Messy Bittersweet Love

5. Bitter

THE COUPLE WAS DRIVING back from a Christmas party some of Nate's friends organized. They were okay people, a little too loud for her liking, Delilah thought, but they were pleasant enough nevertheless. Delilah would usually hang out with their girlfriends at this type of functions, she wasn't bother by this. She would even go as far as considering some of them her friends. 

 They both weren't heavy drinkers and Delilah couldn't be more grateful because of it. Nate already had really strong emotions without a drop of alcohol in his system, so Delilah partially guessed that with liquor his emotions and reactions will most definatly be heightened. That was something the sweet girl wasn't looking forward to and she thankfully had yet to experience. 

Trouble in paradise wasn't a term that Delilah would use to describe her relationship situation, she just kept reassuring herself that they were going through a rocky patch, as every other couple does, obviously. 

It's not that they fell out of love, but this doesn't mean that, that was something she feared. Delilah feared that one day Nate Black would wake up and simply not love her anymore. Nate was the first ever boy who noticed her. He, high school jock, all star athlete noticed her, little Delilah, a quiet, reserved naive girl. A sweetheart really, but naive still and all. 

Lately, they've been fighting constantly, more than they used to. Considering the fact that the couple rarely fought. And because of this Delilah was trying to constantly please Nate. She would admit that she was in the wrong, always. She was the first to apologise and make amends. 

She would to anything for the sake of relationship.

She just couldn't bear the thought of loosing Nate, her first ever love. 

 "What were you and the girls giggling about?" Nate asked on the way home, putting on the blinkers before changing lane. 

"Oh, nothing" giggled Delilah.

 "Mmm, that doesn't sound like nothing, tell me pretty please? I promised I won't tell a soul" He said while motioning closing a zipper on his lips and throwing the key away. Regardless of the couple's "rocky patch" it seemed that, that night in particular, they were on happy terms. So Delilah saw no harm in confiding in her boyfriend tomorrow's plan. 

"Ok. I may be dyeing my hair dark blue tomorrow!" she announced excitedly.

 "That you're what?" Nate asked while clenching his jaw, all traces of humor gone from his face. Delilah still obvlious to the change of demeanor continued

 "I said that-"

"Oh, I heard loud and clear!" Nate shouted gripping the steering wheel while making a harsh U-turn and changing their route. Making them harshly move inside the car, Delilah almost banged her head on the passenger seat window, if it wasn't for her reflexes that made her grip her seat to overcome the inertia. 

"What are you doing Nate? Where you going?!" she began to panic when he parked the car on the side of the isolated road and hastily got out. 

He opened her door, almost ripping it out and shouted "Out" when he saw she wasn't obeying, he roughly grabbed her arm and pull her out of the car making her stumble on the sidewalk. She catched herself just in time before planting face first onto the pavement.

 "Did I give you permission?"

 "No..." she replied hesitantly and partially scared because of how he just manhandled her. It was like a whole new other person in front of her. Long gone was her loving and goofy boyfriend. In front of her was a man who towered over her small frame, with glossy eyes, she looked up to him while he glared at her, eyes filled with rage and what Delilah believed to be, hatred? 

The young girl was scared shitless by this.

 "Then tell me, why would you do it?" He shouted in her face while gripping her forearm tightly, not before roughly shaking her to enphasize his point.

 "I asked, why the fuck would you do it if I didn't give you permission, Delilah?"

 Her arm is hurting immensely, she could already feel the bruising. It was common knowledge that the young girl bruised like a peach so she couldn't stop thinking about how Nate's iron grip on her will most definitely leave a pretty nasty bruise.

 "Nate, stop. You're hurting me"

 "I don't care answer me, Delilah"

It was when her hand started turning purple, a clear sign that Nate was cutting her blood circulation, that she couldn't  bear it anymore 

"Nate get your gorilla hands off me I said you're hurting me damn it!" she shouted startling him and making him letting her go. 

And that's when Nate noticed Delilah's tear streaked face. It was like he was in a trance he had just woken up from. His face immediatly softened when noticing his girlfriend's distress and most importantly scared state, he rushed "I'm sorry baby, I-"

"It's fine, if it really matters I won't do it" she cut him off in a tired voice.

 Delilah was so scared on the inside, but she didn't really pay mind to what just happened. She reassured herself that he could just go to council to treat his anger issues, it's just a phase, everything will go back to its usual flow, she thought.

After Nate agreed, they both silently got into the car to continue their journey. During the ride back home, Delilah curled herself up in her seat, trying to make herself as little as possible. The tears were long gone by now, but her eyes were still tainted with sadness. Delilah rolled up her coats sleeve to look at her forearm, and indeed, there it was the nasty dark purple splocht that covered her olive skin. She automatically looked at the culprit of it, who was beside her to only find him already looking with a sad and guilty expression at the damage he had done.

With one hand on the steering wheel, he grabbed Delilah's hand with his free one and brought it to his lips to give it a sweet kiss. 

"I love you"

"I love you too" 

And just like that, the incident was put past them and in the back of Delilah's mind.