Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been updating lately, but I'm all over the place. I don't know what or how I'm feeling. It's as if I'm on a roller coaster that can't stop. So, I hope this will be a way to vent my emotions. Maybe I'll feel better. I hope you guys are doing much better than I am. All the love, dear friends.
We grow. It hurts at first.
Sylvia Plath
HER
She sighed and kicked her feet off of the bed to his dismay. He watched wearily as she slid off of the mattress, her brilliant, bare body on display. She turned to him for a moment, lifting an auburn eyebrow. "I'll see you whenever."
He nodded his head.
And that's how they usually ended their business.
x
MAIA
"Hey, hon. I'm heading to the grocery store." She glanced back to the fridge. "I don't think we have any milk." She shouldered her coat, arranging the buttons. "Wanna come?"
He shook his head. "Nah. I'm good. I'll stick to some sunday football." He stretched his arms out on the couch, letting his body relax.
She laughed, tilting her head. "Yeah, whatever. You're so lazy."
Before she closed the front door behind her, she uttered softly, "Love you." It sounded like a question.
He answered without even thinking. "Love you too."
Because everything was that easy sometimes.
x
He was one of the top lawyers in Manhattan's largest firm.
Money came like snow fell in the Big Apple.
x
"Did you hear about Isabelle's party?" Alexander asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. He sipped idly from his cup of water, eyes observing his younger brother.
Jace blinked. "You know I never go to those parties."
Alexander scoffed, placing his cup down. "I know." He swiped a pale hand over his ebony strands. "But this one's worth it. She graduated college, you idiot."
Jace shrugged. "I don't care. She invites hundreds of people. She doesn't need me there." There was bitterness in his voice, a sign that his brother had struck a nerve.
Alexander released a breath. He swiped his phone from a wooden table and shoved it in his pocket. "Do whatever you want, man."
"I will."
x
MAIA
She was reading a book beside him, her glasses propped above her nose. He lowered his head deeper into the comfort of his pillow. "You seem quiet today. Is something up?"
"Just a little tired."
She tugged off her glasses and placed them on the cabinet top to her right. "Is it work? Do you wanna talk about it?" She was genuinely concerned, her brown eyes searching. He almost wanted to throw himself out of the room; it felt like everything was compiling on his back, dragging him to the earth.
He licked his lips. "Nothing, babe. Really." She gave him one last frown, like she didn't believe him, before reaching forward, her soft mouth nibbling at his. It was in these tiny frames of time that he became delusional. That he convinced himself that all was okay. He was with the girl he wanted to be with. Doing the thing he wanted to do.
Perhaps that was enough.
She moaned, deep in her throat and he caught her body in his arms, her skin warm and buzzing beneath him.
x
MAIA
She was a third grade teacher.
She had all the traits to accompany her for that job. She was kind and understanding, patient when facing trouble, and loving when dealing with struggle.
Kids adored her.
He guessed he did too.
x
MAIA
They were eating dinner. He was poking his fork into his shrimp, chewing the pieces carefully. He didn't have the stomach to eat, but he didn't want her worrying over him.
She was abnormally distant that night, her head tucked into her shoulders. He knew her well enough that realize that she had something to say. So he asked her.
"Uh..." She faltered, blushing a bit. "It's just-Isabelle's party is coming up." Her orbs were glued on her steaming vegetables. "And she invited us, y'know? I was just hoping we could go."
Jace placed his utensil down, none too harshly. "I thought we already talked about this, Maia."
She shrank back at the firmness of his voice. "I know. I just-"
He cut her off, scowling. "Look, you asked me to mend my family relationships. I did. For you." He rose to his feet, pushing his chair in. "I'm not doing anything more than that."
He could tell she was exasperated with him. He could see it in the way her lips were tightly pursed. All she replied with was, "Then I guess I'll go alone."
That was that.
x
HER
She arrived to their apartment room a few minutes late. When she trudged inside, she appeared flustered, her hair whipped from the wind. "Hey."
He ignored the adrenaline the glimpse of her produced. "Hey."
She launched her purse on the carpet and groaned. "You called much earlier than you usually do." She unzipped her coat and made a sound of discomfort when her hair got caught in the process.
"Here. Let me get it." He said, bending while standing to accommodate her short height. He took her lock of hair and gently pulled it upwards. He could feel her breathing in front of him, in small spurts. She smelled like vanilla and lily; the scents almost made him dizzy. "There you go."
"Thanks." She mumbled, not peering at him. "You didn't answer me."
He sat at the corner of the bed. "I needed you earlier. That's it. Do you need an explanation?"
She grinned at his annoyance. "Yea, I do."
x
HER
"Shit," he cursed, "You're so tight." She gasped, her red lips parting slightly. He bent down roughly over her petite body and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
She's atop the bed sheets, her white skin luminous to his gaze. Her freckles blind him, blots that cause him to pepper and suck at her flesh. He is rewarded with the sounds she makes. The way she calls his name.
In the back of his head, he wonders how many have enjoyed her like him. He shakes away the invading thought, thrusting into her. He shoves his face into her neck, enjoying the way their bodies blend and shake.
She's murmuring something he can't really hear. The room is dark, save for her fiery hair. It's a lamp in a lonely cave.
"Fuck..." He says huskily, reminding her that he's close.
All she does is widen her legs for him.
x
HER
"Shouldn't you be heading home?" She asked curiously, wrapping a towel around her wet body. She had just taken a shower, her wet curls twisted a bit at the ends.
"Not now." She hummed a little, as if she had more to say.
"Care to talk about it, pretty boy?" She spread some lotion over her arms, rubbing at the substance.
He turned around on the mattress, giving her his back. She sighed, like she was used to his behavior.
And then he felt the bed shift and her face was leaning over his. She looked young and lovely in the afternoon light. She smiled, tenderly and alive. "Stop being so down, Jace." She pecked him on the forehead. "You'll be alright."
And then she left, leaving him disoriented and in love.
x
MAIA
She arrived late from the party, tipsy and flushed. The light brown skin of her back was displayed in the dress she wore. Alluring and fetching. She made her way to the living room, where he sat, blindly staring at some simpsons. "Hey, love." She greeted, collapsing on the couch.
His mouth twitched. "Did you have a good time?"
She swiped a thread of her hair away from her forehead. "Yea." Her eyes lifted to meet his. "I wish you were there, though. People talk when a husband isn't with his wife." She said it lightheartedly, like it wasn't a big deal. She was drunk and she was talking the truth.
"I know." He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. His, long and pale. Hers, chubby and short. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's okay." Her words were starting to slur together. "I'll always forgive you."
He stood up above her and placed his arms underneath knees and back. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's get you to bed."
She whispered something and he was pretty sure it was plain gibberish, but then she repeated it again.
"What?" He asked, leading her up the stairwell, wary not to knock anything forward.
"I love you."
x
Isabelle texted him the following morning. The message said:
I didn't expect you to come. Thanks for living up to my expectations.
He didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed his briefcase and drove to work.
x
HER
She never called him.
He only called her.
x
So this is gonna be a two-shot. Hope you enjoyed this so far. Review beautiful angels.