How Did We Get Here - Eminem Fan Fiction

Must Be Lust

Replaying the events from earlier today makes it harder to fall asleep. The kids and I have bonded a bit lately, and I can't help but think about how these changes will affect them. Before I know it, I'm throwing on a hoodie and sneaking down the dark hallway to go smoke in my car. It's the middle of the night and I feel like I'm losing my mind from the messed up sleep routine that I've fallen into. "Where do you think you're going?" I hear the familiar voice from behind. "Damn you scared me, you're always up so late" I say, deflecting his question. "You sneaking outside to meet someone?" he asks. "I wish" I joke and he steps closer, "Gonna smoke a little, you wanna join?" I ask. "Not tonight" he replies and then grazes his finger on the diamond stud in my nose, "This looks dope. I was too busy to notice it earlier" he says, with his eyes latched on mine. "You wanna talk about today?" I ask and he shakes his head. "Let me see your hand, does it hurt?" I ask and he holds it up to show the bandage. "This smokin' hot nurse came by and fixed me up real good" he smirks and as that image floods my mind, I chew my lip and nod to him, "Cool, glad you've been taken care of" I reply and my eyes hit the floor. Marshall turns away, "Come on Marshall, smoke with me" I plead and he spins around, "Nah we shouldn't be hanging out, remember" he snaps and walks off. Stunned, I stand and wonder if he's serious, "For real?" I shout as he continues into the kitchen. After today I thought we could move on from what was said the last time that we hung out. That we could talk about it and I could explain myself but now I feel like he's going to hold this grudge forever. It is freezing, so I take a few puffs and then head back inside. Tossing my hoodie to the side, I walk to the kitchen for a drink. Marshall is sitting at the island, headphones on and scribbling on his notepad. Grabbing a water bottle, I don't interrupt and leave quickly. The entire walk to my room, wishing that he would follow me. Lately, I can't get him out of my head, it's worse whenever he's home and we interact. Lying in bed, I think about Nate and I know that I have to shut this down and not act on it, or else he will kill me. I've already crossed a line by concealing the time I've spent with Marshall from him. It could alter our entire relationship and I can't risk losing him over it. At first, I thought it was one-sided, but the more I think about Marshall's comments and how he finds ways for us to be alone, I know that it's not just me feeling this chemistry. Now I'm making myself crazy, overthinking, and I watch the clock, tossing and turning the rest of the night.

Jolting from a deep sleep, I stretch and turn the alarm off. Instantly thinking about last night and Marshall not wanting to talk or smoke enters my mind and I'm barely awake. Waiting for Nate to come downstairs, I pour some orange juice and lean on the counter in a daze. Marshall rushes in and seems out of sorts but I don't engage. The kids follow him asking for their lunches, and I watch as he hands them money and promises to make their lunch tomorrow. Hailie wraps her arms around my waist, "Will you be home after school?" she asks, and I nod, "I need help with my history project" she says. Marshall looks at us, and taps his watch, "Let's go" he says and scoots the kids out the door.

