Hey guys, thanks again for reviews for last ch, as always you guys are way too nice! I know it's been awhile since I've posted...sorry I have been quite busy lately. I'm moving to NYC so I've been taking care of some details. But anyway...I hope you all like this ch, very long ch (12 pages in Word), basically conversations between different characters...hopefully explaining some things. Enjoy!
(Joanne's POV)
The next morning I woke up to see Maureen staring at me. She looked lost and completely broken. Even after I woke up, she continued staring at me as though she was in a trance.
"Baby," I said softly, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she nonchalantly answered me, "just watching you sleep…..thinking about us."
"What about us?" I continued.
She slightly shrugged her shoulder, "just about our relationship."
She was starting to make me nervous; I've never quite seen her like this before. She had barely moved since I woke up and her eyes seemed fixated on me. "Maureen, are you ok?" I reached over running my fingers threw her hair.
"I'm fine," her tone remained detached. She hadn't yet cracked a smile, touched me, or moved her eyes away from me. "Can we go home?"
"Of course," I was glad she had mentioned it. Something was going on with her; I needed to know what but figured Mimi's bedroom was not the place to get into it.
She quietly got out of the bed, put on her coat and shoes and walked out of the bedroom without waiting on me. When I walked out into the living room I saw Mimi standing in the kitchen and Maureen over by the front door. I walked over to Mimi to say goodbye and to thank her allowing us to stay the night.
"What's wrong with her?" Mimi quietly asked me as she hugged me goodbye.
"I have no idea," I softly responded, "she's acting awfully strange though."
"If you need me let me know," she leaned over hugging me once again before I left.
Maureen looked almost as though she was in a state of shock; she stood at the door emotionless. As I neared her, she turned and opened the door, not even attempting to take hold of my hand or wrapping her arm around me. I once again yelled goodbye to Mimi as we walked out of her apartment; Maureen said nothing. The entire way back to our apartment was eerie in a sense. Maureen wasn't talking, attempting to touch me in any sort of way, and walked rather slowly with her head down the entire way.
(Mark's POV)
I woke up the next morning alone in bed, something I was expecting since Eden was suppose to be staying at Mimi's after their girls' night. I was really glad that Mimi had invited her and that Eden actually accepted the invitation. I think it will be good for her and for the rest of the girls.
When I walked past the living room I did see something I didn't expect, Eden sleeping on the couch. Why in hell would she be home and why would she be sleeping on the couch.
I stood in the doorway to the living room, holding myself up by the wall. "Eden, wake up," I yelled from my position, "go to our bed honey," I continued on. I heard her groaning, stirring slightly from her original position. Then she turned revealing her face to me. "Oh my God Eden," I screamed as I ran over to the couch. "Baby what happened?" I asked as I reached up to gently touch her face. Her left eye was completely black and blue; swollen so bad that she could barely open her eye. She also had a nice size bruise on her jaw. What in the hell?
"Ouch," she reached up grabbing my hand pulling it away from her face. "It's nothing Mark."
"Nothing," I yelled back. "Your face is a mess," maybe I shouldn't have said it that way.
"Well thanks Mark," shouldn't have said it that way. "I just got in a fight with Maureen last night."
"What?" I again was yelling.
She sat up on the couch, patting the spot beside her. I obliged and sat down; pissed off at Maureen at the moment for hitting my girlfriend. "Last night we all went out to the comedy club. And well Mimi and Joanne got really drunk so we decided to go back to Mimi's apartment. Well after awhile Mimi and Joanne went looking for more alcohol leaving Maureen and me in the living room." She paused a minute reaching up lightly rubbing the bruise on her jaw. "Well we got talking….well arguing really….and she told me that I was jealous that she was the one Joanne was kissing and it was her body that Joanne's hands were all over…"
"I'm going to kill her," I spouted off as I went to get up to go call Maureen and chew her out.
"No wait Mark," Eden had reached up grabbing my hand pulling me back down on the couch. "Then I might have said something that caused her to let into me like she did."
