After that horrendous cold night, we spent most days together. He went to work each morning as I stayed at home and just enjoyed knowing I was wanted. I would never have said it was a normal relationship, most relationships both put in effort into going out somewhere nice, or spending time going out for a walk but with Stephen, he never seemed interested.
Over the next couple weeks we spent most, I should say every day together, we became smitten, we couldn't bare to be apart, it was odd as we only had been together a short period of time. It was shocking how much I adored him, how wonderful he treated me and made me feel, I was completely in love and it was something I'd never been able to feel before.
Things got pretty serious as he asked me to move in with him in his shared house, of course I was cautious about what would happen if anything did go wrong but anything to feel and be closer to him.
With that, I moved my clothes in and thought this would be the start of the rest of our lives, but I was completely wrong.
Within a week, Stephens younger brother had come to stay for a week or so, he seemed cool, a miniature Stephen.
One evening I returned from majorettes to find Stephen wasn't at home, so I knocked for his dad and questioned whether he had seen him. He said he had gone out with friends but he knew I was coming home. I waited for nearly half an hour for him to return before going to find him. As I left the house I found him walking towards me, I simply asked where he had been but with that I couldn't get an answer. As we returned into the house, Stephen mentioned to his dad that he had done something teribbly wrong and that he needed to speak to him urgently, it set alarm bells ringing in my mind but I tried to ignore it and enjoy my evening with Stephen.
When I first met Stephen he was wonderful, in the sense he was well groomed, well dressed, lovely teeth and impressive hygeine for a guy. With time, and becoming more and more comfortable with each other I noticed that the immaculate hygeine he was presenting was soon to go dramatically down here.
Sometimes he wouldn't bath or shower for weeks, no shave or anything. Although nothing in my mind would percieve him less attractive than I already thought he was. One day Stephen asked me to come and help him clip his hair, it was hilarious we had such a laugh with his brother. So Stephen took a bath to wash off any remaining hair. He recieved a message, so I just thought I'd shout to him what it said. I had the shock of my life when it was from a never woman, they had been planning on meeting up in not a friendly manner and calling her names that you'd only call someone close to you.
I was devastated, my heart had felt like it had hit the bottom of my stomach. How could the person I thought so highly of decieve me right in front of my face. I was hurt, but more angry so I grabbed my breath and confronted him. He lied through his teeth and said she had started the fancy name calling and he was only returning it in a friendly manner. I couldn't be bothered to argue so I accepted his reason and stayed quiet.
Stephen was brilliant with fixing things, and diagnosing whats wrong with electrical goods. It started off as a hobby but in later months would soon become a buissness. Later that night Stephen was fixing a laptop as I just watched TV and his brother chilled on the sofa. Stephen seemed distracted by his phone, I asked who he had been talking to and he mentioned the girl from earlier, I was hurt but still remained silent. With that, he rang her, flirting right in front of me, I could feel the tears prick my face, I couldn't let him see me cry so I went downstairs and spoke to a house mate.
She couldn't believe he could be so vile, she was so supportive and just listened. I went back upstairs and they still were having a chat, so I made a sly comment with that he hung the phone up.
I was angry. I was angry that he could be so vile in front of me, I called me paranoid although I had seen the messages earlier to prove that the 'paranoia' was indeed fact. I was so angry I through a shoe outside, not once would I be violent to him, or hurt him. As I through the shoe he jumped up and grabbed a butcher knife. He plunged towards me with the knife glimmering. He grabbed me by my throat, held my arms against the wall, I was restricted not only by the restraint but by shock, not only was he attacking me his brother was also in the room.
The wonderful man I loved, had turned into an angry, vicious person I didn't recognize. He shouted foul insults at me whilst holding me against the wall with a knife to my throat. I screamed, I screamed for him to stop, I screamed that I was sorry and that I should have never doubted him. Although it was only small, he took the knife and cut my hand and let me go.
I ran down to the house mate, stephen followed screaming at me to stop, screaming that if I left the house that we were finished. I told his house mate to not let him in but he still ignored it. I can't remember a lot of what was said in that conversation that night, I know he told me I shouldn't make him angry like that, that he had never done anything like that before, he cried, sobbed even that he was extremely sorry and would never do anything like it again. He lay there, sobbing as i held him. Stephen was my life, my love I had to believe him that everyone made mistakes, we cried together and vowed we would try to move on.
Although that was a complete lie, as this was the start of my domestic violence nightmare.
