Don't forget to comment! And Vote! And share! We're in the last few chapters of this book, it'll probably be done this week! I didn't really like the way I was gonna end it before, so I'm rewriting a bunch after having come up with some better plot lines and closers. You still have a few really good sex scenes to go, and another party type thing, another meeting with N*ck, a couple firsts, two more name drops, and a great moment between a ship y'all adore. Don't forget to check out my newest fic, Speak Easy after this! Enjoy ;)
I ended the day early and dismissed everyone by two today before rushing down the street to Tate's, where Chuck already waited, accompanied by Toni, which made me stop in my tracks. I slowly continued my journey towards them until I was sitting across from the two of them, hands folded on the table neatly.
"Afternoon, Toni." I said awkwardly, and she waved at me in an equally awkward manner. "What's up?" I asked Chuck, and he unfolded a file folder, showing me pictures of my scorched office. "What am I looking at?" I asked, swallowing a lump in my throat from seeing the damage I had done.
"Look at the candles." He pointed out, and I looked at my desk to where the candles were when I lit them, and I was confused to see that they were still mostly intact, the wax walls still built high. "If your candles started that fire, they would've had to be completely melted down, but they hadn't done that yet." He said, before turning that picture over and showing me another, of a broken window from the mail room on the sixth floor below mine. "This is the only window in the building that broke." He divulged. "I always thought it didn't make sense that the fire started on the top floor and burnt on floors underneath. Fire usually rises, so anything below the floor the fire started on would be safe, under almost any circumstances." He explained.
"I got called to fix a leaky pipe on the floor below the seventh floor below, and I noticed that the reason it was leaking is because it was broken, and wrenched up, so that the gas would leak from the boiler on the twenty third floor, into a vent that lead straight up to the twenty fourth floor. With that kind of leak, even just dropping a lighter in the next floor over can cause an explosion." Tonight informed, giving time for Chuck to flip to another picture, one of what looked like a scorched, melted lighter. He flipped that to another, which showed strange marks on a seemingly clean wall where it met with a ceiling.
"Someone did just that." He said seriously, "Somebody threw a lit lighter into the room when they thought nobody would be there."
I didn't know what to say.
Somebody conspired against my company, tried to destroy what I spent years trying to perfect. How could someone do something like that to me?
"Do you know who did it?" I asked, and Chuck rose a brow.
"I was hoping we could take a look at that security system of yours."
...
"So this is the lapsed time of the day of the fire." I explained as I clicked 'lapse' on the security settings.
We watched in silence, both Chuck and Toni leaning against the desk on either side of me to watch as well. My eyes strayed when I smelled the scent of motor oil and vanilla, an ever present smell I only traced back to Toni. I caught her looking at me through the corner of my eye, distracted at the fact that it's been a month since I last felt her this close, and smelt her smell on anything but my sheets and my pillow.
That smell faded away a week ago.
Now, it's like I had been weaned off of the drug of that scent, and her giving it back to me is enabling a relapse.
"There, stop!" Called Chuck, knocking me out of my euphoria so that I could pause it.
I zoomed in on the face of the brown haired man, and exchanged looks between my two acomplaces.
...
"I'm Ethel Muggs, and I'm coming to you with an update on the case of Nick St. Clair and Cheryl Blossom. He is now being investigated for having committed arson against Cheryl Blossom at the Bombshell building on December ninth, when she was caught in the flames of the tragic accident. He is being pursued by every officer in the Los Angeles area, but he has yet to turn up.
Updates will come as we get more information on this case."
Despite having found out that Nick has it out for me, I was feeling great. It had only been a day, and everyone in LA knew what kind of person the CEO of The Blue and Gold was, and that was enough for me.
For now anyway.
I was sitting in the front room of my house, holding my 6 month old son as he slept in my lap, making plans for the party tomorrow evening when the news started to play the news on Nick St Clair.
"I hope he turns up dead." Josie grunted, and Veronica reached across the loveseat to lay her hand on Josie's knee in an attempt to calm her.
"Where's Lucy?" I asked Betty, who shrugged.
"She said she and Toni had a thing."
"A thing?" Asked Veronica, and the blonde shrugged.
"I trust my girlfriend, I don't need to know her every move to know she's gonna be okay."
"Uh, she's in a gang, B." Veronica pointed out, and Betty shrugged.
"If she can get into a fight with a car and win, she can handle anything life throws at her." She beamed, proud of her beloved.
"So when are y'all gonna get married?" Josie asked, and Betty rose a brow.
"Who said anything about marriage?" Betty said suddenly, and Veronica shrugged.
"You two are just... right for each other, I guess. Like, it makes sense in a weird way." She tried, and Josie and I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I thought Toni and Cheryl would get married before me and Lu." She chuckled, causing my heart to ache in mention of the girl I loved so.
"Yeah, well she messed up, so..." I trailed off, hearing the last of that conversation.
"Are you just gonna act like a couple in front of everyone there? We're literally the only ones who know you're broken up. Like, not even mom." Betty reminded.
"How the hell did you manage to keep that from your mom?" Josie asked, causing me to shrug.