"Might have?" I was getting rather suspicious now.
"Well I did," she bluntly replied. "I told her that Joanne was thinking of me when she was kissing and touching her." Her eyes shot to the ground.
"What?" now I was pissed off at Eden too. "Eden, why would you say that to her?" She didn't answer me though, just stayed there staring at the ground. "What is up with you and Maureen, can you guys just try to get along."
"I try," she whined.
"Eden no you don't," I sternly remarked, "I've heard you make comments to Maureen. She's not that bad you know." I just sat there looking at her; completely frustrated at how the two of them acted towards each other. "I'm going to go call Joanne….and get you some ice for that eye." I just figured that maybe between Joanne and me we could manage to figure out this whole mess with them.
(Joanne's POV)
"This is Joanne," my cell phone had started ringing just as Maureen and I walked into the apartment. She headed straight for the bedroom and shut the door.
"Hey Joanne, its Mark," he sounded frustrated and exhausted; what is up with people today.
"Mark right now is not a real good time. Maureen is…" he cut me off before I could say another word.
"Well it's about Maureen….and Eden."
"Oh," I huffed as I positioned myself down onto the couch. "Mark your girlfriend is crazy you know that."
"And yours' isn't," he fired back. I tried keeping myself calm not wanting to start a fight between ourselves as well. "Joanne look," he continued, his voice much softer now, "something needs to be done with the two of them. They are acting like little kids towards each other."
"I agree," I calmly answered. "But what? Mark you should have seen the two of them last night fighting and screaming at each other. I don't know what to do."
"Well maybe if you talk to Maureen find out really what she is getting upset about and then I'll talk to Eden and see what her problem is. Then maybe we can get the two of them to just sit down and hopefully act like mature adults and have a conversation."
I know Mark had good intentions and he was really trying to come up with a good solution to our problem, but I didn't really think this would work. Even though they were acting like little kids, they weren't, and we couldn't force them to sit down and talk out their problems. "We can try that Mark, but honestly I just want to let you know that I think most of the attitude and spite lies with your girlfriend, not mine." I wanted to make it clear to Mark that just because I was agreeing to do this that I was blaming Maureen for all of this. I know that Eden was typically the one to start shit with her. He had become really quiet after I said this so apparently he wasn't disagreeing with me too much. "So maybe tomorrow we can come over there and get them to talk?" I needed to talk to Maureen right now about what was bothering her now, not deal with Mark and trying to figure out how to get Maureen and Eden to get along with another.
"Yeah sounds fine," I hope he knows what he has suggested, "thanks for trying this Joanne. I'll call you later, bye."
"Bye," I hung up my phone taking a deep sigh preparing myself for what was to come.
I got up heading back to our bedroom; I need to find out what was wrong with Maureen. I wasn't even going to bring up Eden or Marks' idea; I just need to talk to her now, see what is going on with her. I have a hunch though that Eden is at the core of this attitude change of hers. I slowly opened the bedroom door to see Maureen lying on our bed, a death grip on my pillow, and tears rolling down her face.
(Mimi's POV)
"Roger you'll never believe what happened last night," I said as I pushed right by him and made my way into his apartment.
"It better be good," he replied, rubbing his eyes, still half asleep.
"Oh it is," I slightly nodded my head, raising my eyebrows; a little smirk also coming across my face.
We both settled down on the couch, Roger looking as though he was going to fall back asleep resting his head on the back of the couch. "Maureen and Eden got in a fight," I blurted out to him.
"So what," he stirred, "those two are always yelling at each other." He yawned, snuggling closer into the cushions.
"No Roger, you don't understand. Like a fight, fight. Like throwing punches fight," I sounded half way excited about this news. Something inside of me found it quite amusing that Maureen and Eden had gotten in a fist fight; I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later though.
"What!" shocked he immediately sat straight up looking at me, "who won?"
I laughed at him because he was more worried about who won than what they were fighting over; but maybe that was a no brainer. "I'd say Maureen kicked her ass." We both now started laughing. "Maureen and Joanne stayed at my place last night and when they left this morning Maureen barely had a mark on her. When Eden left last night you could already see her eye beginning to bruise."
