If You Say Stay

INTRO

warning vulgar language, sexual themes, and graphic violence

Emotions were always...difficult. Especially to those who tend to hide them, mask them, the thing that makes them difficult isn't producing emotions. It is managing them, through the toughest of times. It takes a certain level of intrapersonal intelligence to know which ones you need to display at the right time.

She tucked a lock of light brown hair behind her ears. Now with shaky hands, she grips the door handle. Two sets of eyes boring right through her.

It's an art.

"You had several chances," she breathed unsteadily. In that moment, he could see everything all of the hate, animosity and love like a hurricane breaking the flood gates that was her resolve. Good. He silently pleaded. If she cried, that meant there was still a chance. If she screamed or lashed out in her favorite brand of violence, she was forever his."You've had chances to choose me, but instead you chose everything else. The one thing I needed, no matter what, was you, but you couldn't even do that." Her voice was calm, stoic, and it pissed him off.

It's all about timing.

"Goodbye, Duncan. I wish I wouldn't have to see you anymore, but I made this bed for myself. You were always wrong for me." His hands balled into fists yet again, but it wouldn't hurt anyone, only himself. The bruises across both of his cheeks could attest to that. She opened the door and turned away from him.

"Princess," He called reaching for her.

"Don't touch her." Chris snapped and stopped tending to his swollen lip.

"Goodbye Duncan." She stated flatly. Those teal orbs eyed her as he slowly made his way to the door. She could see the 'this isn't over look' all over his face, but she closed the door anyway.

Courtney looked to Chris. Her face now thick with sadness. She pressed her head to his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"You're hurting."

"It's my fault." She said as a stray tear raced down her cheek. "Fuck!" she screamed throwing her to the wall.

It's about knowing just what to show and when.

His hands shook as he looked down at the phone. He dropped it and glared at her. The air around them was warm, but his eyes were cold and harsh. "Is this what you want?"

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest making her second guess the words escaping his lips.

"Is this what you want?" He spat the words out like bile. The disgusted look on his face made her want to vomit. "You let them use you, but you won't even-" He chuckled hysterically. His entire life was a struggle. He was tired of fighting. He fought his father and his brother constantly, but he there was something in her. She forced him to see the beauty in the fight, but in the end he still wound up tired.

Tired of it all.

The conflict on his face said it all. Everything inside her wanted to plead with him to get him to understand why she did it. She thought him of all people would get it, but against her own thoughts the selfishness surfaced. Blind pride swallowed up everything she really wanted to say to him.

"Yes." She said too calmly flipping her long black hair.

"Why do you do this to me?" He said staring at his hands. The man was honestly scared of what he might do after this.

"Al, nothing is ever as good as it seems. Something will always come along to extinguish whatever little flicker of hope we might have."

I know from experience.

"This is as real as it gets." She said scooping up her phone. He hand grabbed her wrist.

"So that's just it huh? Cold Heather just drops everyone at the drop of a hat, just like old days." Her back hit the wall hard and it wasn't until then she realized he had backed her up. "You're gonna leave me like that?" He snarled.

"Everyone leaves me." She said finding her voice. "Before you try to lie to me, remember that you already have." His dark eyes widened ash he recalled what she meant. Before he could recover she slammed the door. The sound echoed through the room

"Fuck," he groaned standing in front of the door. His arms were outstretched one hand on the handle and the other was slowly sliding down the wooden door.

She walked down the hallway until her feet stopped. Her eyes stared down at the designer shoes then the anklet draped across her foot with his initials. She thought she took it off months ago, but there it was hanging on. A soft sigh escaped her lips, "Fuck." In seconds she was standing in front of his door one hand on the handle and the other against the door.

She smoothed out her ruffled shirt as best she could and pulled down her skirt.

Another mistake.

She had to get home. It was getting late, and he would definitely realize something was off.

You know that feeling you get when you come home from with a bad report card or your teacher called your parents. You can see your house and there's no car outside.

Faith and intimacy was something they never lacked in their relationship. They were like two magnets unable to let go. This should have been a blessing.

Naturally you assume your parents aren't home, and you think that there's time to make an excuse...

Her keys dangled in her hands as she unlocked the door to their apartment. He stood right in front of her. His face hardened. "Geoff?" Her stomach nearly bottomed out.

He slammed a thick stack of papers on the dining room table. There were a few bottles of wine and liquor scattered about. He clasped his hands together and lightly pressed them to his nose. "You said it was over."

He knew everything.

"I'm so sorry." She pleaded. He ignored her.

"You said that I meant more to you than this." His voice rose. "You said that our love was stronger than your mistakes! That's all you do is lie, though, right?" He said pulling out a small plastic device he found. He dropped that in front of her too. The pink plus sign on the small device screamed at her to look at it, but she already had for hours and hours that night. "We haven't had sex in months, Bridge." He said trying to calm himself down he went to pick up his bags.

"I was ready to do this. I could take on the world for you, but here you are. You were just with him, too I bet." He said taking in how disheveled she looked. "You've become a liar, and that's not someone I fell in love with."

"Geoff, please. Where are you going?" He didn't even bother answering. "I can fix this. I can fix this." She repeated looking around for their counselors number. The only thing keeping her sane was the sentence she repeated as a mantra. The world around her became a blur and her heart hitched. "I can fix this-" She turned around fast knocking a frame off the bar. It fell in slow motion as her hands scrambled to grab at it. Shards of glass flew everywhere. She picked up the now broken frame that held a picture of them on their wedding day. She didn't even realize she was crying until her tears fell onto the exposed photo. "Fuck."

I WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR ABANDONING MY LAST TD WORK. IT WAS A ROUGH TIME FOR ME, AND IT ENDED UP DRAINING ME INSTEAD OF BEING A PROPER OUTLET. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE ME TO PICK UP ON IT, LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU AND AS ALWAYS R&R -KB

P.S. I'M SORRY IF THIS WAS CONFUSING AND I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT.