Christian
I lay back on the couch while she took off her sweater, but as always, nothing she did excited me.
Stella has a cute face and a body most guys would love to have draped across their laps, but I felt nothing. A month now and I've only been able to get off by picturing Alesha whenever she touched me or I touched myself.
This had gotten way out of hand. Seeing me 'move on' was supposed to make her realize what we had was what she wanted, but I should've known better. She wasn't like the girls I normally fucked with, she didn't throw tantrums and come running back when I pushed her away. She did the one thing I didn't want her to do.. listen.
Seeing me with Sophie only nudged her towards the single life and me to every bottle in reach. Maybe she just wasn't as into me as I thought.
.. Fuck that. She loves me whether she wants to or not. I know it, she knows it and her body tells me every fucking time I touch her.
I was slightly relieved at the sound of my ringtone when Sabrina lowered her head attempting to put her lips to mine. The abrupt reach for my phone left her lunging, face first into the back seat of the couch.
"Hello?"
"Hey. How soon can you get down to St Anne's?"
"What are you doing at the hospital E? If this is another one of your sexual adventures gone wrong, call somebody else. I'm not about to sit in a waiting room for half a day because your toy of the week wanted to try something new."
"In the 20 years I've known you that only happened twice and I learn from my mistakes. We're here for A, sh-"
I stood too fast, knocking Stephanie off my lap and to the floor. Too engrossed in the news coming from the other side of the line, I leave her there, making my way to the front door. "What happened? Is she okay? Is she hurt? In pain? Where were you and-"
"She emptied her guts in a trashcan and then passed out so we brought her here. She's asleep now, but after the doctor came to see her, she asked for you."
Putting on my shoes and pulling my jacket off the hook, his words surprise me a little. "Wait.. she actually asked for me?"
"Yeah but- man just get down here as soon as you can."
"I'll be there in 15." Hanging up, I open my door to leave but remember I have company. "Hey Sarah! I've got somewhere to be, come on let's go!"
She came running out of the living room, wrestling to get her sweater back on, wearing an annoyed expression. The only thing I felt bad about was the fact that I didn't feel bad; the longer she took getting out, the longer it was before I could see A.
"It's Stacey, asshole. Almost a month making love to me and you still refuse to learn my name. I bet Moore wasn't doing half the shit I do to you and definitely not as good."
There was no hesitation after those words left her mouth, I wrapped my hand around her throat lifting her off the ground and squeezing hard enough to put her in pain but not enough to kill her, sadly. I sent her an unbothered expression as she scratched at my hand while I felt her larynx bobbing against my palm.
"We were fucking. That's it. You think I saw you behind that front desk and fell in love or some shit? I don't need to know your name Sally, you were placeholder pussy and couldn't even get that right. You don't talk about her, ever. If she sees you around that office you don't say shit to her unless you're spoken to; you so much as say her name after today and I will kill you. Understood?"
She continued scraping at my arm, legs kicking at my shins and eyes drooping closed. Rolling my eyes in boredom I let her go; dropping to the floor and clutching her throat, she gasped at the air trying to catch her breath. So melodramatic. I would've stopped if she passed out. Probably. I would've probably stopped if she passed out. Removing my gun from its holster, I knelt down and used the barrel to raise her chin so we were face to face.
"Now, I've never had a problem putting women in the red and I'm telling you now, that's not a nice place to be. Sydney, you seem real.. simple; so, I'll give you another chance to give me the right answer. You will take everything I've said and put it into play. Am I understood?"
She let out a raspy "yes" nodding her head, tears slid down her reddened cheeks and her eyes bulged from their sockets trained on the gun lifting her sore throat. At this point I feel I'd be doing her, and everyone who knows her, a favour by pulling the trigger, but I decide against it knowing she's already made me later than I wanted to be.
"The woman I actually want is in a hospital waiting for me and you just wasted a whole bunch of my time so we really should be on our way." She stood still, staring in shock. The irritation in my voice was clear as I spoke louder, scaring her even more, "get the fuck up and out Sadie!"
She scrambled to her feet running out of the house with her shoes in hand. Closing the door I wondered why she was still stood in front of my jeep with eyes stuck to the pavement. I got in the car and remembered I drove her here and there was no bus service in or near my neighbourhood. Hitting my head against the steering wheel I rolled the window down.
"I really don't have all day just get in the fucking car."
***
Alesha
I woke up in the hospital bed with Dani by my side skipping through the channels on the small tv, Winnie asleep in a chair to my left, Ethan babbling in quiet whispers on the phone and Dominic posted in a dark corner of the room.
"Look who's awake. You scared the hell outta me little girl." Dani teased, grabbing my hand with a big grin on her face.
My head was pounding to the point I could hear my heart beating in my ears.
"Have they told you?" I asked Dani motioning to the two men in the room.
She shook her head no, "Ms. Winnie told the doctor she was your grandma, so they let her know before I got here."
"I was really hoping the whole conversation was a dream. What do I do now? Dani, you know I can't do this, right?" I had slowly started freaking out. Close to an anxiety attack, I tried controlling my breathing but my hearts beat just kept getting harder to keep up with. The beeping of the machine started getting louder and faster, mimicking my current panic which didn't help either.
"Lee, look at me." I looked to her, copying the deep breaths until I felt steady again. "You'll be okay. We'll handle it the same way we do everything else: together. I've got you, always, but you have to tell him."
