|| Aisle Bliss 1/2
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Slowly Deb began to sink back to reality. Deep aches in her bones were causing waves of cold to over sweep her frail body. Her heart was pounding and she felt numb. A chilly draft swept over her still body. Breathing lightly, she tried to move her fingers. A huge wave of warmth swept through her as she managed to lift her fingers from the ground. As her senses stirred into action, Deb tried to lift her heavy eyelids. Suddenly she froze, a loud noise echoed throughout the environment. The sound of a squeaky door opened slowly and a shadow fell above her. She heard a gasp as her body tensed up.
"Oh my god."
Lusia's voice sounded distant and far away in. A huge wave of relief ran through Deb's weak body.
"Lu, Lusia?" Deb replied, feeling all her nerves spring to life.
Crouching down next to her best friend, Lusia proceeded to untie Deb from her bounds. Angry red burns tortured her wrists and a burning sensation formed as the rope was removed.
"Open your eyes Deb," Lusia told her best friend as she stared solidly down at her form.
Feeling as if she was using all her strength, slowly she opened up her scared hazel eyes. Instantly she saw Lusia's face studying her own as she knelt down on her knees with her slim arms by her side.
"I'm alright now Lusia, get me out of here," Deb croaked as she made a feeble attempt to move.
Her face screwed up in confusion as Lusia's piercing dark blue eyes stared at her sadly.
"What, what is it?"
Deb panicked, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"It's no use Deb," Lusia whispered quietly as a tear fell slowly down her pale cheek.
Deb began to tremble, blood was rushing through her body like a powerful stream of water and a banging sensation was echoing throughout her mind. As she opened her mouth to speak, the taste of dry blood ran across her thirsty tongue.
"Wh - what do you mean?"
Tears filled up Deb's large eyes as she saw Lusia shaking her head very slowly from side to side.
Hugging her knees up to her chest, she slowly began to rock backwards and forwards, clutching an unforeseen object in her shaking hands. A spark of strong sunlight shone in through the wooden crack in the shed. Catching its rays, the silver knife glistened brightly.
"No," Deb choked out. "Lusia no."
Raising the knife above Deb's battered and bruised body. Stretching out her blood streaked arm she made a pathetic attempt to grab the knife.
"I'm sorry," Lusia mouthed as tears poured heavily out of her sorrowful blue eyes.
Deb's teeth clamped down onto her lips, drawing fresh blood. "Why?"
"Because Mark doesn't love you," Lusia replied, her eyes lighting up at the mention of him. "He loves me�"
A shattering scream escaped Deb's mouth as she felt her blood seeping out of her. The last thing Deb saw was the knife come crashing down to pierce her chest
Michael's tired body jolted with shock as he saw his wife's body contracting wildly against the splintered wooden floor. He stumbled over to her side as he roughly placed his hand over her mouth to silence her. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he saw the fear and shock in her hazel green eyes. Deb stared at him in utter confusion.
"You were having a nightmare," his voice showed a slight hint of guilt and concern. "Make sure it doesn't happen again."
His tone of voice changed instantly, it echoed through her head, cold and clear. She nodded her head to agree as she watched him remove himself from her side, and resume to sitting back down on an upturned flowerpot by the door to the shed.
"It was a nightmare," Deb realised, her chest heaving with shock. "Not real, just a nightmare."
She let her gaze travel around the room she was held captive in. Confusion overpowered her mind.
"Was this real or was it a dream? Did Mark really tell me he loved me? Am I even going out with Mark?"
Deb felt a lump develop in her dry throat.
She took in all the usual objects of her shed. She lowered her eyes to observe her state. Her ankles were tied with thick rope, and she realised her hands were bound to a broken chair behind her. Suddenly she felt Michael's stare watching her every move. As she tried to get her mind back into focus, she realised that no one would probably find her here.
"What day is it?"
Deb called out, wincing as a cloud removed itself from the path of the sunrays.
"It's the morning."
His smooth voice cut through the still air like a knife through silk.
"What's the time?"
"Time you shut your mouth or I'll do it for you," he threatened, turning the glimmering knife over and over in his grubby hands.
Her heart increased its speed just that little bit.
"Why Michael?"
The question hung in the air like a loose thread.
Silence surrounded them as waited for him to answer. She watched him change his position as he reached down for something beside him. The loud rustle of thin paper ran through the air.
"This, is why," he spat angrily as he marched over towards her, his large strides easily covering the distance.
