Post by Lluvia/Zara/Jamie/Others on Aug 17, 2022 10:17:11 GMT -8
August 17, 2022
Marley and Zara had decided to go out to one last girls’ day outing before Marley fully moved to North Carolina. She and Samuel were going to leave in a couple of days, with what she decided she wanted to move immediately though the rest could wait. However, she had let him know that she was going to spend some time with Zara first. The women found themselves at a local restaurant and took a table in the back so they’d be able to talk without a lot of interruption. They had ordered their drinks and were sitting quietly before Zara spoke up. “So Uncle Danilo was pretty pissed at first, huh?” Marley didn’t say anything for another minute or two as she remembered the fight from the day before when her parents showed up at her house. “Yeah…mom calmed him down and nothing rash was done, but…” Zara looked at her cousin knowingly…she was still worried. She had stood her ground, something she had called her and told her later that evening though Zara knew it had shaken the woman to her very core. It had gone against everything they had been raised to know, after all. She was scared of how the rest of the family would act in a couple of weeks at their grandmother’s birthday, an event everyone would be at no matter what. “You’re worried about how it’s going to affect what the rest of the family thinks in a couple of weeks.”
Marley let out a shaky breath that she didn’t realize she was holding, nodding as she did. Her mom had placated her dad enough for him to actually listen to what the green-haired woman had to say, but she knew that wouldn’t work if things got heated with more members of their family and it almost made her not want to go to the party…though she knew that would truly make things worse. After standing up to her parents, well her father, and then them leaving, Marley would admit that she had crumbled. Not a lot of packing ended up happening that day; she had taken refuge in a few mugs of hot tea, Ares surprisingly curling up with her, and Samuel making sure she was alright. Internally she had been a mess while externally, she had kept it together as best she could. “I yelled at him, Zara…I couldn’t bite it back, and I yelled at him. I’ve talked to mom but not him since then. But I couldn’t…I just couldn’t stand there and let him think he was going to tell me I couldn’t go be with Samuel just because we weren’t doing things as they did almost 30 years ago.” Zara reached over and squeezed her cousin’s hand reassuringly. While someone wouldn’t know it, Marley wasn’t really the type for confrontations but would have them if it was about something, or in this case, someone, that she felt strongly again. Before either could say anything, the waitress came over, bringing their drinks and getting their order so it could be put in.
When the bubbly woman walked away, Marley began using her straw to twirl the ice cubes in her sweet tea, her gaze and mind wandering off. “Lele…” Marley’s eyes snapped back to her cousin at the sound of her childhood nickname among all of the cousins, and she could see Zara smiling at her. “Answer me these questions with as little or as much detail as you want, and no, it’s not about y’alls bedroom life this time.” They both let out a chuckle, thinking back to when Marley’s and Samuel’s relationship had begun. Zara had been so determined they had done something intimate when they hadn’t…not that she blamed her cousin for thinking that given the history Marley had. “Lele, do you love him? Does he love you?” “More than anything on both accounts, Zar. At first, I was just reaching out to someone new, but after talking with him on Twitter in the beginning. I dunno how to explain it…my heart felt like it was flying. I never expected to fall as hard or as fast as I did.” Zara gently smiled at her cousin, remembering the sudden change in her when the pair were only talking at the time. “Do you regret or 2nd guess anything from those weeks? About any of the time you’ve spent with him? About any of the decisions you’ve made, not just between the two of you, but in general since you met him?”
Marley’s eyes widened as she listened to Zara’s questions but she quickly shook her head without hesitation. “Not a chance in Hell…wh-” Zara held a hand up to silence her cousin, letting her know that she wasn’t quite done. The slightly older woman’s voice softened with her next set of questions. “Whether this is something the two of you and delved into or not, I want to know how YOU feel right now. Can you see yourself without him? Do you want him to be the last man in your life? Would you give him up for him to find happiness elsewhere if it came down to that?” Zara hated asking that last question, knowing where it would send Marley’s mind but it was Marley didn’t have to think about either of those questions, but her mind did wander back to when her parents had shown up the other day.
“Zar, to even think of the potential of not having him in my life makes my heart hurt. You know I never thought I would settle down, not for long at least, but I want him as long as he’ll have me, whether it’s forever or not. I only care about him being happy, Zar, nothing else.” “Then fuck what Uncle Danilo and Aunt Sandra think…fuck what the family thinks. I don’t see them not liking Samuel, especially after they get to see the two of you together, but if for some reason they don’t, then fuck’em. You’re happy…a lot happier than you’ve been in a long ass time. And you’re thinking rationally for the first time since we were kids. Y’know, when this all started, when I saw how you lit up if you got a message from him, I couldn’t figure out what was so special about him for you. And I don’t mean that wrong, you know that.” Zara gave Marley a knowing look. She knew how her cousin felt…she felt the same way when it came to Marcus, after all.
