A/N: Thanks for the reviews and faves on the last chapter - as said this in the first author note, this is a vastly different kind of writing for me; at least in the first few chapters and I hardly to the whole angsty romance thing; and then to stick more to the sweet and comical romance stuff.
I hope that Ryder doesn't come off as being too much of a jerk in this next chapter with some of the things he does say; but he and Marley do have some very different views on things; and it's becoming more and more clear that they really didn't speak much of what they wanted from their future lives before they got together and just what their expectations of a partner were to be.
So anyway, let me know what you think and I will catch you on the flip side.
Love always,
KJ xoxoxoxoxo
Chapter 2
Spending the morning at a job, doing a house rewiring; Ryder started to think over in his mind his the disagreement over children and him not wanting them, and Marley wanting them as he worked. Whilst he didn't mind children, who belonged to other people and spending some time with them; having kids of his own was just something he never really wanted, and after finishing the job off and grabbing some lunch, he headed to the Comic Book store where Sam was working that day.
"Hey bro" said Sam, looking up to him and who was sitting on a stool behind the counter flicking through a comic book, when the door chimed to indicate someone had entered the shop.
"Hard at work I see" replied Ryder, with a laugh as he walked over to the counter and looked at his older brother.
"Yep, new Flash comic" replied Sam, with a nod.
"Rebirth?" asked Ryder.
"Uh huh, still not sold on it completely; much prefer the older Flash when it was just one and not so many of them" said Sam, looking to his younger brother. "And don't even get me started on the kids in it, man them I really hate; more so then Iris"
"Yeah and we all know your views on her" said Ryder, with a laugh; as Sam nodded his head.
"So what brings you by?" asked Sam, as he grabbed a sticky note from the register and marked the page in the comic that he was currently on.
"Just wanted to talk, really" replied Ryder, looking to him. "That's all"
"Hmm it's more than that" said Sam, as he grabbed a bottle of water that was nearby and took a sip from it. "I can tell when something is bugging you little brother"
"Yeah, kind of got some stuff on the mind" replied Ryder, with a nod.
"Okay well spill it" said Sam, with a smile to him; as Ryder gave a sigh.
"So much, don't know where to start" replied Ryder with a small laugh. "But pretty much to sum it all up, Marley bought up maybe starting to try and get pregnant last night"
"Bro, that's awesome" said Sam, with a smile to his younger brother. "Finally I get to be Uncle Sam"
"Yeah, it's not something I am wanting" replied Ryder, shaking his head.
"Fair enough" said Sam, with a smile to him. "Nothing wrong with waiting a few more years, you guys are still young enough"
"No, I don't want kids" replied Ryder, looking to his older brother with a small smile. "Like ever"
"Wait you don't want kids?" asked Sam, looking at his younger brother, somewhat confused. "Since when?"
"Since always" replied Ryder, with a small shrug. "It's just something I never imagined"
"Yeah, but you're married now; and that can totally be a reality" said Sam, with a laugh.
"I know" replied Ryder, with a nod. "And don't think here that I hate children, because I don't. I just don't ever want any of my own, that's all"
"Wow" said Sam, looking to his younger brother. "I never realized that you felt this way about that"
"Guess we never spoke of it" replied Ryder, looking to him.
"No" replied Sam, shaking his head. "So what are Marley's views on all this; I mean does she even know this?"
