Second Down? (edited)

** thanks to the anon commenter who pointed out my choppy time line.  I edited this post, trying to provide a little more clarity.**




It was about 8pm when everyone had left.  Duane had wanted to stay around but I assured him I was ok and that I needed to deal with this on my own.  He hugged me tightly and told me he was only a phone call away before heading down in the elevator.  I started cleaning up and decided, after putting everything in the sink, that it was time to call home to my parents.  Now when I say parents I don’t mean the traditional mother and father.  I had to call home and break the news to my mom first and then my grandpa and my closest uncle.  Truth be told, I don’t really talk to my father, and my uncle and grandfather have been the father figures in my life.  Just as I was about to pick up the phone, Monroe came around the corner and looked at me. 

“I think it is time I called home and told them.  I know it’s only been a few days but we both know it’s not going to change.  I am actually surprised Duane hasn’t told them yet.”  Monroe nodded before asking “Do you want to go home and talk to them?  I can go with you; I will just call New York...”  I interrupted him and told him no. 

“We’ve been running away from it, time to face it head on.”

I grabbed my cell phone and sat on the couch, and sighed loudly while I dialled my mom first.  It rang a few times before I heard her voice and tears sprung to my eyes.

“Hi Mama’s Girl” she sang sweetly into the phone.

“Hi...Mom...” I said between sniffs.  And I could almost feel her demeanour change.

“My darling! What happened? Craig has been calling frantically. He even came here looking for you it looks like someone beat him up!”

“Mom, it’s over.  He was cheating on me with Chloe and I caught them in the act, in our condo.  It’s been going on for months and I didn’t even know about it.  And I hit him, and I know it was wrong but I couldn’t help myself....”

“Isabella violence is never the answer!! Where are you right now?”

“I’m at Monroe’s loft.  I’m going to stay here for a while and then figure things out and what my next step is.  I just needed to tell you what happened.”

“Come home, you know you can always come home.  Please let me, us, help you!”

“Mom my job is here and my life is here, I just need to do this on my own.”

“I understand, but I would like for you to come home eventually.  You can stay here and you can start fresh here.  You don’t need the big city life to be happy.”

“I know mom and I love you, but I need to strap on my big girl panties and face this and not keep running.  I better go mom and I love you”

“I love you too! I will tell your uncle and grandfather what is going on, not specifics, but that the wedding is on hiatus.  Take care and call me soon.”

We hung up and I sighed, mom’s offer sounded really good right now.  But I knew at some point I would have to face this and most of all him. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U

The next day Monroe had to go back to New York.  There was a huge fashion show he had to help with and despite him trying to get out of it, I encouraged him to go.  He needed to go and I needed to be alone.  I just needed to figure things out without someone hovering over me. 

After the cab picked him up and we hugged goodbye for what seemed like eternity, I headed up to the loft.  It was nice to just be alone.  I headed straight for one of my boxes and dug out my mp3 player.  I hooked it up to Monroe’s stereo and it on shuffle.  The first song that came on was Love the Way You Lie by Eminem feat. Rhianna.  I kind of laughed when it came on, thinking it was kind of ironic.  I started to loudly sing with the lyrics as I pulled things out of my boxes.  I must’ve had my mp3 player set to repeat because that was the song that kept repeating.  I kind of felt better with each out of key lyric I belted out.

I didn’t have many boxes, most of the stuff at the condo I didn’t want anyway.  I broke down the boxes and put them in a closet, this was only a temporary stop.  I decided a glass of wine and a shower were my next stop.  I went over to the stereo and took of the repeat and let the songs shuffle through.  I was nodding along with the music while pouring a glass of wine; and sipping it while walking towards the bathroom.  I had stopped into one of the suit cases and pulled out booty shorts and a t-shirt.  I went to the bathroom and had a nice hot steamy shower.  After I was dressed and was in the bathroom towel drying my hair I heard the buzzer go off.  I wasn’t expecting anyone so I ignored it. But it was persistently buzzing and annoying the hell out of me.  I knew exactly who it had to be, but I was having none of it.....

****************

After a few weeks, I was just going through the motions; work to home.  Each night I locked myself away in the loft, listening to the buzzer go off each night.  I was just about ready to tear my hair out and the intercom out of the wall when I decided to just face it head on....

 I walked over to the speaker “Hello?”

“Bella please let me up let me talk to you!”  Craig said “I’m not going to leave until you let me talk to you and its either I start airing it on the street corner or you and I talk in private”

“How did you know where I was??”

“Your Mother, now let me in please!”

I sighed to myself dammit mom! I buzzed him in and took the elevator down.  I sighed as I reached the bottom and opened the door.  He got in and he had very dark sunglasses on, when he took them off I saw how badly bruised he was.  I gasped when I saw his face and he looked at me “I know, who knew you had a great right hook?!”  Even though I was angry at him, I knew I would have a soft spot for him.  We were to be married, and as much as I tried to will those feelings away, they wouldn’t disappear overnight.  When we got up to Monroe’s loft he walked in a whistled “Nice place.”

“It’s Monroe’s; I am just here until I figure out my next step.”  I responded.  And moved to the kitchen “do you want something to drink?” 

“Whatever you’re having is fine” he said.  While I poured him a glass of wine and topped mine up and brought it out.  I figured if this was how it was going to end then at least I could be the bigger woman and be nice.

I looked at him sat on the couch, sipping my wine while watching him sit on the opposite side.

“I’m going to ask you one question and I want an honest answer from you Bella.......Do you still care for me? Maybe even still love me in the smallest way?”

I was shocked and looked at him “you know you will always have a special place.  For goodness sake we were going to be married.  But you broke my heart....and I don’t know how to let that go”

“Fair enough, but you didn’t say you hated me, so...” he finished his glass of wine and stood up “will you have dinner with me tomorrow night? Just you and me, please Isabella?”