It was 6 in the morning and the storm still raged outside. Marian paced up and down her room wishing her tired and fuzzy brain would comprehend to the events just passed. He cheated. He cheated. The words echoed forever and pounded with every thunder strike. She just wanted to curl up under the covers and go right to sleep and forget the whole thing. She jumped onto the bed and reached out. No quilt.
"Bugger" she said, the word was sharp and hurt her head. He got the slut and now he got the quilt. She couldn't be bothered to get up and search for the other so she curled up as tight in the middle of the huge bed and sobbed into her pillow.
The storm had passed and both injured parties were recovering in their sleep.
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The sun broke threw the thin blinds that covered the large windows of the living room and cascaded on the face of the sleeping robin. He squinted and opened his eyes slowly. He looked round, sat up and swung his legs off the end of sofa and wiggled his toes trying to get the feeling back. He rubbed his face and yawned. A glance at the clock showed it was nearly half 11. He looked at the coffee table and the memory of last night came flooding back.
"Jesus" he whispered and began to clean up. He made coffee and took it up to her. It was the least he could do. He knocked lightly on her door but there was no answer. He poked his head round the door and his heart sank when he saw her spread over the bed with no cover she looked out of it so he put the coffee on the side table and wrote a note.
Marian woke up to find the quilt on top of her and the smell of coffee. She sat up and rubbed her eyes but the effort seemed to be too much and she let her arms drop back down. She looked the clock. 12 o'clock.
"Great" she looked back at the side table and saw coffee in the mug Robin had got her from Alton Towers when they went on a school trip. A note lay beside it. She read it and flew out of bed and grabbed the phone. Speed dial 2.
"Hello?" came the voice from the other end of the line
"Hey it's me"
"Hi Marian. You ok?"
"Yeah. Well. It's just…" she sighed as she looked back at the note.
"Marian what's happened?"
She sighed again "Robin's back"
"What?" Djaq shouted down the phone
"Yeah he turned up on my door step in the middle of the night" she got out of bed again and walked down the stairs.
"Will! Will! I'm going out will you be alright staying here?" Djaq shouted away from the phone
"Oh Djaq if Will spent the night don't come over."
"Hell no I'm coming over this is HUGE!" with that she hung up and Marian sighed and put the phone down. She was in the hall now and saw the bags that Robin had discarded the night before.
She walked into the living room expecting him to be sitting watching T.V but he wasn't. She screwed up her eyebrows and floated into the kitchen. Not there either. She tilted her head and tried to here water running from the bathroom but the house was silent.
"Robin?" she waited for an answer "Robin?" she shouted louder up the stairs. Still no answer. She looked back at the bags by the door. Well he had to be back for them so she went to get a shower and get dressed.
Marian unlocked the door and Djaq came in. "Hey. Oh are you ok?" she said sympathetically as she hugged her.
"Yeah I'm ok"
"Is he here?"
"No he's gone. Don't know where though" she said shrugging and pointing at the bags "but I expect he'll be back for them" they sat in the living room and Marian recalled the events of the night.
"He cheated?" Djaq said quietly.
"Yup" Marian was hunched forward and her hair covered her face.
"Oh Marian I'm sorry" she said and she put her arm around her "and he came back here thinking you would just let him sleep on your couch"
"Well I did" Marian said through tears "And he left this, this morning," she said handing Djaq the note left with coffee.
"Sorry for last night" Djaq read aloud "well at least it's a start"
"Exactly!" Marian stood up and started pacing the room "but he thinks this is the end" she said pointing at the piece of paper in Djaq's hand. "That he can just come back here and everything will be the same as it was when he left. But I haven't even begun to say what I need to say." Marian's breath was deep and her eyes wide.
"Of course Marian but you can't let him get you angry like this"
"Alright! Alright" she said and she stopped pacing the room "Thank you for coming round honey" and Djaq hugged her
"Ok well I have to get back to Will" she said with a smile
"Yes! Yes" Marian said "Go have hot sex with your amazing boyfriend"
"Marian!" Djaq was shocked at her friend's forwardness
"Go! Someone may as well be" Marian ushered her out the door and giggled
"You sure you're ok?"
"Yes Go! Go! I'll be fine" Marian closed the door and smiled. Djaq was always the one who could cheer her up. The door knocked again and Marian laughed. She opened the door
"Djaq I told you I was fi…" Marian was cut short as she saw who was actually standing there "Oh. Hi come in," she said. She wished Djaq were here.
"Thanks" Robin said
"So where did you get to this morning?" she asked trying not to get angry with his hot body that had crushed her life twice now.
"I was looking for apartments and scheduled a few showings for tonight"
"Oh great" Marian thought that was slightly mean "I mean getting appointments and everything. I hear their a bitch to schedule" she was digging herself deeper and she gave up before she was totally overcome. "So you want some tea?"
"Sure I'll go put the kettle on" Robin suggested "did you have a good day?" he called back as he walked to the kitchen
"Erm" not wanting to recall the day's events with him she lied "Yeah great" she hung her head as she remembered times when they told each other everything.
Marian positioned herself on the sofa and Robin came through with two cups of tea and placed them on the coffee table and sighed as he sat down. Marian wanted to waste no time telling Robin what she needed to say but she figured he better have a choice as to whether he wanted to hear it or not.
"I think we need…" Marian started but Robin cut her off
"So I was thinking…" Robin started but stopped when he realised he had interrupted Marian and suggested she go first but Marian refused thinking he was going to say the same as she was and he would be better saying it.
"I was just going to ask if you wanted to come look at the apartments with me but that would be weird right?" Marian was take aback with the offer as it was not the offer she expected but agreed as to hope for a bit of comforting normality before the surely heart wrenching trauma that would happen sooner or later.
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They went to visit every apartment together but each was worse than the last. The first had damp covering all walls. The second had cockroaches everywhere. The third was above a greasy take-away and the smell would make you loose your appetite forever and a day. The fourth and final apartment seemed much better and Robin was actually bordering on signing the deal when Marian ran from the bathroom screaming and refused to go back in due to the very questionable source of the moulding stain that spread from floor to wall and into the bath.
As Marian and Robin made their way back to her house he topped in front of an estate agents window scanning the apartments. Marian felt suddenly scared and latched onto Robin's arm.
"Marian what is it?" Robin asked and the words came to her as plainly as day.
"I want you to stay with me. At my house. There's loads of space. And you can have your own room. I don't want you staying in a place where you can catch some sort of disease just by looking at it." She said pointing to a particularly dirty looking flat in the window.
"Don't you think that would be weird?" Robin asked.
"Not if we didn't make it. Robin, please? I don't want you staying in that place. And it's not like where a couple. You're just my roommate." The words were sticky as she remembered he told her he loved her just the night before. Robin paused and looked at his and Marian's reflection in the window.
"Just a roommate?" he thought. "Things can change with time and patience. Just tread carefully" and with this silent advise he gave himself he agreed and they set off towards their home.
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On re-reading this chapter I see it is far too long but necessary as I have been away and have LOADS of ideas.
Reviews are much appreciated.
Ly
Xxx
Helen