All is Fair in Love and War

20

Gabriella uncorked a bottle of wine and grabbed two glasses. She made her way over to the living room and sat down next to Taylor. "How was Mateo today?" Gabriella asked as she poured wine into both glasses and gave Taylor one. Taylor faintly smiled and stared down at her glass. "You're really lucky to have him." Taylor said. Gabriella sipped her wine and looked confused. "Why do you say that?" She asked.

Taylor sighed. "He seems to be the only person who doesn't judge me. At least not like everyone else." She replied. Gabriella silently listened. "Sometimes people make me feel and seem like a monster. Mateo doesn't think like that though. In his eyes I'm like some superhero." Taylor said. Gabriella softly smiled. "I understand why you would do all of this for him." Taylor said.

"Did I ever tell you why I got into fighting?" Gabriella asked. Taylor shook her head. "The last time we ever talked about anything like that we were getting drunk off wine and made out on your couch." Taylor said as they softly laughed. Gabriella lightly tapped her finger against the glass. "I was 16. Damien was 20. He was college I was in high school. We met when I snuck out to a party with some friends. Like every guy, he was nice at first. So we started talking." Gabriella said as Taylor silently listened.

"He let me stay with him in his dorm from time to time. He made me feel safe. But then I made a mistake." Gabriella sighed. "What did you do?" Taylor asked. Gabriella looked at her, "I trusted him." She replied. "I trusted him when he swore he was a good guy and just wanted to help. I trusted him with so much, with my deepest secrets, with my fears...I gave him the insight to all my weaknesses and vulnerabilities. I thought he was being genuine. He only felt safe because he created this illusion. He knew exactly how to hurt me, how to manipulate me, and how to take complete advantage of me. I was too young and inexperienced to see it."

Gabriella took a sip of wine and looked off. "The moment I got the chance I moved in with him. He said he would take care of me, he said he loved me. Then once I did everything changed. I ended up pregnant, Damien started cheating with different women and I couldn't do a thing because he would hurt me. He did whatever he wanted and knew he could get away with it because I was stuck and couldn't run away. I had nowhere else to go. I couldn't afford school, I worked a lousy paying job and I was always dealing with Mateo alone." She explained.

"Why didn't you take custody from him and leave back then?" Taylor asked. Gabriella shook her head. "That's easier said than done. He had a stable job and I had nothing. In every possible scenario, I would always lose." She replied. "Then I started taking some self defense classes. I just wanted to be able to defend myself. Marcos saw me at the gym one day and asked to work with me for free. So I agreed. Then he talked to me about considering UFC fighting and I took it when I realized it was my way out. I started making fair money and got a small place on my own and eventually left. Then like Damien always does, he found his ways to still have a hold on me. He threatened to take Mateo and use whatever he could against me. So I settled with shared custody." She sighed.

"So you got into the sport for necessity?" Taylor asked. Gabriella faintly smiled, "All anyone tries to do is survive in this world for the sake of necessity. Why do you fight?" Gabriella asked. Taylor looked off, "It's what I know. It's my entire life." She replied. "But why do you do it?" Gabriella asked. Taylor thought for a moment, "It was a way for me to air my frustrations. The glory that came with it became my best distraction." She replied. "What if you ever lost?" Gabriella asked. "That's never going to happen." Taylor replied. "And if it did? Would it be the end of the world?" Gabriella asked.

"I would never let it happen. It's everything I live for and I'm not letting anyone take that from me." Taylor replied. "Winning isn't everything." Gabriella said. "It is for me. I don't understand how you can say that when that's what we all fight to do." Taylor argued. "Losing a fight wouldn't be the end of the world to me." Gabriella replied. "How can you even say that?" Taylor asked. "Because you won't always win every fight. You have to learn to be okay with that. You have to understand that some fights just aren't worth it, and know when to walk away." Gabriella replied. Taylor stayed silent.

"So is that why you don't fight Damien?" Taylor asked. Gabriella thought for a moment. "I could. But if I'm reckless, I risk losing my son. You have to know when to pick and choose your battles. That's not one I'm ready to pick yet." She replied. They both sat in silence for a moment. Taylor didn't understand it. She would've hurt him the moment he ever tried to lay a hand on her. She didn't understand why Gabriella never took the opportunity.

"You know what's different with you?" Gabriella asked, changing the conversation. "What?" Taylor asked. "I think for the first time...I actually feel safe. I feel like I finally found someone I can trust and you have no idea how bad I needed that." Gabriella said. Taylor wrapped her arm around Gabriella and pulled her into a hug. Gabriella nuzzled her face into Taylor's neck and relaxed in her embrace. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She whispered. Taylor stayed silent and faintly smiled.

--
Taylor was in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. She glanced over at Gabriella who was soundly asleep and stared back up at the ceiling. All she kept thinking about was the conversation she had with Gabriella. She couldn't help but feel guilty and think back to the meeting she had with Damien. His words still haunted her from time to time.

"You and I aren't that different."

That's the last thing she'd ever want. But she felt guilty after listening to Gabriella that she couldn't help but wonder if it was true. Maybe she was no better than him. Her intentions weren't innocent at first. She wanted to find a way to coerce Gabriella into a fight. She was trying to find out her weaknesses just like he did. It wasn't what she wanted anymore. But Gabriella trusted her, just like she once trusted him.