Status: updates are kind of slow. sorry.
Hard Water
v
Callum had pulled me close when we went to bed for our first night on the island: something that had taken me by surprise considering his foul mood throughout the day, but I guiltily enjoyed his embrace and kissed him. We ended up making love and he was as gentle as he had been when we first met. I was too tired to question it, and soon fell into a blissful sleep.
The next morning we were due to visit his parents before the wedding took place. I had met James (who preferred to be called Jimmy) and Rose only once before, but they were warm, down-to-earth people, nothing like their son. They were Christians and lived in a quaint little cottage near the chapel on the outskirts of Sunhaven, which they visited every Sunday without fail, had two cats and went down to the pub every Friday night. Jimmy had been a mechanic and Rose a journalist before they had retired and moved to Fallegur. I had often wondered what made them decide to live somewhere so isolated and disconnected, when their life seemed perfect back in England.
We said goodbye to Holly after she had insisted on cooking us both a hearty breakfast. I asked her where Luke was, and she replied that she didn't know. "He's probably just gone for an early morning walk," she said cheerfully, "a bit of fresh air never did anyone no harm." I agreed with her and listened as she avidly chatted on about the island, not being able to shake a curious feeling on unease in my stomach, until Callum complained that we'd be late and that we better set off. His parents' house was only a ten minute walk from the inn - although nothing was ever far away - but I got the feeling that Callum was anxious when it came to impressing his parents.
Rose was already out of the house and running towards us when we arrived. She grasped Callum and pulled him into a massive embrace, planting kisses all over his face. I smiled a little, mainly at his expense. She then turned to me, beaming, and pulled me into a firm hug and kissed me once on the cheek. "Oh, Callum, your girlfriend looks even lovelier than last time and you still look like such a scruff!" she exclaimed in her rich Somerset accent. I giggled a little sadistically; if there was one thing Callum hated - and there were a lot - it was being embarassed. "Leave it, Mum," he groaned, "where's Dad?"
Rose's face suddenly fell, and it seemed as if the air almost got a little colder. "Come inside," she said hastily, before disappearing up the driveway and into the house. Callum and I exchanged glances before following her and entering the comforting warmth of the house. I quickly familiarised myself with the inside again: it had been almost a year since I was last here. The decor did not scream wealth, but it was clear the house belonged to somebody with a fair amount of money. It was fairly modern-looking, contrasting with the rustic, traditional exterior. Rose led us into the living room where James was fast asleep in the armchair in front of the empty fireplace, which would be lit in the evening, spreading warmth throughout the household. Without it, the house felt bleak and cold.
"He's not been well recently," Rose explained, gazing upon James' slumbering form sadly, "I'm not going to lie, Callum. I'm worried his health is deteriorating." Callum kept staring on ahead, like he could not hear a word she was saying. Rose and I waited anxiously for Callum to say something, anything, just to show that he was alright. He and his father had always been close.
I reached out and touched his arm tenderly. "Callum?"
"Hm," he grunted finally, "sit down, Mum. I'll make you a drink." He disappeared into the kitchen before she could even begin to formulate a reply. "Tea, Callum, two sugars!" she called after him, then slumped down on the sofa and rubbed her face tiredly. I took a seat next to her, not knowing what to say. A selfish part of me hoped that now Callum would understand how I felt and sympathise with me more, but I knew it wasn't likely.
"It seems like you're the only thing that keeps my son happy," Rose murmured, "he's always been a little...troubled." I shifted uncomfortably, not daring to tell her the true nature of our relationship; partly because I didn't want to upset her, and partly because I was afraid of Callum and what he might do. He had hit me twice before - when he was drunk - but I had a feeling he wouldn't hesitate to do so in a clear state of mind if I really wound him up. I smiled at Rose.
"You're not.." she paused, like she was thinking, "you're not thinking about children yet, are you?" My eyes widened, and she drew back. "Oh, no! Of course not, you're too young yet. My apologies." I was about to tell her that it was fine, but Callum appeared with her tea and she gripped it a little shakily, muttering a small word of thanks to him.
