"What are you doing?" I say to Fin soon as he steps in the room...
"What?" He leans against the door, looks at me lazily. Dammit...how can anyone question that face! It's unfair, he's not doing anything but I'm throwing in the towel.
No. no. I'm shaking my head to clear it when I hear his chuckle, stopping me from being more ridiculous. I lost my momentum...
"Mrs Merwe..."
"What's wrong with you? You've been acting strangely since you came back. Did something happen?" I have to be strong, not loose my will confronting that face. Or else, how am I ever going to live swallowing my grievances? That won't do.
"Nothing's wrong." I don't believe him, I don't think he believes him...he didn't put in an effort to be believable at all.
What happened in Country C?
"Look Fin, you and I don't know each other well. The feelings between us are still very fragile, I want us to be able to tell each other when there's a problem." I try the gentler approach. Be understanding, speak softly and really understanding - Mama Jewel always says.
"Nothing's wrong." Right. I'm wasting my time... another approach,
"Fine. About my parents, no matter how our relationship is, they're my parents. I can talk to them like that but you can't, whatever's going on... it's between us. Don't do that again." I think I phrased it in a diplomatic manner...
"You're wrong." I am?
"They're my parents too. We're husband and wife after all. What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine." Really...
Exactly what's happened to Fin? He wasn't this...pigheaded before he left, why's he being difficult now?
"Then treat them like I do or don't deal with them at all, if there's a problem, I'll handle it." the impatience in my voice can't be masked. I'm trying... I'm trying to be amiable but it's like I'm talking to a brick wall. Is this the real him, his way or no way?
"Trent, do you want your parents to live with us?" Huh?
"Not but..."
"No buts, you don't want them to live with us and you've asked them to leave and they didn't. Now I'm asking, what's wrong?" What? That isn't the issue! Can he not tell what's the problem or is he playing dumb?
"That's not the point. I don't like the way you talked to them and I didn't hear the whole conversation. What were you like before I arrived!"
How is it difficult to understand he can't disrespect them, however they might be! Mr bigshot can't respect anyone but his family?
He doesn't respond, he simply looks at me unruffled by my little outburst. Dammit...so frustrating!
"Fin..."
"Fine. Anything else?" What? There's a whole lot wrong with his attitude - right?
I don't know what to say... I'm feeling out of sorts. Did I overreact?
Why does it feel like I did something wrong here?
"What's wrong with you?" I'm actually pleading with him to say something...anything at all...
I receive nothing. He leaves.
(@_@)
What. The. Hell.
I'm staring at where Fin was just standing, running everything I said in my head over and over again, what did I say wrong? Did I say something wrong?
Are relationships this...annoying?
"You ought to find out what happened before your husband." I don't know how long I've been standing there, staring at nothing until I hear Lydia's voice.
Great.
"Don't you know your own parents? Honestly, it takes a lot to stay sane with them." She's in my room, acting...weird?
"What do you want?" My mood's at level 0.5, I can't entertain her.
"I heard you paid my sister a visit." Her sister?
"Mikayla." She says, making my bewildered look more bewildered. What? No way! These three sisters, what do I owe them?
"What are you playing at telling Mikayla it was Liv who was wrong?"
"Liv?"
"Ha. You ruined her life and don't know her name. Trent Dion, it must be nice being you."
For the last time I didn't do anything to that crazy girl!
"Liv was such a lively person, drawing all the time and laughing but after that show last year, she's never been the same. My little sister... what did she do to deserve this?" How would I know?
"Trent, don't you feel guilty...don't you feel bad at all?" They're all nuts.
It's the first time I'm seeing something on her face other than her usual nauseating kind look. I can't bother with her though, I'm still thinking about what just happened with Fin. I can feel it, I know something must have happened in Country C. Did his family give him a hard time learning he's married? Work related or friends?
"No. I don't feel guilty because I didn't do anything to her, all I did was reject her proposal...in private - my manager was there...
I never saw her again after that day aside from her gifts, dead mice, rotten things and weird letters."
"You're lying!"
