Destined

Sixty Four

Frustration.

Actually, I think frustration is too small of a word to really cover what I was feeling. I'd been home for three hours. Talia was unreachable. I'd told Maddie and Liz where I was. Holed up in an interrogation cell, because I'd been gone for a while and they had to know. I didn't tell them it was because I was holding Vince's gun. Because then I'd have to explain how the gun got into our house. Something I thought was best left to Talia. Who was nowhere to be found.

Even worse? Vincent Delavigne. After his less than stellar performance earlier that day, he wasn't answering his phone. It would ring and ring and ring and keep ringing. The man was flat out ignoring me. I understood he was angry, even though I didn't understand what it was that I had done to be on the receiving end of his rage. And hence, I didn't know how to make it better. But I couldn't do much of anything because he wouldn't even answer his damn phone. And last I checked, he wasn't home.

I was standing in the kitchen, chopping the hell out of some onions when Matt arrived. Liz opened the door for him and hugged him like they hadn't seen each other in years. Or maybe that was just me projecting my bitterness onto their relationship because my boyfriend had deserted me.

"Hey Krissy," Matt greeted me.

I only nodded at him, my onions needed all my attention.

"I just came from Vince's," he said and I dropped my knife to pay rapt attention to him. "I think you need to go over there,"
"Why? What's wrong?" I asked, my mind already swimming with scenarios, none of them good.
"He's in a really bad place," Matt responded.
"Meaning what?" I asked slowly.
"Today's the sixth anniversary of when he lost his dad,"

I felt like my heart had dropped to my feet. I should have known that. How could you when he never told you about when it happened? All he'd said was at the beginning of the year. Way to be vague, Vince.

"Krissy, he's drinking,"

I grabbed my keys and rushed out the door without another thought.

Vince didn't live far from my boarding house. It was literally a five minute drive, ten minute walk kind of distance. It took me three minutes to get there though. I used my key and barged into his house, rushing to his kitchen where I could hear sounds, and stopped short at the scene before me.

Vince was bent over his kitchen sink, throwing up. Even from where I stood, I could see his hair was mess and his knuckles bloody. And by his side, rubbing his back in soothing circles, was no other than, wait for it? Wanna guess? Ding ding ding, Reese Erleene.

"Kristina," she spoke as though she was shocked to see me.

Why on earth should she be shocked to see me in my own boyfriend's house?

Vince reached for the knob and turned it, water rushing into the sink. He started cleaning up his face and hands. I could see he was shaking. I wondered how much he'd had to drink. Reese reached over to grab a glass, filling it with water for him to drink. He accepted it gracefully and gulped it down.

Whilst I, I just stood there, in shock, watching them.

"Kristina," he finally spoke.

And that perfect voice of his, that, melted chocolate, honey, whatever it sounded like before, it was broken now. His voice was hoarse and ragged, almost like it hurt him to speak.

"You weren't answering my calls," I said, my voice didn't sound like my own either.

I couldn't believe it. He may have been the one drinking but I'm the one that felt drunk. Inebriated.

"You should have been here taking care of him," Reese said.
"Reese!" Vince shouted startling us both. "Stop,"
"No, I won't stop, in the state I found you... she should take better care of you,"

I was still in shock. I mean, she did realize that he was a grown ass man. And that I wasn't his mother. I must have said that out loud because she glared at me.

"If you can't appreciate him then maybe you shouldn't be with him," she stated.

Vince stepped away from her, rubbing his temples like he was willing the image in front of him to disappear. You and me both, babe, you and me both.

"I think I should leave," I said calmly.
"That would be best," Reese said.

And I turned and walked away. I heard someone mumble something and I managed to get outside and take a deep breath of fresh air. Today was full of twilight zone moments.

"Kristina," I jumped, startled when Vince appeared behind me. "You scared me,"
"I'm sorry,"
"Go back inside, Vince,"
"Listen to me, please,"
"No, go inside, let Reese take care of you,"
"Not this again,"
"What?"
"You don't honestly think there's still something going on,"

I stared at him. He didn't look like Vince anymore. Sure he had the same eyes, same nose and mouth, everything was the same. And yet everything was so different too. I leaned over, and took a deep whiff of him. Like he'd done to me so many months ago. I could smell the alcohol rolling off him in waves. Hell, he could barely stand upright as he faced me. And his eyes, those beautiful gray blue orbs, were dark, emotionless and filled with red, very visible, veins. It broke my heart to see him like this.

"I don't even care anymore," I said truthfully, feeling once again, defeated.
"I just...I needed to stop feeling,"
"And did that work out for you?" I asked. He looked away. "Matt told me, about today," I said and he graced me with his stare again.

But it wasn't the same. I had a feeling nothing would ever be the same after this.

"I just....I thought I had myself under control. But the gun...the gun, Kristina, its the last thing I had from him, and....now that's gone, gone, because of..." he drifted off.
"Because of me," I said and tears filled my eyes.
"Not the waterworks, Kristina, not now, I can't deal with them, I can't deal with..." again he drifted off.
"With me? Say it! You can't deal with me? Right? You can't deal with whatever you're feeling so you decided alcohol was the way. Not talking to me, or anybody for that matter, no, you decided drinking, even with your history, was the way to go,"
"My history?" He asked, deathly quiet. "Oh you mean, my violence?" He asked and I didn't answer. "Answer me!" He shouted and slammed his fist into the window, cracking it. I jumped back and he laughed, sinisterly. "Oh, now I scare you, huh? Now you're afraid. You were perfectly content with me everywhere else, in my car, in class, in bed, but now, suddenly, I'm a monster,"
"Vince, I..."
"Oh no," he stepped forward and I stepped back again.

He grabbed me, pulling me flush against him and glaring at me. I looked away. He grabbed my chin in his bruised hand, forcing me to look at him.

"Look at me, Kristina. Are you afraid of me?" He asked.

I wanted to say no. I wanted to go back in time to Sunday morning, when he'd woken me up with a kiss and breakfast in bed and his smile lit up his face and his voice soothed me. I wanted Reese to not be in his house. I wanted him to not smell like a brewery. And I wanted to not feel like I was trapped in his embrace when just three days ago, I'd been wishing he'd never release me. But I couldn't. And my delay in answering was all he needed.

"Go," he released me.

I stood, dumbfounded as he stepped back, away from me. I felt cold all of a sudden.

"Leave!" He screamed, banging against the window again, shattering it this time.

He stared at his bloody hand as though surprised he could bleed. And then he did something that froze me to the core. He smiled. It was a smile I hadn't seen before. He looked like he was enjoying the pain he'd inflicted on himself. Like a sadist.

"Why are you still standing there?" He asked dropping his hand.

Why are you still standing there, Kristina?

I turned around and left feeling as though one of those glass shards and just been pushed through my chest.

Until I got home and found...wanna guess? Go ahead, I doubt you'll know who I found waiting for me at home. But still, by all means, try.

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Guess who's waiting😋