‹ Prequel: Guilty Pleasures
Status: Complete
An Old Beginning
Chapter 24
Gerard paced through the living room, refusing the urge to look out the window. He was driving himself crazy with the different possibilities of what could be happening outside.
‘What if she’s thinking of going with him?’ he asked himself, feeling the pain that ripped through his heart. ‘What if tonight was just a mistake for her?’
After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed a nearly empty bottle of whiskey, draining it in one long gulp. He relished the burning sensation it gave him as the liquid flowed down his throat, doing what it could to soothe the heartache he was feeling. Gerard was grateful for a distraction. Anything to keep him from thinking about the woman he loved talking to her fucktard of a boyfriend no more than fifty feet away.
Gerard had opened a new bottle and swallowed a good portion of the alcohol when he heard the door finally open behind him. He wasn’t drunk, not yet anyway, but he already knew he would have one hell of a hangover tomorrow, considering he didn’t plan on stopping with this bottle.
“Gee?” Naomi whispered, walking up behind him as she gently let her hand trail over the bare skin of his back.
“She’s back,” Gerard said with a raised eyebrow, not trusting himself to turn and face her. “Thought you’d be halfway to Captain Bilbo Baggin's hotel by now.”
“He’s gone,” she said softly.
“And why aren’t you with him?” he asked, trying to disguise the pain he was feeling.
“Because I want to be here,” she whispered.
“Why?” Gerard asked, finally turning to face her. Naomi cringed at the alcohol that seemed to float around him in waves. His eyes were glassy as he looked at her with an unidentified emotion. “It was an accident, remember? Tonight was just an accident,” he continued, repeating the words she had spoken earlier, practically spitting them out to keep his voice from breaking.
“That’s not what I meant,” Naomi said softly.
“You could have fooled me.”
The pain was obvious in his voice.
“All I meant was, I didn’t plan on it happening, not that it shouldn’t have happened.”
“Yeah, well that’s not what it sounded like,” Gerard said as he shoved her hand away from him. “You seemed like you knew what you were talking about. Not planning on the outcome is a surprise if it’s a good thing…an accident is something you wouldn’t repeat if given another chance.” Gerard took a deep breath, looking away from her so she wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. “I think we’re done here.”
“So, we’re back to this,” Naomi said, more to herself than Gerard as she looked at the ceiling. “Gee bosses Naomi around and expects her to do exactly what he says. Well, guess what? I’m not your student anymore, Gerard. It’s been two years…two very long years, I might add. I’ve changed. I don’t need you bossing me around and telling me when I can stay and when I can go. Most importantly, I don’t need you.”
Gerard cringed at her words, turning to face her. “Nae-“
“No!” she yelled. “I’m not doing this, Gerard. I can’t do this again. I thought you’d changed, but you’re still the same guy who likes everything on his terms. Well, I don’t go by your terms anymore…I’m not playing by your rules. And I’m not hanging around here until you get tired of me. Goodbye, Gee.”
“Naomi, wait!” he called desperately. He had wanted to push her away before she could do the same to him.
‘It never occurred to you that she would want to actually be with you, you fuck,’ he thought, wanting to hit himself for his stupidity.
“Why?” she asked, turning around with one hand on the doorknob. “You tell me you love me and then you don’t even give me the benefit of the doubt. I
may be the one who left, Gee, but you left me long before I moved away and I hate bringing that up again,” she said tearfully. “I don’t want to throw it in your face, and I know that’s what I’m doing, but you don’t seem to realize how hard that was for me. I know it wasn’t fair to take your son away from you. I know I was being selfish and I know that it hurt you. But what you don’t understand is that I was hurting, too.” Naomi took a deep breath as she swallowed her tears. “We may share a son together, but I guess I was wrong when I thought we could share our lives with each other.”
Gerard watched in shock as she disappeared through the door, slamming it behind her. Dropping into a nearby chair, Gerard's head fell into his hands as the pounding headache began. “What have I done?”
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*Squeals* So much drama =(
‘What if she’s thinking of going with him?’ he asked himself, feeling the pain that ripped through his heart. ‘What if tonight was just a mistake for her?’
After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed a nearly empty bottle of whiskey, draining it in one long gulp. He relished the burning sensation it gave him as the liquid flowed down his throat, doing what it could to soothe the heartache he was feeling. Gerard was grateful for a distraction. Anything to keep him from thinking about the woman he loved talking to her fucktard of a boyfriend no more than fifty feet away.
Gerard had opened a new bottle and swallowed a good portion of the alcohol when he heard the door finally open behind him. He wasn’t drunk, not yet anyway, but he already knew he would have one hell of a hangover tomorrow, considering he didn’t plan on stopping with this bottle.
“Gee?” Naomi whispered, walking up behind him as she gently let her hand trail over the bare skin of his back.
“She’s back,” Gerard said with a raised eyebrow, not trusting himself to turn and face her. “Thought you’d be halfway to Captain Bilbo Baggin's hotel by now.”
“He’s gone,” she said softly.
“And why aren’t you with him?” he asked, trying to disguise the pain he was feeling.
“Because I want to be here,” she whispered.
“Why?” Gerard asked, finally turning to face her. Naomi cringed at the alcohol that seemed to float around him in waves. His eyes were glassy as he looked at her with an unidentified emotion. “It was an accident, remember? Tonight was just an accident,” he continued, repeating the words she had spoken earlier, practically spitting them out to keep his voice from breaking.
“That’s not what I meant,” Naomi said softly.
“You could have fooled me.”
The pain was obvious in his voice.
“All I meant was, I didn’t plan on it happening, not that it shouldn’t have happened.”
“Yeah, well that’s not what it sounded like,” Gerard said as he shoved her hand away from him. “You seemed like you knew what you were talking about. Not planning on the outcome is a surprise if it’s a good thing…an accident is something you wouldn’t repeat if given another chance.” Gerard took a deep breath, looking away from her so she wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. “I think we’re done here.”
“So, we’re back to this,” Naomi said, more to herself than Gerard as she looked at the ceiling. “Gee bosses Naomi around and expects her to do exactly what he says. Well, guess what? I’m not your student anymore, Gerard. It’s been two years…two very long years, I might add. I’ve changed. I don’t need you bossing me around and telling me when I can stay and when I can go. Most importantly, I don’t need you.”
Gerard cringed at her words, turning to face her. “Nae-“
“No!” she yelled. “I’m not doing this, Gerard. I can’t do this again. I thought you’d changed, but you’re still the same guy who likes everything on his terms. Well, I don’t go by your terms anymore…I’m not playing by your rules. And I’m not hanging around here until you get tired of me. Goodbye, Gee.”
“Naomi, wait!” he called desperately. He had wanted to push her away before she could do the same to him.
‘It never occurred to you that she would want to actually be with you, you fuck,’ he thought, wanting to hit himself for his stupidity.
“Why?” she asked, turning around with one hand on the doorknob. “You tell me you love me and then you don’t even give me the benefit of the doubt. I
may be the one who left, Gee, but you left me long before I moved away and I hate bringing that up again,” she said tearfully. “I don’t want to throw it in your face, and I know that’s what I’m doing, but you don’t seem to realize how hard that was for me. I know it wasn’t fair to take your son away from you. I know I was being selfish and I know that it hurt you. But what you don’t understand is that I was hurting, too.” Naomi took a deep breath as she swallowed her tears. “We may share a son together, but I guess I was wrong when I thought we could share our lives with each other.”
Gerard watched in shock as she disappeared through the door, slamming it behind her. Dropping into a nearby chair, Gerard's head fell into his hands as the pounding headache began. “What have I done?”
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*Squeals* So much drama =(