"So Maureen got her good huh?"
"Yeah. When Joanne and I ran into the living room to pull them apart, Maureen was on top of Eden pounding her." Roger was almost uncontrollably laughing by this point. I swear I could see some tears falling he was laughing so hard. From watching him loosing it and also replaying the fight in my head I couldn't help but laugh either. I felt kind of bad though laughing because two of my friends had gotten into a fight, but damn was it funny.
"What's going on?" I heard a confused voice walking towards us. When I wiped some tears that had also formed in my eyes, I noticed Collins standing in front of me.
"Oh Collins sit down you have to hear this," Roger was enjoying this too much I think.
"Ok," Collins still completely confused at what was so funny cautiously sat down in the chair staring at us both.
Roger looked over at me, his eyes literally beaming with amusement, "can I tell him?"
"Sure go ahead Roger."
Roger leaned over towards Collins, his tone becoming serious now, "Maureen kicked Eden's ass last night," and then again he was loosing it laughing so hard he was holding himself up on the couch by the armrest.
"What?" Collins too was now smiling, I could tell holding in the laughter.
Roger was laughing so much he couldn't even talk now. So I filled Collins in on what I had already told Roger. Collins was more in a state of shock I think that it had actually happened. He had predicted it happening though about two weeks ago.
"So what caused Maureen to finally snap?" Collins asked me. Roger now calming himself down, but still a huge smile on his face.
"Well actually," I started, "basically Eden told Maureen that Joanne thought about her when she was kissing and touching Maureen."
"No shit," Roger blurted out; his face now froze in a state of shock.
"Damn girls got some nerves," Collins added.
"I'd kicked her ass too," Roger continued. Both of them were now sitting there completely stunned that Eden had actually said that Maureen. "Wow," was all Roger could manage to say.
"So where are they now?" Collins asked.
"Well Eden went home last night and Maureen and Joanne left together this morning."
"So…..Maureen finally kicked Eden's ass…..good for her," Collins affirmed as he reached down into his paper bag pulling out a bottle of stoli, "who wants some?" He poured each of us a glass, "to Maureen," he toasted and we all drank to Maureen finally having the nerve to do what we all thought she had the right to do to begin with.
(Eden's POV)
Mark came back into the room with a bag of ice in his hand and a disappointed look on his face. I knew Mark wanted Maureen and me to get along; she was one of his best friends. However, I also knew that Mark heard for himself or heard from someone else every snide little remark I made about Maureen. He saw every look I would give her; he was observant and things like this did not get past him. But I also knew that Mark had kept his mouth shut, not saying anything to me because he didn't want to make a huge deal about this if no one else was; because for the longest time no one was. For a while Maureen herself even ignored my comments and looks. But some of them weren't always intentional; sometimes I just clandestinely blurted something out or didn't even realize I was looking at her. Maybe Mark knew that, maybe that was why he has never really said anything to me about this before. I don't know exactly why he never did before, but I'm sure that he was going to say something to me about it now.
"Here you go sweetie," he gently placed the ice bag against my eye as he sat down beside me on the couch. After a long silence between us he continued, "so you want to tell me what happened?" he calmly asked.
"We were drunk and I said some stuff that I shouldn't have said to her," I ashamedly said to him.
"Why do you have to say stuff to her anyhow Eden?"
"I don't know Mark. I know how bad she used to treat you and I have trouble considering the fact that she would treat Joanne any different. Joanne's my friend and I hate to think that she isn't getting treated as well as she deserves."
"But Eden Joanne's not me; Maureen loves Joanne. Plus, have you ever seen Maureen do anything so terrible to her?"
"No," I calmly replied. Our conversation was actually going along very quietly and calmly. "But Mark even you said that Maureen treated you wonderfully and acted like nothing was wrong in front of everyone else."
"That's true," he shrugged, "but that doesn't mean it's the same with Joanne."
