Disclaimer: The Show Victorious, its characters and other associated copyrights are property of someone else and not me.
After the proposal
No One's POV.
It was a beautiful scene, the sun was shining, there was picturesque beach with azure blue water, soft reggae music was filtering down from the bar behind Tori. Instead Tori sighed, shifted in her beach chair and took another long drink of her 3rd rum punch of the afternoon.
To any passerby on the somewhat crowded Jamaican Beach, Tori would appear to be just another happy tanned tourist, in a bikini, lounging leisurely on a chair. All of those were true, except for the happy part.
Tori was trying to be happy and doing a good job at imitating it. Tori had learned quickly that looking unhappy at a beach resort, would quickly get you noticed by staff who in their eagerness to please would try to cheer her up. They meant well of course and their suggestions did sound fun, try our scuba class or rent a sailboat, or try bingo. Tori couldn't get herself to be excited about any of those things.
So instead she sat in a chair on the beach drinking rum punches, with a fake smile plastered on top of the ultra-sunblock. Tori was already very tan and didn't need to be in the sun. But laying on the chair, watching the ocean crash onto white sandy beach relaxed her. It helped forget the fact that she was alone. That the chair next to her was not filled with a rather pale looking Goth wearing a very distinct scowl. That each night she slept alone in the very large and comfortable bed in this very luxurious resort.
It was just 4 day's ago everything seemed perfect. Tori had planned to propose at dinner and then whisk Jade to this resort for a wonderful week. Jade was in between film projects and Tori was on summer break from her sophomore year at UCLA so they had time. Tori had saved and planned everything secretly. Right after the proposal, they would quickly pack Jade and head off. It was all going to be so perfect.
But one word fouled everything up.
"NO."
When Tori held the ring out at the table and proposed, Jade looked stunned and a bit panicked.
Then she said no.
Tori didn't even wait for an explanation. She instantly fled the restaurant in tears. Having her bags already packed and in the car for the surprise trip, she drove straight to the airport and left on her flight. She just wanted to get away, far away from jade as possible.
Jade did try and call her. Tori's phone rang as soon as she pulled out of the restaurant parking lot. Heartbroken and still in tears, Tori simply threw it out the car window. The arrangements had all been made and Tori arrived at the resort. But instead of enjoying it with her fiancé, she sat alone on the beach getting drunk. She knew she would have to come back. A part of her entertained the idea of seeking employment here or one of the other resorts nearby and just never coming back. The Latina hadn't entirely dismissed the idea yet, as it was light years better than the thought of having to face Jade.
But in the meantime, Tori had 4 more days at the all-inclusive resort. 4 days where she could just drink and forget Jade West ever existed. The thought of picking a tanned beauty from or some drunken college girl from one of the bars briefly surfaced in her mind, but she was too heartbroken and depressed to even let the idea float for more than a second. The idea quickly sank into the depths of her mind.
"Another rum punch Miss Tori" Said the Tanned form or Jorge the friendly waiter from the Pirate's Cove Bar which sat behind her.
Tori looked down to see her drink was now empty as she felt the buzz hitting her good and hard. Very soon she would pass from buzz territory to just plan drunken territory. She had planned to spend the rest of the week in that territory and if possible build a house there to live in.
Tori quickly nodded. "Yes Jorge, Thank you very much. Keep them coming please."
"Yes Miss Tori. Do you want the bartender to keep making them extra strong as you requested?"
"By god yes, Please." Jorge took the empty glass and a few moments later reappeared with a new full one, which Tori started to work on right away.
Halfway through that, Tori lay back, put her huge sunglasses on and closed her eyes. It was nearing 11:30 in the morning and Tori thought of taking a brief nap. To give her extra energy to get even more drunk later. Drink that pale demon out of her head for an hour or two.
Her eyes had remained closed for several minutes, when she heard the sound of someone laying down in the chair next to her. Each day she had placed a towel there and said her husband was in the water to deter anyone from sitting there. Tori guessed it was some guy who wanted to put the charm on her. Tori didn't want to be charmed, she wanted to be drunk.
Tori, with an annoyed look, opened her eyes and turned her head to gaze at the person who had so rudely invaded her space. Tori was wrong, it wasn't any guy at all.
It was Jade.
She was laying there in a full black one piece bathing suit a large floppy hat and a large pair of sunglasses. Tori looked at Jade's face and that all too familiar scowl was present.
After realizing she wasn't a mirage, Tori worked through the shock rather quickly. Suddenly feeling the need for more alcohol she picked her glass up from the table next to her drained it and motioned for Jorge to bring another one.
"That chair is taken." Tori snapped with an ever so slight slur of her words..
"By who?" Said Jade as if somewhat amused.
"For the last couple of days, I told people my husband who is in the water. But today this case, anyone but you. So why don't you just run off and say no to someone else. I'm busy." This time, Tori let a good amount of bitterness creep into her words.
Jade sat there for a moment and watched as Jorge brought another drink which Tori promptly drank half of.
"You're starting a bit early aren't you?"
Tori glared back at Jade. "What's it to you?"
After that Tori turned her head and fixed it on the horizon, not looking away. She hoped that Jade would simply leave. Though she knew perfectly well, she wouldn't. Instead, Tori decided to ignore the pale demon who had usurped the chair next to hers.
"You weren't easy to find. I tried calling and texting you. You didn't respond."
Tori just took another drink and didn't look away from the horizon.
"I had have your father track you down, through his police connections."
"You found me! Now FUCK OFF!" Tori said before she closed her eyes and lay back in the chair.
Jade sighed, this wasn't going well at all. But then again she expected this. "Tori please. I owe you an explanation. Let me explain."
