A Case of the Blues: Chapter 12
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Let me in!"
Jimmy was yelling and slamming his fist against the door, and Beth was certain he would break through it in a minute. The sisters shared frightened looks but remained silent, hoping that Jimmy would eventually give up and leave.
"Beth, I know you're in there, fucking open this door or I will break it down myself!"
She could hear the alcohol in his voice. She had known him long enough to tell when he had drank one too many.
She had never seen him this angry before, and it was terrifying. She realised now that she had no idea what he was capable of, and just a few days ago she was ready to become his wife. She had loved him for such a long time, she thought. How was it that she did now know him at all?
Beth had considered calling the cops, but she knew her voice would be a giveaway that she was indeed inside, and she didn't want to find out what he would do to her once he got to her.
Suddenly, the knocking stopped, and there was silence. The sisters exchanged a worried glance, but neither of them dared to speak.
"Beth…"
She heard Jimmy sobbing behind the door, and her heart clenched inside her chest.
"Beth, please, don't leave me…"
Regret. That's what she thought she would be feeling, but she wasn't. She didn't regret leaving him for Daryl, and she never would. She made her choice, and she was sticking to it. No amount of begging would win her back. Yet still, there was an inkling of guilt tucked away inside her that she wasn't sure would ever go away. But as long as she was with Daryl, her heart knew she was with the right person.
"BETH!" Jimmy snarled through the door, kicking and punching in an attempt to break in. He obviously realized that the compassion method clearly wasn't going to work with her. "Fine!" He finally screamed, pounding his fists against the door one last time. "Fine. If you don't come out, I can just find you at work. Or at that cosy little cabin on the mountainside. It's up to you, really." She could hear the smirk in his alcohol-lined voice.
They heard his footsteps descend down the hallway and then they both silently looked out the window and watched as Jimmy climbed into his car and drove away. All at once, all the emotions that Beth had been keeping bottled up inside of her spiralled out of control, sending Beth into a fit of tears. She fell to the floor and curled into herself, trying to make herself smaller. The emotions racked her shoulders and she could barely breathe, gasping for air every few seconds.
Maggie had dropped to the ground beside her and rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her, but nothing was going to work. She could hear her sisters soothing whispers in her ear. It's okay Beth. He's gone. Shush now. Please, don't cry.
After a while of crying, she began to snuffle and get her breath back, slowly. Her head hurt something awful and her throat felt dry and chapped. She certainly couldn't perform tonight, not after this, not after Jimmy's threat.
She had almost married the man. They had met at college, dated for a while (nothing too serious), but they had taken it to the next step together. She had lost her virginity to him, and they went on picnics and to the movies and stargazed together. Beth had never believed in love at first sight; but she had believed in a moment. A moment where you become more than just friends - a moment where you become lovers.
And thinking about it now, she couldn't find that moment with Jimmy.
** DARYL **
After his conversation with Beth in the cabin; after Beth had left to deal with whatever was waiting for her, he had left too. He had made his way back home, back to Merle, to sleep the day away. He was shattered, to say the least. His legs ached and he was in dire need of a shower. Personal hygiene was never a must for Daryl, not until Beth returned that is. He was always a man of the outdoors, never much caring for "social acceptance".
Once he had returned home, he had walked through his front door and collapsed onto his bed, his legs outstretched in front of him, one arm across his abdomen and the other rested on his forehead. He stared at the ceiling as his mind travelled. He had told her that he loved her. Was it too soon? Would it chase her away?
He hadn't ever really belonged to anyone before. Sure, he had one night stands with girls from the bar when he was too intoxicated to care, but actually belonging to someone was completely new to him. He may have had a girlfriend once or twice during school or college, he thought. But he knew that before he or Beth belonged to anyone, they were each other's from the start.
The feeling of loving her and being loved by her welled up in him, and he could taste the adrenaline in the back of his throat, and maybe he could feel her hand in his again and hear her soft, angelic voice contort itself into a whisper to say I love you as if it were a secret, and an immense one.
While he could hardly fathom what had just happened to them the past few days, he reached some conclusions before he fell asleep, certain things now made perfect sense; Moon River didn't sound so syrupy, mistletoe wasn't such a bad idea, and perhaps dating was not such a frivolous waste of time after all.
A/N: Another short chapter, I know, I apologise. In the review section, could you please tell me where you'd like to see this story go? What sort of things do you want to happen? Help! :P
Again, thank you all for reading and sticking with this story xx