"What a wonderful surprise! How have you been Faye darling?"
It felt nice to see someone who was actually very glad to see you. It made an ego-boosting change.
"Ok." Faye replied.
Rob the drama queen answered the door and gave Faye the biggest bear hug in ages. He carried her massive suitcase for her to the dining room, and she saw his boyfriend sitting on the sofa. When he saw Faye they exchanged greetings and she went to see what Rob was up to.
He was wearing a pair of pink oven gloves and was placing a tray of pastries down on a cooling rack. He shut the oven door and smiled like the Cheshire cat when he saw she was in the kitchen.
"Would you like a pastry? It's my own recipe."
Faye inspects the food, swirls of caramel pastry covered with chocolate drizzles with a light dusting of icing sugar. They looked heavenly!
"They look heavenly Rob! Can I have one when they've cooled down abit?"
"Sure no problem sweet heart. What's the matter? C'mon, you can tell uncle Rob."
"I'm fine." Faye insisted.
"Tsh. When a woman says she's fine, it usually means she's not. So tell me, who upset you this time? Lemme guess; Spike? Ooh he's a bad one he is."
Faye felt the tears welling up as the thoughts of yesterday came flooding back. She sighed deeply and brushed them away harshly, but it was only when Rob comforted her that they really hit her. Rob uttered soothing words, called Spike every foul name under the sun and even let her drench his prized lavender shirt. Bryan, Rob's current beau walks in.
"Oh Faye whose the bastard who did this to you? I wanna go kick his ass!"
Faye managed a meagre smile.
"No seriously sweet heart; once you've got all the hurt and anger out of you, you'll feel tonnes better. Plus you'll be a lot stronger."
Bryan was so sweet, and so is Rob. They both were. She hugged them both, letting one last shaky sob go. Over a cup of tea and some pastries, she told them all about her sorry story. Rob has heard most of it before, but not about her brutal childhood. Bryan listened in awe, mouth hanging wide open to catch all the flies.
"So it was easier to live a lie, to pretend that he was only ill, than to accept the truth that he does not and will not, remember what we had. Denial was better to embrace, than to face reality. But it's not healthy to live in the past. I know that now." Faye admitted.
"Oh Faye." Bryan was crying by this point, moved by such a sad story.
Then it turned into Faye comforting Bryan instead. She joked that if this really happened to him not her, god knows how bad he would take it. There was a knock on the door. Rob went to answer it while Bryan showed Faye where the shower was as she wanted to freshen up. When she came out of the shower, dressed in a cream bathrobe, she got the shock of her life.
A tall, handsome young man about thirty years of age, dressed in black with short side-swept silver hair, of medium muscular build with broad shoulders, stood before her.
"Hello Faye, long time no see." They said in a deep voice.
"Hey Vicious."
She edged towards him, feeling sheepish; if it were not for this man, she'd have died a long while ago in that park on Earth. Rob and Bryan were eavesdropping around the corner.
"It's been three years Faye."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to leave you like that."
"Don't be," He held up a hand with beautiful fingers, "It's forgotten. I hope you have been well."
He's so sincere, a real man with pride and respect for women. Easily forgiving and forgetting, never looking down at you because you're different, never making excuses for his mistakes. In some ways, he is similar to… No, Vicious is not and will never be Spike Spiegel. His reputation precedes him in the field of fighting, Faye knows this and she also believes there is a gentler side to him. He smiled a shy charismatic smile, and Faye found herself smiling back. Whereas Spike was the charming, enigmatic one, always surrounded by stunning women, Vicious was the strong, silent type. The mysterious one who keeps his cards close to his chest. Faye welcomed him with open arms, and was glad to see her good friend again. A few coughs from behind them made her pull away.
"Aren't you going to introduce us little lady?" Rob smirked.
"Yeah I mean, he's quite delicious…"
"Oi you!" Bryan got elbowed in the ribs by Rob.
Faye laughed out loud, these two could always cheer her up.
