Loreleia [LORE-UH-LAY-UH]
meaning: "alluring."
An inspirited night. Loud music and a half full bar with only Rory to man the commotion. Piece of cake. Or at least thats what she thought before a no more than average brown-haired man comes through t...
*tw: sexual assault and domestic abuse* ___________________________
𖧵Dylan𖧵
"DONT WORRY, I should probably let you know why I pulled back though." She twiddles her fingers. I notice and placed my good hand over hers.
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me." I consoled her. "No, It's okay I want to." She says and I rub my thumb over her hands.
Her chest rises and falls deeply and shakily as she starts. "So I Uhm, I used to have this boyfriend, His name was Elliot. I met him my senior year of high school, and he was my first official boyfriend. It was great, we fell in love, and I was on cloud nine." she explains.
My chest tightens, feeling a tinge of jealously, but I don't understand why.
"So as the months went on, I graduated, got accepted to NYU and we moved in together. Shit got pretty serious, and iI had a lot of drama with my parents back then- Even more than now. I got a job at a clothing store, I worked there for a while and I was soon promoted to assistant manager."
she laughs humorlessly and the memory, and I continue rubbing her thumbs in hopes to relax her.
"Sometimes iI would close up the store and it would take a while. I would come home late and he was always mad at me, even if it was 15 minutes later than the time I usually came home. It was like he gave me a curfew, and every time I broke it-" She paused closing her eyes before continuing.
"He would always say I was cheating on him. If I went out with my friends, he would get mad because our 'relationship comes before them.' One night I came home and he, uhm, he was drinking. we were arguing and Uhm, he slapped me. I forgave him because we were in love and it was an accident." My jaw clenches at her words, I felt hurt as she quivered her lip.
"Time went on, and the 'accidents' kept happening, even when he was sober. I thought it was normal, y'know? I'd never had a boyfriend and I just assumed I was in the wrong. I felt numb, like inhuman at this point. Then one day, I came home, late again. He didn't hit me, he just dragged me into the bedroom."
The more she spoke, the more I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill him for what he did, I wanted him to pay for treating someone so terrible.
"He uhm-" she paused, tears welling up in her eyes. "He forced himself on me. I kept saying stop, a-and I tried to push him off me. He kept going, he said I was his girlfriend and if I didn't do it, I didn't love him and he would-, he would toss me on the street like the slut I was. So he did it, he sexually assaulted me."
She quietly sobbed and I quickly held her in my arms, as if nothing else mattered. she hugged me back and her cries got louder.
"Zo-Zoey found out. I told Elliot I was going to work, but in reality, I called in sick. Zoey drove me to the police station to file a report. They asked me all these questions and took pictures of everything. They arrested him and said the apartment was clear for me to get my stuff. I- I couldn't do it. Zoey got people to move my things, I found a cheap apartment, and I quit my job."
"I got the job at the bar and in between classes I would be required to take therapy sessions. They helped. I told my parents about it, They apologized like you would for someone at a funeral, but they didn't even bother to visit me. Life got better, I felt more like myself, and I met you. I'm sorry I pulled away, I bet you are too, but I do Uhm, I do like you like that even if you don't. I just need you to know I can't do it. I can't get hurt and blame myself, again." My heart ached for her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and let her headrest in the crook of my neck.
"I like you too." I said and gave her a soft smile. "like that." I added. she chuckled lightly. and looked up at me. "Even now?" her eyes dug into mine.
I nodded. "Even now. Hell, even more." she shook her head and smiled. "Why? Why do you still like me, after I just told you about how messed up I am?"
I looked at her seriously. "Leia, look at me." I cup her face with my hands. "I like you because you are funny, smart, kind, beautiful, and you see past social statuses. You're not messed up, you're a person who has flaws- hell, everyone has flaws, that makes me like you even more. you are strong and confident and I'm so glad I got drunk that night." I laugh. she grabs my hands on her face and holds them there.
"Really? Do you like me? Like, you full-on, Middle School 'like-like' me?" She smiles as our foreheads touch. "Yeah, Loreleia Blaire Foster, I full-on middle school 'like-like you. You're flawed, I'm flawed. Let's be flawed together."
She stares at me, before looking at my lips and crashing them into mine. Electricity rushed through my body, and my spine shivers as I feel her touch.
I kiss back, melting into it, as I grab the side of her jaw and pull in for more. once we pull back for air, she furrows her brows. "What's wrong? What did I do wrong?" I ask starting to panic. "How did you know my middle name?" She asks. I sigh and chuckled. "Zoey told me." She scoffs. "Of course she did."
"So Uhm, what are we?" she asks. I smile and reply. "We'll see, I haven't even had time to think of the perfect date yet." She laughs. "When you do, get back to me." And with that, We leave the bar and go our separate ways. For now.
☀︎︎᯽☀︎︎᯽☀︎︎
AUTHORS NOTE: If you or anyone you know has experienced SA, please speak up. Many women experience sexual harassment and it's not okay. 81 percent of women and 43 percent of men experience sexual harassment/assault in their lifetime. 1/3 women and 1/10 men have issues with domestic violence and annually 1500 people die from it. If anyone you know or if you have experienced this, please call these hotlines.
National Domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 National Sexual assault hotline: 1-800-656-4673
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