Chapter 18 Another Love by. Tom Odell #2
“Ophelia had some questions about a case a monthish ago and I recommended William to help,” Sarah responded.
Fai turned to his wife, betrayal written across his face.
“A month? This has been going on for a month!” he yelled as he stood so fast his chair fell backward.
He was growing angry, a level of anger I wasn’t comfortable with. A level of anger that reminded me of my father, of myself. I stood with him, raising my hand placatingly.
“Calm the fuck down, Fai.”
He turned his attention from Sarah to me. “Do not speak to me like that in my house!”
“Don’t raise your voice at your wife like that again and I won’t,” I responded, now trying to control my own anger. I refused to let him break me, but goddamn it, there was never a scenario where a man needs to yell at a woman like that.
Fai scoffed. “Yeah, like I would be the one to hurt her.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
He rounded the table so we were toe to toe. “You know exactly what I mean. I know who you are, who you come from.”
I was even more confused. I had never hurt a person in my life who didn’t deserve it. I refused. I had seen the damage it caused on myself, my sister and my mother. Damage that would never go away. I turned to Sarah, who had stood up at some point, but she looked just as confused as I did.
“Take a step back, Faizal,” Sarah interjected, trying to calm down her husband.
Fai ignored his wife as he continued inching closer to me. “I’m not the one to be scared of. He is. Aren’t you, Will? You could hurt Jackie just how your father beat your mother.”
I staggered back as if I had been slapped.
How could he know?
So few did. My family did, Jackie and Sarah.
Sarah.
I turned to my friend's pale face. She must have told him. That was the only explanation. I told her that in confidence.
“How could you?” I felt broken beyond belief.
Sarah rushed towards me, placing herself between Fai and I. “I didn’t, I promise.” She turned to her husband. “How did you know?”
He scoffed. “Like it matters. He isn’t good enough for Jackie, that’s what matters.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I responded, defeated. “I know she deserves more, deserves better. Jackie deserves fucking everything.”
He looked at me for a moment, almost confused. It wasn’t long before he snapped back into his anger. “I won’t allow it.”
This time I scoffed. “You can’t control her choices.”
He didn’t have an answer. He knew he couldn’t. She trusted him, respected him, and looked up to him, but she was like a fucking fire. No one could control her.
“I’ll make her see,” he finally stated as he turned towards the front door.
“Faizal, what are you doing?” Sarah asked as she rushed to her husband.
He turned just as he opened the front door. “Fixing your mistake, Sarah.”
With that he left, the door slamming behind him. I also knew that in the next hour I would probably lose Jackie. He was going to make her choose. Me or him. That was an ultimatum I wouldn’t win.
Jackie
I had finally made it off of the floor and showered for the day earlier. I had even gone grocery shopping. I was putting them away when the pounding on my door began.
“Jackie! Open the door!” Fai yelled.
Why was he here?
He wasn’t expecting me back at work for another day. He knew I needed time off. Yeah, he thought it was for family reasons, not for the case I was actually working. I had ignored his phone call earlier today, but I was hoping he would assume I wasn’t home.
Confused, I opened the door when he burst through and slammed it behind him. He was vibrating with anger.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I watched him pace my living room before coming to a stop in front of some of my pictures.
Slowly he hung his head and turned towards me.
“Is it true?” He asked in a whisper still facing away from me
“Is what true?” I asked.
“You and Will. Is it true?” he asked again, turning towards me and finally meeting my eyes. Eyes I almost didn’t recognize they were so full of anger.
I didn’t know how to respond, because well, I wasn’t sure. After another phone call with Theo earlier today, I had fully accepted that I wanted it to be true. I wanted Will. I couldn’t explain the pull between us, but I wanted all the mornings, nights, and everything in between with him.
“I don’t know yet, but I hope so.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.” Fai sighed as he began pacing again. “You cannot be serious. Will? William Fucking Bly?”
I sighed and sat on my couch. This was one of the reasons I didn’t want to tell Fai about the case. I knew he would react badly. “Yes, Will. Why do you hate him so much anyways?”
“Because he’s not a good guy, Jackie!” Fai yelled, catching me by surprise.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Fai breathed and sat next to me. “I have something to tell you.”
I turned to face him waiting for him to continue.
“His father beat him and his family.”
I waited for the rest.
The explanation of what made him a bad guy, but nothing came.
“I knew that, Fai. He told me when we first met.”
Fai was obviously shocked. “And you’re still interested in him? Even knowing that?”
“Yeah?” I was confused. Fai was not making any sense. “Why would his fathers actions dissuade me from having feelings for him?”
“Because he could be a fucking abuser just like his dad!” Fai yelled at me.
He was scaring me. This wasn’t normal for Fai to react this way. I knew he would be upset, but not this… unhinged.
“Fai, you need to leave,” I stated firmly. I refused to allow anyone in my house who spoke to me that way.
“I’m not leaving until you see some sense. He isn’t good for you. He could hurt you!”
“So you’re saying that if your parents are abusive, you could be?” I asked, hoping to make him see the errors of his way.
“Yes, of course.”
“Then I am just as bad as Will is.”
Now that shut Fai right up.
He stared at me for a moment, as if trying to process what I had just revealed. He knew my childhood was bad, at least bad enough to make me leave at only fourteen, but he didn’t know the details. But he was about to.
“By your logic, Fai, since I was beaten by my father and emotionally abused by my mother I too am an abuser, right?” I asked, angry with my friend for his close-minded thoughts.
“Jackie, I-I didn’t know,“ he began, but I quickly interrupted.
“So what if you didn’t know? My life, my experiences shouldn’t change how you feel about that, right?
” I asked, not expecting an answer. “Those thoughts you have, Fai, are wrong, and fucked up. Plus, at the end of the day you don’t get to make my decisions or my choices.
I do, and I choose Will. Now you need to leave.
We can discuss this more when you have calmed down. ”
“Jackie, I’m sorry,” Fai pleaded.
I stood and opened my front door, signaling I was serious. “Fai, I love you. I do. You’re my family, but this,” I motion towards him, “is not acceptable. Like I said, we’ll talk later.”
He looked at me for a moment, almost as if to decide if I was going to change my mind. He must have seen that I wasn’t and left my apartment without a word. I closed the door behind me, knowing I needed to make a call.
The phone rang for a moment, and just when I didn’t think anyone would pick up I heard Sarah’s voice. “Hello?”
“Hey Sarah, it’s Jackie. Just a heads up, I think you have a moody Fai headed your way.”
I heard her sigh, “Thank god he was with you. Thank you for letting me know.” She paused for a moment. “Are you okay?”
I chuckled dryly. “I may have just ruined my most important friendship for a guy who may not feel the same way I do.”
“Go to him. Go to William, he needs to hear that,” she responded excitedly.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“Nope, not telling you. I have interjected myself in other people's business too many times today. Just go to William’s house. He needs to hear that.”
Confused, I agreed with her and said my farewell. I may have started this day scared, tired and confused. But right now I just felt excited. I was taking a jump into the unknown, I was going to tell Will how I felt about him. How I was falling for him. How I wanted him.