‹ Prequel: You're Not Alone.
Status: Active
Me or the Music?
12
Matt's POV
Jackie had finally coerced Marie in to the building, we finished the tour, and they agreed it was the best venue. It had a great landscape for the reception to be outside, the ceremony inside, and there were bars a small way away for after.
Marie sat in silence next to me as we drove home, her eyes not leaving the spot on the floor where I swear she was about to burn a hole with her gaze. Her thumbs fidgited against the hem of her shorts. I reached over and took her hand, holding it with mine on top of the console. A small smile played on her lips as she glanced at me, breaking her stare-off with the floor.
"You ok?" I asked "You're very quiet."
She nodded "Yah." She looked away, but this time to the road "Are you guys working this week?"
"Yah, Thursday and Friday night." I answered "What's up?"
"Nothing, just wondering... You'll have to remind me nine hundred times though apparently." She scoffed under her breath.
I took a deep breath "Babe... Jackie told.. Jackie told me about earlier." I cut my words short as she took her hand from mine "What?" I asked.
"She did?" She asked sharply "What'd she tell you?"
"That you thought you drove yourself to go shopping. That you completely forgot that I drove us to their wedding venue and we were inside." I glanced at her, tears brimmed her eyes "What's going on?" I asked again.
"Whatever, I totally lost track of everything with that phone call. It was my mom." She looked downward "She... She and my dad are getting a divorce." She looked back up at me quickly "And she's losing her fucking mind."
"Oh?" I asked "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be, their marriage sucked. He wasn't happy." She shrugged "I guess sometimes it.. it just doesn't work."
"Yeah." My heart cringed at her words "So, did you want to look at houses this weekend? Jensen called me today."
"Why not." She shrugged. "Can't fucking hurt."
"Ok I'll call him back and let him know, how many?" I asked as she shrugged "Is two a day ok? All that driving is so boring."
"That's perfect. I'm so ready for this to be over with." She glanced at her purse as her phone rang. She closed her eyes and just rested her head on the window. "I need a vacation." She laughed "From everyone."
"Jackie would go with you." I laughed "I'm pretty sure with all this planning she needs one."
"It's called a bachelorette party, which is in Mailbu, in three weeks from now." She laughed "I can remember that..."
"Hey, it'll be fine. We're gonna go to a doctor this afternoon though-"
"No, Matt." She cut me off "I don't need that, I really just need to get some sleep and focus. This whole mom and dad thing is really throwing me off." She sighed "Don't."
"Ok.. but please tell me if it's something else?" I asked, she noded "I love you Marie."
"I love you Matt." She smiled.
~**~
The next morning
I was sitting on the couch, talking to Jackie and Brian over the phone, about how the car ride went yesterday.
"She insisted it was because of another issue." I sighed "I'm not forcing her to go. I mean... She's going through a lot. She's still stressed about the whole accident and house thing. She has a lot on her plate and she's trying to get back to work, they keep telling her to take as much time as she needs and the girls there don't want her taking on too much... She's starting to get offended a little bit but I keep telling her she's not ready.. I don't even know."
"Well, in her timing, she'll do it I guess. Just gotta keep an eye on her though and make sure she's not taking too much on herself." Brian added "Like, we don't work much lately, a few local gigs but that's it. If she needs help, help her. Stuff with the house, y'know.. Just be observant."
"No I'm gonna completely ignore her, Brian. What do you think I am, an idiot? Of course I'm keeping a close eye on her for god sakes." I huffed "Speaking of... it's like ten and she's still not up, I'm going to go see if she's ok, or she might be in the shower. I'll call you guys later ok?"
"OK man, talk to you later." Brian said as he hung up the phone.
I set my phone down on the back of the couch and stood up, hearing movement upstairs so at least she was awake. I began walking up the stairs and heard the shower turn on from our room. I shrugged and kept walking.
"Marie?" I called, entering our room and nearing the bathroom door "Babe?"
"Yah?" She asked loudly "Matt?"
"You ok?" I asked, hearing the curtain moving and something slam "Babe?" I asked "Can I come in?"
"Yah." She answered, sounding unsure.
I opened the door and stepped in "You ok? I thought I heard you slip." I sat on the sink and watched her shadow behind the glass.
"I'm fine, just dropped my body wash." She showed it to me over the glass door "I'm ok though, you don't have to check on me." She laughed.
"Yes I do, I'm your husband." I laughed as she scoffed. We both fell silent, the only noise was Marie's phone playing music quietly from the counter.