"Well she does now" said Ryder, nodding his head. "But also as well, her take is very different; and she clearly very much wants to have children"
"Yeah that's a little bit of problem there" replied Sam, nodding his head also. "So you guys may have to compromise on this"
"If compromising is having children" replied Ryder, looking to his brother. "Just so that I can keep my wife happy, then is that really any kind of marriage that is going to work"
"I don't know, bro" said Sam, with a shrug of his shoulders. "But you got to think are you willing to throw away your marriage because of something such as this"
"I honestly don't know what I want as the moment" replied Ryder. "All I know is, kids I definitely don't want"
"You have to talk this over with Marley" said Sam, looking to him. "She's the only one you can really make this decision with"
"Yeah, I know" replied Ryder, with a nod. "Guess we sit down tonight and talk"
"That would be the best plan, yes" said Sam, with a smile to him. "And definitely tonight, this isn't something that you can leave hanging"
"Yeah" replied Ryder, with a smile to his brother also. "Just got to hope that Marley has cooked something decent tonight, because if I have to eat another meal with something like cous cous or quinoa; then I am going to be seriously going and grabbing take out for dinner"
"Again, it's all about compromise little brother" said Sam with a smile to him. "If you don't like something or something is bugging you; you and Marley have to talk, it's the best thing in a good relationship, keeping what you're really feeling tucked away doesn't end well; just look at what happened with Mikki and Blaine, things weren't said and we all know how that went"
"I'm beginning to think maybe there is a Kapowski curse, to be honest" said Ryder, looking to his older brother. "I know I didn't tell Marley my views on children, but it's not like she was forthright with that of hers either"
"No, and whilst we can judge here" said Sam, looking to Ryder. "I don't think it's nice to say Marley is like Mikki, and this is at all the same situation. I was just trying to get across the importance of being open with the person who you are with"
"I hear you" replied Ryder, with a nod and looked to his watch. "Anyway I should get going; I have another job starting soon"
"Sure bro" said Sam, with a smile to him. "Let me know how goes, and remember any time you want to talk, you know where I am"
"Yeah thanks Sam" replied Ryder with a smile to him also. "I'll catch you later"
"Later man" said Sam, with a nod; and Ryder left the comic book store; and heading back to his truck, he started weighing up in his mind how he was going to that night tackle the subject of children and not ever wanting them, with Marley.
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Arriving home that evening, and walking up the stairs to the apartment he and Marley had called home for a number of years now; Ryder walked inside and saw Marley sitting on the sofa; sitting on the sofa on her laptop.
"Hey Marls" said Ryder; as he closed the front door and went and sat in the arm chair close by where she was; and Marley looked up to him with a small smile.
"Hi" she replied. "I haven't started dinner yet, as it won't take long to do"
"Umm, what was it that you were making?" asked Ryder, looking to her as she closed up her laptop and placing it on the sofa next to her, then stood up.
"It's a Moroccan style mince cous cous" she replied, and went to head into the kitchen.
"Could we maybe grab pizza instead?" asked Ryder, and Marley turned to look at him.
"I already have all the ingredients for this though" she replied, as Ryder gave a loud sigh.
"Yeah sorry" he replied. "It's just you know my opinion about stuff like cous cous, it's horrible stuff"
"It's good for you" said Marley, looking to her husband with a slight frown. "And much better than all the takeout that you always want us to have"
"Just don't find anything tasty about it" replied Ryder. "And besides I was hoping that we could talk tonight, about this whole having children thing; and I don't think cous cous is going to be all that appealing to talk over"
"Fine" replied Marley, with a sigh and went back over to the sofa and sat down. "Order pizza; I'll just do the cous cous up for my lunch tomorrow so it won't go to complete waste"
"Awesome" said Ryder, with a smile to her and grabbed his phone from his pants pocket. "Thanks Marls"
"Sure, whatever" replied Marley, picking up her laptop again and reopening it; and let Ryder order the pizza's for their dinner; so then maybe hopefully they would be able to talk about the issue of having or not having children together.
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Later that evening, when the pizza's had arrived; and not bothering to eat at the small dining room table in their apartment, Marley was sitting once again on the sofa and Ryder in the arm chair, eating the pizza's that had been ordered.
"So this whole us having children?" asked Marley. "Is it something that you may possibly want some time in the future?"
"No, it's not actually" replied Ryder, looking to his wife and shaking his head. "And having kids is something that you obviously do want"
"Yes, they are" said Marley, with a nod. "And honestly I never got any indication from you at all that you hated kids"
"I don't hate them" replied Ryder, shaking his head. "I just don't ever want them, that's all"
"And that's because you see them as a burden, financially and such?" asked Marley.
"Well there is that, because it's not as cheap even living nowadays as an adult" said Ryder, looking to Marley. "And also as well, you do have to admit that the world has changed so much since we were young; and the thought of bringing up a child in that world that will become the future and not knowing what it will be like with wars and such; it's not something I want to have a part of"
"I do understand where you are coming from there" replied Marley, with a nod. "And it is a scary world, but if you can show love to someone then I can't see it as being all that bad"
"So you're okay with us not having kids ever then?" asked Ryder.
