All My Days

more angsty moments with cheryl and toni

xxx

Toni rolled over in bed, her black camisole twisting against her skin as she turned to face Cheryl, her fiancée as of yesterday, who had woke her up with her talking. She was speaking quietly enough, but at eight AM on a Saturday, the softest of noises sounded loud to Toni.

"I know," she heard the redhead mutter, her voice sounded meek, "But it shouldn't matter to you..."

Confused, Toni sat up on her elbows, staring at her girlfriend's back as she wondered who she was on the phone with.

"Mother, please," she pleaded, trying to sound brave, "Please don't do this. I'm twenty-two! Even if I wasn't, you're not my legal guardian, you can't control my life anymore."

Toni's eyes widened as she reached out, grazing her fingers over Cheryl's lower back to let her know she was awake. The redhead turned around, a worried look on her face, shaking her head in response to Toni mouthing 'hang up' to her.

"I'm happy, mother! For once in my life, I actually feel loved and appreciated! Why can't you just be happy for me? I called you in hopes that you may have changed. That you might actually be willing to put our differences aside so I can have my mother at my wedding. I'm already not going to have my father or my brother," she got up, pacing around her and Toni's old bedroom, "You're my mother, of course I want you there. But only if you're going to be supportive of my relationship!"

Toni sat up, watching Cheryl start to move around the room.

"It's not childish! We're adults, it's not like we're sixteen and going to elope," the redhead rolled her eyes, "We're graduating college soon, we already have plans to get an apartment in New York. We've been together for six years, it's not like we're rushing into this!"

The brunette crawled to the edge of the bed, sitting up on her knees as she tugged Cheryl's hand to bring her closer. Cheryl held the phone to her ear, frowning a little at Toni as tears formed in her eyes.

"It's not an embarrassment to the family, mother. I love her, that's something to be proud of...No, we're different than you and daddy. And if we ever have kids, they're going to be loved unconditionally. I don't want them growing up feeling how I did...Stop, I'm not being dramatic, I'm being serious." Tears flowed more freely down her cheeks as the conversation went on.

Toni could just barely hear Penelope Blossom's voice as Cheryl held the phone to her ear. She hated that she was still so desperate for her mother's approval after all this time.

"It doesn't matter if Daddy would approve or not. He was a bad man who did terrible things. And he's gone..."

Toni fiddled with the ring she'd placed on Cheryl's finger just the morning before, kissing her knuckles and palm slowly, trying to get her to smile, but no such luck.

"Please don't use that word, " the redhead whimpered as her breath hitched in her throat, "I'm not deviant. I'm not...Yes she does love me..."

The slightest bit of uncertainty in Cheryl's voice was the last straw for Toni. The brunette could practically see all the progress Cheryl had made getting ready to crumble down like an unstable tower of bricks. She couldn't let that happen. It took over eighteen years for Cheryl to start to unlearn everything her mother had drilled into her head growing up; For her to finally accept that she wasn't any of the things her mother said she was. That she was worthy of love, and not everyone who came into her life would leave. She wouldn't let her girl start thinking that way again.

She took the phone from her pale, trembling fingers and hung up, tossing it back towards the pillows before leaning up to take Cheryl's face in her hands. "Listen to me. Don't let her get into your head. She's trying to break you down, and you're not gonna let her get away with it, okay?" she told her seriously, "You deserve the world, Cheryl, don't let her make you think otherwise. It's you and me. We're engaged. We're gonna get married and live happily ever after like a couple of Disney princesses."