"Maybe not Mark, but how do we know?"
"Eden, if Joanne wasn't happy with Maureen believe me we'd know or Joanne would have already left her. Think about when all of this happened with both of them with Steve; who did Joanne want around her and who did Maureen want around her?"
"I know," I tear started falling down my cheek. Maybe it was because I was realizing how ridiculous and unfair that I have been towards Maureen.
"Eden, why do you care so much?"
"Cause she's my friend and I don't want to see her hurting. Besides you Mark she's really the only true friend I have in my life." He scooted in closer to me, wrapping his arm around me, rubbing my shoulders. "She's the only person besides you in my entire life that I have ever felt any sort of love from."
"Sweetie, I'm glad that you have finally found such a great friend in Joanne but if you're not careful you're going to loose her too." He paused for a minute, "because honestly sweetie if Joanne has to choose between Maureen and you, she's going to choose Maureen." Some part of me was glad to hear Mark say that. "Is Maureen really all that bad?"
"No, I guess not."
"Well then."
"Mark I just can't get the memories of how bad you were hurt when Maureen cheated on you all those times or how upset Joanne was that night I met her in the bar."
"Joanne and Maureen had a fight, that's it. They used to always have fights. But that doesn't mean they don't love each other Eden. I think it was just that they were both scared of how much they loved each other and how much passion they felt for one another; it scared them both, so they just kept pushing at each other. But I hardly see them fight anymore whatsoever the last night may have been the night you met Joanne."
I couldn't respond to him. I just laid my head against his shoulder and cried some more. Mainly crying because I knew that I had been acting like a complete fool; knowing that everything Mark had just said was right; knowing that I owed Maureen and Joanne an apology.
(Maureen's POV)
I wiped the tears from my eyes, realizing that Joanne was standing in the doorway staring at me. I tried calming my sobbing but it wasn't working. I couldn't stop my tears from flowing freely from my eyes. Joanne continued to just stand there; a look a shear concern on her face. I buried my head deeper into Joanne's pillow, the sobs now came harder.
I felt Joanne crawl in the bed from behind me, making her way over to my trembling body. She grabbed a hold of me, turning me over so that I was now lying in her arms, my head resting against her chest. She was holding me as close to her as she could, rocking back and forth trying to calm me down. I felt safe in her arms, protected, like nothing could possibly be wrong as long as she was holding me. But then Eden's words kept ringing through my head what's so great about Maureen Johnson. What is so great about me? Why did I deserve Joanne for?
Finally once she realized that I had calmed down she raised me up off of her chest and stared straight into my eyes. "Maureen what's wrong baby?" I could see so much concern and love for me in her eyes.
I coughed clearing my throat, still finding it hard to hold in the tears, "it's just Eden."
"What about Eden?" She was gently rubbing my back; actually giving me the courage to continue talking about everything.
"When Mimi and you left us in Mimi's bedroom last night…..Eden made a comment….well….she just asked…..what's so great about Maureen Johnson?" I was gasping to catch my breath through saying all of that. It was harder than I thought to say aloud; to actually have to hear it again and this time coming out of my own mouth. The tears came rushing out again and I collapsed my head against Joanne's shoulder.
She held me for awhile, allowing me to yet again calm down some. When my tears had slowed she pulled me up once more away from her comforting body. She sat directly in front of me on the bed now; placing one leg on each side of me, moving as close to me as she could, taking hold of my shoulders, gazing into my eyes.
"You want to know what is so great about Maureen Johnson?" she began, "she's the most loving, caring, passionate, sincere woman that I have ever known. She's my best friend and the best lover I've ever had," that made a small smile appear on my face, "she knows what I'm thinking before I even say it. She puts me before anyone else, even herself." I could see tears now forming in her eyes too, "she tells me that she loves me when I've had the worst day of my life and it makes me feel so much better and she tells me that she loves me when I've had the best day of my life and it somehow makes that day even better. She lights up a room when she walks into it and she lights up my life by just looking at me." A stray tear fell from her eye and I reached over and gently wiped it away. She reached up and took a hold of my hand gently kissing it. "She's the love of my life and I couldn't imagine a day without her; I'd die without her."
