Trapped

Chapter 21: Confessions and Oppressions

I just watched the Bates Motel series finale and I am an emotional wreck. *Spoiler Alert*
NORMERO DESERVED BETTER! Without further ado, the end.
(I'm sorry for the awful timing for those of you who are still emotional from the finale.)

Her alarm screams into the quiet air of her trailer, jolting her from her peaceful sleep. She quickly presses the button to quiet it and sits up in her bed, stretching away the sleepiness. As her feet hit the cold ground, she can sense something different. It isn't a smell or something visibly out of place. It is more like a feeling. She can taste it in the air that something is different. That today is not like any other day. But she cannot remember why.
She carries on with her morning routine of getting showered and dressed and putting her contacts in.
As she opens her front door to leave, a piece of paper taped to it catches her eye. It is folded up with her name written in blue sharpie. Her favorite color. She takes it from the door and opens it up, slowly reading the familiar handwriting with a soft smile on her face.

Mon Chéri,
I know you have declared resistance to returning my love. I understand your wishes and know where you come from. However, I cannot help myself from giving it to you anyways. I am well aware that you will not be showing love back. People cannot transmute emotions which is interesting to consider when you realize how utterly consumed the human race is with the concept of getting other people to love us. I will not try to win your affection but I will not try to hide my own. My love for you is overwhelming and I cannot hide it any longer from you. If you are to feel a flicker within your soul, you can either let it die or fan it into a burning fire.
The choice is yours.
With all my love,
N.

She cannot contain the smile that escapes her lips as she folds the letter back up and holds it tightly in her hand. She walks to set with the smile still plastered onto her face and searches for him but the sight of her fiancé stops her.
"Renn?" she asks. He catches her eye and walks quickly toward her. It is only now that Vera's eyes find Nestor's. Nestor smiles softly at her, sending butterflies into her stomach.
"What the hell, Vera?" Renn whispers angrily, capturing her attention again.
"What are you-"
"When were you going to tell me about him?" he asks angrily.
"What? Who? What're you talki-"
"When were you going to tell me that you're sleeping with Nestor? Were you going to wait till our wedding day? Our honeymoon? I mean when were you going to bring it up? Oh would you like some eggs dear? Oh by the way, I'm screwing my costar. So do you like scrambled?" he mimics her. She can feel her heart stop and her cheeks heat up.
"Renn, I-"
"What's that?" he asks, staring at the paper in her hand. She tries to slide it into her pocket but he grabs her arm and rips it from her delicate hand.
"It's nothing. It's-"
"Mom Chéri? What the hell does that even mean?" he asks loudly. Vera blushes as she notices some of the cast and crew stopping to watch the exchange, including Nestor.
"What the fuck, Vera? A love note?" he whispers angrily.
"No. It's a friendly letter. It is nothing. Real-"
The sound of his hand slapping her sensitive cheek seems to echo throughout the studio. All of the cast and crew members stop to look at Vera who is still holding her cheek, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. She bites her lip as she ignores the sting. Renn continues to embarrass her by throwing the paper on the ground and spitting on it.
Behind her, Nestor begins to walk toward them, his fists clenched in anger. Vera glances back at him and he stops when he sees the pain in her eyes.
"Nestor I'm fine." she says strongly. She turns back to Renn, glaring at him. "I would like to speak with you outside, please."
Renn looks around, seeming ashamed but still angered. He follows Vera outside and Nestor seems to have to stop himself from following them, afraid for her safety.
Once the door closes behind them, Nestor glances at the cast and crew who seem to have turned their attention to him, as if seeing how he would react.
"Show's over. Back to work." he says, grabbing the note from the ground and heading toward his dressing room. Kerry stops him by touching his arm.
"You two should take the day off to recover. Tell Vera to rest up and ice her face." she tells him. He nods and continues on his path.
His dressing room is the only room in the studio with a window with the perfect view of the parking lot. He shuts the door behind him and jogs to the window, looking outside to watch.
Vera seems to have things under control as she tells him off for physically abusing her. Soon enough, Renn leaves Vera in the parking lot. Nestor watches from the window as she drops to her knees, letting her head fall into her hands. Nestor quickly exits the room and discreetly walks outside. He kneels in front of Vera, contemplating his next move. He slowly holds out his note and she slowly takes her hands away from her face and reveals the already purple bruise on her cheek. She smiles slightly and takes the note back.
"Let me see." Nestor says gently, reaching his hands out to her. His fingers tip her chin to the left, giving him a better view.
"How does it look?" she croaks out.
"Like it hurts. Let's go." he says, grabbing her hands to help her up and placing his hand on her back, leading her to her trailer.
He allows her some time to change her clothing and make herself more comfortable. Once she is finished, Vera settles herself on the couch while Nestor busies himself by making her some tea to calm her. He cannot fathom how Renn could treat her so poorly yet still claim to love her.
"Thank you, Carbs. For trying to defend me. And for...the note. I really loved it." she says as he hands her the tea.
He smiles genuinely and sits down next to her. She glances up at him and opens her mouth as if to say something but second guesses herself.
"What is it?" Nestor asks.
"It's strange." Vera says cautiously as if still trying to decide whether to speak her mind or not.
"What?" he asks, leaning toward her. He always thirst for more of her knowledge and thoughts. He takes her hand in his as if to tell her everything is alright. To give her comfort.
"We live in a world in which we have to hide to make love, yet violence is practiced in broad daylight." she says, staring at his hand that holds her hand tightly. His thumb runs over her knuckles gently while Vera studies the cuts in his rough yet gentle hands.
"I suppose that is peculiar." he says with a smile. He stares at her and wonders how she is the epitome of beauty even in pajama shorts and an oversized tshirt. Her hair is wrapped in a loose messy bun, with multiple strands falling in her face and over the glasses that frame her striking blue eyes.
She looks down at her left hand and stares at the ring that lays on her third finger. Suddenly, she felt as if it were a chain, weighing her down and suffocating her, burning through her skin. She quickly slips it off and sets it on the table in front of them.
"Free at last." she says with a smile. The words brought joy not only to Vera's heart but also Nestor's.
"Any plans for yourself and your newfound freedom?" Nestor asks with a smile. Vera bites her lip to hide her smile as she moves herself onto his lap, straddling him.
"I've got a few ideas, if you'll indulge me." she says, slowly closing the distance between them. Her lips connect to his with a spark and they move against each other in sync as if they were made for each other.
His hands hold her back, pulling her to him. He stands up from the couch and Vera wraps her legs around his hips as he walks them to the bedroom.
And at the end of the day, they were both just humans. Two people basking in each other's presence, drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal their brokenness.

And that brings us to the end of our journey. Thank you so much for sticking with me through my story and for supporting my writing. If you liked this story, check out my other ones and stay tuned. I'm sure there will be more Vestor to come!
XOXO