Marley gave Zara a weak smile at her last statement. She knew what her cousin had meant…Marley had never bothered catching feelings in the past. It would never end well, and she knew it, so why deal with the pain of feelings? That had been the way she had felt for so long that it had become normal for her to feel a little numb at times. But now? Well, the dams that held her emotions back were long gone, had been for a while.”I know you didn’t. There’s just something about him, there has been from the start. You know how I got…other than family and the decent friends I had, I closed my emotions off. I’d be happy and shit on the outside, but it was more of a show so people wouldn’t bug me. Zar…that’s not me anymore, I actually feel happy again. I-”
Marley was cut off when the waitress brought their food out, apologizing for the wait and interruption. Both women gave her an appreciative smile. But Marley didn’t start eating quite yet, contemplating more on what Zara had said and asked so far. “I know you keep wondering what made him special, Zar. I don’t know how to explain it though. I’ve tried to explain it so I can understand it myself, but I just don’t know how to.” She paused, grabbing a couple of fries to shove in her mouth. Zara just watched Marley quietly for a couple of minutes, letting the other woman’s mind wander. “My heart broke for him when mom and dad left the yesterday morning…before you messaged me to call you. We were talking, well y’know what I mean, and he told me he didn’t want to be the reason for a family splitting apart. He didn’t want to be like his parents…it hurt knowing that dad had caused that thought to be in his head, Zar.”
Marley watched as her cousin frowned at learning that. Without going into detail, Marley had briefly told Zara about Samuel’s past. Obviously not everything, and again, not in detail since it wasn’t her place to really divulge any of that to anyone. She knew that her cousin wouldn’t say anything about it to anyone though, not even to Marcus, which was the only reason she had told her any of that. She sighed as she spoke, “Oh Lele…I hope you made sure he knows he's nothing like them. From the tiny bit that you’ve told me about his past and seeing him, there’s not a chance in Hell of any type of resemblance happening in any way." "I tried…I don't know how well it worked, but I'd be damned if I didn't try. He wants to meet the rest of the family, y'know…even after that mess with my dad. Even if I don't hear from dad by then, we'll be at kay lola (grandma's) house for her birthday in a couple of weeks. But at least we'll have some support."
Zara nodded a little. She and Marcus were going to the party as it was, but there was no way she would leave Marley to fend for herself…she hadn't done that to her and Marcus almost a year ago when they first started dating, and there was no way she'd do it to her. The two continued to eat, their conversation ranging in topic now until they were almost finished, just waiting for the bill. It was then that Zara smirked and looked at her cousin. "So am I going to have to keep teasing and bugging you to get any details about how well my plan worked out a couple of weeks ago?" Marley rolled her eyes at Zara and grabbed her purse. "I love our girl talks, Zar, but I'm not kissing and telling this time." Marley winked, causing Zara to laugh as they got up, heading to pay then head out.
Marley and Zara had decided to go out to one last girls’ day outing before Marley fully moved to North Carolina. She and Samuel were going to leave in a couple of days, with what she decided she wanted to move immediately though the rest could wait. However, she had let him know that she was going to spend some time with Zara first. The women found themselves at a local restaurant and took a table in the back so they’d be able to talk without a lot of interruption. They had ordered their drinks and were sitting quietly before Zara spoke up. “So Uncle Danilo was pretty pissed at first, huh?” Marley didn’t say anything for another minute or two as she remembered the fight from the day before when her parents showed up at her house. “Yeah…mom calmed him down and nothing rash was done, but…” Zara looked at her cousin knowingly…she was still worried. She had stood her ground, something she had called her and told her later that evening though Zara knew it had shaken the woman to her very core. It had gone against everything they had been raised to know, after all. She was scared of how the rest of the family would act in a couple of weeks at their grandmother’s birthday, an event everyone would be at no matter what. “You’re worried about how it’s going to affect what the rest of the family thinks in a couple of weeks.”
Marley let out a shaky breath that she didn’t realize she was holding, nodding as she did. Her mom had placated her dad enough for him to actually listen to what the green-haired woman had to say, but she knew that wouldn’t work if things got heated with more members of their family and it almost made her not want to go to the party…though she knew that would truly make things worse. After standing up to her parents, well her father, and then them leaving, Marley would admit that she had crumbled. Not a lot of packing ended up happening that day; she had taken refuge in a few mugs of hot tea, Ares surprisingly curling up with her, and Samuel making sure she was alright. Internally she had been a mess while externally, she had kept it together as best she could. “I yelled at him, Zara…I couldn’t bite it back, and I yelled at him. I’ve talked to mom but not him since then. But I couldn’t…I just couldn’t stand there and let him think he was going to tell me I couldn’t go be with Samuel just because we weren’t doing things as they did almost 30 years ago.” Zara reached over and squeezed her cousin’s hand reassuringly. While someone wouldn’t know it, Marley wasn’t really the type for confrontations but would have them if it was about something, or in this case, someone, that she felt strongly again. Before either could say anything, the waitress came over, bringing their drinks and getting their order so it could be put in.
