We started going for walks in the mornings. I had no idea how Carlisle managed to convince me to leave the house before 7AM, but it might have had something to do with him buying me coffee on the way home each time. The fresh air seemed to calm him down a bit before work, and I liked that it gave us a chance to be together before we both got busy. I'd been working extra hours to try and stockpile a bit of time off for later on, but it meant that I hadn't seen much of him.
It had taken a few days for him to gather up the nerve to send his resignation to the CEO of his company, nervous about what Caius might say, but so far nothing had come of it. He'd had to give three weeks notice before he could leave for good. So far, his boss had behaved - as much as he ever did. I knew that there were still kisses and hands where they shouldn't have been, and that he was still making my boyfriend feel like crap, but Carlisle never said anything to me about it.
Carlisle seemed happier now he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. He slept better and wasn't in so much of a state when he got home each day. It was a start, but he was so sick by now that it was going to take a bit more than a few days rest for him to get better. Not working would be good for him.
As usual, he refused to let me pay for my drink at the coffee stand, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek as he passed it to me. "Ready to go home?" he asked, reaching for my free hand.
I nodded as I took a sip of the sweet liquid. He didn't have to ask what my favourite drink was before he ordered it, which meant a lot to me, and I opted to slip my arm around his waist instead of linking our fingers together. It didn't escape my notice that he wouldn't drink anything other than water. "Two more weeks, Carlisle," I murmured as he leaned his head against my shoulder. "And then you're away from him forever."
"I can't wait," he groaned, his voice muffled by my sweatshirt. "He's so damn weird; he knows I'm leaving - I think, anyway - but he never yelled at me about it, and he's been so sickly sweet, it's disgusting; I know he must be angry with me."
"At least he's not hurting you." I rubbed his side and squeezed him gently as we reached our apartment steps again.
He nodded slowly as we got into the elevator. "Yeah. Shower with me?" A shy smile tugged at the edge of his lips, and a flush of warmth washed through my body.
"We'll be late for work," I warned, pushing him up against the wall and leaning down to kiss him. It was a miracle that I didn't drop my cup, really. I forced myself to be slow with him, fearing seeing any worry or hesitation on his face.
He just laughed and wrapped his arms around my neck. "It's just a shower, Garrett, we'll manage."
.
.
I felt great for the rest of the morning. To the point that I walked into my office with a smile on my face. Riley grinned and looked me up and down as I came in the door. We'd spent a fair amount of time together recently, and I liked him a lot; he was the first real friend I'd made for myself that wasn't my boyfriend. I ignored him, and went to my desk, only for him to follow me.
"Carlisle's feeling better, then," he commented, trying to be casual but struggling not to giggle.
"He's quitting his job," I told him. My hope that it might distract him enough to get off the topic was quickly verified, as he flopped into the chair next to me.
"His boss, right?" he frowned. He had a vague idea of what had been happening, though I knew Carlisle would kill me for telling him.
"Yeah, he's done there in a few weeks. Thank god; I'm not sure how much longer I can go without wringing that assholes neck," I grumbled under my breath.
Riley squeezed my arm, shaking his head. "Don't say that, Garrett, just leave it."
"I know," I groaned, rubbing my face. "He just makes me so angry; it's killing me that someone can do that without any consequences - especially to Carlisle."
Silent, he thought for a moment. "Then why doesn't Carlisle press charges? He'd win the case, surely."
It was a conversation I'd had over and over again with him, but my boyfriend wouldn't budge on it. "He's too nervous, I think," I sighed. "And he doesn't want to draw it out any longer than it has to be; he just wants it to be over."
He forced a smile. "Do you two want to come over for dinner, when he's feeling better? Like a double date with Victoria and I? She wants to meet you guys." Victoria was his girlfriend, and I found myself nodding against my better judgement.
"I'll...I'll talk to Carlisle about it," I promised. My anxiety must have shown, because he nudged me.
"If not dinner, maybe coffee?" he suggested. "I know you are up to that, seeming as you go on little dates every morning."
I let him laugh at his own joke for a while, trying to bite back my own smile, before nudging the wheels on his chair with my toes so that he rolled backwards away from me. "Exercise before breakfast is supposed to be good, isn't it?"
"I'm sure Carlisle got some vigorous cardio this morning," he laughed, unable to help himself. Unfortunately, it was then that he lost it completely, giggling until he couldn't speak.
I was laughing by default at his red cheeks and inability to breathe. "If you don't shush, I'll roll you out the window," I threatened through gasps for breath.
"It's his birthday soon, isn't it? You were whining that you didn't know what to get him, maybe you should-"
"Shh," I pleaded. "Don't say whatever you're about to in an office full of people." My face was hot, and I fought to calm down while everyone settled around us. 9AM was fast approaching, and Riley slunk off to his desk and left me at peace to stifle my laughter. The woman next to me rolled her eyes as she sat down, but it didn't affect my good mood.
