A/N: I suck, I know. I have no excuse for this late update. I just hope there are still people out there reading! Please, review :)
July, Tuesday 27th
When Pete got home between lunch and afternoon classes the next day Addison was already there, cleaning away some stuff in the living room. She didn't acknowledge his presence as she continued to tidy.
"Hey." Pete looked at her as he stood in the doorway. She glanced up at him but didn't say anything. He gave a small sigh before he turned and walked into the kitchen. Addison continued cleaning before she turned and walked into the kitchen as well. "You got afternoon classes?" Pete glanced at her.
"Yes." She answered shortly.
"We can go back together." He suggested.
"I'm going to Nae's after."
"Oh, okay."
"Yeah." Addison nodded.
"Will you be long?"
"I don't know." She pulled a glass from the cupboard.
"Okay."
Addison got herself a glass of water before she walked out of the kitchen again. Pete got a bottle of water from the fridge before he walked into the living room after her. She placed her glass on the side before she began to gather some books.
"What's wrong?" Pete gave a sigh as he watched her. "What did I do wrong this time?"
"Nothing." she replied and didn't turn to face him.
"You're barely talking to me."
"So? Do I have to talk to you all the time? Does it state that I have to?"
"Bizzy kept telling me how great you and Archer are." Alba scoffed.
"Yeah, right." Addison scoffed.
"No, but even when you do you're just snapping."
She shrugged and put her books into her bag. "I have to go to school."
"Why won't you just tell me what I did?"
"What does it matter?" Addison looked at him before she picked up her bag.
"What does it matter?" He repeated in disbelief. "I am trying here, Addison."
"Trying? At what? This isn't even a proper marriage."
"So?"
"There's no need to try."
"Why did you go home with me the other day then?" Pete looked at her. "Why didn't you stay with David?"
"Because you carried me home and you punched David out. Why would I want to screw someone who'd just been punched out? Just go to Lisa and have some fun." Addison turned before she left the apartment. Pete just stood there and watched her, not saying anything.
Later that day, Addison walked along holding two take-away cups of coffee. She felt guilty for how she had treated Pete so thought she'd buy him a cup of coffee. It wasn't his fault some girl had a crush on him. She made her way along the hallway in school, walking pass a couple of people as she made her way to were she thought she'd probably meet Pete. Addison turned a corner and caught sight of him sat at a table, except he wasn't alone. Lisa was sitting right next to him, shifting closer on her chair as they talked about something.
Addison stood still as she just watched the two of them. Lisa seemed lost in their conversation and Addison could watch her eyes travelling down to his lips every now and then. Her body tensed at the sight. She didn't like Lisa one bit. Just the thought of them together was driving her insane. The thought of them having sex, her touching him.
Her hands clenched the coffee cups tighter and her jaw clenched. She just wanted to slap Lisa. Pete and Lisa didn't notice Addison watching them though and Lisa leaned even closer to him. Addison felt the anger bubbling inside of her and she was just about ready to walk over to them when she saw Lisa press her lips to Pete's. She had a hand resting on this thigh, the other one slowly moving to his chest as she kissed him.
"The bitch." Addison whispered and felt her eyes sting with tears before she turned and threw the coffee cups into the bin. She made her way out of the school and didn't look back as she left.
Addison sat on the couch just staring ahead of her in the dark when Pete got home that night. He switched the light on the hallway before he closed the door behind him and put his bag on the floor. She just continued to stare ahead of her as he walked into the living room.
"Hey." He glanced at her. Addison didn't reply to him. She didn't even move. Pete looked at her before he walked over to the shelf and put a book for school back in.
"You slept with her, didn't you?" she whispered.
"What?" He turned and looked at her.
"You slept with Lisa, didn't you?" Addison turned her head and her red rimmed eyes were visible to him.
"No...no, I didn't." He shook his head.
"Really?" she whispered. "You two sure looked cosy earlier. Your lips looked very familiar with each other."
Pete sighed as he looked at her. " She kissed me."
"You really pushed her back didn't you?"
"No, I did not."
"Exactly." Addison whispered and looked down at her rings.
"So? I kissed Lisa." He shrugged. "Not a big deal."
"It is to me." She admitted. "I can't do this anymore." Addison slowly looked up at him.