Tori scoffed. "What's there to explain, you don't love me and don't want to spend your life with me. It's very clear. You hardly needed to come here to tell me what I already know."
"Tori please. I handled your proposal terribly. I know we've been together for just over 2 years and they've been some of the happiest in my life."
Tori, quickly interrupted Jade, her voice filled with venom. "BUT! I know there's a but in there somewhere Jade just spit it out."
Jade sat up and swung her leg's around the side of the chair as a look of defeat formed on her face. "It's no use. I'm fucked. Cat was right." Jade sighed once again and got up. "I'm sorry." Jade then got up and started to walk way.
Some part of Tori wanted to just let Jade walk out of her life, but another part bitterly held on.
"What was Cat right about?"
Jade who was not 5 feet away, lowered her head as she began to look upset. "That I should have been honest from you from the start about my feelings about marriage. You know my parents are divorced, but what I didn't tell you is that when I was a child they would fight constantly and bitterly. Sometimes in front of me. I remember being in my room and trying to cover my ears so I could make the shouting go away. Not to mention that I found out later, that my mom had been sleeping with a man she knew from church. I saw all these people getting married, cheating on each other all the time. After a while, I came to see marriage as a huge Joke. I'm sorry I hurt you."
Jade at this point started to run away, but the again that part of Tori that couldn't give it up took over. "Wait."
But Jade, now crying, kept going. Tori tried to follow her, but Jade vanished into a crowd of people who were watching a beach volleyball game.
Standing there Tori felt no less hurt than she did earlier. But she did realize that running off and hiding helped nothing. She would have to face Jade eventually and resolve it one way or the other. Now as a good a time as any.
For the rest of the day, long after she sobered up, she searched for Jade. She did have a room at the resort but she wasn't there. Many hours later, at about 11 in the evening her search had turned up nothing so Tori figured that Jade must have left.
Now feeling extremely depressed she went for a walk on the deserted beach to figure what to do next. Soon she realized that she wasn't alone. Bathed in moonlight was a solitary figure sitting in the sand some distance up. Something about the outline of the figure looked all too familiar.
Not sure what would happen next, Tori slowly walked up to Jade. As she got closer, she could see Jade was sitting on the sand, drinking what appeared to be a bottle of Tequila.
Jade could see Tori coming out of the corner of her eye but could no longer look at the Latina. She felt far too ashamed to do so.
"I don't get you Jade. First you turn down my proposal, then you come all the way to Jamaica to find me, then run off. What do you want?"
Jade lowered her head and said in a very slurred voice. "I want you to love me, but I fucked that up good didn't I. I'm not even nice to you half the time and I'm supposed to be your girlfriend."
Jade stopped for a moment, drained the bottle and then tossed it into the sea. "When you proposed, I flashed back to my childhood. The arguments, all the other shit. I panicked. I suddenly had this nightmare image of us fighting like my parents. I can't bear to think of us hating each other like my parents or me hurting you. I've never believed in marriage. I always thought it was bullshit. You know I'm morbid right. I collect wedding photos from the news. Sounds odd."
"Considering what you just told me, yes."
"They're all wedding photos from marriages where one spouse has killed the other. Carol Stewart, Laci Peterson, Lori Hacking, Phil Hartman just to name a few. It's a morbid obsession of mine. I look at the smiling couple, all happy and look for some hint some indication that one will murder the other. I collect them to prove that marriage is just a bullshit lie. Now all my parents did was scream at each other, but listening to that night after night poisoned me."
Tori could hear the hurt in Jade's voice and was not beginning to understand. Carefully she sat down next to Jade, who she now could tell had been crying.
"Tori. You proposed and I panicked, I said no. It's not that I don't love you I do, but I'm afraid of becoming like my parents. I'm already mean to you sometimes. I'm argumentative and just not a pleasant person sometimes. I just can't think of getting married. It frightens me. I should have told you but I was too scared. Cat kept telling me to be honest. She was the only one that knew how put off by marriage I was. But I couldn't."
"Why?"
Jade started to cry again. "You're parents are married and happily as far as I can tell. You've mentioned being married and how you love weddings. I was afraid that if you knew the thought of being married terrified me….you'd leave me. But when I turned you down, the look of hurt on your face, killed me. Cat will tell you, I've been a basket case since then. Earlier today. I was a nervous wreck. I wanted to apologize right away, but I came out all snarky. I'm sorry…I love you….I'm sorry…."
Tori though very disappointed that Jade couldn't tell her, found herself wrapping her arms around the now drunk and sobbing Jade. She cursed herself for not at least listening to Jade the night she proposed."
"I'm sorry…." Jade kept crying. "Please don't leave me…."
Tori just kept rocking Jade in her arms. "I wouldn't have left you. I'm sorry, but you did hurt me." Tori sighed. "But I still love you."
Jade looked up at Tori, her eyes full of tears. "You still do? How could you?"
"I just do. But if we are to stay together, you need to be more open. You were so afraid of losing me, you ended up losing me. At least briefly. I know I'm not perfect. Maybe I should have thought it out more and not rushed it. Maybe I should have just known you better. I'm sorry I didn't give you at least a chance to explain yourself. That was wrong."
"I'm sorry I hurt, you I'll be open and I'll always be yours. Please" Jade pleaded.
Tori there at the moment, realized that being with Jade was more important than any official status. While she would like to be married, Jade obviously had issues. But she loved Jade no less.
"And I'll always be yours. Married or not." Tori said softly as she pulled Jade tighter into her arms.
I wanted to write a one shot instead of working on my other stories today. Take a break. When I started I only had a general idea and just started to write. I like I frequently do, just let it flow, only worrying about the next line.
I hope you liked this little story.