.
.
I texted Carlisle on and off throughout the morning, but he only replied periodically anyway. Seeming as Caius was being semi-reasonable, I didn't worry quite so much. The bastard should have been fearing for his job by now; if he put a hand on him, it was only going to take a word to his superior to land him in hot water.
That was enough for me to be confident enough to stroll up to their office at lunch time. I knew for a fact that Carlisle hadn't taken food with him this morning, and I hoped bringing it to him might encourage him to eat - especially if I was supervising. I sent him a text to tell him I was coming, but I never got a response.
I was smiling again as I climbed their front steps, looking forward to seeing him. Never having to come into this building would be a good feeling. I wasn't about to climb thirteen bloody flights of stairs, so I headed straight to the elevator, briefly smiling at the office clerk. He rolled narrowed his eyes at me.
The doors binged open on the right level, and I wandered down the hallway. I'd only been up here a few times, but it was familiar enough for me to know the lay out of the offices, and I quickly found my way to Carlisle's desk.
He jumped as I dropped the bag of food in front of him, immediately smiling as he glanced up at me. The way his face lit up when he saw me made my heart flutter like it did when we first met.
"Have you had your lunch break yet?" I asked.
Catching hold of my shirt, he pulled me down to gently kiss me. "No, I was just about to. Want to go now?" He smiled hopefully. "I'll just tell-"
"Carlisle!" The voice was loud enough to make me jump, and my boyfriend recoiled in his seat, scrambling to get to his feet.
"I-I'm going to go on my break now," he told him, swallowing thickly. Stepping around me, he edged closer as to not be yelled at in front of everyone. It was a bad move; Caius grabbed his arm, his fingers digging hard into his shoulder as he dragged him toward his office.
I didn't know what to do. Part of me thought that he would just scold him and let him go, but the force that he used against him clearly indicated that he wasn't about to. I pushed my way into the office before he could lock the door. It wasn't until I saw the jealousy in his eyes, that I realised that this was all my fault.
"You aren't having this; what did I tell you about eating at work?" he growled, snatching the bag out of his hands and tossing it into a trash can. "You do what I say, when I tell you to, are you too stupid to understand that?" As he screamed in his face, Carlisle cringed back, clearly shocked at the sudden turn of events. His fingernails were so deeply in his arm, there was no way it wasn't going to bruise.
"Caius, you're hurting me…" He pulled at his hand, trying to ease the pressure. It seemed like a conversation they'd had before, perhaps one that had worked in Carlisle's favor, but this time it only spurred him on.
"You should have listened, and then I wouldn't have to-"
"Leave him alone." I shoved him back before I realised what I was doing, breaking his hold on my boyfriend and pushing Carlisle back a few feet. He held onto my hand, getting nervous.
The brute of a man frowned angrily, rolling his eyes. "You're the partner, then?" he growled. His glare seemed to pierce right through me, and his sour breath washed over my face as he attempted to loom over me. We were very similar heights, and it was wasn't working in his favour at all; he couldn't push me around as much as he could Carlisle. Everything about the guy was defensive, and I was fairly certain he would have decked me if we weren't in such a public place.
Carlisle panicked as soon as his boss stepped closer to me. Somehow, he'd managed to hide his fear until now, but it bubbled over suddenly. "Stop it- stop, Caius," he pleaded, wrapping himself around one of my arms and trying to tug me back.
His eyes zeroed in on his face. "You love him?"
Trembling beside me, his hands tightened. "...It doesn't matter…"
"You love him, but you won't love me? What does he have that I don't?" he snapped.
He didn't answer, watching the floor so he didn't have to make eye contact. "Can I go now?" he asked eventually.
"Are you going to kiss me goodbye, like you normally do, or are you too shy in front of your boyfriend?" he teased, clearly pissed.
There was a tight pause between them, while Caius and I stared each other down. I was well aware that I wasn't intimidating in the slightest, but I was mad enough not to care. "He doesn't have to," I snapped at him.
"He will, though," he grinned. It was menacing, and he was looking over my shoulder now. "Won't you, Carlisle?"
After an uncomfortable silence, Carlisle gave in, stepping between me and him and quickly pressing a kiss to his cheek. Caius turned his face so their lips met, grabbing him roughly and groping him through his jeans. "Get out. And don't go bringing your guard dog in here again; there will be consequences if it happens again," he told him dismissively. "I don't want to see you for the rest of the day."
"If that's a threat, then-" I started, only to be cut off by Carlisle snatching my sleeve and pulling me away.
"Let's just go," he mumbled.
"Carlisle," I protested, trying to pull back. "He can't just do that to you whenever he damn well pleases-"
"It doesn't matter; I'm out of there in two weeks. When are you supposed to be back at your office?" Thankfully, he didn't seem to blame me, tightly holding my hand instead.
