Post by Raya Hope on Nov 3, 2024 6:48:48 GMT -6
She was mad, no that wasn’t really the word for it. She was sad, extremely sad. So sad that she’d drank herself into a stupor and accidentally partook in some laced-typed of jello concoction. For a woman who cared diligently about her diet, it had obviously not agreed with her and she’d spent the better part of the night puking, but for a moment that had distracted her from what had just happened.
Nathan, had saw something at the party and it sent him into a rage, and there wasn’t really much she could do to stop it. She’d tried mind you but the escalation had occurred so quickly and she’d never really seen him like that before. At least, not with her. The way he’d look at Olly, the pure rage in his eyes, it had been the only time she’d ever been nervous about what he might do.
It only hurt more because she felt like she was the cause of it. To see him like that with no way of calming him down and to think that she might have been the reason for it left her wringing with guilt, but in reality she hadn’t done anything wrong.
She’d approached Olly and it didn’t go as planned, and then the next thing she knew, her boyfriend was exploding. It was all just a complete fucking mess.
Had she been feeling better she would’ve already marched her way to his room and set things straight but she didn’t feel like responding in anger was her best move here. He was upset, he was angry, he was hurt . . . Even if it were just a big misunderstanding. His feelings were very much valid.
With messy uncombed hair, flying everywhere; she was dressed in a ratty sweat shirt and leggings, her face red and make up free, her eyes dry from a mixture of crying and her body excreting whatever it had absorbed she still felt like hell and her entire body ached, but she didn’t care she knew this was something she had to do, she had to make this right.
With trepidation she knocked on his door, he already knew she was coming but still she felt that uneasy, nauseating feeling in her stomach again. The same she had before the party, when she felt anxious. She supposed for good reasoning now.
Nathan took his time, purposeful, perhaps a tad cruel. He opened and greeted her without a smile. There he stood in shorts and a singlet.
"Yeah, okay."
He seemed to answer a question only he heard and stepped aside to let her in. She went by and he paused for a moment, remembering her scent, then closed the door. He stayed, she sat, it was quite awkward.
"So?"
He watched her expectantly, arms folding. Would she answer him? Was this just a goodbye? What was her angle here? All things he didn't know.
She paused, looking at him truly, really trying to stare into his eyes. Wanting to gauge what he was feeling, but his face was stone cold as she sat on the bed it was enough to make her insides crumble but she resisted. She was adamant about having not done anything wrong but looking at his face. Maybe she had, maybe she should’ve told him her plan to begin with. Maybe this whole thing could’ve been avoided.
She paused before speaking.
“Alright.” It was a start at least.
“You’re not wrong entirely I was with Olly, momentarily at least.”
She paused before glancing up his way, there was a tiredness on her face that she couldn’t erase.
“But again it’s not what you think. I knew he was going to be there and I waited until he was alone because, well, there’s something that I needed to tell him. Something he needs to know.”
She shot a glance maybe getting to the point faster was a more solid approach, but her feelings had been hurt too.
“And for you to automatically think that it was to be, romantically involved is just. . . Ewww”
She paused scrunching up her nose. To her the thought of that was just lunacy.
He scoffed, not sold. The arms remained folded...almost more folded, somehow.
"I saw you with your back against the wall and him looming over you."
The voice was angry, or upset? Both?
"But fine. You weren't about to tongue wrestle him, so what was it? Huh?"
She crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed.
“Again eww”. She shook her head trying to explain it.
“Alright so I told you the situation with my mom right? How she’s super controlling, how she’s always hiding things. Well a few months ago I found this box, I was looking for photos for dad’s. . .”
She paused realizing she needed to speed it up again. Knowing he was losing patience.
“Anyways I found this box of items. It was all very strange, and inside of it I found a document showing a resignation of rights and responsibilities. I didn’t think much of it until I saw her one night watching wrestling. It’s not exactly our forte but she reacted suddenly to a certain star on the screen. I believe it was his fatal four way match with Ahalya Patel, Tiffany Page, and Andrew Raynes.”
She paused hoping she wouldn’t lose him in the story.
“So it seemed like a long leap but when I asked her what she was doing, she acted funny. So I ended up asking her about a lot of things. It was all so strange. Like she didn’t want me to find out about something. So I asked about the box and she basically yelled at me and told me not to snoop through her things, it only made me inquire more and I learned a little about the company’s history. I learned that a Resignation of Rights and Responsibilities was given to Mother’s who gave up all ties to their babies. It didn't really take long to put two and two together given his backstory.”
She paused again.
“So I did this thing, tested my theory whatever it is those science people call it. I went to 'From the Ashes' and I saw him, I handed him something to wipe his forehead and got a bit of his blood in it.”
She laughed.
“It was kind of gross but I was all CSI and put it in a plastic baggy, and sent it off to a lab for testing. I got the results back a few weeks ago while I was still attending the Joffrey Ballet Academy.”
She stood up now.
“According to the results There is a 99% possibility that we have the same mother. Olly is my brother.”
She stared at him momentarily reading his gaze.
“And what you saw was me approaching him with this information or at least trying to and much like you he flew off the handle at me before I ever had the chance to explain, and then you saw us and well I felt like going after you was the more important thing to do at the time. I will tell him when I get the chance.”
