What About Us? - Book 1

Chapter Twelve

I pressed my face up against the door, the flesh of the wood overwhelmingly cold.
I listened with a pounding heart.
"Willow?"
The crying appeared to stop.
"Are you okay?"
More silence.
What the hell should I do?
Suddenly the door unlocks and there stands a mascara masked Willow. She doesn't quite meet my eyes as she chokes out the words over the reckless sobs.
"I did something...bad."

"It's lovely seeing you again." Amelia smiles as she arrives at the table; dimpled cheeks and gleaming teeth.
She's sweet.
A bit too sweet for my tea though...
"You too."
I fake the grin and she appears to believe it as she begins chatting away. My mind is full though.
It's swarming with poisoned thoughts.
My chest is boiling like a worm kettle that has been switched on and off too many times.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes. Of course."
She leaning forward however. Grasping my hand, her eyebrows furrow.
I feel my heart wrench at her concern.
I must have appeared angrily though because she loosens her grip and slowly pulls away.
"S-Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I'm not myself. In all honesty, I'm not sure how to be myself anymore."
I feel emotion seep through my veins. You're pathetic. Stop trying to get sympathy!
I'm not. I just-
"You like her."
"What?"
"Willow," Amelia says confidently. "You're too good for her."
I open my lips to argue but for once I actually agree.
"I keep...running after her." I take a deep breath, feeling my face flush. "She keeps picking me up only to drop me."
I continue: "I used you to make her jealous."
"Was she jealous?"
I look back at her to see her biting her lip, eyebrows scrunching up as her eyes focus entirely on me.
"No. I told her but..."
There's a long silence before Amelia speaks.
"You don't need her Dan. You need to move on and I can help you even if-if it's just as a...friend?"
I look at her.
"Yeah," I throw her a sad, drowsy smile. "I'll order us drinks?"
She nods and the weight of life somewhat lifts.

"What happened?" I rush to her but she's walking back into the bathroom sink as though in fear.
"You'll hate me."
"You can tell me anything. You know you can." She pulls away as I clasp her face in my shaking hands.
"Please-"
"Why do you do this?" Willow was now hissing viciously in my face as she tears my arms away. "Why do you keep running back to me?!"
I gulp, looking away slightly.
"I-" I gaze back down at her quickly. "I love you."
She snarls at me, fingers drilling into my skin as she hauls me forward.
"Nobody could ever love me."
I hold her face again, trying to make her look at me.
"What...Willow-Will what, what did you do?"

"How did you meet anyway?"
"Mmh?" I murmur as I gurgle down my tea.
"Willow; how did you meet her?"
"Mark, ironically."
The sigh that I release trembles against my lips.
"We met at this studio we've been working at for years now. Mark had always spoken about her; they grew up in the same neighbourhood."
I smile wearily.
"He never told me how beautiful she was though. When I first saw her. She was wearing-" I giggle at the memory.
Why do I remember these things?
"a flannel shirt and ripped jeans. I remember how blue her eyes were and how bloody beautiful her smile was. I just...fell...there and then."
I peer back at Amelia but she doesn't appear uncomfortable but as though she is taking in every word. Perhaps it's just curiousity.
I openly ask her.
"Isn't annoying me going on about her like this?"
She didn't flinch.
"You need to let it out. You need to speak your emotions. Before, well-"
She really does seem uncomfortable after as she cleared her throat, looking down at her hand.
"Before you let go."

She tries to barge past me but I grasp her arm. She turns; her eyes glistening wildly with sapphire flares. Her dark hair sticking against her tear stained face.
"Tell me!"
"You're going to wake up, Mark."
"Willow, you can trust me!"
"You've never left me, have you?" Her fingers trace my jawline as she shakily inhales a breath. "If I tell you....you'll, you'll leave."
My heart gushes but this time not out of passion nor affection. My heart only feel pain when looking at her.
"Promise you won't leave." She pleads but I hold my breath.
I can't trust her.
"Just...tell me." I whisper.
She's leaning forward, her hand taking hold of mine.
"I...I slept with Glen"

"She slept with him?!"
I nod and Amelia sits back in her chair, trying to control the look of disgust on her face.
"She told me...she wasn't ready for love and...she always seemed....frightened at the very idea."
I laugh at my stupidity:
"I thought I could make her love me. I thought..."
I shake my head.
"I need to let go."

.....
I feel as though this was rushed but I'm just trying to make it more interesting.
Opinions, please?

Oh and thank you so much for 3K!

Chloe