The Lady Next Door - A Sequel to "The Man Next Door"

Chapter 11: Confrontation

Something rested across Patrick's stomach when he woke up that morning, eyes pointed to the sun-lit ceiling. The night before he remembered putting Vera to sleep in his bed, and afterward crashing on the couch as he wasn't sure if she was still angry with him.

He looked over the shoulder after he had recognized that it was time for him to get up for work, and to his surprise, he saw Vera sound asleep beside him, she had squeezed herself in between the couch and into his side, and was now sleeping calmly with her arm sprawled around him, her head relaxed on his bare chest.

"Vera?" he tries to wake her immediately, watching as she rose from her little corner. His side grew cold as she stood up on her knees, he suddenly missed the feeling of her sleeping snug against him, so instinctively he took her hand and gently led her back down, "hey." He said softly with a smile, tucking a string of her hair behind an ear, "how are you feeling?"

"I have a headache," she tells him, looking around the bright room, the luxurious look and comfy feel that the room had left her admiring it more, it had looked a lot better in the morning than during the night as the golden sun was now coating the entire room in warmth, "how'd I get here?"

He looks at her puzzled, "you came to me last night after what you called a 'girls night'," he says to her, hesitantly backing up from her and propping himself up on his arms, "aren't you supposed to be angry with me?" Patrick tells her in a hurt tone, afraid of what she will do next after jogging her memory about their fallout.

"Oh," Vera suddenly looked up at him, noticing how his crystal-like blue eyes searched her face, desperate for answers, "I know you didn't cheat on me, I'm sorry."

"You suddenly think I'm not lying anymore?" He tells her sternly, lifting himself off the couch, "I was trying to tell you what had happened and you wouldn't listen. You were alone in New York with a guy that I hardly even knew and I was worried sick."

"Patrick," Vera looks at him, eyes cold as she stands before him, "you could've told me about Maria. I didn't know she was working with you," she mutters, "how was I supposed to know?" She yells, watching him turn away and dig through his small closet, swiping through the different shirts before finally picking one out and tugging it off the hanger.

"I have to get to work," Patrick tells her with his head down, not making a single sound as he gets himself dressed, stopping before the door and looking over his shoulder before making his way out, "look... I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her, I thought it would just worry you." He finally says before stomping out the door, pushing it closed.

Without hesitation, Vera jumps after Patrick, making it out the door just in time to see him turn a corner. She soon makes it to him and latches her hands onto his shoulders, turning him around so that she can look him in the eye.

He smiles at her weakly with his face written in guilt, and after a minute of standing there he gives in, hugging her tight, "I shouldn't have yelled like that, I'm sorry," Patrick whispers, burying himself into the crook of her neck, backing them both up into a wall, "I'm sorry for everything, I was going to tell you about Maria I swear," he promises, kissing her head.

Vera threads a gentle hand through his hair as she leans her face into his shoulder, leaving a kiss there, "and I should have let you know I was okay, I should have let you talk to me," she tells him, pulling back to meet his sad, sensitive eyes.

After a minute of relaxing in each other arms, he eventually pulls back from her comforting hold, gripping gently onto her upper arms as he begins to talk, "I really do have to get to work though," he laughs, observing as Vera brings a hand up to the side of his head, stroking his brown hair.

"Okay," she chuckles, "we'll talk later."

"Sounds good," Patrick says with a grin, walking in the direction opposite of where she was still standing, "I'll call."

-

Patrick arrives at work with a smile, something he hasn't done ever since he arrived in New York. He strolls through the studio, slipping past all his coworkers as they all turned to greet him.

"You seem pretty happy," Sawyer tells him as they sit at a table together. Patrick picks his head up to catch Sawyer suddenly leaning in closer, "you get laid or what?" Sawyer asks in secrecy, taking a playful punch from Patrick in the shoulder and laughing. "No but seriously," Sawyer says, "this is the first time anyone here has seen you smile."

"It's nothing Sawyer," Patrick says, directing his attention back onto the blueprint, "Vera came back to me drunk last night, and I think my problem just solved itself somehow." He shrugs.

"That's odd," Sawyer chuckles, "she didn't tell you anything about it?"

Patrick looks up at him again, "she said that she'll talk about it tonight," he says, revealing a white smile, "It's great. Everything just sort of fell into place."

Sawyer takes a look around, and then suddenly inches closer to Patrick once again, "so what the hell are you going to do about Ma-"

"Hey boys," Maria interrupts them, joyfully helping herself to the seat that sat next to Patrick, "so we're finally seeing that site tomorrow... and I was wondering if you both would like to come to the bar with us tonight just to, you know, to spend our last day in New York City the right way." She sets her green eyes on Patrick, listening to his answer.

Patrick immediately speaks up, "yeah no thanks, Maria." He turns to her with an angered stare, "I think I'd rather spend the rest of the day with my Vera."

Maria tilts her head at him, giving him a furious look, "what do you mean?" She laughs, placing a hand on his shoulder only for him to pull back, get up, and walk away.

Sawyer watches Patrick walk off and storm into the bathroom, "you know him and Vera are pretty tight," Sawyer tells her as he stands up to go after him, making her face his way, "not even a clever bitch like you can break them up."