I stood up and began taking my socks off, followed by my shorts, and my shirt. I gently opened the door from the back, Marie was facing me but her eyes shut as she was rinsing her hair. I silently shut the glass door behind me and placed my hands on her hips. She jumped, almost slipping but I steadied her.
"I thought you left!" She screeched out, pushing at my chest.
"No way." I smiled and moved my hands to the small of her back "Not when my hot naked wife is right in front of me."
She looked up at me and pursed her lips "I'm trying to shower."
"So?" I asked, placing my lips on hers as she stood still. "Really?" I asked, moving back from her "Really. I come in, try to be romantic, and this is my response?"
"Matt-"
"It's fine Marie." I raised my hands and slid the glass open "It's fine-"
Marie pressed her hands against my shoulders and pressed her lips against mine, her hands holding tight on to me. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. Amidst all of the water I hoped she wouldn't notice the fact I began to cry from her sudden embrace. She looked up at me though with a questioning look.
"Matt?" She asked.
"I miss you so much, Marie.." I held her closer, kissing her forhead, her neck, her shoulders, the top of her head where I rested my chin. Just holding her "I miss you and I'm afraid for you. Something is wrong and you aren't telling me."
She tightened her grasp on my shoulders "I'm fine Matt... I love you so much.. I just ... I need you." She sighed "I need you, all the time, I miss you, every day. I can't imagine my life without you and I don't want to be my parents and-"
"We won't be, baby, we won't." I assured her and picked her up, letting her legs drape around my waist. "I love you more than my life. It kills me to see you this way."
"I love you Matt." She pressed her lips on mine.
"I will always love you, more than anything. In the world."
I could feel her shaking slightly as she held on to me, tears dripping from her eyes on to my shoulder. I reached over and shut the water, stepping us both from the shower. I opened the bathroom door and sat her down on our bed. I sat next to her and took a deep breath.
"We need a vacation." I laughed as she nodded, laying her head against me, her hands clasping on to my arm. Her fingers shook and I knew something was wrong. "Lets go have some breakfast, huh?" I asked. She nodded slowly as I handed her one of my shirts from the closet, and a pair of her underwear from the drawer. She put them on as I got dressed and I picked her up, as she laughed "I'm carrying you, you seem tired."
"I am." She yawned "So tired."
"Well food will help." I smiled as she kissed my cheek.
Jackie had finally coerced Marie in to the building, we finished the tour, and they agreed it was the best venue. It had a great landscape for the reception to be outside, the ceremony inside, and there were bars a small way away for after.
Marie sat in silence next to me as we drove home, her eyes not leaving the spot on the floor where I swear she was about to burn a hole with her gaze. Her thumbs fidgited against the hem of her shorts. I reached over and took her hand, holding it with mine on top of the console. A small smile played on her lips as she glanced at me, breaking her stare-off with the floor.
"You ok?" I asked "You're very quiet."
She nodded "Yah." She looked away, but this time to the road "Are you guys working this week?"
"Yah, Thursday and Friday night." I answered "What's up?"
"Nothing, just wondering... You'll have to remind me nine hundred times though apparently." She scoffed under her breath.
I took a deep breath "Babe... Jackie told.. Jackie told me about earlier." I cut my words short as she took her hand from mine "What?" I asked.
"She did?" She asked sharply "What'd she tell you?"
"That you thought you drove yourself to go shopping. That you completely forgot that I drove us to their wedding venue and we were inside." I glanced at her, tears brimmed her eyes "What's going on?" I asked again.
"Whatever, I totally lost track of everything with that phone call. It was my mom." She looked downward "She... She and my dad are getting a divorce." She looked back up at me quickly "And she's losing her fucking mind."
"Oh?" I asked "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be, their marriage sucked. He wasn't happy." She shrugged "I guess sometimes it.. it just doesn't work."
"Yeah." My heart cringed at her words "So, did you want to look at houses this weekend? Jensen called me today."
"Why not." She shrugged. "Can't fucking hurt."
"Ok I'll call him back and let him know, how many?" I asked as she shrugged "Is two a day ok? All that driving is so boring."
"That's perfect. I'm so ready for this to be over with." She glanced at her purse as her phone rang. She closed her eyes and just rested her head on the window. "I need a vacation." She laughed "From everyone."
"Jackie would go with you." I laughed "I'm pretty sure with all this planning she needs one."
"It's called a bachelorette party, which is in Mailbu, in three weeks from now." She laughed "I can remember that..."
