Love Like Her

Broken Reunion

Song - The Funeral by Band of Horses

Mumble.

I can hear Violet's voice, but it's just...

Mumble.

She sounds so close, yet so far away...

Louder.

Louder.

Too loud.

My eyes shoot open and I sit up in a panic to see Violet screaming in her sleep. Wait, do you wake someone up who's having a nightmare or is that sleep walking? Fuck it. I shake her a bit to try and ease her into being awake.

Big mistake.

Violet jerks her arm back and ends up nailing me in the face. Fuck, that stings. Wait, my face feels hot, and wet? I touch the back of my hand to my face and pull it away to see it covered in blood.

"Shit fuck, Billie I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Violet pleads with me.

"Baby, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to." I say while I rush to the bathroom to examine the damage. I gently touch the bridge of my nose and wince in pain. "Fuck." I whisper shout.

"I can set it if you need me to... I was an emt back home during my summer breaks." Violet says in a hushed tone, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What would you need?" I ask her.

"Gauze, tape, and something flat but stable to brace your nose when I'm done."

I tap my fingers on the counter and think for a moment. "I have tape, would tampons work for gauze?"

"Yes, it's actually perfect to pack your nose."

"I have some popsicles in the freezer, would that work for bracing?"

"That'll work for now. Just a fair warning, it's gonna hurt like hell, I broke my nose once." Violet says trying to commiserate.

A few minutes and a very load scream from me, and my nose is back in place. I wrap my arms around Violets waist. "Do I get a sticker for being a good patient?" I tease.

Violet let's out a soft hum and cups my face. "I think I can do one better than a sticker." She kisses me, but this time it different. It's slow and passionate, yet still each movement she makes with her tongue just makes me want more. I haven't had someone kiss me like that... well, ever.

"How's that in place of a sticker?" She asks pulling away.

"I think I need a little more." I say, lightly biting my bottom lip.

Violet kisses me with unrestrained passion, for a moment I had forgotten my nose was broken until hers brushed against mine. I wince in pain and she pulls away, panic evident in her eyes.

"Babygirl it's fine, my nose will heal just fine." I say trying to make her feel better.

She runs her fingertips over my cheek bone. "Billie it's already starting to bruise, how are you going to explain this to your colleagues at work? You can't exactly be like, 'yeah my girlfriend who's also my student elbowed me in the face'..."

I take her hands in mine. "Violet stop. I'll come up with some stupid funny bogus story. Don't worry about it my love." I say, letting go of her hands and running my fingers through my hair. "Now get your cute ass back to bed, I'll be there soon."

There's one problem though... I can't sleep.

Apparently, neither can Vi.

That leads us to being at the store at 3am.

"Pick out anything you want my love." I tell her as we peruse the aisles. I pick out a few things and place them in the grocery cart.

"Hey I'm gonna go grab some ice cream, I'll be right back." Violet says, giving me a kiss on the cheek before smiling and walking away.

I smile and feel the butterflies go crazy in my stomach. It's good to see her in a better mood. I grab a few more things and make my way to the ice cream aisle.

Nothing could have prepared me for what came next.

I round the corner of the aisle and I see Violet talking to someone. I can't make out who it is from behind, but I see Violet smiling and making conversation. God, I love her smile. Seeing her smile makes me smile. She sees me and goes to introduce me to the woman talking to her. My smile quickly changes to a look of a deer caught in headlights when I see the woman turn around.

Fuck.

I almost didn't recognize Hayden with her hair dyed to a dark shade of brown and an eyebrow piercing adorning her face. Her features are more defined since the last time I saw her. Granted, that last time I was sitting in the back of a police cruiser and she had tears streaming down her face. Even then, she still looked beautiful.

I push all of that aside and hold out my hand for her to shake. "It's good to see you again Hayden." I say trying to make light of this painfully awkward situation.

Not it's not.

Have fun with your torn feelings now.

"It's good to see you too Billie. What are you up to nowadays?" Hayden says just as visibly uncomfortable about this situation as I am.

"I'm good, I took a teaching position over at the state college and it's going well. How about yourself?" I reply. Please don't ask about things between me and Violet, I internally beg.

"I got hired at an agency doing graphic design for musicians. Currently working on a few different pieces for a new up-and-comer, if he likes my work it'll turn into a contract gig." She explains running her fingers through her hair. She's got a small tattoo on her wrist but I can't make out what it is.

Don't dwell on it Billie. She's not your responsibility anymore.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Violet and Billie, good to see you as always." Hayden says quickly and leaves.

I turn my attention to Violet and she gives me a puzzled look. "So that was-"

"That was Hayden. My ex."

"And you decide to date me when you could be getting girls that look like her?! She looks like a fucking model!" She says pointing in the direction Hayden walked off in.

"Yeah and? There's a reason I don't date them, they're usually stuck up and think the world revolves around them." I say avoiding her gaze.

"So you just 'settled' for me?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. "That's not what I said Violet..."

"It isn't what you verbally said, but it's what your body language is telling me... can you just drive me back to my dorm? I'll pick up my things later." She asks.

"Vi..."

She holds up her hand, meaning she's done discussing this.

So much for seeing her happy.

Nobody is going to love you.

You worthless sack of shit.

You ruin everything.

a/n: I finally got my meds straightened out so I no longer have constant headaches.

So bubbies, what do we think is gonna happen? I wanna know your thoughts.

I lub you bubbies 💕 y'all the real mvp's