by Small,DJ
∞
Standing in front of the sink, Ava brushed her teeth while Kacey dried her hair. Their shower had lasted longer than Ava had expected, but the time spent in the glass stall had been well worth it. She was thinking about how to approach Kacey and tell her that she was going to speak with Robin when the other woman said, “I think I should get you a key made.”
Ava turned to look at her and with her mouth full of toothpaste she exclaimed, “You want me to move in?”
Kacey wrapped her towel around her hair then as she stood up straight she remarked, “Yeah. Why not?”
Ava turned back to the sink and spat out the toothpaste that was in her mouth. “Don’t you think that’s a little…oh I don’t know, fast?”
Ava saw that Kacey was grinning in the mirror. She walked over to sink then leaned her hip against it. Ava tried not to let a naked, grinning Kacey have any effect on her. “I don’t think it is.” Kacey chuckled. “I mean what we did in the shower and-“
“I’m still married, Kacey.” Ava pointed out after she rinsed her mouth with water. She turned to look at her. “What we did in the shower, that was me telling you how I feel about you.”
The cheeky grin remained on Kacey’s face as she folded her arms over her bare breasts. “No, that was you claiming me in you unique way, Sunshine.” She gave a slight shrug. “So what if you’re married? All we need to do is get a lawyer, draw up some papers, and boom; you’re a free woman again. In theory.”
Ava gaped at Kacey for a moment then walked out of the bathroom, shaking her head. Kacey was aggravating that one nerve that only she seemed to be able to aggravate in Ava. She walked over to the dresser that was in the corner and pulled open the top drawer. “My marriage isn’t reduced to me signing some paperwork Kacey. Robin and I have - well, had - a life together. There are finances, property, and a plethora of other things that will take time to dissolve.” Ava got out a t-shirt and after she pulled it on she looked at Kacey. “And since we’re on the topic, Robin deserves an explanation. That much I owe her. I’m going to do that today.”
The annoyed look in Kacey’s eyes disappeared and was replaced with a sharp glare. She stalked over to Ava and glowered. “You must be out of your frickin’ mind if you think I’m going to let you go over there after what she did to you the other night.”
Ava stared Kacey down as she countered, “I’m going to do it, Kacey, whether you like it or not. Her, taking the blame for why our marriage is ending, is not right.”
The scowl on Kacey’s face worsened. “Fine, you can go, but I’m coming with you.”
Ava let out a frustrated noise then let her head fall back so that she could look up at the ceiling instead of at Kacey. If she continued to look at Kacey, she might do something she’d regret. “You can’t be there Kacey. I need to do this alone.” She brought her head down then turned back to the dresser. She took out a pair of jeans then put them on. “You being there would only make an already shitty situation worse.”
Kacey continued to glare at her. Her body was tense and Ava could tell that she was clenching her teeth. She was pissed, but Ava hoped that she would see the logic in her not being there. Kacey took a deep breath then pointed at Ava. “I fucking hate this.” She walked away from Ava and made her way over to her side of the bed. Ava watched as she picked up her phone, then Kacey looked at her. “What’s the address?” The question confused Ava momentarily and Kacey shook her head and clarified, “For your house, Sunshine. What’s the damn address?”
“Why Kacey?” Ava asked, confused by the request, though she was starting to figure it out.
“Because you have two hours. If you’re not back in two hours I’m coming for you and I will be carrying.” She scoffed. “She fucking touched you, and I don’t trust her to not do it again since you’re about to drop a fucking bomb on her.”
Ava wanted to be angry, but she knew that this was Kacey’s way of protecting her, and that this compromise was the only way that she was going to be able to talk to Robin without Kacey. She blew out a heavy sigh. “Fine, but you’re leaving the gun.”
“Fuck you. I’m bringing the gun,” Kacey shot back.
Ava was only going to take so much shit from Kacey, and she had reached her limit. “You’re not bringing a fucking gun to kill my wife!” Ava shouted. She walked into the living room and Kacey followed her. Ava went over to the closet and demanded, “Give me the gun.”