"Actually," I took a deep breath, "I would love children." Rose squealed and clapped like a little girl when I uttered those words, but I only needed a quick glance at Callum to show me that he was absolutely infuriated. He was adamant that we would not be having children until at least twenty-seven: we were twenty-three. His face had paled and he was glaring at me murderously, as opposed to his mother's delighted countenance. "How wonderful!" she babbled on, "I've always thought that mixed-race babies are so gorgeous. Don't you think so, Callum? Don't you think they're simply beautiful? I'm so happy for you-"
"You know what, Mum, I don't feel great," Callum cut her off, faking a strained voice, "I think we'll leave. Sorry, Mum. Come on, Mona." He offered me his hand, the hard look in his eyes daring me to disagree with him. My heart with thumping. The thought of why the fuck do I do this to myself ran through my head on an endless loop as I took his hand and let him pull me up off the sofa.
"But honey, you only just got here-"
"-I'll see you at the wedding, Mum." Callum leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on her cheek, then dragged me out of the living room and out of the house, leaving behind Rose, who looked completely bemused.
He waited until we were out of his mother's view and earshot to roughly shove me up the back wall of the house. I felt weirdly excited. "What the hell are you playing at?" he hissed, his face inches away from mine. "Telling my mother we're having kids? What's wrong with you? We had an agreement."
"I was only saying I would like to. Mere speculation, that's all." I hissed back.
"Don't say things like that to my parents. Stupid bitch." His grip on my shoulders had become excruciating; my arms were becoming devoid of feeling, but I maintained an impassive stare into his eyes. "I can say whatever the hell I want." I said slowly.
"Not without my permission, you can't." I cried out in frustration and attempted to push on his arms, and he chuckled tauntingly when I failed. "Fuck you," I growled, desperately trying to fight back the tears that threatened to slide from my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do right now was look weak.
"If you want, Mona, but only my way," he whispered excitedly, his eyes shining manically, "I can't wait til we're married, and I can push you around all I want, walk all over you like a doormat. It's going to be so much fun."
He's actually lost it, I realised amidst my frayed thoughts and blurred vision, sobbing freely now as he pulled me against his chest in a tight hug, and I have nowhere to go.
The next morning we were due to visit his parents before the wedding took place. I had met James (who preferred to be called Jimmy) and Rose only once before, but they were warm, down-to-earth people, nothing like their son. They were Christians and lived in a quaint little cottage near the chapel on the outskirts of Sunhaven, which they visited every Sunday without fail, had two cats and went down to the pub every Friday night. Jimmy had been a mechanic and Rose a journalist before they had retired and moved to Fallegur. I had often wondered what made them decide to live somewhere so isolated and disconnected, when their life seemed perfect back in England.
We said goodbye to Holly after she had insisted on cooking us both a hearty breakfast. I asked her where Luke was, and she replied that she didn't know. "He's probably just gone for an early morning walk," she said cheerfully, "a bit of fresh air never did anyone no harm." I agreed with her and listened as she avidly chatted on about the island, not being able to shake a curious feeling on unease in my stomach, until Callum complained that we'd be late and that we better set off. His parents' house was only a ten minute walk from the inn - although nothing was ever far away - but I got the feeling that Callum was anxious when it came to impressing his parents.
Rose was already out of the house and running towards us when we arrived. She grasped Callum and pulled him into a massive embrace, planting kisses all over his face. I smiled a little, mainly at his expense. She then turned to me, beaming, and pulled me into a firm hug and kissed me once on the cheek. "Oh, Callum, your girlfriend looks even lovelier than last time and you still look like such a scruff!" she exclaimed in her rich Somerset accent. I giggled a little sadistically; if there was one thing Callum hated - and there were a lot - it was being embarassed. "Leave it, Mum," he groaned, "where's Dad?"
