Karaoke Chapter 7: Undisclosed desires, a wrestling fanfic

Roman walked straight to Mark in the bar the next night.

"She's not here?" He asked.
"She is. She's in the bathroom. She's also drunk and mad so be careful," Mark answered.
"I did something wrong last night, didn't I?" Roman asked.
"You did," Mark answered.
"What did I do? I have no clue. One minute everything is hot and heavy, next minute she's crying and storming out," Roman said.
"You held her down," Mark said.
"She seemed to like it," Roman said.
"She did at first and then she tried telling you to stop but you didn't hear her so she just mentally blocked out," Mark said.
"Shit, she did? I didn't hear her. I really fucked up, didn't I?" Roman said.
"To be fair, she didn't speak up so you had no way of knowing. As you already know, she's not too good at using her words," Mark said.

"Just great," she muttered to herself as she came back and saw Roman.
"Zola..." He started as he saw her.

She walked over to the bar and grabbed her half emptied drink that she had left before going to the bathroom.

"Zola, I'm sorry. Mark just told me..." He said but she cut him off.
"Mark needs to shut up," she said.
"Stop it! Stop being such a bitch and talk to him," Mark said, feeling a bit angry.
"Alright, you wanna talk? Let's talk!" She said and turned her attention away from Mark and towards Roman.

He reached for her hand but she moved it away.

"Don't touch me ever again! You and I were a mistake. It was fun while it lasted but that's it. I don't find it funny anymore. There, wasn't that a great talk?" She said and looked back at Mark again.

Mark just shook his head and sighed.

"I swear that sometimes..." He started but stopped himself.

She emptied her drink and pushed the glass towards Mark.

"Another," she said.
"I think you've had enough," Mark said.
"Fuck you," she said.
"Calm down, Zola," Roman said and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She pushed his hand away.

"I told you don't ever fucking touch me again!" She yelled.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Yeah, now you're sorry. Now that you've gotten what you want. Just stay the fuck away from me," she said.
"No, I won't," he said firmly.

She rolled her eyes and walked to the edge of the bar to stand alone.

"I'm sorry, man. When she's in that mood, there's really not much I can do," Mark said.
"You don't need to apologize. Hand me that," Roman said and pointed towards the folder with the list of songs.

Mark handed it to him.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.
"I'm gonna try and communicate with her the only way that seems to get through to her," Roman answered while looking through the songs.
"You might be more clever than I gave you credit for. Smart move," Mark said.

Roman stopped as he finally found the right song. He showed it to Mark who instantly started smiling.

"I'll put it on right away," Mark said.

Roman walked to the stage and stood in front of the microphone. She looked up at him, confused to see him up there.

I know you've suffered
But I don't want you to hide
It's cold and loveless
I won't let you be denied

Mark walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Soothing
I'll make you feel pure
Trust me
You can be sure

"Give him a chance," Mark whispered.

She didn't answer. She just kept looking at Roman who had his gaze firmly planted on her.

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

"I'm scared," she whispered.
"I know," Mark said.

You trick your lovers
That you're wicked and divine
You may be a sinner
But your innocence is mine

She felt the tears sting in her eyes. She tried her best to keep them from not falling. She didn't wanna show her weakness.

Please me
Show me how it's done
Tease me
You are the one

"I don't think I can do this," she said.

Mark gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"I know you can," he said.

"No, I can't," she said.

Her tears started falling and she hurried out of the bar. She stopped outside and just let her tears flow free. Roman left the stage and went after her. As he saw her standing there crying, he didn't care about her not wanting him to touch her. He went straight to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Of all the places in this town, why did you have to walk into this bar?" She cried down in his shirt.

He didn't answer. He just let her cry while gently stroking her hair. As she finally stopped crying, she pushed her way out of his arms again.

"I'm so sorry for last night," he said.
"Save it. I don't wanna hear it," she said.
"But I am. I had no idea I was hurting you. I didn't mean to," he said.
"It doesn't matter now," she said.
"It matters to me," he said.

She didn't say anything so he continued.

"Look, I gotta go away for work for a couple of days but I'd like to know that you'll be here when I come back. And I am coming back, whether or not you like it," he said.

She sighed. He reached out to touch her but she took a step backwards.

"I'm no good for you," she said.
"How about letting me make that decision?" He asked.
"There are too many demons in my past to get rid off," she said.

She turned around and started walking away.

"Please don't go," he said.

She stopped and sighed, then turned around and looked at him with cold eyes.