"You nearly slept with someone else twice, Addison, if I hadn't done anything to stop you." Pete looked back at her. "You dance with other guys, you bitch around, treat me like crap without a reason. I kissed another woman. For the first time in six months. You've got to be kidding."
"I just can't. You clearly don't want me. Like Sam said, you're pining for Lisa. We shouldn't fool everyone anymore. We can just say that it didn't work out, we rushed into it."
" I clearly don't want you ?" Pete looked at her in disbelief. "Why do you think I kissed her? You made it very clear that you don't give a damn about this marriage, Addison. More than once."
"There, you admit it, you kissed her!" Addison stood up. "You're married to me but you kissed some floozy. Some floozy who hates geeks."
"And you are married to me! Still you very much enjoyed dancing with other guys right in front of my eyes, Addison!"
"To get your attention!"
"And I kissed her back because I gave up! I gave up putting effort into this marriage because I was the only one who tried to make this work!"
"That is a lie!" she yelled. "I did put effort into this! I was on my way to make it up to you today when I found you sticking your tongue down her throat! You sat there yesterday and flirted with her in front of me, talking about this other girl who has a crush on you."
"It's not my fault they have a crush on me, is it?"
"I was sat right there yet you just forgot about me!"
"I was just talking to her, Addison!"
"You were flirting!"
"I was not!"
"Yes you were! You were sat there flirting with Lisa as you talked about this other girl!"
"She told me something and I listened to her! There was no flirting damn it!"
"Yes there was! What is it? Is it because she's a popular? Do you only like them? Are geeks beneath you?"
"I never said that." Pete shook his head.
"Really? She tells you that a geek likes you and you don't give a damn because she's not what you call pretty. She's the brace face, the bookworm, the frizz, she's the outcast."
"No." Pete looked at her. "I don't give a damn because there's someone else I want to be with."
"Oh of course, you want to be with Lisa because she's a popular."
"Urgh you don't get anything at all do you?"
"Yes I do! I get it quite clearly! I know what guys like you are like."
"I'm glad you know me so well."
"And I know what guys like you do to girls like me." Addison looked at him.
"Girls like you?" Pete looked back at her, "You are rich, you are beautiful and every guy wants to screw you."
"You seriously think I've always looked like this?"
"I told you I don't give a shit!"
"So you're saying that if I was the geek, the one with braces, a lisp, frizzy hair, no figure, that you'd still be happy to be married to me?"
"I'd still want to be with you." Pete looked at her before he glanced down.
"No you wouldn't." Addison shook her head. "Guys like you only want the beautiful girls, the ones they can show off."
"You only go for the hot boys. So are you any better than those guys like me you know so well?"
"I don't go for the hot guys." She looked at him. Pete looked back at her before he shook his head slightly, not saying anything. "I can't do this anymore." Addison held her hands up.
"Okay." He nodded.
"You can go if you want. We don't have to do this anymore."
Pete nodded slightly as he looked at her before he turned and made his way out of the living room in silence. Addison let out a breath before she slumped down onto the couch. She could hear Pete grabbing his jacket and bag before he opened the door and left. Slowly the tears rolled down her cheeks. What had she done?
An hour later Addison was still led curled up on the couch tightly when she heard someone walking up the steps in the stairwell before there was a knock on the door. "It's open." She called out. The door was instantly pushed open before she heard someone walking inside and slamming the door close behind them. Addison gave a sniff and curled up into a tighter ball.
"Addison Adrienne Forbes Montgomery Wilder." Naomi's voice floated into the living room before she walked inside. Addison just looked up at her friend before she started crying. "What the hell were you thinking?" Naomi asked softly as she looked at her friend.
"I love him." Addison sobbed. "I really love him."
"I know." Naomi nodded. "But then why did you do that?"
"He kissed her."
"He mentioned." She nodded again. "But it's not like he has any feelings towards her. You made it seem like you had absolutely no interest in making this relationship actually work."
"But he didn't have to kiss her." Addison looked at her friend through her tears. "I made a mistake, okay?"
"He's gone." Naomi looked back at her. "You made him leave."
"I know, I know." Addison sobbed loudly. Naomi sighed and sat down to hug her friend. "I love him so much."
"I'm not the one you should be telling this."
"How can I tell him? He doesn't love me."
"Of course he does." Naomi looked down at her. "You are so in love with each other."
