I debated on weather or not I should go back to Isaac and patch things up and tell him I wasn’t looking for him to condone what was going on between me and Alba-just to understand it was ultimately our choice at what we let unfold. I’d taken Alba to work this morning, only a little late, as she got herself together and realized that Hyde wasn’t worth any more worry, she just needed to relax and let the eagle carry the sparrow along on the uplifting breeze. I decided against going to older brother to ask for his blessing, I realize I didn’t need it- as long as he as tolerable when we went back on the road I really didn’t care what he thought of us now. So it was becoming blindingly obvious that me and Alba were becoming a form of ‘us’ in what respect was still to be decided but we were a great big ‘us’ weather Isaac liked it or not.
’You have really skinny hands,’ I commented as lay rested against Taylor in the hammock, watching the blazing sky as the sunset it’s weary self down for yet another day. I splayed my hand onto of his as I examined it closely. I’d managed to get myself through work not thinking too heavily about the fraquar with Hyde this morning. It was obvious to me that having the most adequate distraction of Taylor to take my mind of thing was proving very popular with my mind right now. ‘I think they wither away more every time I play,’ he smiled, placing a sloppy kiss on my forehead, his arms still wrapped around me tightly. ‘God this is nice,’ he sighed as he wriggled a little to get comfortable, one of my legs dangled over the side was keeping the hammock swinging nicely, creating a refreshing breeze. ‘You could quite easily get used to this couldn’t you?’ I questioned, trying to prop myself up a little to look at him. He wiggled his eyebrows cheekily before nodding his reply. ‘What you saying you couldn’t?’ he retorted as I let my hand slid under his loose fitting shirt, letting my palm sweep across his silky skin with ease. ‘I’m not saying I couldn’t it’s just such a new novelty-you got to give me time to breath stupid!’ I teased as I let my fingers graze down his happy trail, dipping beneath the waistband of his trousers and boxers before snapping it back out as quickly as it disappeared. He pouted a little as I kissed the tip of his nose, letting my hand rest on his stomach as we exchanged a glance of comfort, or complete and utter knowing that 99.9% had been achieved for yet another day.
’Things were getting a little heavier as the hour went on, his shirt was off and our kissing was progressing nicely, although we’d restricted it to just that it still didn’t stop either of us from getting a little hot under the collar. ‘You fancy going for that drink now?’ he asked a little breathlessly as we pulled apart to calm ourselves down, his hand resting in the dip of my hip. ‘I don’t know Taylor I mean…,’ I started to protest only at the thought that I didn’t want things to build up to fast. Far enough we had slept together but now even he knew we were back to taking things one step at a time .He put a lanky finger over my lips and silenced me with a simple glance. ‘It’s okay, I’ll go home and get some things okay? We can have our drinks at home if you so desire,’ he mocked in a fake French accent as if he were some sleazy waiter with a handle bar moustache and a dirty apron on. Sounds great,’ I smiled as he pecked my lips sweetly before reaching down blindly to peck my lips. Just as he grasped his shirt I heard a petite knocking at the front door. ‘Ugh, if that’s the neighbour come to tell us to keep it down, I’ll shove her noise law up her ass,’ I groaned as I left him giggling pulling his shirt back on. I straightened my clothes and ran a hand through my hair to comb any tangles out before opening the door with a polite face, only to have it turn sour with shock seconds later.
’I’ve come to apologize for the way I behaved this morning, I don’t want to leave it like I did regardless of what I said,’ Hyde stood there sloppily, a pleading apologetic look creasing his features as I tried to a-just to his person standing on my doorstep for the second time in less than 12 hours. All thoughts dispersed as anger rose in me as if this was some petty row that he could just come and apologize for when he had time to heal. It wasn’t like that this time, this time the relationship had been dissolved and there was nothing left but to say goodbye-and I thought he’d already done that once in spectacular fashion. ‘What gives you the right to come and pester me some more?’ I hissed, trying to keep the door semi shut so he wouldn’t try and barge his way in. ‘Look I was an ass this morning, I was just angry, angry that it had to come to this, angry with myself for even having thoughts about another woman,’ he rambled as I stood looking at him through un-interested eyes. Just as I was about to mount a reply I felt Taylor’s hands on my waist as he tried to move past me to get out the door. ‘I’ll be back in a bit with the drinks….,’ his voice trailed off when I didn’t turn to look at him, my eye remained fixed on Hyde’s changing expression as Taylor reached to do up the last button on his shirt. ‘What’s he doing here,’ Hyde pointed at a now stunned Taylor who was looking between me and Hyde with a terrified look on his face that soon matched mine. ‘Hyde, he just came round to see how I was feeling-you seem to forget we used to work together last year, he’s just being friendly,’ I lied as Hyde’s hands balled up into fists by the side of his body. ‘I bet he was just being friendly,’ he seethed as Taylor held up his hands in defence. ‘Jeez man way to jump to conclusions, I came round on the off chance to see if she wanted to join me and my brothers for a drink-there’s no need to make a scene out of this,’ I admired Taylor’s calm persona but it would do him no favours in the long run. ‘Don’t tell me what I need to do Blondie- so come on Alba, got any words to spit out at me to tell me I’m being a dick and jumping to conclusions?’ he folded his arms over his chest as soon as he’d pushed Taylor back into the house to stop him from slinking off. My worst nightmare about this whole situation seemed to be unfolding right before my very eyes.
