‹ Prequel: Guilty Pleasures
Status: Complete
An Old Beginning
Chapter 11
Naomi walked into the house, slamming the door behind her, causing three heads to turn toward her. She saw Billie and her mother sitting on the couch in the living room with Michael playing on the floor. Billie caught her eye as Naomi pointed to him and then the kitchen, disappearing around the corner with a dangerous look in her eyes.
Billie followed her, leaning against the island as Naomi paced around along the tile. “What the hell was that?” she finally asked.
“What did you expect me to do, Naomi? The guy just shows up after being Mr. Absentee Father, and you really didn’t expect me to be nice to him, did you?”
“He didn’t ‘just show up’- he lives in this town, and as much as I don’t want to defend a lot of his actions, there were reasons that we weren’t together.
I’ve never lied to you, Billie, so don’t start treating me like I’m the helpless victim. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I moved away, and I don’t need you playing the role of ‘protector’. I can take care of myself just fine. I did it for a year before you showed up, so don’t think that I need a guardian.”
Billie sighed, looking around the room before catching her eye again. He normally liked it when Naomi got worked up, she was a very passionate person, but this conversation had the makings of something bad happening unless he did some damage control. “I’m not going to be nice to him, Naomi. Even if Michael wasn’t involved, he would still be your ex and therefore not on my ‘getting to know you’ list.”
“You knew when you agreed to come this week that this was a possibility. You can be civil without being nice,” Naomi said, her tone softening as she ran her hands through her hair, her eyes becoming glassy with unshed tears.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’m under enough stress as it is, please don’t add to it.”
Naomi felt herself wrapped in his arms as she cried into his chest. “This is why I hate him,” he whispered. “Every time you cry, it’s because of him in some form or another.”
“Billie, please…”
“If it means that much to you, I’ll try.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes slowly drying as she pulled away from him, not liking the fact that his touch wasn’t the familiarity she longed for. Taking several deep breaths, she left him standing in the kitchen as she walked into the living room, saying hello to her mother before settling in to play with her son.
She found her mind drifting to the events of the last twenty-four hours.
The object of most of her thoughts was Gerard and the nagging little voice that kept trying to remind her how happy she used to be with him. For just a few months, she wanted nothing and she longed to have that again, in some form.
‘When did life get so complicated?’ she asked herself before nearly rolling her eyes when she realized what a ridiculous question that was. ‘Right around the time that you started screwing your history teacher.’
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Ahhh! I havent updated in so long! I apologise so much! Thanks for sticking with me (If you're still here.. Well duh! Or you wouldnt be reading this!) Comments please.. =)
Billie followed her, leaning against the island as Naomi paced around along the tile. “What the hell was that?” she finally asked.
“What did you expect me to do, Naomi? The guy just shows up after being Mr. Absentee Father, and you really didn’t expect me to be nice to him, did you?”
“He didn’t ‘just show up’- he lives in this town, and as much as I don’t want to defend a lot of his actions, there were reasons that we weren’t together.
I’ve never lied to you, Billie, so don’t start treating me like I’m the helpless victim. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I moved away, and I don’t need you playing the role of ‘protector’. I can take care of myself just fine. I did it for a year before you showed up, so don’t think that I need a guardian.”
Billie sighed, looking around the room before catching her eye again. He normally liked it when Naomi got worked up, she was a very passionate person, but this conversation had the makings of something bad happening unless he did some damage control. “I’m not going to be nice to him, Naomi. Even if Michael wasn’t involved, he would still be your ex and therefore not on my ‘getting to know you’ list.”
“You knew when you agreed to come this week that this was a possibility. You can be civil without being nice,” Naomi said, her tone softening as she ran her hands through her hair, her eyes becoming glassy with unshed tears.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’m under enough stress as it is, please don’t add to it.”
Naomi felt herself wrapped in his arms as she cried into his chest. “This is why I hate him,” he whispered. “Every time you cry, it’s because of him in some form or another.”
“Billie, please…”
“If it means that much to you, I’ll try.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes slowly drying as she pulled away from him, not liking the fact that his touch wasn’t the familiarity she longed for. Taking several deep breaths, she left him standing in the kitchen as she walked into the living room, saying hello to her mother before settling in to play with her son.
She found her mind drifting to the events of the last twenty-four hours.
The object of most of her thoughts was Gerard and the nagging little voice that kept trying to remind her how happy she used to be with him. For just a few months, she wanted nothing and she longed to have that again, in some form.
‘When did life get so complicated?’ she asked herself before nearly rolling her eyes when she realized what a ridiculous question that was. ‘Right around the time that you started screwing your history teacher.’
---------
Ahhh! I havent updated in so long! I apologise so much! Thanks for sticking with me (If you're still here.. Well duh! Or you wouldnt be reading this!) Comments please.. =)