2. Prove It All Night

Friday, 6th of June

Abby went to bed early; she felt tired and for some reason nothing felt more appealing to do that night then getting some hard earned sleep. Her mind was driving her crazy. She often wondered when her relationship with Ray had gotten so complicated. Them fucking had always been a big part of their relationship. They'd driven each other wild since the moment they had met each other. Every little touch could light up a spark that made them want to jump each other immediately. Back in the day though they were so much more then just that. Every person could tell they were in love. The way they looked at each other, the way the touched each other… Where had they gone wrong?

Ray had been driving in his car for a while now. It was a little past midnight and he'd been torn between going home to Abby and the kids and going back to his apartment in town. He wasn't sure why that flat was so appealing these days. It had always been his place to hide, to sleep, whenever his job had gotten the best of him or whenever he'd been working until the middle of the night.

It had been his getaway lately though. He wasn't sure what he was running from. Except from the questions. Abby's questions. He knew she was right; he didn't let her in anymore. Ever since Mick had returned in their lives, Ray had felt as if Abby had somehow betrayed him.

Ray knew Abby was drifting away from him, and he knew he was only making it worse. Despite all the things he did, despite all the women he occasionally fucked, despite the words he didn't tell her… He loved her. Life without Abby would kill him.

He grabbed his phone, dialing Abby's number. He had to do something to show her he loved her.

"Abs.. It's me…. Oh… Can you meet me outside in 10? …. Don't be stupid. I'll be there in 10."

"Ray."

"Hey". She looked tired; she'd thrown on a sweater and a pair of jeans, and Ray could tell she really didn't even try to look her best. He couldn't really blame her though. He reached for her hand, which she accepted though not looking to excited.

"This better be good, Ray." Her thick accent seemed even thicker when she was tired and he chuckled lightly.

"Come on, you'll like it."

Their drive in his car was in silence. Multiple times, Ray wanted to apology. Tell her he wasn't sure what was gong on with him either, tell her the only thing he was now sure of was that he loved her and their kids… But he really just couldn't. So, silence it was.

Their drive to Malibu beach took them about 20 minutes, and Ray could feel Abby's eyes burning in his head when they got out of the car.

"Ray, seriously? You took me to freakin' Malibu in the middle of the night?" She looked at him with her hand on her hip, all sassy and annoyed. Ray loved her like this. He opened the back of his car without replying and grabbed a basket and blanket before walking to Abby.

"Come on." He grabbed her hand and led her to the beach.

"Ray, what the fuck…"

Ray walked until they were far away enough from the city lights and close enough to the sea. There was silence, peace… It was perfect.

He rolled out one of the blankets and motioned for Abby to sit, which she hesitantly did. He followed suit, opening the basket afterwards and grabbing a bottle of champagne.

"Abs… I eh… Surprise. I eh… I took you here to see the stars."

Abby looked at her husband. She could tell there were so many things he wanted to say. All of them which he just didn't seem to be able to say.

She smiled lightly. "It's sweet."

He nodded. "Yeah.. Abs, I love you."

She nodded. "I know." She scooted over to him a little closer, their bodies touching, as she caressed the hairs in the back of his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder as she stared into the black ocean for a while. That man… He was so darn difficult to read.

Ray stared into the darkness as well. He liked the ocean at night. Dark, unpredictable… Just like him.

"Ray.. Why did you bring me here?" Abby turned her head to face him and she could see his eyes glisten in the night. She could feel his hand searching for hers.

"You deserve the world, Abs. I want you to know you're still…. Perfect. My fucking perfect Abby." He reached for her lips and pecked them lightly before holding her tight. "Come, lay with me."

Abby settled between his legs while reaching for the still unopened bottle of champagne. "And you even brought champagne.." She chuckled as she opened the bottle, a loud pop telling her she'd succeeded.

Her anger and uncertainty slowly drifted away as she enjoyed the warmth of her husband and the taste of the champagne. Fuck, she loved him. Even if she didn't want to.

I've been working real hard, trying to get my hands clean.
Tonight we'll drive that dusty road from Monroe to Angeline,
to buy you a gold ring and pretty dress of blue.
Baby just one kiss will get these things for you,
a kiss to seal our fate tonight,
a kiss to prove it all night.

Everybody's got a hunger, a hunger they can't resist.
There's so much that you want, you deserve much more than this.
But if dreams came true, oh, wouldn't that be nice,
but this ain't no dream we're living through tonight.
Girl, you want it, you take it, you pay the price.