Rose's face suddenly fell, and it seemed as if the air almost got a little colder. "Come inside," she said hastily, before disappearing up the driveway and into the house. Callum and I exchanged glances before following her and entering the comforting warmth of the house. I quickly familiarised myself with the inside again: it had been almost a year since I was last here. The decor did not scream wealth, but it was clear the house belonged to somebody with a fair amount of money. It was fairly modern-looking, contrasting with the rustic, traditional exterior. Rose led us into the living room where James was fast asleep in the armchair in front of the empty fireplace, which would be lit in the evening, spreading warmth throughout the household. Without it, the house felt bleak and cold.
"He's not been well recently," Rose explained, gazing upon James' slumbering form sadly, "I'm not going to lie, Callum. I'm worried his health is deteriorating." Callum kept staring on ahead, like he could not hear a word she was saying. Rose and I waited anxiously for Callum to say something, anything, just to show that he was alright. He and his father had always been close.
I reached out and touched his arm tenderly. "Callum?"
"Hm," he grunted finally, "sit down, Mum. I'll make you a drink." He disappeared into the kitchen before she could even begin to formulate a reply. "Tea, Callum, two sugars!" she called after him, then slumped down on the sofa and rubbed her face tiredly. I took a seat next to her, not knowing what to say. A selfish part of me hoped that now Callum would understand how I felt and sympathise with me more, but I knew it wasn't likely.
"It seems like you're the only thing that keeps my son happy," Rose murmured, "he's always been a little...troubled." I shifted uncomfortably, not daring to tell her the true nature of our relationship; partly because I didn't want to upset her, and partly because I was afraid of Callum and what he might do. He had hit me twice before - when he was drunk - but I had a feeling he wouldn't hesitate to do so in a clear state of mind if I really wound him up. I smiled at Rose.
"You're not.." she paused, like she was thinking, "you're not thinking about children yet, are you?" My eyes widened, and she drew back. "Oh, no! Of course not, you're too young yet. My apologies." I was about to tell her that it was fine, but Callum appeared with her tea and she gripped it a little shakily, muttering a small word of thanks to him.
"Actually," I took a deep breath, "I would love children." Rose squealed and clapped like a little girl when I uttered those words, but I only needed a quick glance at Callum to show me that he was absolutely infuriated. He was adamant that we would not be having children until at least twenty-seven: we were twenty-three. His face had paled and he was glaring at me murderously, as opposed to his mother's delighted countenance. "How wonderful!" she babbled on, "I've always thought that mixed-race babies are so gorgeous. Don't you think so, Callum? Don't you think they're simply beautiful? I'm so happy for you-"
"You know what, Mum, I don't feel great," Callum cut her off, faking a strained voice, "I think we'll leave. Sorry, Mum. Come on, Mona." He offered me his hand, the hard look in his eyes daring me to disagree with him. My heart with thumping. The thought of why the fuck do I do this to myself ran through my head on an endless loop as I took his hand and let him pull me up off the sofa.
"But honey, you only just got here-"
"-I'll see you at the wedding, Mum." Callum leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on her cheek, then dragged me out of the living room and out of the house, leaving behind Rose, who looked completely bemused.
He waited until we were out of his mother's view and earshot to roughly shove me up the back wall of the house. I felt weirdly excited. "What the hell are you playing at?" he hissed, his face inches away from mine. "Telling my mother we're having kids? What's wrong with you? We had an agreement."
"I was only saying I would like to. Mere speculation, that's all." I hissed back.
"Don't say things like that to my parents. Stupid bitch." His grip on my shoulders had become excruciating; my arms were becoming devoid of feeling, but I maintained an impassive stare into his eyes. "I can say whatever the hell I want." I said slowly.
"Not without my permission, you can't." I cried out in frustration and attempted to push on his arms, and he chuckled tauntingly when I failed. "Fuck you," I growled, desperately trying to fight back the tears that threatened to slide from my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do right now was look weak.
"If you want, Mona, but only my way," he whispered excitedly, his eyes shining manically, "I can't wait til we're married, and I can push you around all I want, walk all over you like a doormat. It's going to be so much fun."
He's actually lost it, I realised amidst my frayed thoughts and blurred vision, sobbing freely now as he pulled me against his chest in a tight hug, and I have nowhere to go.