Joanne Suggwell One Shots 3

Tea

PART 2

"Hey baby," Oti said, as Dianne put her training bag down on Monday morning after a weekend of recovery in her own house... free of Tom, "how are you?"

"Way better, thank you," Dianne smiled, sitting next to her bag to pull her shoes on.

"Good."

"Oti," Dianne rushed, something had been weighing on her mind for far too long and by far too long, she meant since Saturday, "I need to know, when you're ill, how does Marius look after you?"

"Why Di?"

"I just, I need to know... research." Dianne shrugged.

"Research," Oti chuckled nudging her friend, "Erm well, he er, he does this thing where he gives me head massages. And he always kisses me even if I'm sick, he says I'm worth getting sick for."

"I love Marius! So he's hands on though isn't he? What if you're bloated?"

"What about it?"

"Does he care," Dianne asked quietly.

"I don't think so. Why, what's gone on?"

There was an audible silence where the older woman tried to find the words to explain what had been reeling through her mind since Tom stormed out of their flat.

"Oti I'm not fifteen anymore, I know when people treat me like crap."

"Of course you do, what's wrong baby?"

"I think Tom treats me like crap."

"Mmhmm," Oti kept quiet, knowing her friend needed to get it all off her chest.

"So... have we got time to talk?"

"Johannes won't be here for a while, come on, tell Mama Oti."

"Okay, so, you know I wasn't well on Friday and I got home and curled up on the couch and Joe checked on me and Joe actually rubbed my back an held my hair and everything all night whilst I was sick. He didn't complain. Then Tom came over next day and I'd just been sick and he was lovely and he did do my sick bag and that was so sweet but he also kept saying the whole time that he felt rough and I was worried I'd given it to him I mean we spend quite a bit of time together, don't we?"

"You do."

"But he kept going on. And Joe got me the thermometer because he thought it was good to record my temp so I was doing that and then Tom kept taking it and doing his. But he was fine and I wasn't and he just kept talking about him. Or complaining that I was whining, which I probably was actually, I'm not good at being ill. And he didn't want cuddles and he didn't kiss me like Marius, maybe once or twice. Only because I asked or to stop me talking. And I had a bath and I guess my tummy's a bit bloated," Oti watched her friend look down and knew she was considering whether what she had said was true, "and he asked about it and he said he didn't like it but he loves me because he does Oti. But then I didn't want to go to his for cuddles and he got annoyed because I said to Joe I didn't want to go and that he was shit at caring for me and he heard and he said I looked four months pregnant and stormed off. And I haven't called him. But also Byron and Joe said I shouldn't be with someone who treats me that way."

"Oh, Di."

"I need to break up with Tom."

"You do," Oti nodded, "we should have told you, but me and the girls we had a weird feeling about Tom. He didn't like you dancing."

"He said he thought the boys were eye fucking me at every opportunity," Dianne sadly laughed, wiping the tears that had started as soon as she admitted the thing she had been thinking all weekend.