked by the kitchen, going straight to the bedroom. I felt my hopes slowly burning down to ash as I watched the bedroom door close loudly. I flinched at the noise and looked down at the pot of food sitting in front of me. Another dinner wasted.
I decided this time I'd dump the leftovers, throwing all of it into the trash bag. I placed the pot into the sink, staring at it for a few seconds before looking at the bedroom door. I shouldn't bother him.
I grabbed a blanket and pillow from the closet and made a bed on the couch, tears springing to my eyes as I did so. I grabbed my phone from the island and sat down on the couch, going to Peggy's contact on Messages.
'Bonjour,
I hope this isn't waking you, but Thomas showed up about 5 minutes ago and shut the door to our bedroom. He also did not acknowledge the fact I was standing in the kitchen with a homemade dinner, ready for him. I hope to get some advice on this matter, maybe even some help speaking with him. If not, that's okay as well.
Au Revoir.'
I sent it and placed my phone on the coffee table. Tomorrow is Friday. Maybe I can go visit him during his work hours and give him a homemade lunch!
I smiled at the idea, laying down on the couch and covering myself with a blanket. Maybe this whole ordeal would be okay.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Peggy, can I take lunch?" I asked, looking at her with a packed bag in my hands. "I want to go give this to Thomas at work."
"Of course," Peggy pats my shoulder.
Peggy told me this morning that if it happens again tonight, I would ask him why he is doing that and if I could help him at all. I smiled and thanked Peggy before I rushed out of my work, jogging over to where Thomas works. Alexander Hamilton and George Washington also work here with him.
I walked into the building and waved at Theo, who worked in the front of the building. "Hi, Lafayette," she greeted, a smile on her face. "Come to see Thomas?"
"Oui. Can you tell me where I could find him?"
"He's in his office, I believe. If not, I would check the meeting room or the break room," Theo told me.
"Merci," I wave to her before walking towards his office. I saw Alexander walking down the hall, his short figure straighter than usual. "Bonjour, Monsieur Hamilton."
"Monsieur Lafayette!" Alex walked up to me, his smile faltering on his face. "What are you doing around here?"
"I came to give Thomas lunch," I explained, a smile on my face. "Is he in his office?"
"Yes, but he had already eaten lunch."
That made my heart sink a little. "O-Oh. I am still allowed to go visit, oui?"
"He may be very busy with paperwork," Alex excused, his eyes straying from mine. "I'm sorry, Laf."
"Non, non. It's quite alright," I held back the tears, a smile still plastered on my face. "I will see you later, Alexander."
"You as well, Lafayette. Till we meet again."
I turned away from the Caribbean man, walking out of the building. I passed by Theo who saw my tears falling down my face. "Lafay-"
I walked out of the building before she could finish.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Maybe I'm being dramatic, John," I murmur, covering my eyes with my hands. "I don't know what to do."
John gently rubbed my back. "You aren't being dramatic. I understand what you are going through," he told me. "Alexander did the same thing to me."
"Did he cheat on you?" I looked at John with a hope that he didn't.
A sigh escaped John's lips. "Yes, Alex did."
I felt more tears streak my cheeks as I tried to hold them back. I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I was pulled into a hug.
"I'm here!" Someone bursted into the room.
"Peggy, come in," John called back, his hand on my back as we hugged.
"I brought Eliza. Hope you don't mind," Peggy exclaimed. "I also brought ice cream."
"Is it Peanut Butter Swirl?" John asked.
"Lafayette's favorite," Eliza announces, sitting down next to me on the bed. "Hi, Laf."
I pulled from John's hug, looking over at the middle Schuyler. "Bonjour."
"Are you feeling okay?" Peggy mumbled, sitting down next to John.
"Non," I replied in a whisper.
"Maybe some ice cream will help," John took the bag from Peggy and took out the ice cream.
"Merci," I murmur, leaning my head on Eliza. "Men are weird."
"I know, right?" Peggy agreed, giggling a little.
"I totally agree," John added, his tone playful.
After our little laugh, I noticed Eliza was looking at Peggy. "What are you thinking of doing now, Laf?" Peggy asked, John returning with two bowls of ice cream. He handed me one and started eating the other.
"I don't know," I murmur, picking up my spoon and playing in the ice cream. "I do have to speak with him."
"Yes, but that can wait," Eliza said, throwing her arm around me. "Let's just have tonight to ourselves."
"I have a movie I've been wanting to watch," John says, turning on his TV. "How about we watch that?"
"Okay," Peggy agreed, smiling.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I entered my apartment with uncertainty, unsure if I should've knocked or not. I already decided once I opened the unlocked door. I peeked inside to see clothing scattered across the floor. I recognized Thomas' normal work outfit, but I was unsure who's clothing was next to that.
I followed the trail of clothing to the bedroom. I noticed the door was open a crack and I peeked in to see two bodies sleeping under covers. I opened the door quietly to see Thomas' hair and Alex's face, laying on my side of the bed. A not-so-silent gasp escaped my lips, my hands covering my mouth. Alex stirred, sitting up. When he saw me, he was like a deer in headlights.
"Thomas," Alex shook the Virginian awake, his eyes never straying from mine.
A groan escaped Thomas as he sat up. "What, Alex?"
"Je ne peux pas te croire," ("I can not believe you")I mumbled, tears falling down my face.
"Lafayette," Thomas spotted me in the doorway. "Mon amour, I can explain-"
"You knew I was in a relationship with this connard!" ("Asshole")I glared at Alexander as he stared at me. "How could you do this to me?"
"Laf-"
"Non," I growled, interrupting Alex. "You don't deserve any sympathy. Get out of my damn house."
Alex did as he was told, collecting his clothing before scurrying out of my home. "As for you," I glared at Thomas. "You need to get the fuck out."
"Wait, Laf, I can explain-"
"You don't need to explain," I said, turning away from him. "Nous sommes finis." ("We are finished").
"Wait, please."
"Get out."
"Ple-"
"Get Out!"
Thomas finally listened, grabbing his clothes from the floor and changing into something less revealing. "You will have all of your shit packed and out of this building by Monday," I demanded, keeping my head held high.
Thomas didn't say a word as he left the apartment. I slammed the door and locked it. I leaned against the door and slid down it. Tears fell down my face as sobs escaped my lips.
What now?
★・・・・・・★ ・・・・・・★
Word Count: 2411
Published: 7-13-18