I placed both my hands on the sides of her face, "I love you." Then I leaned over to her pushing her back onto the bed as I lay down on top of her, intensely pressing my lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around my body, squeezing me closer to her body.
I slowly pulled my lips away from her, gazing down into her deep brown eyes. Slowly a smile crept across her face as she kept a tight hold on my body. I couldn't move or say anything, her eyes had hypnotized me. So it was Joanne who finally broke our silence.
"Baby," she softly spoke, "is that all that has been bothering you…..that Eden asked what was so great about you?"
"Eden says a lot of things that bother me," I began.
Joanne interrupted, "I'm sorry about that baby. I should have said something earlier to her about it. She has no right to treat my baby like that," she lifted her head off of the bed a lightly pecked my lips.
"That's ok pookie," I wasn't blaming Joanne at all for Eden's actions, "she also said," I tried stopping myself from continuing but I knew once I started that sentence that Joanne wouldn't let me go without finishing it so I voluntarily continued, "that when you were kissing me or touching me that you were thinking about her."
"What?" Joanne was completely taken a back from what I just told her. "Believe me baby, Eden is the furthest thing from my mind when I kiss you or when I'm even around you," she reached her hand up placing it on the back of my neck, pulling my lips back down to meet hers once again. Her soft lips embraced mine, sending shivers threw my body.
After awhile of me lying on top of Joanne making out with her she sat up on the bed; I was sitting on her lap straddling her. I felt her finger against the edge of my lips wiping away the smudged lipstick that she had caused. I watched her eyes and they intently focused on my lips; it amazes me that I could love someone so much sometimes.
"Hey baby," she finally spoke after fixing my lipstick, "Mark called me earlier and he wants Eden, him, you, and me to all sit down and talk tomorrow."
"I don't know," I reluctantly said. This whole mess with Eden and me needed to be fixed, but I didn't feel like talking to her. She always found someway to piss me off. But then again this time Mark and Joanne both would be around, so maybe I could at least humor the idea.
"Please Maureen just try for me please," she was pouting her lips and flashing those puppy dog eyes at me, "I won't let her say anything bad to you, I promise, or I'll kick her ass this time," I playfully slapped Joanne on the shoulder and we both started laughing.
"Ok if you want me to I will," I told her. "But you owe me," I pointed my finger at her; my mother always did that when I was a kid to show how serious she was trying to be.
"Yeah, yeah I owe you," she mockingly replied, "now get off of me," she laughed and began tickling my sides knowing this would work to get me off of her. And of course it did; I feel off to the side of her squirming around, trying to get her to stop.
She stood up off the bed and reached down helping me to my feet. I immediately had my arms wrapped around her waist, leaning my head up against hers, "where are you going?"
"Well I'm hungry, thought maybe I'd go cook us some lunch," she answered.
"Great I'm hungry too," I gleefully said as I kissed her once more before making my way out the bedroom door and to the kitchen to find some food.
(Fly on the wall's POV)
On Sunday afternoon, just as planned, Maureen and Joanne showed up at Mark and Eden's apartment. The tension in the room was almost unbearable. No one knew quite what to say or where to start; everyone just kept looking back and forth from one another.
Finally, Mark spoke up, "well why don't we go and sit down in the living room. Does anyone want anything to drink?" he was now rubbing his sweaty palms together, a nervous habit of his.
"I'm fine thanks Mark," Joanne politely responded. Maureen and Eden both just shook their heads no, as all three women made there way into the living room while Mark went to get himself some tea.
Mark came into the living room to find all three women sitting in complete silence; the tension still very present. Not a single person in the room looked comfortable or looked as though they wanted to be there. Mark was again rubbing his palms together, Joanne continually licking her lips and staring at everything in the room except for another human being, Maureen was biting at her fingernails, and Eden was fidgeting with her necklace.
