Entry #534044, added on 09-14-07 @ 11:47 pm EDT
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| Chapter Nineteen | Entry #534044 |
Drake climbed into Violet's window as she sat on her bed, admiring the dress and the pearls.
Violet knew he was there. She had heard the window and could now feel Drake watching her, but she was still mad at him for how he had ignored her at the Senior Sizzle. She stood up from her bed and walked to her closet, where she covered the dress in the plastic from the store and hung it up. Then she put her mother's pearls her own jewelry box.
Finally, Violet turned around to face him where he leaned against her window frame. "What?" she asked, sitting on her bed and crossing her legs. "Why are you just standing there?"
Violet would never have been able to describe the expressionless look on his face, as if she should know clearly why he was there.
"Vi," he said, his expression unchanging. "I don't like this whole thing with Christian Brite."
Violet sighed and slumped a little on her bed. "Why? You're so against him. What has he ever done?"
"What has he done?" Drake stood up straight and walked toward the bed, his arms outstretched to punctuate the incredulous tone of his voice. "Prom, Violet? You've known the guy a week, and you're gonna go to prom with him?"
"I've known him since middle school, Drake," Violet argued. "So, have you."
Drake's arms dropped, and he rolled his eyes. "Fine. You've been friends with the guy for a week."
Violet rolled her eyes, supressing a groan. "So?"
"Violet, how many guys, including me, asked you to prom?"
She didn't see how this was relevent, but she answered anyway. "Seven."
"And, to each of those guys you said..."
Violet didn't meet his eyes. She could feel the anger in the room, flowing between them. "No."
"So, why go with Christian?" he demanded.
Violet shrugged. "Because I like him a lot more than any other guy made the offer!" she said, her voice rising in rage at the way he was speaking to her.
But then Drake froze and it was quiet. "Including me?" he asked, finally.
The anger vanished, and Violet stood up quickly. "Drake, I...I didn't...that's not what I meant."
Drake fumbled with the latches of the window, but as Violet approached him, she could tell his hands were shaking enough to make the task near impossible.
Violet put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to look at her. "Drake..."
He spun around, and before she had time to think, his mouth covered hers.
Her heart sped up, but before she could even decide whether or not to kiss him back, the warmth was gone.
His face was still inches from her when she opened her eyes, and she found herself looking at the subtle flakes of green in his brown eyes that she had never noticed before.
"Violet," he whispered. "I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I worry about you. I don't want you to get hurt like you did two years ago. It broke my heart to see you in pain then, and I don't want to see it again."
Violet couldn't seem to take her eyes off his mouth. Had he really just kissed her? Drake?
It didn't matter.
His arms were wrapped around her waist, but she pushed them away and took a step back.
"Drake, I don't need you to protect me. Christian's a good guy." She turned her back on him and crossed her arms. "He won't hurt me." She heard the window slide open, but didn't turn around until she was positive that Drake was gone.
Maggie rushed into the Teacup the next morning. "Hey, Nancy." She hurried to the counter and put her inventory clipboard and bankbag under the glass before rushing around it again.
"Where are you going?" Nancy asked as she watched Maggie head for the door.
"I just came to drop that off. I forgot my purse at home, so I'm going to go back real quick." Just as she reached the door, the bell jingled and she looked up into the face of her husband.
He glanced over her head at Nancy then looked down at Maggie. "Hi," he said, quietly. He held up her black leather purse and handed it to her. "I thought you might need this. You left it sitting on the kitchen table."
She looked down at the purse in surprise then met her husband's eye. "Thank you."
"Sure." He looked like he wanted to say something more, opening his mouth then quickly closing it, but instead he backed out of the doorway. "Have a nice day," he called back to her as the glass door fell closed.
Maggie still stood in front of it, her purse in her hand, blinking incoherently.
"That was nice of him," Nancy muttered from behind her.
Maggie nodded and turned to walk toward the counter. Even something as small as bringing her a purse was terribly shocking to both of them. "He's been doing that a lot lately," she muttered, taking a seat next to Nancy.
"Really?" Nancy sounded surprised. "What else?"
Maggie stared ahead, seemingly in a daze. "Like last night, when I got into bed, he spooned with me. We haven't spooned since Pacey was born."
Nancy let her chin rest in her hand. "Do you think whatever was making him uncomfortable is over?"
Maggie shrugged. "I don't knoe. He's still hesitant, won't kiss me or hug me, but every once in a while..."
"Hmm."
"I know."
"Maybe you should..."
Maggie's head shot up. "What?"
"Well, you know. He's your husband. Why don't you just... jump him."
Maggie sighed and resumed her former position, disappointed that Nancuy hadn't given a valid solution. "It won't work," she grumbled. "I've tried. He just says, 'Not now,' as if there's gonna be a later, when there's not."
"Maggie?"
Maggie tuned to Nancy, who had an eager expression on her face. "Yeah?"
"Do you ever regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"Thomas. Marrying him, getting pregnant, and moving out here."
If Nancy had asked if she regretted anything else in her life, Maggie would have said yes, that there were many things that she regretted, but Thomas and her children were not one of those things.
"Not in the least."
"You don't think that you would have been happier, more successful if you hadn't?"
"More successful? Probably. Happier? No."
Nancy's arms dropped to her sides. "But look at you. You're forty, paying some boy you don't know to date your daughter, fighting with your husband then not getting any from him, and clueless about everything."
Maggie wasn't sure whether to feel hurt or offended, or both. She turned away from Nancy and stood up to head for the supply closet. "You know," she said proudly, holding her head high as she walked. "You're right. I don't have a lot, and my family is having some problems. But that doesn't mean that without that family, I would have been happier than I am now. Because right now, I'm pretty damn happy. I have a gorgeous husband, whom I love, even if he doesn't really love me back, two beautiful children, who are doing well in their lives, and a paying job. As far as I'm concerned, I'm pretty darn lucky."
Then she turned and walked away. |
© Copyright 2007 GryffindorGurl (UN: magicfreak11 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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