"Then why did he kiss her?" Addison looked back at her friend.
"He thought you didn't want him."
"But I do." she whispered.
"I know." Naomi sighed and dropped a kiss on her head as she swayed her slightly.
"Why do I screw up so much?" Addison clung to her friend tightly.
"It's not only your fault." Naomi ran her hand up and down her back.
"I told him to leave. What do I do now?"
"You have to get him back."
"I can't." She shook her head. "He won't come back to me now."
Naomi sighed again and looked down at her friend. "We'll figure something out."
"I was happy with him." Addison whispered. "It all felt so perfect."
"You never admitted it. You never showed."
"I know." she whispered sadly. Naomi gave another sigh and just held her friend. "What am I to do? We're meant to be going to that charity event together. Everyone will be there."
"You just go there. I'll be there, Sam will."
"What are we meant to say to people?"
"The truth?"
"That we've split?" Addison looked up at her friend.
"Yeah..." Naomi shrugged slightly. Addison gave a sigh and closed her eyes as another tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh, honey." Naomi sighed and hugged her close.
"Why can't I just keep a guy?" Addison whispered.
"You can Addi, I know you do."
"I find the right guy, I marry him, I fall in love and I just let him walk away."
"You have to fight a little, Addi." Naomi looked at her. "You let him go but it doesn't mean you can't have him back."
Addison nodded slightly and sniffed. "How am I going to get him back?"
"How about you just tell him how you feel?"
"I…I can't." She shook her head. "I just can't."
"But why not?" Naomi looked at her friend.
"I just can't. I'm not ready."
"But you just admitted you love him. Finally. And you refuse to tell the only person that should really know?"
"I just can't yet, Nae."
"Not yet? What are waiting to be ready for? To be happy? Because if you wait any longer he'll be gone for good, Addison."
"And what if he doesn't believe me? What if he laughs in my face and walks away?"
"He won't do that." Naomi shook her head. "I don't believe he'd do that."
"But what if he does?"
"Have you actually ever really paid attention to him? To what he did for you?" Naomi looked at her. "He yelled at you when you were about to go off with another guy, he wouldn't leave your side after you got attacked on the street, he planned this huge birthday party for you and he gave you the most gorgeous necklace I've ever seen, he punched someone out because he was getting too close to you." She started listing. Addison looked at her friend as the tears welled up in her eyes and she started to cry again. Naomi sighed and pulled her close again. "Shhh, Addi."
"I'm such an idiot, Nae." Addison sobbed loudly.
"You can't give up now, Addi." Naomi whispered. "You two are so perfect. You can't give this up."
"What if it's too late? What if I've really screwed it up?"
"He's pissed, right now, but I don't think it's too late."
Addison nodded slightly and wiped at her eyes.
"We'll figure something out." Naomi reassured her.
"Okay." Addison whispered and wiped at her eyes again while she hoped her friend was right.
Once Addison had gotten too tired from all the crying and fell asleep on the couch, Naomi quietly got her phone from her bag and dialled her boyfriend's number.
"Hello?" Sam asked after a few rings.
"Hey, it's me. Is he still there?"
"Yeah, he's in the shower at the moment."
"You have to talk to him, Sam."
"I will once he gets out. He's really miserable."
"So is she." Naomi gave a sigh. "It's...bad, really bad. I've never seen her like this before."
"She told him to go though. She's the one who started this."
"I know, but she's Addi. She's stubborn and she's scared and she made a mistake."
Sam sighed into the phone and leaned back. "I'll talk to him but I don't know if he'll let his heart get broken again."
"But he loves her and she loves him. They can't just give up on this."
"We know that but they don't seem to. He's convinced she doesn't love him."
Naomi sighed ran a hand through her hair. "Why do they have to be so complicated."
"Because they're Pete and Addison." Sam smiled slightly.
"Yeah." Naomi sighed again. "You need to talk to him, Sam."
"I will, don't worry. We'll get things sorted by the charity dinner."
"I hope so."
"They will. Just trust me."
"Okay." She nodded. "I'll stay here a little longer, make sure she's okay."
"Okay. I'll ring you later."
"Okay." She smiled slightly. "I love you."
"And I love you." Sam smiled back. "I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, bye." Naomi hung up her phone before she went back into the living room to check on Addison.