"It wasn't hard, I just tell her I'm going with Toni somewhere when she babysits Mason, when really, I'm going by myself and crying about the fact that I miss her." I shrugged sadly, and Josie sighed.
"Girl, if it's that bad, you should get back with her."
"I don't think so, what she did i-"
"Is a mistake, and Toni knows that. One lapse in judgement shouldn't stop you from moving through this and getting your baby mama back." She reasoned, and Veronica rose a brow.
"I don't think it's that simple, Josiekins." She countered, "I mean, Cheryl could've died, so it makes sense that she would have reservations. Your insecurities should be the last thing on your mind when you see that the love of your life is in that kind of danger." She assured, and Josie cleared her throat before craning her neck to look at her wife.
"Remember when we first started dating, and that guy was hitting on you when we were walking down the street, and when you told him you were with me, he squared up?" She asked, and Veronica looked down, blushing.
"Yes." She mumbled.
"And what happened when I refused to fight him?" She asked, and Veronica answered.
"I knocked his tooth out." She mumbled again.
"And as soon as I saw he was ready to hit you back?"
"You broke his nose."
"I'm sorry, this is cute, but what does this have to do with me?" I inquired, and Josie looked me in the eye finally.
"My point is that we're all human. Sometimes we're so afraid of getting hurt that we wind up getting ourselves hurt anyway. We almost always regret it, and we almost always wish we could take it back. So one mistake shouldn't make or break your relationship with someone, because if that's what you base your relationships off of, no relationship will last."
"How did you end up getting hurt while trying to avoid it?" I asked, distracted by the analogy, and Veronica giggled.
"She broke her hand on his face."
"Gotcha." I said amusedly before turning to a silent Betty who listened intently.
"What do you think?" I asked, and she sighed before leaning forward slightly.
"I think that the fact that she was so insecure means that she loves you. I don't think that she doesn't trust you, but that she's been hurt a lot, and that she's afraid that she can't have anything without getting hurt again." Betty explained.
"Yeah, if you think about it, she's been burned by almost everyone she's said 'I love you' to. So it makes sense that she'd be counting down the days before you'd get sick of her." Josie rationalized, exchanging a look with Veronica, who looked down to her shoes in what looked like shame.
"What am I missing here?" I asked, and Veronica held herself, causing Josie to scoot closer and pull her close.
"Toni and Veronica used to date, back when they were in the shelter." Josie revealed, and I rose a brow with intrigue. "She cheated on Toni with me." She looked down, and I exchanged a look with Betty before turning back to them.
"Toni eventually got over it, and I don't even know if she was really in love with me, but it still hurts me to think that I could've broken her in some way that makes her feel so insecure that she could never hold a serious relationship after us." She admitted, a tear falling from her eye, and I exhaled.
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think she's even remotely broken up about it," I assured, "I never sensed any kind of hesitance from her when it came to loving her, so I think you're okay." I assured, Betty nodding in agreement.
"She's so in love with Cheryl that the only interest she has in you guys is that you're happy as a couple." Betty complied. "Who wouldn't though? The cutest couple imaginable." She gushed lightly, and Veronica sniffled, while Josie shook her head.
"Lulu literally jumped in front of a moving car for you, that's what I call One True Pairing." She jested, and everyone shared a laugh.
"Yeah, I really do love her." She hummed, looking down at her fingers as they fiddled with the zipper of the sweater she wore, that was three sizes too big, and not her color, meaning it was obviously Lulu's.
"Are you afraid of marrying her?" Veronica asked, and Betty shook her head, eyes still fixated on the warn down fabric of her sweater.
"I mean, we don't even live together yet." She deflected, and I shook my head.
"Mom said she never sees you without Lucy, unless she's doing some manly chore, or getting something for you." I countered, "And Polly said that you're at Lulu's house almost all the time. You basically already do live together, so it's not like you don't know what it's like to cohabitate. You're just scared that you're gonna end up like mom and Hal." I accused, and she scoffed.
"When did this become 'Diagnosing our issues with Josie and Veronica?'" Betty asked, and Josie shrugged.
"Since Ronnie and I got married and have no issues." She bragged, and I rolled my eyes.
"Show off."
...
"You're sure you'll be okay babysitting, Charles?" I asked, and the curly haired boy waved me off.
"Kyle knows more about babies than most normal adults, and I worked in a daycare three summers a row in high school, remember?" He asked, and I hummed.
"You're right."
"I always am." He gloated before taking a content Mason from my arms and turning him to face me. I looked into his big, buggy brown eyes and grinned, watching him do the same. I took his hand and kissed it.
"I love you, Mason." I mumbled to him, and Charlie turned around with him, looking over his shoulder at me.
"Mom keeps wipes in the bathroom, right?" He asked, and I nodded. "Dope. I'll see you tomorrow morning." He grinned before closing the door in my face, forcing me to turn away and get into Lucy's car, which was running, waiting for me to get in.
"Ready to do this thing?" Betty asked as I buckled my belt.
"You mean throw a party for the ex I'm still hopelessly in love with?" I asked, "As ready as I'll ever be."