"I'm a cocaine whore. You don't need that in your life," she said, then turned around and walked away.

Roman went back in to Mark.

"What happened?" Mark asked.
"She just told me she's a cocaine whore," Roman answered.

Mark sighed.

"Of course she did. Typical her to turn it around like that. No, she's not a cocaine whore. Not in the way that we understand that word but that's probably how she sees herself in her own mind," Mark said.

Roman looked at him confused.

"I know I'm not suppose to be the one to tell you but she's obviously not gonna do it herself and I can't take it anymore. I tell you what. Go to the back and put on some coffee. I'll close up the bar meanwhile," Mark said.

Roman just nodded and went to the back. Mark came out in the back a little later just as Roman was pouring coffee in two mugs. He handed one to Mark who took it and sat down.

"I've known Zola my whole life and we've always been friends," Mark said.
"She already told me that," Roman said.
"I was away for five years. I worked in Bulgaria. You know, being young and wanting to party all the time," Mark said.

Roman nodded.

"It was during my time away that she met Daniel," Mark said.
"Daniel?" Roman asked.
"A real psychopath. You know the type. He got under her skin really fast, always complementing her and buying her gifts, making her feel so special. She moved in fast with him and shortly after he started changing," Mark said.
"Oh boy..." Roman said.
"Yeah. It started out small. Telling her she wasn't good enough, that she had to make things different, that she had to change. He tore down her confidence until she was only a shell of the woman that I used to know before leaving," Mark said.
"Poor girl," Roman said.
"Oh, it gets way worse. Once he had broken her down, he started beating her," Mark said.
"Why didn't she leave him?" Roman asked.
"She was afraid. He had done his job good and she was afraid that he might kill her if she tried to leave," Mark said.
"That's messed up," Roman said.
"I know that. Anyway, Daniel was hooked on cocaine. As you know, that's an expensive drug and he couldn't afford it. His solution was to sell her to whoever would give him either drugs or money," Mark said.
"Oh my god!" Roman blurted out.

Mark took a short break and poured more coffee in their mugs. Roman noticed a tear run down his cheek.

"You really love her, don't you?" Roman asked.
"Yeah, she's my best friend. I just get so sad every time I think about what that creep put her through," Mark answered and wiped away the tear.
"So how did she get away from him?" Roman asked.
"My uncle died and left me this bar so I came home. I had no idea things were as they were. During my time away we only had little contact via e-mails and she never told me what was going on. I found her as a complete mess. She was skin and bones and scared of everything," Mark answered.
"So what did you do?" Roman asked.
"I packed her clothes in a bag and forced her with me. She stayed in my bedroom for days and just cried while I slept on the couch," Mark answered.
"How did Daniel take it?" Roman asked.
"He met my fist a couple of times," Mark answered.
"Really?" Roman asked.
"Hey, I might be gay but look at my muscles. That Daniel guy never had a chance," Mark said.
"Thank you," Roman said and chuckled a little.
"My pleasure," Mark said.

They sat a bit in silence until Roman took the word again.

"So those demons from her past, she talked about. They aren't demons? They're men?" He asked.
"Lots and lots of them. She was with Daniel for three years. Of course the abuse didn't start right away but it did go on for a long time. She doesn't have a clue how many men she was forced to sleep with," Mark answered.
"So me holding her down..." Roman started but couldn't finish his own sentence.
"Yes, it reminded her of that. All those times she was forced to do it. That's why she needs to be in control so bad. She has gone from one sick thing to another. She needs to see men under her and know that she's the one controlling everything, that she's the one who has chosen to let it happen. She doesn't care about sex. Well, at least she didn't until she met you," Mark said.
"What does that mean?" Roman asked.
"That means you're special, big boy," Mark said and chuckled.

They finished their coffee.

"I need to go away for a couple of days but I will be back," Roman said.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Roman. Remember when I told you she would break your heart?" Mark asked.

Roman nodded.

"She will do everything in her power to do that while you're away. Trust me, I know her and her destructive path. She'll try getting with different guys while you're away to convince you and herself that there's nothing left between you, and I can't stop her," Mark said.
"Can you at least make sure she's safe?" He asked.
"I can do my best. Look Roman, I know she's far from anyone's dream as a girlfriend but I promise you she's worth it deep down if you can over the pain and heartbreak she'll bring along the way," Mark said.

Roman grabbed Mark's phone from the table.

"I'm gonna put my number in here. Call me if it's needed. I might not be able to be here in person but I'm only a phonecall away," he said.