Kacey stood in the middle of the living room, pinning Ava down with a hard stare. Ava knew that what she was asking of Kacey was a lot, and after the way Robin had changed on that fateful night, a small part of her hoped that she would tell her to fuck off and not give her the gun, but that didn’t happen. Kacey stared at her a second longer then moved to where Ava was standing. She held out her phone. “I won’t bring the gun. Now can I have the address?”
Ava let out a short laugh then an incredulous look came to her face. “Do I look fucking stupid Kacey?” Kacey’s right eyebrow went up and Ava scowled. “Oh, fuck you.” Then she said in a slow deliberate tone, “Give…me…the gun.”
Kacey glared at her, but shook her head as she muttered, “You’re turning me into a soft sack of shit.” She moved to the closet and opened the door. Ava watched as she bent down and chewed on the inside of her lip as she listened to Kacey open the safe. Kacey was actually going to give her the gun. She was speechless.
Kacey stood up then pressed the gun and the magazine clip into her hand as her intense eyes bore into Ava’s. “I’m trusting you, Ava. I am trusting you so fucking much right now, more than I have ever trusted anyone in my life.” The hard gaze softened and Ava felt the urge to hold Kacey, but Kacey continued speaking. “I’m trusting you to know what you’re getting yourself into. I’m trusting that somewhere in that beautiful, brilliant mind of yours that you’ll know when to leave if the situation gets out of hand.” Kacey pressed the gun harder into Ava’s hand and she bit her bottom lip as she looked away. When she looked back at her there were tears in her eyes. “I’m trusting that you come back to me. Safe and sound.” Kacey placed her other hand on Ava’s cheek. “Do you understand, Ava?”
Ava leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. She more than understood. Kacey was putting faith in her that was on a level that went beyond the words that she was saying, and it made her vulnerable to do so. She pulled back and whispered, “I do, Kacey, and I will.” Ava gave her another kiss then the corner of her mouth quirked up in a small smile. “I’m yours, remember?”
Kacey took the gun from her and placed it on a shelf that was in the closet, then she wrapped her arms around Ava’s waist. Kacey pulled her in, and they met for a deep kiss that held nothing but the care and devotion that they had for one another. Kacey pulled back, then rested her forehead on Ava’s, running the pad of her thumb over her cheekbone. “No Ava, I’m yours.” Kacey took hold of Ava’s face and gave her another, feather light kiss. She dropped her hand from Ava’s face then started to pull off the t-shirt that she had put on. “One more time before you leave me.”
Ava gave her a slight nod. She wasn’t able to tell Kacey no. She knew that once she was out of the apartment she was going to miss her until they were back in each other’s presence.
They made love twice then Ava got dressed so that she could go talk to Robin. After she had given Kacey the address to the loft, the two of them walked to the front door. Kacey stood in the doorway and Ava gave her quick kiss. “I love you.”
Kacey smirked at her and ran her fingers through her hair. “I know you do, Sunshine.”
Ava smiled and shook her head. She wasn’t going to push Kacey to say the words. She didn’t have to; Ava felt the love that Kacey had for her anytime she touched or kissed her, and when she looked at her, Ava just knew. Ava smiled as she made her way to the elevator. Once she was on it, she came to a decision. After everything with Robin was resolved she was going to come back and tell Kacey that she wanted to move in with her.
∞
Robin had invested so much of herself into Ava. She had been there and supported her through the worst bouts of depression that the woman had gone through, had shown her so much love, and proved to Ava over and over again that she wasn’t going to run away from her because of the demons that were in her head. The betrayal cut deep, and it fueled the anger that was brewing inside of her.
Robin’s cell phone started to ring and she picked it up from the spot that was next to her. Ava was calling her. She didn’t answer it. She didn’t think she would be able to hold back the anger that threatened to burst from her, and she didn’t want to say anything that would prevent them from talking. The ringing stopped, and a minute later the chime indicating that she had a voicemail went off. Robin tapped the icon then listened to the message that Ava had left. “Hey Robin. I hope you’re home because I’ll be there in a few minutes. I want us to talk, and I’d rather do it in person than leave you a message. Give me a call if you’re there.”
