When a good thing goes bad, it's not the end of the world,
It's just the end of a world that you had with one girl,
And she's the reason it happened, but she's overreacting,
And it's all because she don't want things to change- Drake, Doing It Wrong
Spencer's POV
"I was just telling Spencer how Trina is going to Paris for a few months on an exchange trip," Laura explained as Esme moved to stand next to Spencer, much like she always did. The floral scent she dabbed on her pulse points filled his nostrils, but it didn't stir anything in him like it once had. He knew his feelings for Esme had been fading fast, but this drove it home. And it was the last thing on his mind because all he could think about was Trina leaving. It consumed him, making him numb all over.
Clapping her hands together in simulated excitement, Esme gleefully exclaimed, "Oh, how wonderful for her! I'm sure she'll enjoy it, what with her affinity for art. I wonder if she's even been to La Ville Lumièr before." She cocked her head to the side and a few tendrils of her hair swept against Spencer's cheek. He took a step to the side, putting some space between them. Continuing, her tone shifted from enthusiasm to sly, and Spencer bristled with annoyance. "She's rather unrefined, so I'm sure soaking up some foreign culture would do her some good."
Drawing himself up to his full height, Spencer glowered at Esme, and, through clenched teeth, ground out, "Esme, it's not polite to discuss someone who isn't here to defend herself." Esme scowled in response, and her shoulders slumped as Spencer turned to Laura, who was watching the two with a palpable air of concern around her. He hated that the end of his relationship with Esme had to be played out in front of his family like this. Plastering a smile that he didn't feel on his face, he told her, "Grandmother, I'm going to take a shower before we leave."
He needed to be alone to process his thoughts. The news that Trina was leaving, and so soon, was throwing him off badly. There had to be something he could do, and he wasn't going to be able to think of a plan with Esme breathing down his neck.
"I'll be waiting in the living room," Laura said with a nod. She looked at Esme, who was holding on to the handle of her suitcase like it was her anchor to the ground. "Esme?"
"I just wanted to talk to Spence alone for a minute."
Laura nodded again and disappeared into the living room, leaving Esme and Spencer alone. With a deep sigh, Spencer started, "Esme, I'm really not in the mood-."
"All I wanted to say was thank you for agreeing to let me come to the dinner tonight." She clasped her hands in front of her like she was praying, an earnest look on her face. "I feel so isolated in Port Charles with no friends, and your family has really stepped in to fill in that void. Thank you for seeing that, Spence."
A casual shrug from Spencer, as he geared up for another battle of wills. Conversations with Esme were rarely easy, and he no longer had any pull with her that he could use. "I did it for my father. He planned this whole night; I didn't want to disappoint him or Grandmother."
They stood in silence for a long moment, looking at each other as Spencer tried to think about what his next steps were. Laura's words kept booming in his head… Paris if I'm not mistaken. Five words that had shaken his world to the core, left him reeling, and Esme wanted to talk about feeling isolated? He was losing his moral compass and the one person who he always wanted to impress and do better for. Chitchatting with Esme was just eating up more of his precious time.
"I was hoping to be gone before you got back but your grandmother almost convinced me that we could talk things out." Esme paused, and her eyes searched his, almost like she was trying to look into his soul. "But now- looking at your face, maybe I should have just left."
Raising an eyebrow, Spencer gave a derisive snort. "Really? Grandmother wanted you and I to talk?"
"Yeah, I mean, you saw her earlier." Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Esme's face lit up with a haughty smile as she said, "Apparently, Laura is warming up to me."
Filled with skepticism, Spencer asked, "When did that happen?"
Based on all he knew about his grandmother; she wasn't the type to be fickle about her feelings for someone. It took her a while to change her mind about people, and Spencer was sure she was still sizing Esme up and hadn't reached a suitable conclusion.
"She thinks I might actually be a good influence on you, unlike what your friends think." Her eyes filled with tears, and Spencer ran a hand over his face. She was just determined to be exhausting today, huh? She had already gotten her wish of staying at Wyndemere, what else did she want from him? "And unlike what you think, it seems. After the other day at Spring Ridge- I thought you would check up on me. I was wrong."
This struck a chord in Spencer, and he felt a twinge of guilt, even though, technically, he hadn't been in the wrong when they had their argument. It was Esme who had started a verbal onslaught on Trina, turned it on to him, and refused to tell him the truth about how the sex tape came to be. She had set everything into motion, but he had cared for her once, even loved her, and he owed her at least one last sign that showed that. "I guess I'm glad you didn't leave before l got home; we left a lot unsaid…" Relief flooded Esme's face and she nodded fervently as Spencer continued, his voice wry as he added, "In fairness it's not like I could've chased after you with less than 72 hours left on my sentence."
"I didn't like how we left things either." Esme moved till she was in front of him and angled her head up towards him, the column of her slim neck a long line. "I tossed and turned all night thinking you meant the horrible things you said to me." She reached for him, her cold fingers clutching his wrist almost desperately. "That you actually believe I was the one responsible for filming Joss and Cam. Thank you for realizing that wasn't true."
Spencer frowned, peeling Esme's fingers off his wrist. Her face fell, but something vindictive gleamed in her eyes as Spencer protested, "Wait a second, I never said that."
Wrinkling her nose as she gave a dainty sniff, Esme said, "I'm a little confused. If you still don't believe me then what's been left unsaid between us?"
She put her hands on her slender hips, her lips tight.
Spencer shrugged. "I want to believe you, Esme, but right now, you're blaming Trina for something I know she couldn't have done."
"Oh, really? But I could?"