Deb's heart jumped into her mouth as she saw a pair of familiar baby blue eyes staring back at her.
"He was real after all!" She thought to herself as she couldn't help but release a smile at the sight of the true man she loved.
"Look, just untie me and we can talk about this properly," Deb tried reasoning but seeing the anger flashing in his eyes, she knew she had already failed.
"I'm not stupid Deb."
"I never said you were Michael, I simply asked you to release me so we can behave like adults."
It was amazing how calm she now felt after seeing the photograph of Mark.
"No."
His reply was short and sour.
"What the hell are you thinking going with a boy who is ten years younger than you?"
"Ah, so this is what it's all about is it?" Deb replied, feeling her strength slowly returning.
"I want to know how you think your going to explain this to Christian?"
Deb's heart stopped beating for a split second.
"Christian," she thought.
Glaring in Michael's direction, her eyes turned greener with anger.
"Where's my son?"
"Our son honey, is still in Disneyland with Karen."
He sat down next to her and crossed his legs. Fiddling with the knife, he suddenly looked at it, and then at the smooth skin of her cheek. Straight away Deb realised what he was thinking.
"No, Michael don't."
Her voice came out as no more than a mere whisper.
"One good reason why not?"
"Because what would Christian think?"
Her question had an effect on him. His blue eyes softened at the thought of his little boy.
"Please Michael, untie me."
He stared at Deb for what seemed like an eternity, even though it was no more than perhaps a minute. Leaning forward, her eyes widened in fear as his face came closer to hers with the knife. She could smell the taste of stale beer on his breath, which would explain the faint sight of his blood shot eyes. She closed her eyes tightly and grimaced as she felt his rough lips brush across hers. She felt her stomach turn as he forced open her lips with his tongue. All she could think about was Mark.
"Geddakffe," Deb screamed as his hand clamped down hard onto her shoulders and his tongue battled against hers.
"What did you just say?"
Michael asked pulling away, his dark hair a total mess.
"You heard." Deb replied, pure venom showing in her voice. "I said, get the fuck off me."
His blue eyes stared dangerously at her, showing no signs of emotion.
"Temper, temper," he breathed into her ear, as he moved towards the ropes that bound her.
"Just do what you wanna do Michael and get it over with."
Her voice bounced off the thin walls to the shed. She felt his muscular body stiffen above hers as the effect of them began to hit him.
"I don't mean to hurt you intentionally Deb," he sighed as he let one rope slide off her sore wrist. "It's just because your such an infuriating woman, you wind me up and then, well you know what happens."
"Save the apologies," Deb replied as she tried to move her arms in front of her, letting the blood slowly begin to circulate back into them.
Michael remained at her side as he watched her try to soothe the pain he had caused her. She turned round to face him, her ankles were still strapped together.
"What about my feet? Do it for Christian Michael, if not for yourself."
She looked straight into his eyes, as she saw them sparkle with flecks of happiness at the second mention of their six-year-old son together. Shuffling along the grubby floor towards her feet, Deb took this opportunity to scan the shed for possible weapons. She felt a burning pain tear through her as he began to slice through the thick rope with his strong knife. Falling back, her blond head smacked against the chair he had used. Suddenly it all flew into place. Twisting her body violently kicking Michael's face in the process, she heard the crack of his jaw as his face met her bare foot. Her hands painfully gripped the chair as she raised it above her before sending it crashing down onto his terrified face.
Deb felt her stomach lurch at the sight of his smashed up face. Closing her eyes she couldn't do anything in time to stop herself from vomiting violently all over herself. The stench easily filled the shed, making her feel claustrophobic despite the sun roaring powerfully through the crack in the shed and the sound of innocent little birds chirping happily outside. Very slowly, she worked up the courage she needed to remove the knife from his limp hand. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, a vision of Mark and Christian was firmly imprinted in her mind. Time seemed to come to a slow standstill as she used her remaining strength to finish cutting through the rope. As it fell away, she closed her eyes and breathed a loud sigh of relief as she felt her panicked breathing returning to normal.
As she sat there in the silence of the shed listening to the sounds of her garden, her body froze with shock as she felt a hand grab her still leg. She widened her mouth as a silent scream froze on her mouth, her whole body becoming wracked with fear. Terror overtook her pale face as Michael's hand finally fell to the floor, for the last time. Realising she could no longer stay in the shed, she half stumbled, half slid her way to the door. The room was spinning wildly and her head became light headed. Reaching for the metal door handle, she clenched it and pushed with all her might. Tears blocked her vision as she pressed down hard on it and continued to push. It didn't move. Sobs overtook her battered body as she yelled out in tired defeat and slumped heavily against the door, tears streaming down her dusty face. It felt like something out of a horror film. Breathing deeply, she thought of what was waiting for her on the other side of the door. The room spinning faster by the second and she felt her head roll lazily around before banging against the wooden door.