"Vicious, meet Rob and his boyfriend Bryan. As you may have noticed, Bryan is actually meant to be in a psychiatric mental institute and he escaped yesterday, and Rob works for a circus as a result of his deformity of the face."
Laughter erupted from everyone, breaking the ice.
"Hey!"
"Right!"
Rob and Bryan chased Faye round their spacious Saturnian apartment, running around a bemused Vicious. Finally he intervened and helped them get her, where they tickled her to death.
"That's…not…fair! You're meant…to….to…be-heeheehee…on my side! Traitor!" Faye screamed in between laughing at Vicous, who proclaimed innocence.
When they're eyes connected, you could just feel the electricity in the air and the two gay guys could see they have some unfinished business, whatever it may be. Silently they snuck off – or tried to anyway.
A tall, skinny young man dressed in a suit with a puff of black hair stood in their doorway, his eyes fixed on the couple in the kitchen. He gestured for them to be quiet, and went aside to let them pass. Rob was about to tackle him when the guy pointed a gun at him. Not needing a second warning, they walked passed.
"I'm glad you saved my life that day at the park, on Earth. It was foolish of me to try and commit suicide. You're my guardian angel." Faye whispered.
"I wouldn't be anyone else's." Came his deep grainy words.
"I…erm…I've…god this is so hard to say…"
"Yes?"
"Well I…I…"
Faye stepped closer, eager to hear what he is trying to say.
"You see, the thing is…"
Failing that, Vicious just did what he felt; he grabbed Faye by the arms and kissed her passionately. It was a gentle but passionate kiss. Locked in a lover's embrace, Vicious was the first to pull away. There was a fear of rejection in his peacock eyes, and Faye wanted to replace it with promise. She kissed him back to tell him her answer. Vicious's smile lit up the dark skies in her world, and he showed her she can see in techni-colour again.
"Sorry, I should have just said it-"
Faye put a finger to his lips.
"Shhh, it's okay. Anyway, if its any consolation I think you're a great kisser. It's probably better that you couldn't say it." She smirked.
"Oh, I see… I'd better tell you more then about my feelings…"
Faye was in heaven; she had no idea Vicious was such a fantastic kisser! The way he was kissing her now, sent her into orbit. Any more and her knees will give in. They broke off for air, going nose to nose.
"Was that a Plutonian kiss!"
"Yes. Did you like it?"
"Like it? I loved it."
They were about to kiss again when she paused. Vicious was confused, until he turned around. Faye was pinned to the spot by the man casually leaning in the doorway, his puff of hair nearly too big to fit. The radio in the other room came to life, blasting out a song which Faye found she could relate to too much. It was as if the singer knew what she was going through and decided to let the whole galaxy know about it. At the same time, it was like the lyrics spoke straight from her heart, to his very ears, putting into words what she was straining to get through to him.
"Somehow the words just seem to pass you by
you never understand me
you build me up so you can knock me down
so far they can never find me
I've tried so hard,
I've played my part,
Console this heart
ooh ooh ooh so the years move on
I'll never love the way I loved you
ooh ooh ooh so the years move on
you'll never know the way I loved you
I hear you're whisper when I'm all alone
Whose heart are you breaking now
You made me promises you could not keep
I've found it hard to believe
I've tried so hard,
I've played my part,
Console this heart
ooh ooh ooh so the years move on
I'll never love the way I loved you
ooh ooh ooh so the years move on
you'll never know the way I loved you
goodbye oh yeah yeah
goodbye
it's goodbye"
The past three years have been very tough, and nobody should have to experience what she has. But that's life. Sometimes these things just happen and for no reason whatsoever. You just have to learn to take it with a pinch of salt, and try to move on.
Spike looked directly into those bright green eyes. There was a sharp certainty in them now. She echoed the song lyrics with painful accuracy.
"It's goodbye."
-
Lyrics are by Kristian Leontiou, The Years Move On.