’Hyde, he’s a friend, he’s been concerned about me we’ve been checking each other are okay, after all it was his girlfriend you slept with,’ I sighed as Hyde continued to stare at ,like I was his daughter and I’d been caught butt naked with her first high school boyfriend. The anger rose in me more when I started to think-he had no rights to me, the relationship was over, and so what if I was seeing Taylor-worst thing he could do? ‘Anyway Hyde, what I was seeing Taylor? You have no right to preach about relationships after what you did!’ I scoffed as Taylor looked between us awkwardly. Hyde dropped his threatening stance and shrugged his shoulders, shifting his feet a little as he found a worthy-able reply. ‘You have a point, I did something wrong and the relationship ended but you see….,’ he paused, looking at me as I felt myself settling a little until I felt Hyde lunging at me, his hands round my neck tightly. ‘YOU WHORE-YOU HAVE THE CHEEK TO END THE RELATIONSHIP FOR HAVING AN AFFAIR AND THE SECOND I’M OUT OF THE DOOR YOU JUMP INTO BED WITH HIM?!’ my hands were trying to pry his away from my neck, his nails digging into the soft skin as I looked at him in shock, his face red and frightening, words hurtling at me at enormous decibel ratings. I looked out the corner of my eyes to see Taylor trying to find his balance after being pushed out of the way with the force of a bull dozing ram when Hyde burst through the door. ‘Hyde, please let go of me!’ I chocked, desperately trying to gulp down as much air as I could as I felt myself starting to get light headed. ‘Let go of you? LET GO OF YOU? YOU LET ME DO THAT ALL TOO EASILY! JUST SO YOU COULD PLAY WITH BLONDIE LOCKS! NOT THIS TIME!’ he hit my head against the wall as he pushed me up against it roughly causing tears to spill from my eyes. I was snivelling like a baby, unable to think, hardly able to breath when I saw Taylor behind Hyde, trying to pull his hands from around me. Hyde let one hand go turning to Taylor he grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him in closer, pushing his angry face only inches away from Taylor’s. ‘Nothing going on between you two little guy? Then why’s your shirt buttoned up wrong?’ Hyde’s voice was low and husky, and seemingly un-threatening as Taylor’s face went from brave to scare in a matter of seconds. ‘I don’t care about Alba in that way, you think I’d make a move on a girl that’s just broken up with a man she wanted to be married too? Geez man think what you like of me but just let go of her, she can’t breath properly,’ Taylor was firm and too the point as I struggled a little, bringing my hands up to try and pull Hyde’s arm away from me, releasing his vice like grip- but finding no such luck. Hyde just looked at Taylor and laughed releasing the grip on his shirt, smoothing it down in apologetic form. He let go of the grip around my neck and looked at us both sadly. ‘Wow, I’m sorry I really don’t know what came over me,’ he quietly said, shaking his head as Taylor looked at me with worried eyes. ‘Maybe it’s the fact I know your lying that made me do that? Huh? Just tell me Alba, if not now before we met, have you fucked him? Here’s something your not telling me and for my own piece of mind I think I should know-don’t you?’ his voice returned to that sinister, leering tone as he looked at me sternly. I shook my head and tried to walk away from him to open the door to show him out, but instead he grabbed my forearm and pulled me round to face him. Searching his eyes I didn’t quite know what to say, as I saw Taylor shaking his head from behind Hyde, silently telling me not to say a word, but I knew Hyde was no fool and really how could I expect him to never find out about this? But why does it have to be now, when really it should be of little importance to me. It was a past mistake but this time it was so refreshing to be with Taylor and right in the middle of it we had a mishap-but this time it wasn’t of our own doing.