The message ended, and Robin finished off the drink that was in her hand. Ava was coming home so that the two of them could talk. As she lowered the glass, Robin began to wonder what Ava wanted to talk to about. Maybe she wanted to come clean about her second job and her new girlfriend. Robin let out a scoff. Ava wouldn’t be that honest, in fact she probably wouldn’t even admit to anything, and would just blame everything on Robin. She had given her the perfect reason to thanks to her outburst from the other night.
Robin drew in a deep breath through her nose then got up from the couch. She walked into the kitchen and set her glass on the counter before she grabbed the bottle of vodka. The conversation between her and Ava was going to be an interesting one, to say the least. After pouring her drink, Robin went back into the living room, sat on the couch, and waited for Ava to get home.
Fifteen minutes later, the door to the apartment opened and Ava came walking through it. She was wearing clothes that Robin had never seen before, but the thing that made her pay close attention to Ava was how carefree she looked. Ava, even when the two of them were at their happiest, always had an underlying haunted look in her eyes. Robin had assumed it was because of her depression and stress from work, but it was now obvious that she had thought wrong.
Robin tightened her grip on the glass that was in her hand as a pang of jealousy and hurt tore though her. Ava saw her sitting in the living room, and she smiled as she made her way inside. “Hey, you are home.” She glanced at the coffee table. “What’s with the pictures? Did something come up at work?”
“Something like that,” Robin replied, moving to put her glass on the table before she gathered up the damning pictures. Her voice held no emotion, and was monotone as she spoke. She almost didn’t believe the voice was hers. “Ricky had an emergency come up and it required my attention.”
Ava took off the jacket that she was wearing, and laid it over the back of the chair. “Is everything okay? Is Ricky all right?”
Robin watched every move that Ava made. There was concern on her face, but the way she held herself was tense. She sat down in the chair that was opposite the couch rather than sitting next to her. Robin had to suppress a chuckle and stop herself from shaking her head. Ava had no idea that a member of her team had witnessed her little performance, and had taken photographic evidence of it. She became even more intrigued about the conversation that they were going to have.
“Ricky’s fine.” She retrieved her glass then took a sip from it before tilting her head a little. “Where you been?”
Ava rubbed her palms on the jeans that she was wearing. Robin mentally noted the movement, and the apprehension that was now in Ava’s eyes. She drew in a deep breath. “That’s what I need to talk to you about.”
“Oh really?” Robin remarked, in a neutral tone. It was a stark contrast to what she actually felt. She wanted to get up and take her anger out on Ava, but after the other night, Robin was going to give her a chance to explain - on her terms. Ava nodded, and before she could say another word Robin sat up and scooted to the edge of the couch. She picked up the closest picture, which was the one with Ava on her hands and knees, holding it out to her. “What you want to talk about wouldn’t have anything to do with this, would it?”
∞
Ava cast an anxious glance towards the picture that Robin was extending, then looked back at her. She had no idea what the picture had to do with their conversation, but this new development caused the bottom of her stomach to drop, and she felt like she was going to lose the contents of it. Slowly, she got up from the chair and walked over to get the picture from Robin. She looked at it, and once she registered the image, the blood drained from her face.
Ava’s stomach churned and she could feel the bile rise in the back of her throat, but she was unable to tear her eyes away from the picture of her on her hands and knees in front of Kacey. The sexual tension and attraction practically jumped out of the image, and the puzzle completed itself when she realized that the picture was from last night. The man Kacey had almost attacked at the club had to of been Ricky, and he had managed to take several incriminating pictures of her; including one that announced her affair to Robin. Ava mentally berated herself for not recognizing the man; she had been too focused on Kacey to even care.
