Love- As Real As the Moon

46

Nick

"Are you both here?" I ask on the phone.

"Yes sir. " Mitch replies.

"Wait for my cue."

"Okay." He hangs up.

I wait for Hayley as she changes her clothes in my room. It was like my body had paralysed when I saw her wearing my shirt. She looked heavenly. She looked like she was......mine.
She will be mine, sooner or later. I promised myself that I will make all her monsters go away. Forever. And then I'll win her.

"So, who are we meeting?" She asks as she walks out of the room in the cardigan and jeans that I brought her.

"You'll know." I place my hand on the small of her back and walk her to my living room. I call Mitchell.

"Send him in." I tell Mitch.
The door opens and Dave walks in. His face is covered in bruises and dried blood. I look at Hayley when she holds my hands so tightly her nails dig into my palm. She's looking at me, her eyes widened and the colour drained out of her face. I give her a reassuring nod, her tense body relaxes a little.

"What is he doing here?" She doesn't look away.

"Dave, kneel down." I order.

He glares at me but does as I say. Hayley's expression becomes even more stunned.

I gently rub her back. "Moon?"

"Hm?"

"Spit on him." I say through clenched teeth.

She turns her face towards me, her eyes widened and her eyebrows raised.

"What?" she asks, her voice low.

"I want you to spit on him just like he spit on you."

Her expression dulls for a moment before hardening, she walks towards him, bends a little and spits right in his eyes.
That's my girl.

She looks at me. Her eyes are glossy but she doesn't let her tears out. That's her, the strongest woman I know.

"Now slap him like he slapped you. Punch him even. Give him back everything he gave you- every word, every hurt. Do whatever you want."
I sit on the couch beside me. She nods slowly and goes back to him. Her jaw tightens and she slaps him so hard the sound echoes in the room. She closes her eyes and breathes for a few seconds. When she opens her eyes, the tears are replaced by anger and hate. Everything she had bottled up all these years burns as rage in her eyes.
She lifts her hands higher and slaps him again. And again and again. She cusses,slaps and punches till his face his red and her fingers are printed on his face. A bead of sweat rolls down her neck, she flexes her fingers and then slaps him again. She takes it all out. She cries and shouts but keeps slapping him.
She finally screams loud and lands one last slap on his right cheek. Tears roll down Dave's eyes as he chants,
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Hayley. I'm sorry." She walks towards me panting, sits beside me and rests her head on my shoulder breathing heavily.

"Is it enough baby? Is everything out?" I ask her softly, stroking her hair.

"Ask him to leave." She whispers under her breath.

"Go away. And I don't want to see you anywhere near her or your wife ever again."
He nods and leaves.

"What about his wife Nick?"

"She divorced him after she realised who he really was." 

"I'm happy for her. Thank you Nick."

"You don't have to thank me for anything, Moon." I press my lips to her forehead.

"I love it when you call me that." She mutters.

"Really?" I smile.

"As real as the moon." She smiles back.

~

"Nick?" She calls me, her voice low as she turns to face me.

I play with a strand of her hair as we lie on my bed. "Yes Moon?"
She opens her mouth and shuts it again then sighs.

"I um.... about us, I ...... We-"

I interrupt her as she hesitates to speak."It's okay. You don't have to." I give her a small smile.

She needs time and for her, I have all the time in the world. So I'll wait. I'll wait for her till she's ready to accept me as hers and accept being mine.

"No, I have to." She holds my hand. "Nick, I want to be with you. I want ......you. From a very long time. I really do. I jus -"

"Moon, you want me.That alone makes me the happiest man in this universe. You don't have to say anything else." I gently rub her cheek.

She smiles at me and then moves closer till we're chest to chest." You know? I've had a crush on you ever since I saw you."

"Yeah?" I smile.

"Yeah! I've even like stalked you on Instagram which I wonder why is the only social platform you're on." Her brows form a V.

"Well, I don't see the point of these apps. I'm on Instagram because Ol forced me." I shrug.

"I was almost late on the first day of work because of you." She presses a finger to my chest.

I raise my brows in confusion.
"I was staring at your two posts on insta and slept late." She chuckles.

"You don't have to stare at the posts anymore. I'm right here, stare all you want whenever you want to."

Her smile widens when I smile. We keep our gaze fixed at each other in silence as we both drift off to sleep in each other's arms.