Her nostrils flared as she glowered at Spencer, fury highlighting her features. If looks could kill, Spencer supposed he would be halfway to heaven, or hell, depending on who you asked.
Throwing his arms up in the air in frustration, Spencer exclaimed, "I don't know! What I do know is that you were at the cabin, and you have a side to you that is capable of going to extremes."
"You mean like what I did to Ava? Setting her car on fire? Putting her dead daughter's hospital ID badge beneath the car?" Esme uttered a sharp laugh, shaking her head and letting her long hair fly around her face. "I never even heard of Ava Jerome until you decided to frighten her away from your father. I mean, how do I know you're not the one capable of filming your friends without their consent?"
Spencer gaped at Esme; his eyes wide with confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"
He couldn't believe his ears. Was Esme trying to blame him for filming and leaking the tape? Out of all the unbelievable things he'd heard so far, this was the most outlandish by far.
"You were at the cabin too, but you don't see me accusing you!" She wagged a finger in his face and Spencer leaned back before she could take out his eye, whether accidentally or on purpose, she was that pissed. "How do we know this isn't all YOUR doing?!"
Spencer couldn't stop the incredulous laugh from coming out. "Knock it off, Esme! I was in Spring Ridge when that video was released." He chuckled, holding his stomach with one hand as he shook with mirth. Esme was unreasonable when she got this wound up, allegations flying in from left field. It was almost hilarious to watch, and Spencer knew that him laughing made her even angrier. Angry Esme got careless, so maybe she would let something slip. "I couldn't have posted it."
"But you told me you had means to sneak out of Spring Ridge thanks to dear old Uncle Victor, plus you and Cam were enemies when you were kids. Maybe this is payback!" she retorted, a smug 'what do you think about that' look on her face. Spencer wished he hadn't told her that particular tidbit about how Victor had snuck him out of Spring Ridge. Out of everyone who knew about his prison break, she was the one he trusted least. Even if Trina wasn't talking to him, he knew she was solid and would never snitch on him. Esme, especially when she was in spiteful mode, was another story.
"That is not true at all!"
Fluttering a contemptuous hand in the air, Esme sneered, "Calm down. I don't actually believe you did it. I was just making a point."
"Which is?"
Counting off on her fingers, Esme said, "You had motive and opportunity. But you don't see me going around accusing you, because I have faith in my partner's character. I have faith in us." Her bottom lip quivered, and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "Or at least I used to! But you can't seem to extend that same grace to me, can you? I guess there is nothing more we can say to one another."
Spencer crossed his arms over his chest, still on defensive mode. Esme just triggered something in him when she was like this, all holier than thou, like she was incapable of doing anything wrong and Spencer was the problem. Her tactics were grueling.
"Yeah, if you think I had anything to do with filming and releasing that recording, we really don't have anything else to talk about," he said blandly, shaking his hair out of his eyes.
The weeping commenced for real, and Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers as Esme whined, "You really hate me, don't you? After all we've been through, everything we've shared, this is how you feel about me?"
"Hate you?" Spencer felt the cords in his neck strain as he stared at a crying Esme, his eyes bulging as sudden exasperation zipped through him. "I took the fall for you torching Ava's car! I spent 30 days in jail, and I have to pay restitution to Ava! Do you think I would have taken the blame if I hated you?"
Sniffling, Esme wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I guess not. I'm sorry, Spence, I'm just dealing with a lot. I don't know where I stand with you, and I hate not knowing."
"You know exactly where we stand, Esme." Spencer's voice lowered, and he said, "Listen, can we just get through dinner tonight?"
"Okay. We can talk about us tomorrow." She took his hands again and he stared down at their interlocking fingers. "I'm glad we'll be able to do it without Trina hovering around-."
Spencer pulled away at the mention of Trina's name, his irritation spiking again. Hearing Trina's name coming from Esme made him feel majorly protective over her. "Stop talking about her. Please." He reached down and picked up his bag. "I'm gonna go take that shower now."
"Do you want me to join you? It'll be like old times." She fluttered her eyelashes up at him, and Spencer felt a surge of panic. That was the last thing he wanted or needed. "I mean, it's been a month since we were intimate. I've missed us, and I know you have too."
He shook his head before Esme had even finished her sentence, embarrassed by the slight revulsion that came over him when Esme mentioned being intimate. "No. Dinner starts at 7, Esme. Maybe you should get ready?"
"You're right, we wouldn't have nearly enough time for what you like to do." Esme cupped his cheek in one hand, smiling fondly up at him as though their relationship hadn't just taken its last gasp. Maybe she was in denial, but that didn't have anything to do with him. "I'm gonna put on that red dress you like so much."
A sigh escaped Spencer. Gently, but firmly, he said, "Esme… we're over. You know that. You don't need to act like we're still together."
"I think you're being too hasty. You need to sleep on it." She paused, and tapped her chin as her eyes went distant with thought. "And- I have a quick errand to run, so I'll meet you all on the mainland."
She walked away from him, pulling her suitcase behind her and leaving Spencer drained from their encounter.
"Sounds good," he muttered, almost to himself, and went in search of an empty bedroom that was as far removed from his old one as it could get. Even though he was going to spend the next few nights at the Metro Court thanks to his grandmother, he didn't intend to give Esme the slightest chance to weasel her way back into his life. That chapter was over, it was time for a new beginning, and time was short.
Author's Note- This was a fun one to write, and I wrote it QUICK! I enjoy how Esme and Spencer play off each other, especially when Spencer is disgusted by her- hilarious! Now that the buildup is over, next chapter is Sprina action! Thank you so much for the love you're showing our little story, I read every comment and review and they make my day! More soon 💚💚