She Stared at him, waiting for his reaction.
"Brother?"
Well. Unexpected, much?
"I..."
Stunned silence. He moved and sat, head in hands. Had he really been so wrong?
"So, you and him...siblings?"
In a way it made him feel better, but in more ways it made him feel worse.
"Shit. I got this all wrong. I thought, I just-"
He sighed, a frustrated sigh.
"Damn it."
She watched as he went almost fetal in his reaction, seemingly shocked she let him have a moment to take it all in, before she moved to kneel in front of him.
“Nathan, baby relax.” She saw the shift from his cold demeanor to complete disbelief almost in a moment.
“You overreacted, yes, but this? This whole thing it’s on me. I told you I would tell you everything and I didn’t . . . I’m sorry.”
She looked to the side for a moment maybe not exactly ready to meet his gaze.
“I told you I had ulterior motives for being here and that you and I were just an incredible something I never expected but I need you to believe me when I say that there is nobody else for me. Like I know we’ve only know each other a few weeks, but. . .”
There were those words there that she couldn’t take back so she didn’t quite say them. Instead she chose another turn of phrase.
“I’m never going to try and hurt you.”
She meant that.
"I fucked it up."
He stood, growled, then sat again. He didn't really know what to do, how to react, what to say.
"I seriously thought you and he. I thought you were going behind my back, I felt so stupid. Now I hear this and I know I got it wrong."
He shook his head, looking at her.
"I...I'm sorry."
Hard to say, but meant.
"I should have trusted you. So what now? Is this goodbye? At least I know now."
She shook her head.
“Goodbye”
She paused
“Goodbye to you being a jerk without talking to me first? Cause otherwise I’m not greeting anyone goodbye”
She let a smile form on her tired face.
“That is if you still want me.”
"Why does everyone..."
He waved his had dismissively.
"Forget it. It's fine for people to get in my face when I was worried about you, but not fine for me to speak up."
Cue a scoff.
"As for you, us, I never didn't want that. I thought you didn't."
She shook her head again.
“Fine. I’ll accept you being a jerk then.”
She teased. Before leaving the area where she was knelt and straddled his lap. Cupping both sides of his face between her hands, his skin warm to the touch.
“But you, me, us?” She garnered a smile in gesture to his previous statement.
“I never want to compromise. I’m not going anywhere.”
She took a moment to kiss his forehead before she laughed.
“I would give you a kiss but I still feel like shit and despite brushing my teeth several times, it still feels like I have vomit breath.”
Romantic really.
"What did you even eat?"
He allowed a small smile.
"This is what happens when I leave you to your own devices, huh?"
He wrapped both arms around her, laying her head to his chest, and stroked through her soft hair.
"I really thought I lost you."
“I don’t remember what I had really, but it was definitely a bad idea.”
She laid there in his arms, resting her head on his chest, this felt perfect, everything felt right.
“Just don’t push me away okay? You don’t have to be fight or flight with me.”
She wanted to tell him to not be like everyone else in her life with all their secrets and standards, but she knew that he wasn’t, in her mind he seemed to have lost quite a bit though she really hadn’t quite unpacked it.
“Trust me.”
She whispered
"Well I didn't fight with you. At least I didn't screw that up."
He frowned for a moment.
"The people in our class want me to though. I see what they said. As soon as I get something good in my life, I've got groupies trying to burn it down."
His fists clenched.
"I only know one answer to disrespect like that. But from now on I'll talk to you first. Okay?"
She nodded.
“You respond however you see fit. I don’t care what they say, not really. I’m used to it I guess.”
There was a slight giggle there, but she felt like she was a smart young woman who could make her own decisions.
“I’m not trying to change you or how you respond to things baby. I want you to be who you came here to be. I told you day one I’ll never be a distraction to your dreams, and they are who is standing in the way. So be it.”
She understood the cut throat world more than she wanted to admit.
“When I say it’s you I want I mean that. Not some altered, romance novel version. The good, the bad, everything in between, just you.”
"You're right."
He kissed the side of her cheek.
"You...are right. If I don't stand up for myself then some bastard will walk over me. At least I don't pretend to be what I'm not. But you, you...always you. You I will protect."
Another kiss, two, three.
"The good, bad and in between. Yours and only yours, always."
There was a smile that crept to her face hearing him say these things. She knew they were true she’d even seen him put it to action already after she’d gotten knocked off the apron into the barricade. She had seen how he went to bat for her more than anyone ever had.
“And I’ve got you too. Don’t ever doubt that. Yeah you won’t need me to powerhouse someone to the ground, but . . .”
She gave a goofy grin then.
“I’m still going to support you where I can. I know things haven’t always been easy for you”
She didn’t really elaborate she just wanted to be clear that she knew somewhere in there he was struggling and she was going to help him through anything.
With things being settled, she nestled her head into his chest. While she still felt weak and sick from whatever trip she’d taken from those concoctions and adding alcohol on top of it, she could only feel her stomach rumble, but she felt safe there. Knowing that everything with him was going to be okay. It was them versus the world, and she knew that. She would stand by it.