"Go to the police and find out whether I'm lying or not."
Lydia went after my father while Mikayla went after Sebastian...their dedication is really... outstanding.
I'm sorry, I can't produce a more shocking reaction to Lydia being Mikayla's sister because I'm worried about my husband - you know, the husband who cut me off and walked out on me. I've never been in a serious relationship before, pardon my fixation.
Would you like to take my part here and be more surprised? Anyway, I figured Lydia was out to get me but I couldn't assume it was related to the same reason Mikayla was out to get me.
Figures... the world really is narrow.
"Lydia, while I'd like to hear all about your sister and whatnot, your timing cannot be more horrible." Seriously - she cannot have come at a worse time.
"You..!"
"If I drove your sister insane because of rejection then she was going to go insane sooner or later. Who in the world has never been rejected? Don't you see how ridiculous this is? I don't have time for this. Leave."
"You..."
"Leave Lydia, get out of my room. That sister of yours...you should spend your time getting her the help she needs instead of being here, getting pregnant with my father's child...if you're pregnant."
I don't wait for her to say anything, I gently... extremely gently push her out the door. She's dedicated...if she trips and blames me?
Then there's one - me, alone in a bedroom full of Fin's presence and mine without Fin. Sigh...
He'll be back won't he?
I fall face first onto the bed. At least Mikayla and Lydia are out of the way, my life should find some resemblance of peace, shouldn't it?
If I hurt him or disappointed him...I didn't mean to. He knows that right?
I...I like Fin. I just...I j-just don't want him to change.
"Hey, sorry to wake you." I must have fallen asleep. Fin is holding a shirt, all that chest...
Hard swallow!
"It's fine, I should wake up if I'm going to sleep tonight."
"That's not a problem, I can help you." Ha. Funny...
My husband's really handsome though...
Right. I'm getting distracted again!
"Fin... I'm sorry."
He gets on the bed and hauls me into his arms, brushes my hair to the side and plants a kiss on my bare neck.
"Why?" His voice...
"I don't know what happened in Country C, I just want to be there for you, like how you're here for me. You make me feel safe, a place all mine never to be corrupted by anything..."
He chuckles into my hair, sending vibrations down my spine. Dammit...
"Oh...so it's not because you're worried about me?" How is his voice getting deeper and making me tingly all over?
No, no, no. Don't you get distracted Trent Dion! Trent Merwe. Trent Dion-Merwe. Argh...
"Th-that's not what I meant. I want to be that for you, a safe space that'll never be corrupted. I want to make you feel like how you make me feel. Steady and safe. I want to be there for you."
He turns me to face him, a serious look on his face.
My husband's really handsome...
"I'm fine...really. What I'm worried about is you. It's why I'm trying to get things organised in such a hurried manner and why I spoke to your parents like that. I'm sorry about that by the way." Huh? Me?
"Why, what's wrong?"
"The news that I'm married have already reached Country C, you know this."
"Yes. Your mother called me today." And is not impressed...how can I forget? He laughs a little...
"Don't mind her, she's all bark. The news didn't reach just my family...but your father and mother's family too." What?
I forgot about that, my parents have family they ran away from in Country C, I've never met either one though so I don't pay attention to it.
"So?"
"So... they're going to come knocking. And they're tougher than people here. I need to know you'll be firm with them. I'm afraid... I'm afraid of losing you to them."
So warm and fluffy, I like this feeling. The stuffiness has dissipated and I'm back to how I always feel around him...so warm and fluffy.
"Why would they come because you're married?" They're not that shameless, are they?
Having not bothered all my life, they'd do so now because I got married to Infinity Merwe?
Ah... they would, wouldn't they?
"Because I got married to one of them and you're their way into an alliance with me. They'll come for all sorts of reasons. You're not firm...you're too soft. Those people will break you...I can't risk it...
"From Mark, Mikayla, Lydia and Sebastian; you're too soft. Country C is ruthless... you won't survive there and we'll have to go there even if we don't stay forever."
Is he right?
Well...he knows Country C better than I do.
What have I married into?