Dark Paradise - Joel Miller x OC

Summer dance

Warning: mention of her past abused.

No reading, checking for mistakes or stuff to be better written, we die like men around here (aka, doing stupid things).

Photo by Natan Yakobs on Unsplash

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When he had agreed to help Eugene with some repairs in his workshop, Joel had not expected to receive a sermon. And yet, he would soon feel like the teenager he once had been, sheepish in front of his father. When they take a break, the older man attacks without taking a detour.

"Why did you give up on her, Joel?"

The called one freezes and looks up at the other, completely stunned by this question. Eugene knew about them. He's not really surprised though, his elder always guesses everything. He resumes sanding the plank of wood he was working on, muttering his answer.

"I didn't. I just did what's best for her.

-You're such a moron. You might be fifty but you're still as stupid as a 15-year-old boy. You really make me want to kick your ass.

-This relation. It wasn't right. I was the first man she could trust, and I abused this position. I'm no better than the men of her past.

-Come on, that's not true.

-You don't know what she's been through Eugene.

-Yes, I do. So tell me, what have you done to think of yourself as one of these men? Did you rape her? Hit her? Pointed a gun at her before coming back and acting like the best boyfriend ever?

-Off course not. But you know what a therapist would say. That she was being intimate with me just because I'm the first one not mistreating her. She got attached to me because of the trauma.

-Yeah, therapists also said we all wanted to have sex with our mothers. We're no longer in that world Joel. As men, we think we need to be princes saving women. Truth is, they don't need us. You didn't save Chloe. You helped her, that for sure, but she saved herself. She's strong and smart. She gets along with other people, she knows them, she trusts them. She wasn't with you because you're the first one she could trust."

He pauses for a moment, eyeing the man in front of him. He who usually seems so sure of himself, so unwavering, does not seem to know what to think. Eugene decides to drive the point home once and for all.

"If she was with you, it's because she chose it. So stop being a dick and talk to her. Maybe you can still fix things up. Because you two are made for each other. I've seen how she evolved since she's with you. And I saw you change too. You need her Joel.

-I know.

-So leave my damn workshop and go find her."

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In the church, all the inhabitants are gathered to celebrate the shortest night of the year. Summer is finally here to shower them with its delights. Under the lanterns, the dancing couples let themselves be carried away by the soft folk music played by the group. Seated alone, Chloe plays with her drink, staring blankly at the dance floor. She smiles faintly when Eugene joins her.

"Why ain't you dancing?

-Derek is behind the bar, Molly is with Chris and you told me your leg hurt. I can't dance on my own.

-What about Joel? Is alone right there.

-Come on, you know I can't dance with him anymore."

She replies bitterly. He turns his head towards her and details her features. She looks tired. Dark circles adorn her now sad eyes. The bad dreams have resumed, even stronger since his t-shirt no longer bears his scent. Nowadays, she often drinks herself to sleep. So she's too numb to make nightmares.