"I know, I know. I've already asked Ethan to give him a call."
"He'll help, Lee. As much as you try to ignore it, you know he'll do anything for you. Even if you can't be with him yet, at least trust that man's love for you. He's obsessed."
I simper at the comment knowing she wasn't far from the truth. I squeezed her hand tighter hoping that doing so would take away my worries and fears, but my best friend could only do so much to ease my mind. "It's not so much him I'm worried about. What if she's right?"
"She's not part of our lives anymore, are you really gonna let her stop you from being happy? Genuinely happy? It doesn't matter what she said, you and I both know that woman is full of Grade A bullshit. You've done more than enough to prove you're nothing like her." Dani sat back in her chair looking at me with narrowed eyes, as if trying to find something in my eyes.
Tell me something, did you push away from him because you were scared you guys would actually make it? I know the whole Vasiliev thing was a lot for you, but that's not why you left is it? You believe her. Every single word she said, you believe it, and that's why you don't want him."
I love my best friend, more than life sometimes, but there are times when I would like my thoughts to stay in my head and my head alone. "You know, after that day, I was paranoid for the longest time thinking you would leave like she said and it would be just me and her; like I'd never be able to get away. Yet every single day I got up, you were waiting for me outside in that busted old car." I let out a chuckle remembering how she loved that death-trap. A second of silence passed as I tried to fight the tears threatening to pour from the corners of my eyes. "Did you bring any food? I'm starving and I refuse to eat any of this hospital crap."
I looked in Winnie's direction avoiding the sympathetic look Dani was giving me. "I'll always be here for you, but that's not an answer." I could feel her brush my hair behind my ear, a move she always did when she wanted to play Oprah and have me bawling.
"Stop it Dani. I'm fine. I'll be fine."
All of a sudden the door burst open making Dominic lift his gun and Winnie jump from her sleep. Christian took in everyone who occupied the small space before his eyes landed on me.
"Can you guys give us a minute please?" I asked holding his stare with my own.
Dani and Winnie squeezed my arm while the boys sent me small nods before they all ushered out of the room. He moved slowly toward me taking in our surrounding. His eyes darting from my face to the heart monitor, which filled the silence with that incessant beeping, then to the needle in my arm.
Finally settling for a seat at the foot of my bed he rubbed my legs over the sheets, wearing a cocky smirk. "You didn't need to do all this to see me, you could've just called, I would've answered."
"I'm 6 weeks pregnant." His movement stopped and his smirk grew into an ear to ear grin.
"We're pregnant?!"
"No no no no. I'm pregnant, you participated." I teased.
"You were bound to have my baby, the way we go at it. I'm just surprised it took so long." His grin dimmed as he moved his hand up to rub my stomach "you have no idea what this means to me A."
"I do."
"What does this mean for us? You already know where I stand with everything. I don't want to raise this baby as a single dad; I need you in both our lives." I couldn't help but smile at the glint of hope in his eyes.
"Raising a kid isn't something I ever thought I'd do, and it definitely isn't something I ever want to do without you. Maybe we can give us anoth-"
The door flew open again and in strode Stacey with her ever evident bitchiness.
He brought her here? Was he expecting me to declare some undying love for him while she sat in the waiting room?
Ignoring my presence completely she turned to Christian. "I have work tomorrow, are you ready to go?"
The anger was clear in his eyes, I could see the redness rising from his neck as he got off of the bed stepping closer to her. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He stood in front of her and whispered something else before she took off running from the room scared with tears in her eyes.
"You're still with Stacey."
"I was never with Stacey." I deadpanned, giving him an 'are you serious' look. "You know what I mean. I was never with Stacey like that, like I was with you, like I want to be with you."
"Her being here, being a part of your life, that wasn't you wanting to be with me. That was you trying to hurt me." I rubbed my sore eyes holding in my tears. "With where we're at right now, it's probably best we try co parenting fir-"
"Fuck that, not happening. Yes, I was being childish and petty, I'll admit it, but that's because I don't know what it takes to get through to you. For months I have been trying to get you back and everything I do doesn't seem to be enough. I need you in my life and now you're having our kid, how much clearer does it need to get for you?"
"There was never an issue of your efforts being good enough. You know why I asked for my space Chr-"
"FUCK YOUR SPACE!"
He bellowed from the top of his lungs, pushing the food tray that stood at the end of my bed, to the ground. We stared each other down again until Winnie came back into the room, putting a hand on Christian's chest to soothe him.
"Sweetheart, go take a walk and calm down a little. You both could do with some space right now."
"Will everyone please stop saying that shit! Space is the last thing I need; that's what started all this fucking bullshit in the first place! I love you, that should be enough! Do you not want me, is that it? You want someone better? Somebody who actually deserves you? You wanna spend your life fucking someone because he's safe?!" He kept his eyes locked on me, aiming every word like a knife at my chest.
"Christian! Go home, get some rest and think about how it is you want to behave toward the mother of your child."
He broke his gaze from me, looking to Winnie and then back to me once more before walking out the door and slamming it behind him.
"He's never acted like that before. I'm sorry sweetheart, he just needs some time to cool off. I'll send Dani back in and go get you girls something to eat." Winnie offered looking at the food spilt over the floor, before leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I couldn't help the flood of all the pent up tears trickling down my face. What the fuck is my life right now?
JJ x