Break the Man

Chapter 5

May , 1982
Roland POV
(Back in Bath, England)

"Yeah. Yeah that sounds great. Alright. Thank you." Curt said, proceeding to hang up the phone on the wall. I turned down the TV and got off the couch, going to the kitchen of our shared flat to see what Curt was doing.

"Who were you on the phone with?" I asked him, curiously.

"Oh, nothing. Just some bank stuff." Curt said, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, right. You know I know when you're lying, right?" I said while stepping closer to him.

"And what makes you so sure about that, mister?" Curt said to me, sarcastically raising an eyebrow.

"C'mon. Just tell me. What was that about?" I put my elbows on the countertop across from him, putting my head in my hands. I looked at him curiously. He looked down and smiled widely, blushing.

"Oh man, you're planning something, aren't you??" I inquired. He continued blushing, smiling so hard now that his dimples began showing. I loved when he looked like this, he's so adorable sometimes. Sometimes? Who am I kidding? All the time.

"You know you're so bad at hiding stuff like this, right?" I said, reaching my arm across the table and poking him on his side. This made him giggle a little bit.

"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you what it is." He exclaimed.

"Oh so you are planning something?" I said, speculating.

"Isn't it obvious?? You already got me so I might as well just tell you." He said, shaking his head at me sarcastically.

"You know... I think it's because you're a Cancer. It's always so easy to get to y-"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut it!" He exclaimed, interrupting me.
"You're the one who's dying to know what I have for you so let me talk!" I smiled and blushed at him, anticipating what he was about to say. I put my hand up and motioned for him to continue.

So uh... I have a holiday planned for us. Just me and you." He admitted, continuing to blush at me.

"Oh man, no way! Curt, you know you didn't have to do this right?" I said, smiling at him. He leaned in on the counter, getting closer to me.

Yeah but, this isn't just a holiday. It's for us to get closer and also to uh... help you. I wanna make things easier for you, Ro." He assured me, as he reached his hands across the table and grabbed mine.

"Oh? So, what do you have planned? Where are we even going?" I questioned.

"Burnham-on-Sea." He admitted, turning his gaze from my eyes and then down to our hands. I was instantly hit with a small wave of anxiety. At first, I was unaware of it. But I eventually noticed that the warmth and colors from my hands started to drain out of nervousness. It had been so many years since I had been there. For the exact reason that Curt and I were both aware of.

"Curt..." was all I could seem to get out. He moved from his side of the counter to mine. He parted my legs, moving himself in between my thighs in an attempt to get closer to me. He grabbed my hands and put them on his shoulders as I looked up at him from where I was sitting, still feeling nervousness.

"I know. I know. It probably sounds so intimidating. I can imagine how scared you feel right now. But listen to me, okay?" He said to me, trying to comfort me. He put his hand under my chin, causing me to look up at him.

"Okay." I said, anxiety still tainting my voice.

"Do you know why I planned this, Ro? It's to help you, and us. I know how much this place means to you. And the memories you made with her there meant to you. But I wanna make new memories with you. I want you to know that you can trust me, in every single way." He said, a concerned look still on his face. I looked at him as well and began to smile slightly. Even though I was afraid, I knew that Curt had good intentions for me. Great intentions, actually. And I actually found it really cute. Curt was honestly so sweet, and I know I just made it harder for myself and for him with how I acted. But I know that somehow, someway I'll be able to get over this part of my life.

"Tell me more about this holiday, Curt." I said, smiling. He started smiling back, and got me to stand up. While he and I were eye to eye he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and my neck.

"Well... In two weeks we'll be going, and I can drive us, don't worry. And we'll be staying in a nice cottage, just big enough for the both of us. And it has beach access so we can watch the sunset together, too." He beamed. I smiled and just shook my head at him, absolutely blown away by his thoughtfulness.

"Curt... You're so wonderful, you know that? You're always doing all this stuff for me." I said, admiring him.

"I think it's because of what you always say. It's probably because I'm a Cancer." He said to me, smiling.

"Yeah... You're not wrong, Curt. Or maybe it's because you're you." I beamed.

"Yeah? I didn't know I was that special." He said, smiling back at me. I returned the smile, and blushed. I leaned in closer to him and gently kissed him.

"You're more than special, Curt. You're everything."