Clu wiped the steam from the bathroom mirror. He grasped the counter and looked at himself hard. Carey had left earlier. He was with Fi.
The day had been hard. But as always, the girls survived. They were the strong ones. They were the ones that fought.
He hit the wall with the side of his fist. The water from his freshly washed hair slid down his face. He mopped it away and shoved his feelings back down inside.
He just finished dressing when a light tapping came from the door. It was after eleven. Who could it be? Nothing could have prepared him for that answer.
"Daria?"he said, his voice cracking.
"Hey, Clu. Is Carey here?" Daria squeaked out.
Their voices were equally nervous. Clu leaned his body against the door frame. His light eyes peeked at her through his wet hair.
Daria hugged her arms to her body like she was cold. But the heat still beat down, even after the setting of the sun.
"Um, no. He should be at your place actually,"Clu said, "Fi called him,"
"Oh,"Daria said, "I just wanted to thank him for today. I just got off work and I just didn't want to go home,"
Clu stood up straight and opened the door wide.
"You can stay for as long as you'd like. You're always welcomed,"
He shut the door behind her. Just as her appearance, he didn't expect her next move. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.
He held her tight and breathed her in. For the last two years, he had prayed for that very moment. He kissed her head and rested his face against hers.
"I'm sorry for how I spoke to you the other day,"she whispered, "I just wasn't ready to see you,"
"Shh, no. I deserved it. Anything you ever say to me or do to me, I deserve it all," he said.
She repositioned herself against him. He curled his fingers around her hair. They both turned and looked at each other.
Daria cleared her throat and broke her grasp. She walked over and sat on the couch, clutching her knees. Clu sat on the edge of the couch, opposite end.
"So tell me something new about you,"Clu said.
"Something new?"she said, "Let's see. I'm a former road Trekkie, who almost constantly has an elicit substance in her system. And when things get really bad....."
She didn't say anything more. Just showed him the scars on her left arm. She gave a sarcastic smile and placed her arm back against her leg.
"Well, things haven't really been that bad lately. Not until today. And I'm not saying all this to make you feel bad. Just feels good to say them,"
Clu started to say something back. His phone began to ring before he could. He picked it up off the table and looked at the name. He didn't want to see that name.
"Its her huh?"Daria said, "Well, answer it. She's the one you chose to stick by. I mean, hell, almost three years. That's practically as long as us,"
She dug into the apron she still had on. She took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. Clu tore the battery off the phone and threw it.
"Its not like that,"he said as he stood up.
"Then tell me what its like!"Daria said, mimicking his actions.
"I fucked her, alright. I screwed her because I hated myself,"he said.
"Oh, goddess! Bullshit! You fucked her because you're selfish. I wasn't putting out because I was ashamed of my body that was beaten and torn from the attack and strained and ravaged to carry your child!"
"You never talked to me. I wanted to help you. I wanted to heal with you. But you dug yourself into a hole. For four months I fought to bring you back,"
Daria laughed as she exhaled smoke. She walked up and got in his face.
"Not hard enough. Because you had time to plot and plan things with that girl. I know it wasn't spur of the moment. You just happened to run into some chick from Santa Cruz in Hope Springs? I don't think so.
"So tell me, Clu, just how long before you were having sex with her did you star plotting it? She sent you naughty texts? Dirty pictures? What?"
Clu's eyes started to tear. He was so ashamed. It was the first time he looked someone in the face and said what really happened. People asked him about it, but no one knew. Carey didn't know. Jack didn't know, no one.
"She's been chasing me from day one. After I came back to finish school here, she still tried. I kept telling her no. I was with you.
"She just kept on and on. Five years. Then finally, the day before it all happened, I bit back. Before I knew what happened, she was here.
"And I slipped, one time. You saw that one time. You left and up until the other day, we had no words. Every now and again, she comes back. I stuck by her because I was lonely. But it was always your face I saw,"
Daria shook her head. Tears of pain and anger ran down her face. She punched him in the face. He took it. He turned back and looked her in the eye.
She turned to leave. He grabbed her arm. She raised her other one in a warning. He took hold of her other arm.
"Let me go, Clu," she said.
"No,"
He slid his hand from her wrists to her hands. He drew himself closer to her. He gently placed his lips to hers. She didn't kiss him back. He then kissed her forehead.
"I love you," he said.
Daria looked at him softly. Tears continued to flow. He wiped them away.
She then kissed him back. It was gentle and testing at first. It grew fierce and passionate. They clung to each other like never before.
He made way to his room with her. They continued to kiss as he felt around for the door knob. They nearly fell as he finally got the door opened.
"I've missed you,"she said.
She pulled off his gray tank top and let it hit the floor. She moved with him to lay on the bed.
"Shit. Cigarette,"she said.
She put it out on a dirty dish on his night stand.
"I hate it when you do that," he said.
"Shut up,"
He untied her apron and ran his hand up her thigh. Her sandals dropped to the floor and her toes curled as the two continued to kiss. Clu's free hand took off her shirt.
Daria recoiled for a moment. She placed her hand over her scar. Clu took hold of her hand and moved it. He rubbed his thumb over it and then kissed it.
"Let it go. Just for right now,"he said.
She let go. She let go and she gave herself to him. She didn't go home that night.