French Kisses

We had been shopping for two hours, and between Antonella, Malena, and Yolanda, over twenty thousand euros had already been spent. In two hours. What had I bought? A bottle of water. For a little over one Euro. They kept trying to get me to buy something, or let them buy something for me, but I would never let them do that. I had issues with other people spending money on me. For pretty much anything.
"Oh hey Nicole! You can return that thing for Gerard now, the store's next door," Yolanda said as we exited the current Spanish boutique.
"Awesome," I said under my breath, but followed them anyway.
I realized what the looks in the car where about when I looked around the store we had just walked in. It was clearly a dress shop. A very nice, expensive, dress shop. I looked down at the bag in confusion and checked that the name on the bag matched the one over the check out counter. It did. I then looked to see what Gerard wanted returned to see it was just one of his Barcelona warm up jackets. Naturally, I was beyond confused, and pulled it out of the bag, when I heard something fall to the bottom of the bag. Gerard's credit card. "Yolanda, what is he trying to say with this?" I was hoping it wasn't what I was thinking.
She smiled widely. "Clearly, he wants you to buy something from here!"
"Why? And I definitely don't have the money for it, regardless," I dropped the jacket and credit card back in the bag, not being able to resist glancing around at all the dresses anyway.
"Ooh, maybe he's going to take you and leigh somewhere! I think Victor might have mentioned something about a dinner or something next week...." she drifted off as she got distracted with the dresses.
"Well, I'll look, but I'm definitely not buying anything," I said, sounding as though I was trying to convince myself.
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Antonella laughed.

An hour later, they had forced me to try on at least ten dresses. Just for the sake of it, they explained. Thankfully they let me leave the store without buying anything, though it was an hour and a half later and almost seven o'clock.
"Girls, I'm beat, I think I should head back," I said, getting back in the car with them.
I was met with various disagreements, but I reminded them I wasn't used to shopping almost literally all day like they were. Finally they relented and agreed to drive me back before they could think of anywhere else to go. I thanked them and dropped Gerard's bag right inside the door before heading to take a long, hot shower.
"Oh, you're back! Did you girls have fun?" Gerard appeared from around the corner in front of me and asked in almost a demeaning tone.
"Tons," I replied, starting up the stairs. "Oh, and what was up with the return? You know, the one you lied to me about? Cause if it was a joke, I didn't get it!"
He only looked back innocently up at me. "What are you talking about? I asked you simply to do me a favor and return it."
"The store on the bag sold only women's clothes. Nice, fancy, expensive women's clothes."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't –"
"Nicole! You're back! Did you have fun?" Leigh had almost thrown open the door and was almost yelling as well. Tony followed her inside.
"Yeah, tons," I said, and turned on my heel and went upstairs to my room.
"What's up with her?" I heard Leigh ask, but I couldn't hear a reply.

When I stepped out of the shower, I put some pajama shorts and a tank top on before returning to my room and nearly screamed when I realized Leigh was sitting on my bed reading a magazine. "Leigh, you scared the crap out of me, warn a person."
She only shrugged, not looking up from the magazine. "We were talking about going out clubbing later, you wanna go?"
"No, I’m all clean and I'm exhausted. Those girls can shop way too much. They spent more than I make in three months."
"Okay. See you later," she jumped up, taking the magazine with her, and closed the door behind her. I stared after her for a second before snapping out of it and checking my phone. Shaun had text me while I was in the shower. Having fun yet?
I text back Yeah, I went shopping earlier with some of the girlfriends. They're cool. and went downstairs to find something to eat. I was scared again when Gerard emerged from a doorway almost right in front of me. "Gerard, you're gonna have to stop doing that, or I'll have a heart attack at twenty two."
He chucked and said, "Sorry, I'll do my best. I was just going to find you to see if you wanted anything?"
I was way too tired to make myself be mean to him so I agreed and followed him back to the kitchen. Upon his asking what I wanted I replied, "I'll have whatever you're having."
"Chicken quesadilla?"
"Oh, um, just cheese is fine actually."
"No meat?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm a vegetarian. Since ninth grade when we had to dissect a fetal pig. It was horrible."
He raised his eyebrows. "You couldn't get out of it? Do something else?"
"I tried. My teacher was a bitch and wouldn't let me. I even cried a little bit. Which none of my friends have ever let me forget, unfortunately," I had no idea why I was telling him all this. What if I’m starting to like him? I asked myself. No, that can't happen. I won't do that to myself again.
Gerard hadn't seemed to notice my internet argument, so I made myself eat the quesadilla in silence. "Can you at least tell me how I can make it up to you?"
I did my best not to lose it with him as I set my plate in the dishwasher and started up the stairs. "For the millionth time, you didn't do anything! It was someone else!"
"Well then can't you just tell me so I can help? Or try to?" He asked quietly, making me regret blowing up at him.
I blinked away the slowly forming tears, leaning against the stair rail. "I was raped," I whispered, though I knew he didn't hear me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him having an internet debate with himself over whether or not he should come over and try to make me feel better or not. "I WAS RAPED!" I yelled. "By a soccer player. He played for the New York Red Bulls in the MLS, and his teammates just laughed. Happy that you know now? Do you feel better?" With that I turned on my heel and almost ran to my room, just the way I did when I was little, and cried my eyes out on the pillow. I hadn't even looked at Gerard's face as I told him, so I had no idea how he took it.
I must have been up there for at least an hour when I heard a faint knock at the door. I knew the only person it could be was Gerard. "What else could you possibly want?"
He opened the door slowly, as though afraid that if he threw it open I would break down again. As he walked over to the bed and sat down he avoided any eye contact, deciding instead to stare at the floor. "I'm sorry."
"Save it, I've heard it all. It's not your fault, anyway. It was his."
"No, not that. Well, I mean, that too. But I'm sorry for pressuring you so much. I know it didn't help, and I was way out of line making you tell me anything you weren't ready to. I feel sick about it. Really. I can't say how bad I feel. If there's anything you need...well, just say so." After saying that, he hesitated, then stood and started for the door again.
"Gerard, just stay here," I said, not rolling over to look at him, but knowing he would anyway.
I heard him stop suddenly, then he asked, "What? Are you sure?"
"Yeah." He slowly came around to the other side of the bed and sat down. Once he let himself lay back some more I rested my head on his shoulder. After a few minutes I said, "Gerard?"
"Yeah?"
"I’m sorry I was so awful to you. I want you to know I’m not really like that. I just haven't really been open with much of anyone but that's no excuse."
"I don't blame you at all," he replied.
"Can we just start over? So I can be nice to you and not make you think I’m a stuck up bitch?"
"Yeah." He agreed. "That would be great."