Ava snapped her head up and she met the hard, angry gaze that Robin was directing towards her. Her brain scrambled to come up with an explanation. “Robin, I’m sorry. This isn’t the way I wanted you to find out about this. I-”
“How did you want me to find out that you were a cheating whore, Ava?” Robin snapped, interrupting whatever apology she was going to try to offer. Several tense moments passed and Ava watched as Robin took several deep breaths. Ava had been expecting this conversation to be a horrible one. But now that Robin had found out by other means, and from someone else, she realized that the discussion was out of her control.
Robin stood up, and her green eyes bore into Ava. “How long have you been fucking doing this? Because the way you look in those pictures it looks like you’ve been at it for a while.”
Ava couldn’t bear to look at the violent storm that was in Robin’s eyes, so she glanced at the picture in her hand. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Three, almost four months.”
A low growl came from Robin then Ava heard her walking away, and she looked up to see her head into the kitchen. Ava couldn’t move from her spot in the living room, the entire situation left her scrambling to figure out how to handle it. Several seconds went by then Robin’s body filled the entryway to the kitchen. “And how long have you been fucking that bitch?”
That was one thing Ava wasn’t going to stand for. She took several steps towards the kitchen, stopping short, then she folded her arms over chest. With heavy emphasis, she told Robin, “Kacey and I have been seeing each other for a week. Don’t call her that.”
A loud, sharp laugh came from Robin, then she looked at Ava, anger gleaming in her eyes as she spat at her through clenched teeth, “I will call that fucking bitch whatever the fuck I want.” She went back into the kitchen, and after a minute she walked out of it holding her glass. “She’s touching my wife, and that makes her the biggest bitch in the world.”
Ava tightened her jaw muscles. Robin was angry, and she had every right to be, but that also meant she was going to call Kacey hatful names. Ava was going to allow it for the moment. She drew in a deep breath through her nose then Ava made sure that her tone was careful so that it wouldn’t provoke Robin further. “We need to talk about that too.”
&nbs
p; Robin gave Ava a sidelong glance as she took a deep drink from her glass. Ava began to wonder how long she had been drinking. Robin seemed to be coherent and steady, but Ava was certain that it was a façade. “What else do we need to talk about? You being my wife?” Robin scoffed, then took a quick sip of the clear liquid that was in her glass, before sucking in air through her teeth. “That’s not changing.”
Affronted by the comment, Ava stared at Robin. The unflinching delivery stunned her. Robin was forcing her to stay in a marriage that she was no longer happy in. She began to wonder why. If it was to lay some sort of claim on her, Ava wasn’t going to let that happen; it was bullshit. She was her own person. Ava moved over to where Robin was standing, invading her personal space. “That is changing Robin.” She fixed the woman with a hard stare, and Robin returned it. Ava could now see the glassy appearance of her eyes and smell the liquor on her breath. Robin was drunk and Ava wanted to back down, because arguing with her while she was drunk wasn’t going to help anything, but she needed to get this off her chest.
She took a step back. “I’m no longer happy with you, Robin, and I don’t want to be in this relationship anymore.”
In a matter of seconds, the alcohol-induced haze that Robin had been under cleared and she took hold of Ava’s throat. For a brief moment, Ava was surprised, but it was instantly replaced by fear and she started to claw at Robin’s wrist in an attempt to get her to break the hold that she had around her neck. Robin dragged Ava closer to her, then leaned in, causing the tips of their noses to brush against each other.
“You are mine, Ava,” Robin hissed in a low tone. “I stood by you while you dug yourself out of that shitty ass hole you had fallen into; I was the one who was there while you recovered from all the bullshit that you had gone through.” The hold on Ava’s neck tightened and her eyes grew wide with panic as thoughts of Robin killing her pushed their way to the front of her mind. Ava fought harder to get away from her, but Robin leaned in further and breathed against her ear. “I saved your life, Ava.” Her voice dropped to a menacing tone, “And I can fucking take it away.” She gave Ava’s throat another squeeze, then shoved her away as if she were nothing.