Aphrodite's Overrated

He's Got Her

Yikes ok sorry for not updating but late is better than never?! I had exams last week and this week and I only managed to get half of a chapter done but I finished it yesterday/today in a procrastination fueled frenzy and here we are!

Also, I have to admit I got a bit carried away with this chapter and as you'll see i sort of delve into a little bit of Nicole's backstory (Coming out story).

Anyway, i fucking live for Nedley/Nicole father, daughter relationship and that's basically this whole chapter to a T. So enjoy!

AHH Also...

TW: Homophobia
TW: Domestic violence/Abuse

If any of these affect you then just skip the sorta flashback montage thing I had going on.

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One week. After Nicole had been dumped on the side of the road it had taken one week for someone to find her lifeless and hypothermic body. As much as she had tried she couldn't move, not an inch. Nicole wanted to be that incredible protagonist who no matter what gets up and keeps fighting and goes after the love of their life, but her body had other ideas.

In between the short-lived episodes of unconsciousness, Nicole found herself in agony and the cold wasn't helping as her own body forced itself to shiver in a vain attempt to keep warm. She doesn't remember being found, well at least not entirely as she can still feel the ghost of calloused hands lifting her into the warmth of a battered old pick up truck that smelt of old diesel and cigars. The mans voice was rough yet soothing at the same time and she let herself relax into the darkness of her mind at the feeling, she was finally safe.

The next time Nicole awoke her senses flooded with the beeps of machines and the annoying hum of the over fluorescent lights above her. She shifted uncomfortably under the starch white sheets before forcing herself to open her eyes.

After spending so long in the shadows of her captor's basement and under the clouded skies, the light could have blinded her, she winced as she moved her arm to cover her eyes, the wound in her shoulder had been long forgotten and frankly, Nicole was not thankful for the reminder. Once the sharp pain behind her irises faded, the red head hesitantly moved her arm from her eyes and scanned the room.

Nicole felt tears prick in her eyes at the sight of Nedley, still in uniform, sitting on the chair beside her bed. His hat was tipped downwards covering the majority of his face and Nicole could now recognise the soft snores coming from the old man. Nedley had always been there for Nicole, he was the closest thing she had to a father.

After the fire that killed her aunt and uncle Nicole had returned to her house curtesy of a young deputy who days later came to check up on her with the gift of a teddy bear. Unknown to her parents Nicole had told the man about how they never seemed to care for her and Nedley being the humble man he was scribbled his phone number on the tag of the small stuffed bear leaving instructions to call him whenever she needed a helping hand.

11 years later Nicole had scrambled up the stairs of her house to her room and frantically searched her closet for the teddy, her cheek still burned and she wiped the small trail of blood trickling out of her nose with the back of her hand. The day had started off so normal, she had gone to school and come home after hockey practise to her mother humming softly in the kitchen adding the final touches to dinner and to her surprise her father was seated at the table reading the stocks in from the morning paper. She sat down opposite him just as her mother came to sit at the table with their meals in hand.

As the family ate Nicole's eyes had trailed along her father. She hadn't seen him in nearly three months and didn't really know what to do, so she just ate. Soon her mother and father began talking casually about events he had missed and what they were planning to do together now that he was back. That is until the topic changed entirely, her father had struck up a conversation on an article in the newspaper about how same sex marriage was to be legalised. He then went on to say how he 'personally' thought that it was disgusting and that anyone who chose to live such a lifestyle deserves to be punished and discriminated against.