|
|
Post by theodore nichols on Apr 2, 2011 21:19:15 GMT -5
---FUMBLING, theo rooted around his pockets for the key to the door of the apartment he supposedly shared with his fiancee. though in jeans and a white t-shirt, soot clung stubbornly to his hands and his face, a steadily increasing smattering of ash growing in density from his vaguely clean elbows to his blackened fingers. his key, once shiny, was marred with black fingerprints as he clumsily unlocked his door. he was craving a shower so intensely that he made a beeline for the bathroom, ignoring the mess he had to wade through in this pursuit. theo had made the mistake of firing his cleaning lady several nights before, having drunkenly kissed her, and having felt incredibly guilt-ridden for doing so afterward. dark remorse clung to the man more stubbornly even than the soot he was trying to wash away, all the little mistakes he'd made since meeting annie feeling like grievous crimes in her prolonged absence. he had started looking back over the whole course of their relationship in his frustration - he knew he'd made plenty of errors over the past few months, but so had she, and he hadn't purposefully done anything negative in a long time. he simply couldn't understand why he was being punished for what he felt was ithika's poor behavior.
---ITHIKA, his stomach lurched as the tanned beauty wormed her way into his thoughts, much as she always managed to do. his remorse deepened, though it was mixed with an odd sense of lust and affection, a combination that was so contradictory it made him feel much worse than the remorse alone could have done. he knew his guilt was justified, but annie didn't, and wasn't that the point? she was punishing him, that much was clear - theo hadn't expected her to actually stay away for so long, and it was driving him crazy to be without her, stuck in limbo - but what on earth for? suddenly feeling more indignant than victimized, theo got out of the shower and dried himself off sharpish, pulling his boxers on and leaving both his jeans and t-shirt where they were discarded on the floor. towel slung around his shoulders, he headed into the bathroom, pulling his laptops towards himself. success: annie was on skype. clicking her name a few times, theo waited for her to answer, using his waiting time to roughly pull the towel over his head and dry his hair off.
MUSIC yeah yeah yeahs.
NOTES don't say i didn't warn you it'd be terrible!
[/sub] |
|
|
|
Post by annie on Apr 3, 2011 0:01:28 GMT -5
--- TO most, the chelsea hotel was a wondrous place, a place that evoked feelings of splendour and grandeur. to annie, though, it was just a place to go in order to get away from everything. curled up in bed, her cheek pressed to the crisp sheets, she was completely at ease - or, at least, as much at ease as she could be given her current situation. her flight was in less than twenty-four hours and she was plagued with feelings of unending unsureness. as frustrated as she was with everything, from theo to ithika to the recently called off wedding, how everything had ended hadn't been the way annie had ever anticipated or even wanted. despite her constant antagonizing of her ex-fiancé, she loved him more than she knew how to put into words, which as she lay in the unfamiliar bed, she realized had been her ultimate downfall. growing up as the only female in a male dominated family, she had never been good with words, with properly communicating. that had never been a problem, however, until now. she just couldn't speak to theo without seeing red, her emotions often overtaking any sensibility she once had, sending it out the proverbial window.
--- THROUGH her mood swings, his infidelity, and everything else that transpired between them, though, she had honestly never expected their relationship to come to such a screeching halt. it pained her to think of how off course everything had managed to go in such a few short months. and all thanks to ithika. that's what annie told herself, at least. being as confident - even bordering on arrogant, at times - as she was, she refused to acknowledge her shortcomings and the ultimate fact that she had somehow pushed herself and theo to the edge. that was why, as her former fiancé's name appeared upon the screen of her macbook, which was perched haphazardly upon one of the numerous pillows, she felt a surge of pleasure, followed quickly by suspicion. for a moment, her slender hand hovered over the trackpad as she contemplated the many reasons as to why he would be contacting her. but finally, she accepted his call, her breath catching in her throat as his devilishly handsome face appeared upon her screen. "what do you want?" the words were cutting, harsh even, though not so livid as she had hoped for. no matter how much she complained about him, she would never be able to hold on to the anger she so wished she could.
______________________________
MUSIC criminal minds.
OUTFIT see above.