We drove the twenty minutes to the Bijou, where a red carpet was rolled out, press and paparazzi lines up behind the velvet ropes along each side.
I decided I was going to do this the same way as before, where I would wait for Sweetpea to drive up with in a limo and open the door to reveal Toni, who would be in awe of everything as I took her hand, kissed her, and walked down the red carpet, into the ball of beautiful people, dedicated to her.
I wish I could kiss her.
But I wouldn't.
Not here.
Not now.
"Cheryl," I heard Veronica, clad in a beautiful white dress, a look of concern on her face as she brought her phone up to me, flashing me the screen to show me a Twitter moment. "Look."
"Nick St. Clair finally taken into custody." read the article header, and when I clicked on it, I was shocked. "Nick St. Clair was dumped on the doorstep of Mercy Hospital, battered beyond recognition. He had a total of sixteen broken bones, a three missing teeth, a dislocated shoulder, and a seven inch long gash along his abdomen with a depth of two inches. When he woke up in the hospital the next day, he confessed to a number of crimes he had committed, including arson and attempted murder on Cheryl Blossom of Bombshell! Magazine, rape, sexual assault, fraud, disclosure of personal information, larceny, and elderly abuse of his late grandmother.
Many will wonder; Who was this mysterious assailant? Will they strike again? Whoever it was, we all thank him for putting a man like this behind bars."
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Nick was caught, and he admitted to everything he did. It was everything I had wanted from him. Not only that, but he also went through an immense amount of pain? It was a dream come true.
But it wasn't a dream, because I know exactly who did it.
"Cheryl, turn this way!" I heard Sweetpea from behind me, and I turned around, just as Sweetpea moved to open the back door of the limo, revealing a bright blue pant leg, draped over a pair of bright black heels. Then, I saw her.
She was absolutely breathtaking, in every way imaginable.
She was wearing indigo slacks, and a matching blazer. She wasn't wearing a shirt beneath, so I could see the swell of her breasts on either side of the suit's lapels. Her hair was tied up on each side, some draping around her head.
She looked around before grabbing her blue hand pouch and bringing her hands in front of her, revealing black leather gloves clutching her bag. Her eyes landed on me, and her lips parted for a moment, before I rushed toward her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her deeply.
My lips moved against hers as I felt her body falter against mine, her hands wrapping in my hair as her tongue broke the barrier between our lips into my mouth.
There was that same smell, vanilla and motor oil.
God, I missed her. I felt my heart pound against my chest as I revelled in the way she felt against me for the first time in so long.
I wanted to feel her skin though, and her hands were covered in those gloves, so I pressed my hand against her chest, feeling her heart as it matched pace with mine. I whimpered, tears threatening as I held her. I pulled away slowly, noting the way her chest heaved with her breathlessness, eyes bulging as she smiled up at me hopefully. I took one of her hands from my hair and bent her knuckles, watching as she hissed. I pressed my lips against them, and she sighed.
"I didn't d-"
"I know," I assured, knowing that she was going to tell me she didn't hurt Nick to get me back. "I love you." I muttered, and a tear fell down her face.
"I love you too." It was a whimper, but it was exactly what I needed to hear.
It was what I craved to hear for the last two months.
I finally, really, actually, genuinely had everything I wanted, and that was all I could ask for, honestly.
We spent an hour dancing like queens, standing out in red and blue amongst a sea of black and white. I spent an hour in the arms of my beloved, dancing, and laughing, and kissing her as the music played, when one song in particular played, kissing my ears with a softness that made my heart falter against the arms of the one I loved so.
"I've waited a hundred years, I'll wait a million more for you," I sang, and I watched as her eyes watered as she looked me in mine. We danced slowly, revelling in the music, in the moment, in each other.
"Your love is my turning page, where only the sweetest words remain." We sang together, "Every kiss is a cursive line, every touch is a redefining phrase. I'll surrender who I've been to who you are. For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart."
...
"Ladies and gentle people!" I called through the mic from beside Toni, her hand in mine as we looked around to our friends, including the serpents, the people from Toni's youth center, Kevin and his boyfriend, Joaquin, my family, and, of course, Josie and Veronica. "I want to thank you all for coming to Toni's party, and I wanted to thank you for making her into the beautiful person she's become." I began, and people clapped as I rose my drink for a moment, "This isn't just some party, or some reason to get drunk," I assured, "It's a celebration. It's another stepping stone in Toni's life that you get to be a part of, with all the other important people in her life. This is a time where we all get to band together and show Toni just how important she is to each and every one of us. It's a time where we can truly show Antoinette Topaz what she's worth." I looked her in the eyes, which softened the moment we met, "This is the first day of many, where we get to be a family!" I shouted, causing people to cheer, "This is the first day of the rest of our lives," I stepped close to Toni, and rested my head against her forehead. "Together." I said it sincerely, but everyone could hear it, and as I leaned in to kiss her, cheares erupted among the room, a roar that made the walls shake.
But all I heard was my heart beating against my chest.
All I saw, all I felt was Toni against me, holding me, begging me never to leave her again.
And I wouldn't.
Not now, not ever.