Their Tale

File

Checking the time, I look at Celeste who was also worried as to way Angel was not home. It was past midnight and he had not been answering calls or texts. His office was saying that he had left the office hours before but still he had not been home. Worry flooded through us as we sat in the dining room, the fire place bringing us warmth beyond our bodies together as we waited for him.

The sound of the door lock chiming before the door opening as slowly as it closed makes me look at Celeste with relief but at the same time confusion. What happened after he left? Rushing of the seat of the couch we head to the entrance when we see him. Dishevelled his suit is untucked, jacket in his arms, tie missing and, in his hand, a single black file. The moment he sees us it's like a hurricane of emotions tear through him but he won't let them go. Instead he walks closer to us, and says nothing walking past us to sit in the living room. As he passes us, he hands Celeste the file in his hand, no words to follow.

Throwing his defeated body on the couch Celeste and I follow him into the room when she opens the file before anything else. Life drains from her face when she takes in its content, the same wave of emotions that Angel carried in were expressing on her face as she shook her head "This isn't true, Angel what is this? Who gave this to you?" Her questions so shaken in fear and emotions making me lean over to take in what it said.

Words bombarding and attacking me as I read the information on the pages Celeste held 'sex slave', 'abuser', 'brain washing', 'stock home syndrome' and worse of all 'assassination for love'.

It made us sound like Angel had picked us up of the streets and bargained a lavish lifestyle for abuse and sex "What the hell is this? Angel you are not abusing us for fuck sakes." I cry out rushing to his side, Celeste doing the same kneeling on the couch so that she could bring his attention to her and the file. The moment he looks at her this look of defeat washes over him, the same I get when he turns to me before he looks forward with a heavy sigh "Meadows, needs a large company to launder money through, ND inc is large enough for all the money he needs to push through. I refused the proposal and he came back with this shit. One tabloid and it ruins not just me, but the Nader dynasty and more so you both."

His monotone response tells me his exhaustion, all understandable "We can fight this. I mean the man runs illegal operations; he wouldn't risk going to prison for this." My words an attempt at finding something that can be used to fight this, to fight him. Running his fingers through his messy hair Angel shakes his head "I thought so too, but then I found out that half of the system is in his pocket, and so are the tabloids. One sniff that we are fighting him and I become your abusers and Samir and Marisol lose everything they worked for."

Throwing the file on the table Celeste takes his hand into hers making his turn to her by her action "Don't ever call yourself that. You are not abusive; we are not being abused." A tear runs down her face. When you have truly been abused that word, it becomes defined and Angel was not that definition to her "Celeste..." Her name heavy in a breath of defeat as he brushes a tear from her cheek, but still she shakes her head "You are not abusing me. Say it. Please." She cries bringing herself closer into his hand.

"Angel..." I whisper, my head laying on his chest in effort to have him understand that what he protected us even when we didn't want it, saved us when we didn't know we needed it, gave us second chances we didn't know we had earned, loved us when we needed it and gave us something the world would never understand. He gave us release and freedom bound.

Taking a long breath in and out he nods with closed eyes "I am not abusing you." A choke of tears leaves her lungs when she lunges into his arms "You are not abusing Evita." She whispers. Once more with a long breath in and out he repeats "I am not abusing Evita." My arms tighten around him, Celeste brushing my arm in comfort.

Bringing us closer he whispers to himself once more "I am going to fix this." Slowly I bring my hand to his and Celeste's when I shake my head, fixing his words "We are going to fix this."