Their Life

Alternate Ending: London

This is an alternate ending to the chapter called "London" in my book Return to New York so if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely do that first because there are definite spoilers in this story. And even if you have read that story, you might want to reread that chapter so you know what's going on here.

Tina watched as Newt swiped at the glass with his arm, wiping the moisture away with his sleeve. He pulled away from the window, letting the curtain fall closed again. She knew she ought to leave but something was pulling her towards the house. Before she knew what she was doing, she had crossed the street and knocked on the door.

——

Newt swiped at the glass with his arm, wiping the moisture away with his sleeve. He stepped away from the window, letting the curtain fall shut. He moved to dump the rest of the coffee down the sink, but a sudden knocking made him stop. He turned to look in the direction of the door.

Who'd be knocking at one in the morning? he wondered. 

Setting the mug down, he slowly started towards the door. He unlocked it and pulled it open. Then he let out a gasp.

"Tina!" he exclaimed.

She stood motionless on his doorstep, staring at her shoes. Every fibre of her body was telling her to run; to get out before they had the conversation she was dreading. She opened her mouth to speak, but she promptly closed it when she realised she didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth to try again but all that came out was a strangled sob. Angry tears spilt down her cheeks and she started to turn, intending to run away as quickly as possible.

Before she could move, Newt had darted forwards and crushed her in a tight hug. She melted into his embrace, her head settling into the familiar crook of his neck. Her fingers tightened on the fabric of his pyjama shirt and she let herself cry.

She was vaguely aware of him leading her inside and closing the door behind them. But it wasn't until she felt him settle them on a sofa that she realised what was happening. She tried to pull away, but Newt was holding her too tightly. While his grip certainly didn't hurt, she certainly couldn't move.

"Oh, Tina, I've been so worried," he murmured.

She felt his hand pass over her hair, followed by the gentle pressure of his lips. Finally managing to pull away, she raised her head to glare up at him. Opening her mouth to demand an explanation, she found herself incapable of speech. Newt had leaned forward and planted his lips firmly on hers.

Tina's head jerked back and she automatically raised a hand and brought it down across his cheek in a sharp slap. He sat staring at her blankly, too stunned to even be hurt. She glared back at him, too furious to speak.

Newt was the first to find his voice.

"W-what was that for?" he stammered.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, her voice low and strained.

"Wha— I-I thought— I just assu— I mean, I—"

"Stop it, Newt," she said. "Just stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop lying to me, for one thing. Stop taking advantage of me. Didn't you ever think about how I felt? Don't you even care how I might feel? Doesn't it matter to you that I might actually have fallen in love with you? And you were just using me the whole time."