When the bubbly woman walked away, Marley began using her straw to twirl the ice cubes in her sweet tea, her gaze and mind wandering off. “Lele…” Marley’s eyes snapped back to her cousin at the sound of her childhood nickname among all of the cousins, and she could see Zara smiling at her. “Answer me these questions with as little or as much detail as you want, and no, it’s not about y’alls bedroom life this time.” They both let out a chuckle, thinking back to when Marley’s and Samuel’s relationship had begun. Zara had been so determined they had done something intimate when they hadn’t…not that she blamed her cousin for thinking that given the history Marley had. “Lele, do you love him? Does he love you?” “More than anything on both accounts, Zar. At first, I was just reaching out to someone new, but after talking with him on Twitter in the beginning. I dunno how to explain it…my heart felt like it was flying. I never expected to fall as hard or as fast as I did.” Zara gently smiled at her cousin, remembering the sudden change in her when the pair were only talking at the time. “Do you regret or 2nd guess anything from those weeks? About any of the time you’ve spent with him? About any of the decisions you’ve made, not just between the two of you, but in general since you met him?”
Marley’s eyes widened as she listened to Zara’s questions but she quickly shook her head without hesitation. “Not a chance in Hell…wh-” Zara held a hand up to silence her cousin, letting her know that she wasn’t quite done. The slightly older woman’s voice softened with her next set of questions. “Whether this is something the two of you and delved into or not, I want to know how YOU feel right now. Can you see yourself without him? Do you want him to be the last man in your life? Would you give him up for him to find happiness elsewhere if it came down to that?” Zara hated asking that last question, knowing where it would send Marley’s mind but it was Marley didn’t have to think about either of those questions, but her mind did wander back to when her parents had shown up the other day.
“Zar, to even think of the potential of not having him in my life makes my heart hurt. You know I never thought I would settle down, not for long at least, but I want him as long as he’ll have me, whether it’s forever or not. I only care about him being happy, Zar, nothing else.” “Then fuck what Uncle Danilo and Aunt Sandra think…fuck what the family thinks. I don’t see them not liking Samuel, especially after they get to see the two of you together, but if for some reason they don’t, then fuck’em. You’re happy…a lot happier than you’ve been in a long ass time. And you’re thinking rationally for the first time since we were kids. Y’know, when this all started, when I saw how you lit up if you got a message from him, I couldn’t figure out what was so special about him for you. And I don’t mean that wrong, you know that.” Zara gave Marley a knowing look. She knew how her cousin felt…she felt the same way when it came to Marcus, after all.
Marley gave Zara a weak smile at her last statement. She knew what her cousin had meant…Marley had never bothered catching feelings in the past. It would never end well, and she knew it, so why deal with the pain of feelings? That had been the way she had felt for so long that it had become normal for her to feel a little numb at times. But now? Well, the dams that held her emotions back were long gone, had been for a while.”I know you didn’t. There’s just something about him, there has been from the start. You know how I got…other than family and the decent friends I had, I closed my emotions off. I’d be happy and shit on the outside, but it was more of a show so people wouldn’t bug me. Zar…that’s not me anymore, I actually feel happy again. I-”
Marley was cut off when the waitress brought their food out, apologizing for the wait and interruption. Both women gave her an appreciative smile. But Marley didn’t start eating quite yet, contemplating more on what Zara had said and asked so far. “I know you keep wondering what made him special, Zar. I don’t know how to explain it though. I’ve tried to explain it so I can understand it myself, but I just don’t know how to.” She paused, grabbing a couple of fries to shove in her mouth. Zara just watched Marley quietly for a couple of minutes, letting the other woman’s mind wander. “My heart broke for him when mom and dad left the yesterday morning…before you messaged me to call you. We were talking, well y’know what I mean, and he told me he didn’t want to be the reason for a family splitting apart. He didn’t want to be like his parents…it hurt knowing that dad had caused that thought to be in his head, Zar.”
Marley watched as her cousin frowned at learning that. Without going into detail, Marley had briefly told Zara about Samuel’s past. Obviously not everything, and again, not in detail since it wasn’t her place to really divulge any of that to anyone. She knew that her cousin wouldn’t say anything about it to anyone though, not even to Marcus, which was the only reason she had told her any of that. She sighed as she spoke, “Oh Lele…I hope you made sure he knows he's nothing like them. From the tiny bit that you’ve told me about his past and seeing him, there’s not a chance in Hell of any type of resemblance happening in any way." "I tried…I don't know how well it worked, but I'd be damned if I didn't try. He wants to meet the rest of the family, y'know…even after that mess with my dad. Even if I don't hear from dad by then, we'll be at kay lola (grandma's) house for her birthday in a couple of weeks. But at least we'll have some support."
Zara nodded a little. She and Marcus were going to the party as it was, but there was no way she would leave Marley to fend for herself…she hadn't done that to her and Marcus almost a year ago when they first started dating, and there was no way she'd do it to her. The two continued to eat, their conversation ranging in topic now until they were almost finished, just waiting for the bill. It was then that Zara smirked and looked at her cousin. "So am I going to have to keep teasing and bugging you to get any details about how well my plan worked out a couple of weeks ago?" Marley rolled her eyes at Zara and grabbed her purse. "I love our girl talks, Zar, but I'm not kissing and telling this time." Marley winked, causing Zara to laugh as they got up, heading to pay then head out.
