Taken by a Stranger (Meadema)

Chapter 5 - Opening up 🌸

A silence fell, Viv didn't get a direct response to the question she asked her. Of course, it was a very broad question, a question that would immediately lead to a whole story, in which the main points of the story would immediately emerge. It would logically be a pretty big step for Beth to just tell someone she didn't really know. Viv was still a stranger to her and to be honest, she wouldn't dare to open up to someone she only knew a few facts about herself.

Beth took a bite of her soup, swallowed it down with a big gulp, and started talking slowly, which caused quite a bit of surprise for Viv. Had she done something that made Beth trust her so much that she would just talk about her feelings here? 'It's my husband...'. There Viv's suspicions became reality, the confirmation that Beth had been dumped by her husband. Again a kind of anger came up, but not just any kind of anger. An anger that she had never felt for a stranger... But she couldn't help it. She tried to radiate calm so that Beth wouldn't lock herself up, just now that she had started talking.

'I thought he was be the man of my life, but clearly not. I fell for his trick and fell for his charms. I'm so fucking stupid'. Very slowly, a tear rolled from Beth's eyes, sliding down her cheek and onto Myle's skin. Viv abruptly took the cup, which was now almost empty, from Beth's hands, so she could wipe away her tears. 'I'm sorry Viv... I don't want to burden you with this at all and have to dry my tears with your blankets'.

'No, no, it's okay to cry. Take as long as you need. And to be fair, I have more blankets, so it's not a problem at all'. The tears kept flowing, the guilt she felt towards herself turned into tears, the anger she felt turned into tears. 'Maybe it's easier for you to start at the beginning. Do you want me to help you talk through it?'. Beth nodded as she wanted Viv to be informed of the situation as soon as possible. 'Okay, if you don't want to answer a question then that's okay, do what you feel comfortable with. How did you and Steve get together?'. Beth looked into her lap, placed her hand on Myle's back again, looking for comfort and distraction.

'I was a gym teacher. We had a workshop on leadership, which was given by Steve. During the workshop he caught my eye, his calm appearance and his charisma came across as very comfortable. During the workshop I noticed that he also saw something in me. We made eye contact several times and the smile on my face grew bigger and bigger. After the workshop I was sitting in a corner of the room with my drink, alone, and then he came up to me. He sat down next to me and placed his arm around me. I immediately felt at ease with him and abruptly imagined us sitting on the couch together. It was amazing, after the workshop we went to a bar together, after which he went home with me. It got cozier and cozier, he was getting touchy, I was getting touchy and I had been single for so long that it felt good to get attention again. We had sex that night, multiple times. We started meeting up more often and every time I looked more forward to seeing him. At one point he took me out for dinner and asked me to be his girlfriend. The next day I moved in with him and we were inseparable ever since'.

Very slowly Viv saw Beth's face turning a little pale, she saw her looking further and further into her lap. She was in doubt. Part of her wanted to place her arm around this woman and let her cry for a while. But they had only just met, she was just a stranger who probably wouldn't appreciate Viv touching her, so she kept her hands to herself. 'You're doing so well Beth. Can you tell me something about what it was like to live with him?'.

Beth nodded softly. 'It was great at first. It was clear that we both really missed someone. I had been single for three years and he had been single for five years. It was nice to come home and have someone there to tell my story to. It was nice to get attention from a man, both physically and socially. The days turned into weeks and slowly we started to find a rhythm. He was very good at seducing me and making me feel so good about myself. We did a lot of things together for the first time, going on vacation together, buying a car together, renovating his house together, nothing seemed to get in our way, until a few months ago'.