"Of course I'm not okay with that" replied Marley, shaking her head. "Kids is something I have always wanted to have; and to now not even contemplate having them, I don't know"
"So where does that leave us?" asked Ryder, looking to her.
"To be honest with you" said Marley, with a small sad smile to him. "I'm not really sure"
"Maybe we need to take some time to think things over and see if we can maybe see it from the other's perspective" replied Ryder. "Are you willing to do that?"
"As long as you're willing to maybe think about having children" said Marley. "Then I am also prepared to think about what it would be like to not have them"
"Okay we can do that" replied Ryder, with a nod to her.
"Yeah" said Marley, with a small smile to him. "I'm going to go and see my sisters and that next week, so maybe we can discuss it some more after that; and it will give us both time to think both scenarios over"
"Sure, yeah take all the time you need" replied Ryder, with a smile to her.
"Thanks" said Marley, with a nod. "You as well"
"I doubt my views will change" said Ryder as he went to grab another slice of pizza. "But I will think about it"
Marley looked at him with a small frown, as she too took another slice of pizza.
"There is one other thing I also maybe ask that you consider as well too Ryder" she said, with a look to him as he took a bite out of the slice he'd just grabbed.
"Yeah, what's that?" asked Ryder, with half a mouthful of food.
"Can you please maybe try and like what I cook for dinner?" she asked. "As if we do maybe have children, then eating take out most nights doesn't set a very good example"
"As long as you can cook things that aren't cous cous, polenta, and whatever other weird things you do; and also your lasagna" said Ryder, looking to her as Marley frowned slightly. "And I know what you're going to say, that lasagna has been handed down through your family; but I am just not a fan of it; there is just too much pasta in it, I'm sorry"
"Well maybe if you think my cooking is so bad" replied Marley, placing down her half eaten slight of pizza and standing up. "Then you can do all the shopping and cooking; but I really hate to think what that even means because you certainly don't like any food that is even remotely good for you. You're seriously worse then what I am sure Amelia is, and getting her to eat vegetables; which you clearly never like eating unless they are in some form of greasy takeout food"
"I didn't say your cooking was bad Marls" said Ryder, looking to her. "I just don't like these new food fads"
"Vegetables aren't a fad" replied Marley with a laugh.
"I know that" said Ryder, as he went to grab another slice of pizza. "But my mum always did them the way I liked them; and well you don't do that"
"Sorry if I can't be perfect like your Mom" replied Marley, glaring at him. "But unlike her, I also work and don't have hours to spend in the kitchen every single day doing things the way my husband demands them"
"You have enough time to research these weird foods" said Ryder, looking to her. "So I don't understand why you can't cook things the old fashioned way"
"Old fashioned way" said Marley with a laugh. "If that's the case then maybe I should start doing laundry the old fashioned way as well, get a wooden tub and beat the washing with a stick until it's kind of clean"
"Marley" said Ryder, looking to his wife. "You're really kind of overreacting here; and I am really beginning to think all the women in your family are complete and utterly nuts"
"You did not just call me" said Marley, standing from the sofa and glaring at him. "Or my sisters and Mom, or even my aunt and cousins, nuts; because news flash your family doesn't fair much better"
"Well at least no one in my family is cold hearted bitch and dates a guy when she is clearly still in love with her ex" replied Ryder.
Marley glared at him and picked up her laptop computer. "You can sleep in the spare bedroom tonight. I don't want you in the bed with me"
"Marls, really come on" said Ryder, looking to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't actually mean any of that and what I just said"
"The thing is Ryder I think you really did" she replied looking to him also. "And you've just never said them before to me"
Ryder looked at her, not saying anything; and Marley shook her head.
"Hopefully you know how to put the pizza boxes in the trash" she said; and then walked off to the bedroom, and then hearing the door slam loudly Ryder sighed; for the discussion that he wanted to have with Marley in regards to children, didn't go exactly as he had planned and now he was beginning to wonder if there was anything at all to salvage in this marriage or if they were maybe destined to be just another statistic of divorce.
End Note: Yes Ryder was maybe a little out of line there, I will definitely say that. But also as well, he feels as if he is going to have to be coerced into something he doesn't want; and the same with Marley she will not be able to something that she also very clearly wants either.
Next chapter should be up soon; and until next time. Thanks for reading!
Love,
KJ xoxoxoxoxo