Storyteller

Chapter 27

Tim POV: 

I walk in a few hours early from the studio, and expect to find Faith and Chris huddled up in the living room. Chris volunteered to watch her today, since I needed to finish an album. It'd be easier to crank it out in one day, rather than make the trip down to Nashville and leaving Faith here by herself.

Anyhow, instead of finding them, I hear Faith laughing upstairs. The sound puts a smile on my face. She hasn't laughed like that in months. I walk upstairs, taking a deep breath, and trying to rid myself of the days stress. I tense, when I hear a man's voice. 

"You're so beautiful, baby girl." He says, as Faith laughs again. My chest hurts, as I approach the door. Trying not to think about it, I throw the door open. 

She's naked, in bed, with a stranger. She turns around quickly, covering herself, and immediately changes her mood. 

"Tim, what the hell are you doing here?" She yells, sounding pissed at me. I freeze, trying my best to take this one step at a time. I don't know why she's yelling at me, unless... 

She doesn't remember... 

 "Faith, it's 2012." I spit out in a panic. I cringe, and try my best not to have an immediate breakdown. The man she's with hardly budges. He looks me right in the eye with no problem. 

"Fuck you." She counters, getting out of bed and putting on a bra and her underwear. "You've taken enough life from me. Now that I've finally severed ties, you need to learn fucking distance, asshole." She begins to rant, shoving me back toward the door. I don't know what to do... 

"Faith, calm down." Is all I manage to get out. 

"Get the hell out of my house, Tim!" She screeches. She shoves me again, hitting me harder than I'm prepared for. 

"Faith, stop it. You're hurting me." I shout, grabbing her arms. She pulls them away. 

"Like you never hurt me?" She starts to cry. "You're a fucking asshole. I hate you. I fucking hate you." She starts to sob. I try to wrap my arms around her in pure reflex, but she starts to scream, misconceiving this motion as me preparing to hit her. "What, are you going to fucking hit me, Tim? I fucking dare you! I dare you to beat the shit out of me." She screams, pressing herself against. I panic, quickly backing up. Those exact words were said the time I hit her in the dressing room. They bring up an eerie connotation. 

"Faith, stop..." I plead. She rips of her ring and chucks it at me, before slamming the door in my face. I struggle to breathe as the weight of the situation hits me all at once. 

Gracie walks upstairs, after returning home from school to find me in tears. She panics, as I quickly turn in an attempt to cover them up. She rushes to my side, and begins to banter me with questions. 

"What happened?" She calls out, laying her hand on my back. She looks at the shut door, and goes to open it. I cringe, as she walks in to find her mom slipping her shirt on, while another man lays in bed. Faith turns back toward Gracie, as Gracie starts to cry. Gracie covers her mouth, before charging at her mother and screaming "What the hell is wrong with you?!". She pins Faith down on the floor,  continuing to scream at her viciously. 

"Gracie, come on..." I say, prying her off Faith. She continues to scream. I motion toward the door, and tell her to leave, my body feeling weak as I think about what to do next. I turn toward Faith, and tell the stranger to leave also, feeling deflated. I can tell in Faith's eyes that she's horrified. The her from moments ago is now the her I know. She hugs herself tightly.

Looking at her forces flashbacks in my mind, of when she'd huddle in a corner and stare at me with tears in her eyes, along with dark bruises. She trembles, making me feel numb. A sudden wave washes over me, causing me to fall short of breath. I fall forward onto my hands and knees as the emotion becomes too much. 

I can't help but wail. I don't know what's going on with me... but I see it's freaking Faith out. 

Faith and I sit in complete silence as we wait for Chris to arrive. Faith nervously scratches her arm, driving me up a wall. I can see the skin under her nails becoming red and irritated. She stops scratching for a moment, granting me a few seconds of peace. 

"Tim, I don't hate you, and I'm not afraid of you." She spits out as if she would be punished for it. I look at her, and take a deep breath. I rub the back of my neck and shut my eyes tightly for a second. 

"I know that, honey... It's just... You were afraid, and you did hate me... Whatever your head blocked out, led you to hate me." I try to organize my thoughts, but they just flop around in my mouth before crashing on the ground. She stares at me, taking a deep breath. The door opens, as Chris rushes inside. 

"You okay, honey?" She asks, rushing to Faith's side. I stand up, and grab my keys and wallet. Faith watches me carefully. 

"Where are you going?" Faith asks quickly, seeming to be on guard. I sigh, and put on a jacket. 

"I just need a moment, that's all. I'll be back in a few hours." I say, kissing her forehead. I pry myself away from her, and head out the door.