"Well guess we should just get this over with," Joanne spoke up, her lawyer tone very present in her voice. "So you two," she looked directly at Maureen and Eden, "need to figure out how to get pass this feud of yours."
Mark then interjected, "we can't have you two hating each other and continually fighting. Joanne and I love you guys and can't stand that you can't seem to at least be civil with one another." Both Maureen and Eden were staring at the ground, both acting as if they were back in grade school getting punished by the principal.
"So if you both can just be open about what you are feeling and thinking we can figure something out here," Joanne added.
"Well," Maureen mumbled from beside Joanne, "I can't stand the fact that Eden is continually saying something about me being with Joanne." She then looked up from the ground staring straight at Eden, "she chose me you know," a hint of hostility being detected in her voice. Joanne reached over, placing her hand on Maureen's leg as in an attempt to keep her calm. "Sorry," Maureen said, "but I love her Eden I really do and she loves me."
"I know she does," Eden finally spoke, "but having heard about how you treated Mark and then to meet Joanne that night at the bar and she was so hurt by you…..it's just hard to think that you could treat her like she deserves."
"But she does," Joanne piped up. "I do love her Eden; she's the love of my life."
"I know you love her Joanne and I just want you to be happy," Eden added.
"I am happy," Joanne told her as she smiled taking hold of Maureen's hand.
"I know all of this. And last night Mark and I had a talk about all of this. I completely understand that you two love each other and that Maureen has apparently changed from how she use to treat Mark. But it's just that Joanne is one of the first true friends that I have ever had in my entire life," Eden was now obviously forcing back the tears, "from my past personal experiences people don't change that often; I guess I truly believe once a cheater always a cheater."
Mark looked over at this girlfriend, who was on the verge of baring some truly painful past experiences. He had already known of these painful memories she kept buried inside of her. Eden once dated a guy that she knew used to beat up his girlfriends and cheat on them, but he swore to her that he had changed. At the beginning of the relationship he never laid a hand on her and was completely faithful, she thought he had changed. But then once she started getting really serious about him all of that changed. This man would beat Eden until she could barely walk; she was put in the hospital on three separate occasions because of his beatings. She was also certain that he was cheating on her now too, with more than just one girl. And still for some reason she could never walk away from him. Finally, though a nurse that was taking care of her got her to realize how unhealthy and unsafe of a relationship it was and she left him, but it took someone continually pointing it out to her that he was not treating her well. That's when Eden came to New York, after she finally got away from him.
"Maureen I'm sorry," Eden continued on, "I shouldn't interfere with your relationship with Joanne."
"Thank you," Maureen genuinely responded. "And I'm sorry too….mainly for causing that black eye," Maureen actually seemed apologetic.
Eden snickered, "I deserved it," she smiled over at Maureen as she lightly touched her swollen eye. "So were ok?" she questioned Maureen.
Maureen looked over at Joanne, then back to Eden, "yeah we're ok."
"Well good, now maybe we can all be around each other without having to continually separate the two of you," Mark pointed out. "So you two want to go out to lunch with Eden and me?" Mark questioned Maureen and Joanne.
"Thanks for the invitation," Joanne said, "but I have some work I really have to get done before I head back to work tomorrow. Some other time though?"
"Of course," Mark replied as he stood.
They all four said their goodbyes to one another. Maureen and Eden opted to just shake one another's hand instead of hugging goodbye as everyone else was doing. Joanne and Maureen walked hand in hand out of the apartment but looking rather thankful that their "meeting" was over with. As Mark shut the door behind him he walked over to his girlfriend grabbing her hand and leading her back to the bedroom…
So what did you think? Let me know please! I appreciate any type of feedback on this ch. I'm not real sure how much I like the convo between Joanne, Maureen, Mark and Eden...but it's late and it was the last one I had to write before I could post so I just threw it together rather quickly. But let me know. Just so you know this fic is going to have 32 chs total. I have figured out what is going to happen in each of the remaining chs but I haven't started writing them yet so any suggestions would be appreciated and I'll take them into consideration. But please review! Thanks for reading!