The Consequence ✔︎ Blake Griffin

24 ✔︎Worse Before Better II

I dedicate this chapter to all my loyal readers, commenters, and voters! 💜 I've debated stopping this story many times, but you all keep me coming back! 😭🥺🥰 Can't wait to know your thoughts on this chapter! 😅😬

Silverware clinking on plates filled the otherwise silent atmosphere at the kitchen table that evening after both Blake and Jubilee's intense two-hour long sessions with Dr. K. They each had one more individual session left and had gradually begun to steer clearer and clearer of each other the more their consciousness around their situation increased.

"Wow, this salmon is delicious! I've loved having your chef around, Blake, he's got to come around more often when we get back to LA!" Jubilee exclaimed as she gleefully ate, completely oblivious to the way Blake's shoulders slumped at her statement.

Blake put his fork down and wiped his mouth with his napkin before responding, "Ju, I actually prefer when you cook for me."

Jubilee's eyes widened once she heard Blake speak and took in his frustrated demeanor, "I see. I mean, I'm no chef, Blake...Did I miss something? You seem...agitated."

Blake let out a sarcastic chuckle, "Because you're different, Ju. You used to love to cook for me and now the chef cooks for me more than you. We used to sleep together every night and now whenever I wake up you're never in my arms. What is going on? You're the one who left. You're the one who lied. And somehow I'm still here after saving you, and you're still..."

The feelings Blake had finally identified with Dr. K were making their grand entrance, and Blake was stunned that the words were even coming out of his mouth.

"Hurting you? Causing you pain? Disappointing you? I know, Blake. You don't have to say it," Jubilee whispered while trying to keep from breaking down at the words she knew Blake had been holding in for her sake.

"No, I do. I...I need to say this. Baby, I'm so angry...with you. When you chose Trenton as the best way to keep our son safe...," Blake stopped and broke eye contact with Jubilee, his face reddening while he attempted to keep it together to get through what he needed to say, "When you left me after acting like everything was perfectly fine, the message I heard is that I'm not enough. That our relationship, our love is not enough to face whatever you or you and I are challenged with. And that shit fucking hurts, Ju. The night before you left when we made love I knew something was off about you. You were acting so different. And I asked you, I fucking asked you if everything was okay, and you...you had already left me. You made up some bullshit answer, but you had already left me mentally and didn't have the decency, the consideration, the faith to tell me to my face."

Jubilee knew that eventually the most major consequence of her decision to leave would be what it would potentially do to Blake and their relationship, but even with that knowledge and anticipation, she still was unprepared for the verbal blows of hearing her actions through another's eyes. The eyes of the man she loved more than anything. The man she promised to marry and partner with for life. She hated how much she cried these days, but what else was there to do when your boyfriend, who you hurt deeply, finally shares the feelings he's been having in an effort to not hurt you deeply?

"And that's what you do, Jubilee. You cry and I comfort you because I can't stand to see your tears, but what about me? It's clear that you have some demons to work through, but what about me? What about my broken heart? That you keep stomping on every time you let the chef cook for us. Every time you tense up when I try to touch you intimately. Every time I wake up and have to search for you because you're not in bed with me. Every time you cry yourself to sleep as if I can't hear you. You left me, baby, and what hurts even more than that is that you never came back. Your body is here, but your heart isn't. Do you even want this, this...us, do you even want us anymore? I've done everything in my power to put you first, to compromise, and prioritize us instead of me, but I don't feel like you're doing the same. So I'm just getting shitted on every day basically! I didn't earn this, Jubilee. I'm not perfect, but I can't keep doing this if you're going to keep being like this."