The Wedding-Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kelsey

In my dream, we were happy.

He brought me a coffee and rubbed my head as I pushed my hair out of my tired eyes. We had spent the night in our hotel room, on a nice vacation to the beach. I had just gotten a promotion at work to a Senior Copyeditor, and we had taken a week away to celebrate. The only thing I was worried about that morning was what I was going to wear to dinner. A printed linen set, or a sundress?

Instead, I suddenly wake up alone and sweating, knowing immediately that my reality is going to punch me in the face when I open my eyes. Our argument last night was heated, and I had never been so angry, or seen Jason that angry.

Who has he become?

He slept on the couch after we had talked, and I was tempted to walk out and put a blanket over him.

But I didn’t.

Last night’s words hurt, but staying with a liar hurts even worse.

I turn back over in bed and hide my face under the covers, not ready to face another day fighting with him. I secretly hope that he has left, and I wipe the corners of my eyes at the thought of me not wanting him there. Things can change so fucking quickly.

Jason

I wake up on the couch, eyes swollen from crying myself to sleep. I know that I have to get up and get out quick, but my body says otherwise. I have taken so many beatings over the past few weeks, both mentally and physically. I’m surprised I can even hold up my head anymore when I sit up.

My arms are stretched over my head when my phone quietly rings, and I pretend that it doesn’t. It’s too early to hear Angelo bitching and moaning about how he fucked up yet another gig that “wasn’t his fault.” I look down and see that it isn’t Angelo at all, but Rebecca. I search the space next to the couch for my shoes, mustering up the courage to quietly slip out the front door to go take the call.

Too quick as always, Kelsey must have heard me wake up, and I hear her slippers shuffling into the kitchen. I prepare myself to find something to say, something to avoid a terribly long awkward silence.

“Good Morning. Did you sleep okay?”

“Did YOU sleep okay? You were snoring so loud on the couch, I thought someone was trying to call a bear.” She chuckles as she turns on the coffee pot, her smiley face slippers moving loudly around the linoleum.

“Uhhh, yea. I haven’t heard a joke out of you for a while. I missed it.” I stand up and walk towards the front door, my hoodie in hand and my ruffled hair sticking out around my head. Man, I really need a shower. But I know I have to go.

Kelsey doesn’t respond, only gives me a sad smile and turns back towards the coffee pot. Her hand rests on her hip like it always does, and she moves her long brown hair out of her face.

I know she feels the same. That our conversations are circling and going absolutely nowhere. Every fight we have is about the wedding, the bracelet, and my “secrets”. It seems like every week she is able to find out more and more about the life I have tried so hard to shield her from. She has no fucking idea that it’s on purpose, to protect her. To protect our lives.

My next step today is to call back Rebecca and ask her to explain why the fuck she agreed to meet Kelsey without telling me.

Once I step out of the door, I immediately regret it. I want so badly to walk back in and nuzzle my face into her neck, smell her vanilla perfume.

But I know I can’t. I know she knows, and I can’t let her win this war. It will ruin us both.