A/N Jesus Christ, I've had a rough time recently. Didn't proof read this. Sorry. Also, the italics are flashbacks. Tell me a happy story that happened to you so that I'll be happy. 😊 Enjoy!
The hospital waiting room was practically empty at this point. Alexander was in recovery from his surgery, only immediate family allowed in. There had been no word about how he was doing. Though he was in recovery, he had yet to wake up. The rest of his family was staying in a hotel for the night as they waited for further news.
The atmosphere was tense. Maria wasn't very talkative. She preferred to be shrouded in mystery. She found appeal in a facade of silence.
"Are you hungry Laurens?" He found the way she used his last name amusing.
She grabbed her things, latching onto John's hand as she rose. "Let's go get something to eat. You're already so tiny, dear. We don't want Alexander's sweetheart withering to nothing."
"You're still shaking," she cooed, strapping her lace bra back on. He simply laid there, staring at nothing but thinking of everything.
The act always made him sick, his stomach tying into knots. When they made love, the feelings overwhelmed him. His other senses numbed as his ever thinking brain slowed to focus on the intense pleasure.
Whenever he would come, his body would begin to shake. At first, he thought the shaking was normal. Maria shook too. He later learned that her movements were different. She moved as he teased her, her body writhing and squirming as she waited for the expected touch of his firm hands.
"Maria, this isn't right," he moaned, still short of breath. By the time he had managed to speak words, she was already fully dressed.
She gave her signature pout, looking at him with her big glassy eyes.
"Darling, why don't we stop then?" she had uttered this phrase more times than Alexander could count. He realized a long time ago that they were nothing but empty words, meaningless niceties.
He gazed at his naked, shivering body, forcing the courage to get up and get dressed. "See you tomorrow."
John hardly sipped at the warm drink before him, unsure of how he felt about Maria paying for it. Everything he had heard about this woman was negative. Perhaps she was planning to deceive, trying to win Alexander back.
As it were now, she seemed fairly innocent, stirring her coffee with the end of her long nail, licking whipped cream from the top. She did seem elegant, acting as though she was prestigious and important. It was a strange sight to observe.
"May I ask a question?"
Maria smiled deviously as if she could predict exactly what John planned to speak of.
"Of course, darling."
That was another thing, she only referred to him as darling. It almost made John feel uneasy.
He took a deep breath, trying to relax. The idea sounded simple, but it wasn't. His Alexander was half dead. While that was occurring, John was sitting across from the woman who could explain everything he desired to know. It all sent him into a panic.
He brushed his hand against the fabric of his jeans covering his thighs. The pain was almost as faded as the scabs. The bumps were becoming one dimensional, and he could hardly pick at them anymore.
"What's your history with Alexander?"
"You look lovely," Alexander mused, looking the young woman up and down. She turned around, handing him a pearl necklace.
"Fasten it for me, darling."
He could tell just by looking at the necklace that the pearls were definitely authentic.
She did look amazing. Her hair was formed into lavish curls, strands pinned back strategically. The fabrics of her black dress clung to her figure perfectly. The dress revealed every bump and curve, flattering her in just the right way.
"Must we go to this dreadful event?" she whined, her voice sounding childish and innocent.
Skinny hands ran up to his tie, straightening it for him. He never could seem to do it himself. "Where else would we go?" he mused.
She giggled, playing with his hair now. "Let's run away into the sunset."
"That's practical," Alexander countered.
"I'm serious! Let's run off together. We'd be the most magnificent of couples."
He looped his arm under hers, leading her towards the door. "We have a charity ball to attend first."
The evening was rather dull. They were one of the younger couples, Maria going on behalf of her wealthy father and Alexander going with his foster father. She hardly spoke at all, pouting at the prospect of her current affair. She didn't wish to be there anymore. That was obvious. She had her heart set on far larger adventures.
Maria sipped from a glass of red wine which she was too young to have. The liquid matched her lip color, an aesthetically pleasing site. From where Alex stood, he saw a businessman trying to make small talk with her. Though she showed that she was evidently uninterested, the man insisted on speaking.
Alexander snuck up behind her, wrapping his hands around her waist. She flinched, surprised by the touch. "Excuse us, but my girlfriend and I have somewhere to be," he explained, leading her out the door.
She wore an expression of confusion and shock, but also pleasure from the excuse. "Where are we going, my love?"
"It's complicated, darling," she finally responded. "There were so many moving pieces."
John reminded himself to calm down, deciding to rephrase his question. "Give me the short story."
She sighed, not sounding annoyed in the least bit. "Where do I begin?" She smiled, but it was a dismal one. The memories were apparently bittersweet for her. She gazed into space, as though she was back in the moment instead of in a hospital Starbucks.
"We were so young," she whispered. "I remember that night so well. He was so spontaneous. We took my dad's car, drove two states over. They hardly questioned anything."
"You're a freak!" he teased. "We can't pay people to be witnesses!"
Maria threw her head back, laughters erupting and shaking her tiny figure. "We can do whatever we please, darling. Now are we going to do this, or not?"
Alexander sighed, sounding more like a growl. "Fuck it, let's go."
"The ceremony was so lovely. It was an old Catholic Church, the walls painted and the woodwork was exquisite. He was so happy." She seemed so thrilled to recount it.
"I miss it," she explained, not making much sense. John couldn't decipher what she was referencing.
The priest smiled kindly, waiting for the final two words which would tie them forever. The two words which would bind them as one.
Maria looked genuinely happy, a singular tear slipping down her beautiful face. "I do."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
YOU ARE READING
Dead or Destitute (Lams)
Fanfic(Lams.) This had been the third time. His third time downing pills, his third time trying to meet death. If only he had succeeded. - It had been months since he had last left the hospital. He was bored. He was afraid that he was simply going to die...