As she wavered of the verge of consciousness, a very small voice echoed through the garden, travelling to the shed. Instantly recognising the voice, Deb felt her chest tightening with every forced breath. Again the voice sailed out, sounding louder than the time before. Suddenly a loud thud banged against the shed, the sound of another human form sent everything trembling. Jumping with fright, Deb screamed loudly before passing out, letting a wave of darkness wash over her as she surrendered to the light, yet again.
Deb felt a pounding sensation in her head as she began to come around. Opening her eyes she felt a sense of d�j� vu as a pair of cornflower blue eyes smiled back at her.
"Deb thank god," Mark sighed with relief, his dark highlighted hair looking a total mess. "I thought I'd lost ye."
She smiled as he softly moved his hand towards her face and stroked her cheek gently. Suddenly she froze. An image of Michael staring at her with the knife entered her head. Mark instantly noticed the change in her but didn't remove his hand.
"Get off me Mark," Deb whispered, her hazel eyes filling with tears. He shook his head firmly.
"Not a chance in hell Deb, I'm Mark, he, Michael has gone now, he's never going to hurt ye again."
His eyes searched hers, probing for unanswered questions.
"He, he's gone?"
Deb choked out as her pulse sped up.
"What do you mean gone?"
"Dead Deb, he's not alive any more," Mark responded quietly, his own blue eyes filling with unshed tears.
"How?"
He stared at her in confusion. Her gorgeous eyes looked at him, waiting patiently for an answer. They were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Lusia.
"Nice to see your back in the world of the living!" Lusia said with a grin as she bounded through the room pleased that Deb had finally come around.
"Come here blondie."
Leaning forward, Lusia pulled her best friend into a comforting hug. Mark glanced at Lusia uncertainly, and nodded her head towards the hospital room door. Understanding, he left immediately and went to phone Kian.
"Lusia, what did I do to Michael? I can hardly remember anything."
Deb leaned back on the smooth mattress, realising she wasn't connected to anything other than a drip in her right hand.
"You killed the bastard that's what you did Deb. You had no choice from what we guessed."
"I, I killed him?"
The words seemed to stop in her throat.
"Not on purposely Deb believe me. You did what anyone of us would have done. We were all so scared, Mark has been in a right state and the media has had a field day with the story. Apparently I was part of Michael's plot because I was jealous about you and Mark and teamed up with him to finish you off!"
Lusia laughed as she recalled reading it in the paper. Deb smiled at her pretty friend.
"What day is it?"
"It's four PM, it all happened this morning. I wasn't very worried though because I knew you wouldn't let the prick get you down! It's not that I don't care or anything, you know what I'm like Deb."
Grinning again Deb began to sit up.
"Your right, I tell you though, he nearly finished me off I tell ya, if it wasn't for the picture of Mark and Christian I had in my head, I dread to think what would of happened."
"You would have thought of me and know that you couldn't let me and Shane down by not coming to our wedding."
Lusia's dark blue eyes sparkled brightly, shining with happiness.
"You're fuckin' what?" Deb said as her pretty pink mouth hung open.
"You heard!"
Lusia smirked, standing up and stretching her slim body towards the heavens.
"Are you fuckin' mental?"
"No, just in love," she replied simply, holding her left hand and waving it delicately in front of Deb's face.
"You're a twat, you should know what I went through with Michael."
"Well congratulations Lusia, I'm really pleased for you and for once I might just keep my gob shut about what I think and be happy your happy," Lusia teased sarcastically, her smile lighting up the whole dismal bare room.
"Yeah, yeah I get it, I just hope you know what your letting yourself in for, I don't wanna see you get hurt."
"I know you care Deb, and I know it is very soon but I truly do love him. Nobody understands and all the fans hate me at the minute but me and Shay are happy and that's all that matters to be honest."
"Your right. I am happy for you honey, I wish you all the best I really do."
"Thanks, so you'll be my maid of honour then?"
"Of course!" Deb grinned, the sparkle coming back to life in her hazel green eyes. "Now go get me man back in here ok!"