"Hey, it'll be fine. We're gonna go to a doctor this afternoon though-"
"No, Matt." She cut me off "I don't need that, I really just need to get some sleep and focus. This whole mom and dad thing is really throwing me off." She sighed "Don't."
"Ok.. but please tell me if it's something else?" I asked, she noded "I love you Marie."
"I love you Matt." She smiled.
~**~
The next morning
I was sitting on the couch, talking to Jackie and Brian over the phone, about how the car ride went yesterday.
"She insisted it was because of another issue." I sighed "I'm not forcing her to go. I mean... She's going through a lot. She's still stressed about the whole accident and house thing. She has a lot on her plate and she's trying to get back to work, they keep telling her to take as much time as she needs and the girls there don't want her taking on too much... She's starting to get offended a little bit but I keep telling her she's not ready.. I don't even know."
"Well, in her timing, she'll do it I guess. Just gotta keep an eye on her though and make sure she's not taking too much on herself." Brian added "Like, we don't work much lately, a few local gigs but that's it. If she needs help, help her. Stuff with the house, y'know.. Just be observant."
"No I'm gonna completely ignore her, Brian. What do you think I am, an idiot? Of course I'm keeping a close eye on her for god sakes." I huffed "Speaking of... it's like ten and she's still not up, I'm going to go see if she's ok, or she might be in the shower. I'll call you guys later ok?"
"OK man, talk to you later." Brian said as he hung up the phone.
I set my phone down on the back of the couch and stood up, hearing movement upstairs so at least she was awake. I began walking up the stairs and heard the shower turn on from our room. I shrugged and kept walking.
"Marie?" I called, entering our room and nearing the bathroom door "Babe?"
"Yah?" She asked loudly "Matt?"
"You ok?" I asked, hearing the curtain moving and something slam "Babe?" I asked "Can I come in?"
"Yah." She answered, sounding unsure.
I opened the door and stepped in "You ok? I thought I heard you slip." I sat on the sink and watched her shadow behind the glass.
"I'm fine, just dropped my body wash." She showed it to me over the glass door "I'm ok though, you don't have to check on me." She laughed.
"Yes I do, I'm your husband." I laughed as she scoffed. We both fell silent, the only noise was Marie's phone playing music quietly from the counter.
I stood up and began taking my socks off, followed by my shorts, and my shirt. I gently opened the door from the back, Marie was facing me but her eyes shut as she was rinsing her hair. I silently shut the glass door behind me and placed my hands on her hips. She jumped, almost slipping but I steadied her.
"I thought you left!" She screeched out, pushing at my chest.
"No way." I smiled and moved my hands to the small of her back "Not when my hot naked wife is right in front of me."
She looked up at me and pursed her lips "I'm trying to shower."
"So?" I asked, placing my lips on hers as she stood still. "Really?" I asked, moving back from her "Really. I come in, try to be romantic, and this is my response?"
"Matt-"
"It's fine Marie." I raised my hands and slid the glass open "It's fine-"
Marie pressed her hands against my shoulders and pressed her lips against mine, her hands holding tight on to me. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. Amidst all of the water I hoped she wouldn't notice the fact I began to cry from her sudden embrace. She looked up at me though with a questioning look.
"Matt?" She asked.
"I miss you so much, Marie.." I held her closer, kissing her forhead, her neck, her shoulders, the top of her head where I rested my chin. Just holding her "I miss you and I'm afraid for you. Something is wrong and you aren't telling me."
She tightened her grasp on my shoulders "I'm fine Matt... I love you so much.. I just ... I need you." She sighed "I need you, all the time, I miss you, every day. I can't imagine my life without you and I don't want to be my parents and-"
"We won't be, baby, we won't." I assured her and picked her up, letting her legs drape around my waist. "I love you more than my life. It kills me to see you this way."
"I love you Matt." She pressed her lips on mine.
"I will always love you, more than anything. In the world."
I could feel her shaking slightly as she held on to me, tears dripping from her eyes on to my shoulder. I reached over and shut the water, stepping us both from the shower. I opened the bathroom door and sat her down on our bed. I sat next to her and took a deep breath.
"We need a vacation." I laughed as she nodded, laying her head against me, her hands clasping on to my arm. Her fingers shook and I knew something was wrong. "Lets go have some breakfast, huh?" I asked. She nodded slowly as I handed her one of my shirts from the closet, and a pair of her underwear from the drawer. She put them on as I got dressed and I picked her up, as she laughed "I'm carrying you, you seem tired."
"I am." She yawned "So tired."
"Well food will help." I smiled as she kissed my cheek.