NOTES such shit ! my sincerest apologies.
|
|
|
|
Post by theodore nichols on Apr 3, 2011 6:30:21 GMT -5
---TOWEL over his face, the very second theo heard the ringing cut off he pulled it away. he was keen to see her face in the most simplistic way - without even saying a word to her, without asking for any answers, the sight of her allowed a wash of comfort and security to go over him like a wave. even in the face of such trying situations, an involuntary smile crept across his face. seeing himself, he groaned, running fingers coarsely through his thick hair. "have you ever seen anyone so desperately in need of a haircut?" he joked, pushing it out of his face only for it to impudently return to its previous position. glancing over her shoulder, theo was both irritated and disappointed that her background gave no hint as to where she was, and he had his suspicions that she had already left for tel aviv. he had been in plenty of relationships in which his girlfriend had offered grandiose ultimatums, but with a few choice words and a romantic gesture or two theo had usually turned the situation round to his advantage. annie was not such an easy customer. in fact, she had pushed him into making what he believed to be the ultimate declaration of love (what could beat proposing in the top trumps of romantic gestures?) and even after that, here they were, with her punishing him for crimes that the nature of which she could only guess at.
---JUST in time, the undercurrent of frustration he'd felt since she left surged up into a wave. "what the fuck, annie?," he started, the smile on his face now replaced with a childish expression of effrontery. all the hours he'd spent dwelling on annie's injustices over the previous few days was coming back to him all at once, and he couldn't manage to order his thoughts into any coherent argument. this was obvious on his face, as he first shook his head, before opening his mouth to say something, he'd realize it wasn't exactly what he wanted to say, or he'd be distracted by yet another complaint he wanted to lodge, and he'd close it again, his frustration leaving him in a convincing imitation of a goldfish. sighing heavily at his own ineptitude, theo stopped and looked at her again, searching out eye contact through the screen. "why'd you leave?," he asked finally, his anger having deflated to weariness. it was a fact of no small importance, as far as he was concerned, that she had left with no clear motive for doing so. obviously she had some suspicions about theo's dubious relationship with his best friend, but thinking back, he couldn't see how she could possibly back those suspicions up with anything concrete.
MUSIC yeah yeah yeahs still.
NOTES even my syntax failed in this. & sorry it's embarrassingly short!
[/sub] |
|
|
|
Post by annie on Apr 3, 2011 10:02:31 GMT -5
--- THE way he so casually spoke, as if the two were mere acquaintances making offhanded comments on the weather, left her completely stupefied. how could he so easily act as if nothing was the matter when she herself felt like an emotional wreck, her inner turmoil only noticeable through the pursing of her full lips and slight narrowing of her eyes. she had learnt long ago how to hide her emotions - at least the ones she felt displayed her cards too fully. exhaling deeply as she drank in every emotion that flitted across theo's face, from indignation to frustration, she withdrew a cigarette from the pack placed upon the bedside table. continuing to survey him, a cigarette was slipped between her lips, a single brow raising at his question. it was obvious from the way she peered so intently at him, gaze levelling his through the computer screen, that she had something to say; however, she took her time in sharing her thoughts. instead, she lit her cigarette, the tip burning bright in the dying light of the hotel room. the ritual of it all calmed her, the smoke curling around her upper lip as she released a deep inhale, shoulders relaxing.
--- BUT then, she acknowledged him with a few simple words. "because i wasn't about to fight for the person i love with someone i shouldn't have to." pausing momentarily to ash her cigarette, her gaze slipped from the screen, taking in the mess upon the hotel room floor. "i told you she was in love with you but you wouldn't believe me. that in itself was hard to believe, considering how fucking obvious it was." now, that may not have been true, but considering the nature of annie's personality, the assumption seemed plausible. "and although you two might think i'm the biggest fucking idiot alive, i'm not. so, really, i left because you don't just love me. you have feelings for the two of us and i wasn't about to play second fiddle to another woman." she realized at this point that she was making little sense and sighed, shaking her head almost imperceptibly. "i didn't want you by default. i wanted you because you wanted me, too, and that just wasn't the case." a final drag from her cigarette was followed by a shrug as she put out the tip, allowing her eyes to stray back to the screen. she had said her piece and though she knew theo would somehow find a way to combat it - he always did - she felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
______________________________
MUSIC dance on our graves, paper route.
OUTFIT see above.
NOTES so weak.