With a big smile, Lusia turned and skipped out of the room, leaving the door swaying wildly behind her. As Deb saw the tired form of Mark approaching along with a very small person, her heart missed a beat as she heard Christian's excited voice.
It was one miserable week later. Deb sat in the couch, staring in to mid air. Cuttings from various newspapers were spread out all around her. The black and white blended well with the state of her mind at the point in time. Christian understood that his daddy wasn't coming back, ever. He was led to believe that he was a shining star in the midnight sky. Deb had realised she was never going to be able to gaze at the stars again without thinking of him. That hurt. Mark had been great. Well as great as he could be under the circumstances, but she could tell the pressure was beginning to get to him. The funeral had been and gone. It had been arranged quickly by the actual loving members of Michael's family that were still living, no thanks to him. Lusia was the only one who truly understood what Deb was experiencing right at the moment. It was at times like these she realised whom her friend's really were.
She sighed as her gaze flickered towards a photograph of Christian and Michael together. Even from a glass frame in front of him, his piercing blue eyes glared towards her, reminding her that he was still here. She stood up slowly, walking towards the mantelpiece in which stood the object of her hatred. Placing her hands on the wooden frame, she picked up the photograph and studied it.
Mark walked through the door and felt his heart literally jump out of his broad chest as the sound of glass shattering rang in his ears. He ran towards the living room to see Deb in a heap on the floor. She looked a state and his heart cried out with love for her.
"Deb, babe, come here," he said as he walked towards the crouching woman on the floor.
"Don't," she gasped as her hazel eyes shot upward in his direction.
He lifted his arm to stroke it through his hair when he saw her arms fly protectively over her head and her face shot towards the ground.
"Deb, I'm not going to touch ye," Mark cried as he dived towards the floor, his arms outreached to embrace her.
"Leave me alone Mark," she whispered as her hazel eyes clouded over with a blank expression.
"No Deb, you're not pushing me away any more. I love you ok? I'm not Michael."
She bit down on her lip as her trembling subsided.
"You promised me you wouldn't let him come near me ever again, you promised me Mark."
"I didn't know Deb, believe if I had have known, I would have done everything possible to stop what he did to ye."
His ice blue eyes shone with unshed tears.
"I love ye Deb, and I hate seeing ye like this. What he has done to you. Where is the strong, carefree woman that I fell in love with hey?"
His deep voice asked gently.
She unfolded her long legs as she wiped away the tears from her face.
"He destroyed her Mark, I can't carry on like this. This house, the memories, every where I look I get reminders of him, what he did to me, how small he made me feel, how useless, how unloved I felt. But most of all, how unworthy I felt. He made me feel as if my life wasn't worth anything to anyone."
Mark closed his eyes in pain upon hearing her words. He pulled her into his embrace and stroked her matted hair.
"Your gonna get through this baby, I promise ye, I'm gonna be with ye every step of the way."
She clung to him as if her life depended on him. Gradually her sobs subsided into the occasional sniffle.
"Ye alright now hun? We've got a busy day ahead of us," Mark stated as he brushed a strand of dark blond hair out of her face.
"Why?" She questioned, her lips remaining slightly parted.
"We've gotta pack."
The following day, Mark sighed as he dumped the last of the brown boxes in the rented apartment he had for the three of them. He collapsed on the newly acquired sofa. Being this famous certainly did have its positive side. Money he had stashed away in a huge bank account certainly came in handy for times like these. The private apartment was perfect. Tucked neatly away from any interfering people, Deb would have all the time in the world she needed to recover, and Christian could still attend the same school and not lose any of his friends. He jumped slightly as his mobile began to vibrate firmly in his jean pocket. Picking it up, he took a shallow breath before answering the call.
"Hey Mark its Lusia."
"How you doin' Lu?" Mark said, releasing his breath as he stretched his long legs out in front of him.
"Not so bad ya know, still getting hassle from everyone about the wedding but ya know."
"Argh, don't worry about it, just jealousy. Shay's broken millions of hearts out there!"
Mark chuckled as he heard his best mate shouting something in the background.
"I was just calling to see if you were alright. Shane mentioned this was having quite an affect on you?"
"Nah I'm fine. The most important thing is that Christian and Deb are. I think this move will work out for the best Lu."
The blond rolled her dark eyes at the nickname Mark had insisted on giving her.
"You know I hate being called that," she said, her tone not totally joking.
"There's a lot of things we hate in life Lu," Mark replied as he could practically picture her rolling her blue eyes down the phone.