She had red marks round her neck where he’d held her, gripping at her flesh trying to squeeze her breath away making her suffer to tell the truth. I watched her, shaking a little as he held her once again, pressing for an answer that really didn’t matter. Was it just the fact that he’d ruined a good thing and he couldn’t take it that the blame of that lay on his shoulders? He had to go and take it out on someone else? ‘Don’t lie to me Alba, tell the bloody truth,’ Hyde warned as his eyebrows narrowed more as her shaking increased ten fold. ‘I’m not…n…nothing’s ever happened Hyde I swear it. Please just stop this, your scaring me,’ she begged as I felt powerless to intervene. But I saw him laugh haughtily as he looked to me and then back to her as he released the grip on her arm lightly. But then the laughter stopped and his hand was brought up and swung firmly across her cheek, knocking her sideways with his impact. ‘NO ONE’S AS THEY SEEM? RIGHT ALBA? I’M A PLAYA AND YOU’RE A WHORE-WHAT WERE THE ODDS?’ he bellowed as she cowered away from him holding her cheek.
Hearing her wailing sobs, I knew it was time for me to put myself in the line of fire as I charged at Hyde, pushing him into the kitchen and onto the table, hitting him with balled fists in is stomach, aiming twice at the jaw. It felt good to hit the bastard, like a human punch bag, it felt fucking good. But he was much taller and tougher than I was and it didn’t take him long to over power me and for me to be punched hard across the jaw and shoved into the table, winding me badly. ‘Don’t mess with me TAY-LOR, it’ll do you know favours trying to act the like the last action hero,’ My jaw was stinging as I clutched at my stomach, watching him stagger out the kitchen to find Alba, no doubt. Following him with the excruciating pain in my jaw throbbing like no pain I’d ever felt I saw him dragging Alba into the living room, by her hair, laughing at the top of his lungs. ‘NOW WHO’S THE HOE THAT GETS TO BE THROW OUT BY HER HAIR?’ he cackled like a witch at a cauldron as the sight of her kicking and screaming wrenched at my heart. Forgetting my pain I stormed back towards him, causing him to let her go and start flying more punches at me. ‘Hyde there’s nothing going on, never has never will-stop doing this, it’s not necessary,’ I pleaded as he tried to stare me out as best he could. ‘The fans might fall for the angelic angel act but I don’t,’ he spat before ramming into my body, successfully managing to throw me halfway across the room, causing me to fall awkwardly and crush my back against the bookcase. The agony of my jaw and my back and, what appeared to me a sprained ankle, was too much for me, I couldn’t defend her, I just had to sit and watch him take out his aggression on her for no reason. I held my head in my hands as dizziness seeped through my brain as the thoughts of our new found world prepared to crumble.
I didn’t remember much after that, except being thrown against the hi-fi cabinet, my head crushing against the corner and then everything seemed to go silent and dull, nothing was in focus but I could hear slurred voices cutting through my haze. I hit something else, my whole body just crumpling up when I hit it, I felt arms around me, and someone’s hand on my face a fuzzy figure holding me closely as he shouted out something to someone else that was obviously in the room. And then I just gave up, closed my eyes- I felt tired, heavy and droopy, I’m sure no one would mind if I took a nap.
’ What have you done?’ I cried as I raced over to catch Alba, slumping down the wall, catching her just in time before she hit the floor. Hyde just stood there in shock, rooted to the spot as I rushed to help Alba, the cut on her head from where he’d thrown her against the unit spouting blood that was running in beads down her face. I tapped her cheek gently trying to get her to stay awake from me, grazing my fingers across the trails of blood, smearing them away from dropping down onto the floor. ‘I…I…….I didn’t mean to hurt her, just teach her a lesson, I’m so sorry….I…shit,’ Hyde stood there stammering like an imbecile before he looked at me trying to hold her up, keep her awake and hold a conversation with him. His face was instantly pale and white as he contemplated running over to help, but instead he turned on his heal and ran like a coward, leaving me holding Alba in my arms, her body like a rag dolls as she flittered her eyes shut. It was then, at the most in-opportune moment I got to the next chapter of Alba’s book-Vulnerability
I tried my best to call her round, wake her up but she wasn’t responding to anything I was doing. In pure shock and worry I reached for the phone and punched in 911, my hands shaking as I applied pressure to the gash on her forehead, her soft hair getting caught up in the bloody mess. The operator took the details and hurried me to look for a pulse-when I found none, I dropped the phone and felt my world start to crash and burn with me standing right in the middle.
‘No you don’t, I love you too much for you to just leave me now Alba Montrose, don’t you dare fall asleep on me,’