let me down slowly - wilbur soot

chapter 52 - lavender

tw // emotional manipulation

after aubrey puts the moon ring on her left middle finger, we browse the shops some more.

the day is shaping out to be so perfect. i'm convinced that there's nothing that can ruin it.

the two of us look around for a few minutes at the clothes tent, then decide to move on.

we start to pass by the flower tents, when a boy about a year younger than me starts staring at aubrey. he has shaggy blonde hair and golden brown eyes. he's tall, but not taller than me. maybe around six feet.

when aubrey sees him, she freezes and can't move. she looks around frantically, then starts staring at me.

"let's go," she says quickly. "please. right now."

"are you okay?" i ask as we turn around.

"i'll tell you in the-"

"leaving so soon?" a brittle voice from behind us asks.

"shit," i hear aubrey mutter as she squeezes her eyes shut.

i turn around and see the same blonde person walking towards us.

"it's been a while, aubrey, how have you been?" he asks. "is this your new boyfriend? what happened to the short dark haired guy?"

"i'll ask you nicely one time. please leave me alone," aubrey says quickly.

"come on, at least turn around when you're talking to me. you're just being rude."

"sorry, who are you?" i ask as i walk slightly in front of aubrey. "don't think we've ever met."

"i'm carter," the blonde says. "her boyfriend."

"EX-boyfriend," aubrey says angrily as she turns around to face him. "you forgot the EX."

"oh come on..." carter frowns.

"don't say that! don't act innocent!"

"babe..." carter reaches to his left and picks up a flower from the shop, then extends it out to aubrey. "come on. accept this as an apology. please?" carter looks up at aubrey with baby doll eyes, but aubrey pushes his hand away.

"i'm allergic to lavender," aubrey says angrily. "but you wouldn't know because you never cared to ask."

"also, you didn't pay for that, mate," i add.

"was i talking to you?" carter asks me with an annoyed tone.

my lips form into a straight line and i roll my eyes. carter's expression turns back into a sweet one as he looks at aubrey.

"come on, baby. i was so sad when you left me. i was so sad when i found out that you didn't love me. it hurt so badly..." he clutches his heart. "you made me so heartbroken. but i'm willing to forget. so please, my love..."

he reaches his hands out and grabs aubrey's arms, pulling her towards him. she pulls back.

"i'll scream if you touch me again," aubrey warns.

"i'll punch you in the nose if you touch her again," i include.

"will you mind your own business?" carter yells at me. "can i not have a conversation with my girlfriend in peace?"

"EX-GIRLFRIEND!" aubrey screams at him. "you're such an asshole! you always have been! you tried to pressure me to do things i didn't want to do, and sometimes i caved! you tormented me every day, called me names, said i was an awful girlfriend, and i was too weak to leave! and then when i finally left, you find me three years later and try to manipulate me AGAIN!" aubrey clenches her fist as her voice raises. "but i'm not the weak teenager i was when you met me! you can't manipulate me anymore! so just leave the two of us alone!"

carter furrows his eyebrows together and frowns. his amber eyes go soft, but there's clearly malicious intent behind them.

"why would you say those things? that hurt me..." without warning, he reaches his hands out and grabs aubrey's face, bringing his face dangerously close to hers. i push carter's shoulder and knock him off aubrey, then grab aubrey's hand.

"didn't she say not to touch her?" i ask, my voice raising unintentionally.

"what the hell, man?" carter tries to push me, but his weak arms don't do any damage.

"let's go," i whisper to aubrey. she nods, her entire body shaking, and we leave.

once we get into the car, aubrey starts crying. sobbing, actually.

"aubrey!" i say as i open my glove compartment at a red light and hand her a box of tissues. "what's going on? who was that guy?"

"sorry..." she says through chokes of sobs. "i didn't think he would be here... i thought the stalking finally stopped..."

"stalking?!"

aubrey nods as she wipes under her eyes with a tissue.

"how the hell..."

"he had my location somehow. like on some app. i don't know how he did it. i had to get a whole new phone and wipe all of my data to stop him."

i can't answer. i don't know how to. i just sit in the driver's seat with my mouth hanging open, debating on whether or not i should turn the car around and knock the kid out or not.

"that's not okay," i finally say. "not at all. you mentioned ex-boyfriend?"

"mhm. i started dating him when i was eighteen, and our relationship lasted a couple of years. and leaving him was so difficult. even though he was awful to me."

"can i ask..."

"you pretty much already know from my screaming fight with him just now, but he was emotionally manipulative, told me he was the only person that was capable of loving me. said that he felt like i didn't love him because i didn't want to 'do the deed' with him. he told me i was his. i belonged to him. said i could never leave him. he justified having my location as a way of protecting me and keeping me safe. he pressured me to go to parties with him, to kiss him, to go on dates with him..." aubrey sighs as her crying slows down. "and i couldn't leave because i had believed it when he said no one else would ever love me. because i was eighteen years old when i kissed him, and that was my first kiss. he was my fist boyfriend, my first 'love.' so i didn't think there would be anyone else after him. i couldn't break up with him, even though i cried myself to sleep every night because of him."

my face is blank. without emotion.

aubrey lily allen.

this is what you've been hiding this whole time. 

(A/N 52 chapters in and aubrey's backstory has finally been revealed... :( what do you guys think? is this what you expected? it hurts me so much to put her through pain but it's character development i swear </3 anyway! thank you very much for reading! i hope you enjoyed! i would really appreciate it if you could vote, comment, share, and add this to your reading lists!!! i love you endlessly and i hope you have a lovely day <333)