|
|
|
|
Post by theodore nichols on Apr 3, 2011 21:56:17 GMT -5
---EVEN as the words escaped the young man's lips, he wanted to swallow them back down forever. he had intended this conversation as a mission statement for the rest of their relationship - he was going to lay down the law, going to let her know that it was time she fell in line or fell out of his life completely. theo had spent his teenage years mimicking his elder brother, and the desperation he felt to exert himself now was oddly reminiscent of that childhood charade. caspian would have absolutely no problem putting annie in her place. thinking about his brother and annie within the same thought sent a stabbing pain through his stomach, nausea creeping up on him like black clouds rolling across a gray sky. but even thoughts of that ultimate betrayal couldn't stir the boy to decisive action. instead, theo met her eye contact as she lit up a cigarette. perhaps because he was craving a cigarette himself, or perhaps because this small act of facetiousness was the final staw, theo finally snapped. pent up frustration bubbled over into anger and he saw red, standing up and walking away from the laptop for a second to collect himself. facing away from the screen, shoulders hunched, theo breathed deeply, counting backwards from ten as an old anger management coach had once recommended he do. it wasn't nearly as satisfying as smashing things up usually proved to be. realizing this, he picked up one of the pretentious photography books that annie had artfully placed on their coffee table, and after enjoying the weight of it in his hands for a moment, brought it crashing down through the glass that made up the surface of the table.
---SATISFIED now, he could breathe more deeply. steadily the rage subsided, and by the time he sat back in front of his laptop, it was as if nothing had ever happened. "i've listened to everything that you've had to say, now you listen to me," he started, a new calmness in his voice, "you can fantasize about ithika and i as much as you like, but that's all that amounts to - fantasy. there's nothing more than friendship between she and i, never has been, never will be." the finality with which he argued his case almost had himself convinced. he wasn't going to dwell on the ithika issue with annie, having had enough experience to know that the longer you deny something, the less convincing your argument becomes. instead, he tried to work a new focus into the conversation. "jesus christ a, i asked you to marry me. what else can i do to prove you're the girl for me?" he fleetingly contemplated suggesting children, since marriage didn't seem to be cutting it with her. but that felt like a step too far, and frustration threatened to bubble up yet again as he racked his brain for an alternative expression of his commitment. ""will anything i do ever be enough?" he said, though he'd already resigned himself to the answer.
MUSIC ...yeah yeah yeahs, judge!
NOTES SO BAD. i blame trinity for rotting my brain.
[/sub] |
|
|
|
Post by annie on Apr 4, 2011 22:30:46 GMT -5
--- WITH his back to her, a flicker of confusion flashed through her eyes, traces of it only evident in the set of her lips and arch of her perfectly plucked brows. for a moment, she was tempted to berate him for turning his back to her - both figuratively and literally - when she thought better of it. considering all that they were already dealing with, she knew it would be beyond childish to call him out on something such as this. it took a self-control she wasn't aware she had, however, as the sound of breaking glass ripped through the laptop's speakers, to not scream or express some sort of surprise. from her vantage point, she was unable to view exactly what had taken place back at their - no, now his - apartment, but she knew it could be nothing good. as she had learned in the past, the few now faded bruises upon her skin a manifestation of his insatiable anger, when theo was upset, his emotions ran rampant. however, despite her better judgment, she could not help but speak, her accented voice echoing back at her. "theo, what've you done?" there was neither malice nor judgment in her tone, which was surprising, but rather concern, though artfully masked by a vague disdain. "if you've broken anything, i'd suggest you watch out when cleaning so you don't cut yourself." although her admonishing words were spoken in brief, short clips, it was obvious from the expression on her face that to some extent, she was truly worried about his well-being. after all, she couldn't just stop caring about the man that she had once planned on marrying.
--- TAKING in the look of eerie calm upon the other's face, the female bit down upon her full lip, nearing pain as his words hit her with the force of a freight train. of all things, she had never expected this. for a lack of better word, she was dumbfounded by his forcefulness, with the composed way in which he spoke. as she attempted to gather her thoughts in order to rebuff his sharp words, she was stumped by his question. never before had she thought of it in the way he had phrased it. for the first time, she realized just how far he had gone to ensure she understood her place in his life. she would not be made to look bad, though, as it wasn't her nature to sit and take this sort of reprimanding. about to speak, she was cut off once more by him, this new question cutting even more deeply than the last had, making her hesitate in her harsh words. "don't you dare, theo." shaking her head, looking very much the picture of a typically distressed female, she tore her gaze from the screen, unable to speak as articulately as she would have hoped. "what exactly do you want me to do?" these were not the resigned words of someone who was looking for direction, but rather, of someone who wanted to know her choices. "do you just want me to come back to you and act as if what you and ithika have, as best friends or lovers, doesn't bother me?" she had hoped to turn the tables on him, to make him see from her point of view - as skewed as it was - but she knew she was only digging herself more deeply into the stereotype of scorned ex. with this knowledge, a note of desperation crept into her voice, though it was balanced out by the vehemence that was still there. "you want me to act like i don't care? well, i can't do that."
______________________________
MUSIC never gonna leave this bed, maroon 5.
OUTFIT see above.
NOTES i highly doubt this made any sense.
|
|