"I just wanna make sure your ok, trust me I know what it's like. You can count on me for anything if you feel she gets too much. I was there with her the other times, I know what a handful she can be with all the mood swings and emotions she's experiencing."
"I'll be fine ok? Thanks for checking I appreciate it. I think that the sooner all of this shit is forgotten though, the better to be honest."
"Alright, don't say I don't care though! Take care, by the way, the new apartment, brilliant idea Mark. Just let her regain your trust, I know ye haven't done anything personally but it's the way it effects her. Take it slowly with her, that's all I'm saying."
"I read ye loud and clear Lu, have a good weekend."
He hung up and stared at the bare wall in front of him. Strong winter light poured through the huge glass window, creating a halo effect in the room. Suddenly the sound of Christian's excited childish babble rang through the hall. Standing up he walked towards the door and looked out of the spying hole. Christian's tanned face beamed up at him, his brown eyes sparkling madly causing Mark to break into a grin. Opening the door, he swooped him into his strong arms.
"How you doin' little dude?" Mark asked as he saw his girlfriend coming into sight.
"Mark, where do babies come from? Are you and Mommy going to have one?"
His innocent tanned face waited expectantly for an answer.
"You really need a girlfriend," Mark joked as Deb's hazel eyes smiled at him as he closed the door and they began to unpack the shopping
As August drew to an end and September began, Deb felt herself slowly returning to normal. Apart from one thing, the fact she couldn't bare Mark touching her or any male for that matter. Their new home was now properly furnished and oozed warmth and comfort. As she hadn't left the apartment in over a week since they had first moved in, there hadn't been anything else to do other than decorate it. Christian was getting excited bout the fact he was due to start back at school in less than five days. Deb smiled to herself as she realised the spare time it would give her. Work had given her two months off to get over the incident. As usual Christian was out with Lusia's brother.
Looking around, she admired the gleaming furniture. A large black leather couch occupied the far wall of the living room. A small but elegant mantelpiece was situated opposite it, a smart coffee table in the centre with a neat vase resting on the pine. The walls had been painted a gentle blue colour, with a white borderline. Sun streamed in through the floor to ceiling wall, giving a gorgeous view of Sligo. Sighing Deb gazed at her reflection in the mirror opposite her. Her blond roots were beginning to show and no traces of make up were on her tired face. Trackie bottoms and an old t shirt hung loosely off her body, hiding the weight she had shed due to the fact she had gone on a crash diet. Mark was over in the United Kingdom somewhere doing come promotion for their new single. This weekend he was in London making TV appearances with the rest of the band. Deb knew this was affecting him big time. She also knew it wasn't fair but she had no where else to go at the moment. She was constantly biting his head off for no reasons and was hating herself inside because she knew it wasn't any of his fault but only hers due to the insecurity Michael had caused. They hadn't made love in weeks, the thought of a man touching her repulsed her. Tears brimmed her long eyelashes as she felt herself sinking onto the black couch, picking up her mobile phone in the process. Dialling her best friend's number, she sniffled and wiped her messy hair out of her face.
"Lusia," Deb mumbled as the cheery voice of her friend answered.
"Deb, I was about to call you. You better get dressed now because I'm taking you out and I'm not taking no for an answer. You've got half an hour maximum and I'm gonna be round to pick you up. See ya soon."
As Lusia hung up Deb frowned as she threw the mobile down onto the white carpet, cursing loudly in her breath. Going out with Lusia presumably to look for wedding dresses, like she had been doing for the past two weeks, was not something she wanted to do. Deb remained seated for the next half an hour. Not moving a muscle, just gazing off into an absent daydream. Memories of the first time she met Mark rushed through her confused head. Inside she was longing for his touch. Those sweet lips of his to caress hers, her body tingled as she reminisced his loving touch all over her body. The ringing of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts.
"Just as I thought," Lusia sighed as she marched straight through into Deb's living room after looking her up and down.
"I don't want to go anywhere Lusia," Deb told her as she stood defiantly in front of her, her hands fixed securely on her hips.
"Tough shit chick you are, so you might aswell except it but if you think I'm going out with you in public looking like that than you've got another thing coming."
Lusia's dark blue eyes were flashing brightly, her mouth fixed in a firm line.
"Into the shower now Deb, if you don't move now I'll drag you in there myself."
"Fuck off would ya," Deb spat back, angry at her so-called friend's harshness.
"Well try it and see."
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