So this is going to be long and more serious. So there is a trigger warning for physical and alcohol abuse, but it's not too serious. This is something I know sort of well enough to write about, and with Brian Jones' past, and the whole deal with Anita Pallenberg and Keith Richards in Morocco, I decided to. This is also written in third person, because it's kind of like you're Anita in the story. I hope that's alright. Okay, enjoy.
Morocco, 1967
She only stayed under for a long time because that's when it hurt the least. The pain was taken away for a couple of seconds. Both physically and mentally.
Unfortunately, she couldn't stay under forever. And when she came up from the blue water, she smoothed her wet hair back and straightened herself out, trying to seem as okay as she could be.
Lifting her hand up to right under her eye, she could feel her skin bruising. It hurt just to touch it, and she couldn't imagine how it would feel to go through that pain everyday.
Not wanting to enquire how it felt anymore, she quickly went underwater and swam around a bit more, before her mind could wander off to last night.
However, she couldn't contain herself from focusing on what had happened. It was the only thing that had occurred during this useless trip, but it was the only thing she could think about. All that played in her mind was him. What he did.
Of course Brian had come back to the hotel drunk, all he ever did now was drink. But she never would have thought that he would go as far as to hit her, and hurt her.
She could never have believed that he would try to hurt her, and then still not apologize when he was sober. But then again, she couldn't really tell the difference when he was sober and drunk. With all the drinking he did, it blurred together.
She was distraught about the entire thing, but she couldn't let that show. She wouldn't. She was tougher than that to let it get the best of her. All she could do right now was focus on better things in the future, not in the past.
And right now, all she had to focus on was the present. The water that she swam in, the view of the foreign country in front of her, and how she was doing all she could to ease the pain.
"(Y/N), (Y/N)," She could vaguely hear someone call her name from above the water.
Taking her time to rise up with the pressure, she lifted her head out of the water, and slicked her now dark hair behind her head once again.
She came face to face with the blonde-haired man who she desired to see the least. He was standing right at the pool's edge, and looked angry, as if it was something she did.
"Has he been drinking again?" She thought to herself while her arms and torso rested in the water.
She had a feeling that the thoughts and paranoia of the drunk night would stick around with her for a while, and wouldn't be going away anytime soon.
Brian looked the girl up and down in the water, seeming as if he was trying to fit together the pieces of a puzzle. As if he couldn't find anything wrong with her. She looked broken inside and out.
"The party's in two hours," He mumbled about Mick's birthday that they were all here for. "You oughta be getting ready soon."
"I get ready quick," She told him, not very eager about this party, or more so the fact that she had to go with the man who had abused her.
"Alright, fine, whatever," He stated defensively. "I don't care how you look anyways."
She was tempted to yell at him, and ask what his problem was, but she figured that would only lead to a repeat of last night.
"Oh, and by the way," He told her. "You're probably going to want to put some makeup on that thing." He pointed to her eye, referring to the newly formed bruise. "We, uh probably wouldn't want people to be asking."
She quickly nodded her head, seeming as if she agreed with him. However, all she wanted was for people to ask. For people to bring it up so she had an excuse to get out of it.
"I'll just get out now," She whispered, both to herself and Brian.
Brian shook his head and walked away, not waiting for the girl to follow.
Swimming over to the edge of the pool, and pushing herself up to get out, she walked over to the near chair where she set her towel before.
She picked it up, and looked above her while she dried off. For a moment she could've sworn she saw a black head of hair from one of the high windows in the apartment, looking down at her.
Keith, was who she thought it was. Had he heard the whole dispute? What was she thought about. But sooner than he was there, he disappeared, and she couldn't see him anymore
She believed she was going insane.
*
The drive with Brian was uneventful, and completely silent the entire way. And though that might sound like a bad thing, she couldn't have been more relieved.
She decided to wear a dark blue shirt tucked into a dark yellow skirt, with a section of her hair pulled back behind her head.
And she would have worn more makeup if she didn't have to cover the huge bruise masking her face with concealer.
Nevertheless, she was happy with her appearance, no matter what Brian or any one had to say about it.
The party for Mick was at a local bar in the town they were staying in, in Morocco.
Not to her surprise, parking was limited, and Brian could only find a tight enough spot that was close to the bar.
Eager to be with other people, she got out of the car quickly, and walked inside, Brian followed behind.
The smell of hard liquor and cigarettes immediately hit the two, but they didn't have much time to focus before they were being greeted by Mick and Marianne.
"Aw, welcome!" They both shouted at the same time.
Exchanging hugs, and saying "Happy Birthday," to Mick, and making small talk, went on for a couple of minutes, before she and Brian wandered off, going their separate ways.
She recognized a familiar face, sitting at the bar by himself. It was the same one she had appeared to see in the window earlier that day, Keith Richards.
She ended up going over there and ordering only some soda, wanting to be sober for whatever could happen back at the hotel tonight. Sitting next to him, he greeted her with a nod and half-smile.
"Only soda?" He asked her when she got the Coke she ordered.
"Yep," She replied. "I don't plan on getting drunk."
"Well," He started. "I definitely might. But then again, who wants to miss Charlie punch out Mick for the second year in a row?"
She chuckled, and he grinned. Last year, on Mick's birthday, Charlie punched Mick and knocked him straight out. No one knew exactly why, but one could guess with the way Charlie and Mick's personalities differed.
"Oh, most definitely not," She told him, her voice sounding defiant.
A moment of silence passed between the two, and she quickly realized that she should keep the conversation going, or she would most likely be left alone.
"So, how are you enjoying the trip?" She asked.
"Uh," He hesitated for a slight second. "It's alright. Sort of like touring. I like seeing new places and all that shit, but I'd much rather be at home."
She agreed with him, noticing herself that she had been missing her old life. Before it was since she came to the foreign country.
"Yeah, I see what you mean. I kind of miss how things were before this trip happened as well." She spoke her mind.
"You mean like what happened with Brian?" He said out of nowhere, acting like nothing had happened.
"What-" She struggle to find the right words. "What do you mean?"
She began to figure out that she had seen Keith from that tall window. He had heard and seen everything.
"What he did to you (Y/N). You know what I mean."
"Look, Keith, it was nothing. Nothing happened." She kept trying to make up excuses. "I made a mistake, and Brian was drunk, but nothing really happened."
"Then what about your black eye you had this morning?" He asked, inching closer to her.
"I fell," She swiftly stated. She had a response planned since this morning.
"On your eye?" He questioned, making her feel even more uncomfortable.
Before, she wanted people to find out what happened. But now, the pressure was weighing down on her, and she thought of all the consequences that would occur if she told.
"Yeah," She squeaked.
But Keith wasn't buying it. "(Y/N)," He softly said. "Did Brian hurt you?"
"It was stupid," She avoided the question. "He- he... He came back to the hotel drunk, and... it was really, a stupid situation."
She was on the verge of breaking down into tears, but she refused to let herself do so.
"(Y/N)," He repeated. He knew what happened.
She broke down. Right then and there, straight into Keith's arms.
And she sobbed. She cried and cried. And she couldn't help but wonder if it was all really worth it anymore.
Ok the ending is super rushed but the rest of it is kind of okay? I'm sorry if this offended anyone but I don't really care 'cause I put a trigger warning in the beginning and I am pretty proud of this. Thanks for reading, and please request!! -Liz :)