Her Inked Scars

family messages

POV: Celeste

[A Month later]

Nyoka and I have never been happier.

She's insisted on keeping our relationship quiet and I don't mind. It's a little difficult when I visit her at work during my breaks and I just want to kiss her passionately on her beautiful lips but I can’t.

I understand she has a lot of problems with relationships from her last one so I'm perfectly willing to adjust anything to make her comfortable. I love her so much I just want to do anything I humanly can for my precious princess. She deserves the world and I'm fully prepared to give it to her.

As happy as I am with her and as happy as she is with me, she's been distancing herself from me for the past two days or so.

She's been avoiding most of my calls, leaving me on read and burying herself in work hours to the point she's getting physically exhausted. Anytime I try to convince her to take a day off and rest she just brushes me off and keeps going.

I'm trying my best to support her but it's so difficult when she's avoiding me whenever I visit her at work to deliver her lunch or just talk to her.

I'm trying again today even though I can tell she's getting more stressed about something that she's refusing to talk to me about even though I'm always there for her.

With her favourite kind of sandwich and cookie in hand I enter the florist shop, my nose being filled with the relaxing floral scent that fills the small room filled with bouquets of flowers and sachets of seeds. I love this shop, it's always so relaxing to enter but I have something I came here for.

"Celeste!" Grace cheerfully exclaims, smiling wide at me as I walk towards the door to the staff room. "Nyoka's in the back on her lunch break."

I thank her as I try to ignore her eyes that wander up and down me. Nyoka made me aware a few weeks ago, before she started becoming distant, that Grace has quite a big crush on on and now that she's pointed it out I can't help but realise how obvious she is about it.

I thank her and quickly go into the staffroom to avoid her gaze that lingers around my breasts and crotch making me really uncomfortable. Nyoka is the only person I will accept looking at me like that.

With the door shut behind me I turn to see Nyoka already getting up from the old table, making her way to leave and avoid me again. I catch up to her, grabbing her wrist to stop her from leaving. She takes a deep breath before turning to look at me, her eyes remaining low as she refuses to look me in the eyes.

"Nyoka, please talk to me," I demand as softly as I can. "What's going on? Why are you avoiding me?"

She instantly breaks down, stepping closer to pull me into a tight hug as she sobs into my chest. I hold her back, a little confused but I know she needs some support even if she's struggling to talk to me about her problems.

After a few minutes, her crying calms down and I help her sit down, getting some water for her to soothe her dry throat. We sit in silence as she calms down, taking deep breaths until she pulls out her phone, pulling something up on it before sliding it on the table towards me.

I cautiously look at it, seeing messages from a blocked numbers on the screen, all stating that someone is coming to her for, in their words, 'an intervention'.

The main contact that has been harassing her is labelled 'Mother' and has sent multiple threatening and desperate messages every day. Nyoka hasn't responded to any of them but I can tell just reading them has stressed her out.

Mother
We are coming to see you
Don't ignore me.
We're already on our way
Please, just forgive him.
You're being unreasonable. He did nothing wrong.

Each message I read frustrates me more. The most frustrating being the last one. I know that it's referring to Nyoka's ex and that final message makes me understand why Nyoka has been getting so upset and stressed.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this 'intervention' is just going to be them ignorantly trying to get Nyoka to get back with her horrid ex.

I turn off Nyoka's phone and pull her into a tight embrace. I feel so bad for her but I do wish she'd come to me rather than distancing herself from me. I might not be able to do much but I can comfort her. I can support her.

"Nyoka, you could have told me sooner," I mutter as she snuggles into me, holding back tears.

"I didn't want to stress you out with something neither of us could do anything about," she stammers back between small gasps.

"I know that I can’t do anything to stop them right now, but I can support you and love you and care for you," I tell her making her hold me tighter. "There was no need to keep this to yourself."

We chat about it for a bit, keeping our voices down so that no one else in the shop can hear us. Eventually I have to return to my shop for a scheduled appointment, leaving Nyoka to snack on the food I brought her, leaving her in a slightly better mood.

We agree for me to pick her up later and that we'll stay at my place tonight for a relaxing night watching movies she wants with whatever food she wants.

I adore Nyoka so much and she's been through so much shit. To not have the support of seemingly anyone must have been difficult but now she has me and I'm not going to allow any harm to come to her.

She's my beautiful princess and I'm her prince and I will sacrifice everything I've built for her.