The day thankfully flies by, and I can't wait to get home, but Nate is taking his sweet time talking to Alexis. Recently whenever Nate is around she puts on a show and pretends to be friendly with me. With a fake smile and wave, I play her game for his sake. "Do you mind if I drop you off?" Nate asks and I glare at him, "What?" I reply as we leave the parking lot. "I'm gonna hit the mall with Alexis" he states and I nod. "You're not mad?" he asks and I laugh, "Nathan no, it's okay," I reply and I'm trying my best to be happy for him. He seems to be realizing that if he wants to spend time with his girlfriend, he has to separate himself from me sometimes. Reminding him once again that I understand he still seems torn, "Nathan, us being friends will never change but she not gonna put up with you spending more time with me than her. No chick in her right mind would" I say and he stays quiet. "We can talk about it later" he replies and we don't speak the rest of the ride. Walking to my room I see Marshall asleep in the living room, and I know that his schedule hasn't been normal. After my homework is done, I head to the kitchen for a snack and notice that he's still asleep. After living here for over a month, I've come to learn the girl's routine and know they get out of school in thirty minutes. Gently, I touch his shoulder and whisper, "Hey sleepyhead, the girls get out in half an hour," and he rolls over, "What time is it?" he groans and looks up at me, "I can go if you need to sleep" I offer as he rubs his eyes, "No, I got it" he says, so I head back to the kitchen and then hear the front door close. When they come home, I'm still in the kitchen, emptying the dishwasher, and Hailie comes rushing in, "Can you help me with my project pretty please?" she begs and before I answer Marshall interjects, "I told you not to bother her, I can help you" he says. Completely ignoring him, I glance down at Hailie, "You never bother me and I'm happy to help" I smile and she grabs her backpack. "We're learning about the Revolutionary War. I have to make a poster about the Boston Tea Party and you used to where it happened" she says excitedly. "Hails, I learned all about it and even went on a field trip to where they say it happened" I reply and she dumps all her supplies out onto the counter. "See Dad, I knew she would help" She smirks and he glares at me. We spend about two hours working together and I tell her everything that I can remember. Pasting on a map of the city and covering the poster with glitter, I read the passages from her history book out loud as she wrote down the facts with a bright red marker. "If you like learning about this stuff maybe someday you visit Boston. It's a nice city and has so much history" I explain and she perks up, "Yea, we should all go" she replies, "Maybe we can, you never know" I say and her enthusiasm is refreshing. "Do you wanna know something?" she asks softly and I nod, "My Mom doesn't live here anymore" she says quietly. "Yea, I know sweetie. Your Uncle Nate told me" I reply. "I'm glad you live here though" she says and it catches me off guard. "I'm glad that I live here too" I say, and pause, "You know that no matter where your parents are, they love you, right?" I ask and she smiles then yells, "Daddy, look we finished it," Marshall walks in from behind me to admire the poster board and asks her questions about it, "You did a great job honey" he says with a rub on her head. "Go find Lainey, it's dinner time" he tells her, and she runs off. Marshall takes a longer look at the poster while I clean up the mess of glitter and markers left behind. "I heard what you said to her" he says without looking up. Continuing to clean, I don't look in his direction, "Okay" I respond then he starts to help. "Sit down with us for dinner" he says while putting Hailie's books into her backpack. "I don't want to interrupt your time with the kids" I say and start to walk away. Marshall follows and then the girls come barrelling down the stairs, "Who wants Jayme to have dinner with us?" Marshall asks them loudly and now I can't say no. "Sit next to me" Alaina says and Hailie frowns, "I wanted to sit next to her" she pouts and Marshall looks shocked. "No one wants to sit next to me?" he asks and they laugh. He ordered burgers, chicken fingers, and fries, we go into the dining room and he passes the take-out containers around the table. We make our plates and eat quietly until Marshall asks the girls how their day at school was. They fill him in on what they're learning and then Alaina complains about having to buy lunch and reminds him to make their lunches for tomorrow. The table falls silent and I glance at him, "How was your day Marshall?" I ask, the girls freeze and look to him for his answer, "Good, I got some work done. Did some writing, had some phone meetings, boring stuff" he answers. "Can Jayme take us to the mall again?" Alaina asks and he looks up at me, "Did you have fun yesterday?" he asks then Hailie tells him that we went to the arcade and I beat Uncle Nate's score playing Pac-Man. "I don't like to lose" I smile and he looks away. "Yea, she can take you again" he answers. "I've never seen anyone sit in this dining room before" I say and Marshall nods, "Daddy likes to have dinner together when he's home. Sometimes we eat in the living room too" Hailie explains. The girls finish and bring their plates to the sink, I follow them, and start loading the dishwasher. "Go get ready for bed, you can watch TV until lights out" Marshall says with a stern voice. They take off leaving us in the kitchen, and I keep doing what I was doing and act like he's not there. "So you know how to cook, and clean, plus you make bomb-looking poster boards, what else can you do?" he asks, sitting at the island watching me. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I reply and he raises his brows. Finishing the dishes, I start to put away the leftover food, "Are you gonna help or just sit there and watch?" I ask, "Looks like you have it all under control" he says coolly. Ignoring him, I walk around the edge of the island and wipe the marble then quickly snap the dishtowel at him. "Oh, it's gonna be like that" he exclaims and jumps up. Moving fast he grabs the towel from my hand and snaps it back at me. Running to the other side of the island, I scream and now we're in a face-off, so I look for my next weapon. Pulling a wooden spoon from the drawer next to me, I hold it up to him, "What are you gonna do now" I say playfully. "Girl you better run," he says, so I do. Out of the kitchen, across the living room, and then hold a couch cushion out in front of me for protection. "You think you're safe now?" he asks with a maniacal laugh. Throwing the cushion at him as a diversion, he catches it with one hand. "This isn't over" I yell and as he's holding the cushion, I take one of the small pillows from behind me and hit him with it. "You're dead" he growls as his eyes widen and he snaps the towel toward me again. Sprinting past him and down the hallway to my room, he runs up and grips my waist with both hands, as I spin around, he pulls me down on top of him. With my heart pounding, and his chest against mine, I stare into his eyes, "Thought you could get away from me that easy" he says, still keeping up the bit. "Maybe I wanted you to catch me" I reply, then Marshall clears his throat and slides my body off of his. Pulling myself up and straightening out my hair, he leaves the room abruptly. My heart is still racing, and I can see in his eyes that he feels what I'm feeling. Showering, I change into shorts and a T-shirt for bed. All the while thinking about the fun little game we just had and remembering that Nate may never forgive me. If I lost my best friend I would hate myself, but I can't keep myself away from Marshall.