I squeezed his fingers. "In a few minutes. Are you alright?" Stopping once we were outside, I held his wrist, pushing up his sleeve. Sure enough, that man's talons had left an inflamed handprint on his arm. All I could do was hug him.
"Yeah, I'm okay." He walked with me to my building, despite it being in the opposite direction of home.
"Don't cook dinner, we can get takeaways. Please just go home and sleep," I pleaded, kissing him quickly. "I'll give you my keys, and you can-"
"It's fine, Garrett, a walk will be nice," he interrupted. His fingers were soft as he pulled my jacket closer around me, but his hands still shook.
We'd been for a walk already this morning, but I didn't remind him.
.
.
I bought a couple of pizzas on the way home, hoping that what Caius had said this afternoon hadn't been enough to make Carlisle want to punish himself. The shower was running when I unlocked our front door, but his phone was vibrating insistently against the table top. Out of curiosity, I glanced down at it as I set the pizza boxes next to it.
I wished I hadn't; I saw red as his boss's name flashed up on the screen. Unable to stop myself, I opened the text, my hands shaking with rage as I saw what Caius had sent him.
I was beyond furious, scrolling through weeks worth of absolute filth. Sometimes, the texts were sweet, just casual 'good mornings' and nonsense, but the rest of them were far too graphic to be anywhere near okay. Fuck, I would have been uncomfortable receiving them even if they were from someone that I loved, but to have them from someone you feared was horrific. Carlisle hardly replied to any of them.
As the water shut off, I was forced to set it down, not wanting to be caught invading his privacy like that; I knew he'd be mad at me. The phone went off again as I went back to the bench, and I gritted my teeth.
He wandered back into the kitchen a few moments later, wet hair and ready for bed, and briefly glanced at the lit up screen. Somehow, he found it within himself not to smash the damn thing, and calmly swiped the text away instead. So the bastard rang him.
That made him panic. He quickly rejected the call, only for it to go off in his hand again. Visibly conflicted, he eventually gave in and answer it. His hands shook the whole time, and he moved away from me so that I couldn't overhear anything.
It didn't make me any less angry, and I was battling the urge not to snatch it off him. Answering it in the first place seemed so insane to me, I couldn't figure out why he'd done it. "Caius?" I asked bluntly, ten minutes later when he'd managed to hang up.
"Y-yeah…" he mumbled shakily, avoiding eye contact.
"Why the fuck did you answer it?" I snapped.
"Because I don't want to be yelled at in front of the office tomorrow morning," he snapped back.
"What'd he want?" It didn't console me at all. Although I was mostly concerned, part of me was mad at Carlisle for being stupid enough to pick up when he didn't have to.
"I don't know-"
"You just spoke to him!"
"I don't know, Garrett! To make me feel like crap in my own home? To make you pissed off at me? Maybe he just wanted to jerk off, how the fuck should I know," he yelled back, suddenly defensive.
"I'm not pissed off with you; it's him that I'm-"
"I'm the one you're shouting at!" It hung heavy in the air for a few seconds, and all the anger slowly seeped out of my body as his eyes welled with tears.
"Carlisle…" I reached for him, but he shrunk back, shying away.
"I'm going to bed," he mumbled.
"Come have dinner," I argued meekly. Regret crashed over me; this whole afternoon had been a mistake.
"I don't want it," he said abruptly. "You heard Caius, anyway."
"Stop it," I warned. Having him yell at me was a new experience, but I'd started it, so I wasn't sure how to reprimand him. "I'm not upset with you, so don't snap at me. I didn't mean to raise my voice, sorry."
"I'm going to bed." This time, it was final, and he stalked away from me. Our bedroom door closed loudly - not quite a slam, but enough for me to know I wasn't welcome.
I groaned and sat at the table, leaning my head against my hand. The pizza was slightly cold now, but was I pulled a slice out of the box anyway; it was better than sulking about Carlisle. After I'd finished my food, I stalked over to the couch. I was pretty sure I'd only get snapped at if I went anywhere near him for the next while, so I grabbed a spare blanket out of the hallway cupboard and lay on the couch. The TV provided a bit of a distraction, at least.
.
.
I woke up again just after 1AM. It was late enough that infomercials played over and over again, and I jabbed at the TV remote until it switched the screen off. The weather still wasn't nice enough for the single blanket to provide enough warmth, and I rolled off the couch; even if he was still awake, going to bed couldn't be more uncomfortable than lying on the sofa any longer.
The door squeaked as I pushed it open, and I winced. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pulled my shirt over my head, wanting to be comfortable. Carlisle shifted as the mattress dipped under my weight. I ignored it.
"...Garrett...? I'm really sorry...can I hug you…?" he asked softly, almost shy.
I smiled out of relief. "Yeah, come here." Lying back, I locked my arms around him, the tension leaving my body as he moulded himself around me. "Two weeks, Carlisle."
"...two weeks…" he mumbled.