The Dramatic Spiel of Arthur and Chardonnay~ (7,130 views)

Arthur rolled his eyes as she talked all about her expenses that she had made for his niece. For her, it wasn’t that much, was it? And besides that – he had to truck to and from her place constantly when Adelaide found them out – just so that she wouldn’t get any ideas! Chardonnay wasn’t the only one who had lost money due to Adelaide’s manipulation and scheming.

”You’re not the only one who lost money as a result of this! I don’t owe you, because unlike you I’m not a fucking cock-tease!” He probably should take more consideration for the volume at which he yelled – despite being on the fifth floor there were other balconies not too far away from him, though they did look vacant. ”Going to and from your place constantly because of her snooping was a drain on me, too. And you never complain about gas money when you come over here for sex, and I never complain when I go to your place, so get off my dick about it,” he snapped, flicking his cigarette’s ashes into the try below him.

He didn’t owe her. That was one fucking joke. Their arrangement involved mutual pleasure, not teasing and leading someone on. It would have been one thing if, for some reason, she wanted to stop when they were about to have sex. He might be a little frustrated, but if she seriously wanted to stop, he would. But that was different. That was her getting him excited on purpose, saying she wanted to try something new, and then just using it as manipulation. God, he hated that it turned him on. He wished he told her to stop, that he was uncomfortable. When she told him he was overreacting he, again, rolled his eyes.

”You squeezing me and mentioning my niece was enough to stop me from wanting you for the time being! Fucking, really. I told you I’m not into kink play, especially not there.” Her clawing on his back and skin was fine – that was more than fine – but his dick? He’d prefer for that to remain unscathed. He rolled his eyes, too, when she said she didn’t care about Adelaide. ”Good. She’s going to leave you alone, and forget about this arrangement. And I doubt Susan will find out.”

At her last question Arthur froze mid-drag, staring over at his phone. There was an uncomfortable pause in which he pulled his hand away from his mouth and flicked ashes. She could hear? Well, what should he say? Yes? No? What would she do, just bitch at him? Hang up? Should he lie, then? He exhaled, and at the same time, he said ”uh,” somewhat lamely, crushing the cigarette in its tray. ”Doesn’t matter, anyway. You know I still smoke once a day. And this week has been really stressful for me.”

Jesus Christ. Arthur pressed his fingers to his temple and felt a migraine beginning to come on. Chardonnay always had this damn effect on him. She never agreed with anything and while he admired her stubbornness it was like talking to a brick wall at times! Even when she wasn’t here in front of him, she was still so distracting!

Of course, her saying she never complained about gas money when coming to Salem because sex was the ‘payment’, essentially, mirrored his feelings on the matter. He definitely never complained about the prices despite his stinginess because, even if she lived an hour away, he really did look forward to seeing her whenever one of them texted the other. He liked the long drive when he went to her place – he could admire the view and the scenery and when he arrived at his destination, he generally was greeted with kisses and sex. But even as he agreed with her, he hated it, because he wasn’t supposed to agree with her! Jesus Christ, she was so arrogant sometimes. He couldn’t help the blush when she talked about her dancing in his lap in the lingerie, the memories still fresh, but the thought that he had been stood up at that time was enough to quell the small sense of desire the memories sparked in the pit of his stomach.

”Yeah, well, that was because I expected that we were going to have sex after your little dance. But no, you just wanted to give me blue balls!” He snapped, ”and ‘get off my dick’ only applies to when you’re being annoying! And when you’re actually on my dick, you’re significantly less annoying.”

When he said they’d have sex again, he rolled his eyes. ”Oh? Do you mean we’ll actually have sex again, or are you just going to tease me again? You can’t tell me you weren’t turned on that night,” he wondered if he’d stayed if he could have actually convinced Chardonnay to have sex with him. Maybe... maybe if he had been desperate enough. But she had squeezed him in an uncomfortable way and no way was he going to let her near him after that. It kind of squashed the trust he’d given her in the moment of intimacy they shared. Reminding him of the niece thing just made him scoff.

When she called him stupid he frowned. He was not stupid! Smoking was a perfectly normal habit. ”Shut up. You still owe me, and you aren’t here to smell the smoke or watch me do it. You have absolutely no room to complain! I don’t smoke around you.”

She was still so convinced that she was right and that there was nothing wrong with what she’d done! When she said she had never specifically said they were going to have sex, his eyebrows twitched. They never actually said ‘let’s have sex’. Not once. They always asked one another if they were busy. Then, when the other came over, they usually made out and stripped one another until one was on top of the other in the bed. He groaned and rubbed his forehead.

”Well what else am I supposed to expect when your ass is –“ He started to yell but, then, he heard a click and looked across the way to see a young woman emerging from her apartment, shooting a look over his way. Immediately, Arthur flushed and grumbled something unintelligible, before he got up and headed into his apartment. He shut the door behind him, made sure it was locked, and no he was alone. But he still didn’t feel alone. Even as he snapped a few quips back at Chardonnay, his apartment didn’t seem as lonely as it usually did. He walked through his bedroom to get to his kitchen and rifled through his fridge, pulling out a can of iced tea. ”Well that’s because there’s nothing to complain about when we’re having sex,” he pointed out, which was true. He had no complaints in that department, except he missed shower sex, but he respected Chardonnay’s desire not to do it to never bring that up to her. They’d find other things, other positions to do... probably.

He rolled his eyes when she said smoking was disrespectful. ”It’s not. Besides, you’ll be happy to know I put the cigarette out.” When she mentioned she was getting off the phone, he shifted, suddenly aware of how long their call had actually gone on and how part of him... just didn’t want it to end. He wished she was here, so he could spat quips over at her until the both of them fell asleep in his bed.

But, as it was, she was actually telling him she was hanging up. He snorted and said that was news, that she usually hung up without warning – before he told her he’d text her later and hung up the phone. And once he did, he was aware of where he was. He took a sip of his tea, and payed some games that night until he got the text from Christian. Once he did so he replied, thanked him for staying, and then went to bed to rest up for tomorrow.

Fortunately, tomorrow was a Saturday. By the time he left the theater in his closing manager’s hands, Arthur was feeling an itch that he wanted scratched. He texted Chardonnay, asking if she was busy. He said he was low on gas so if she could come to Salem, that would be appreciated. He’d already wasted the trip once and if she was going to pull that again he was fucking out.

But, she didn’t. When she arrived at his doorstep he pulled her into a kiss. He didn’t want to waste any time and he missed touching her like this. As hot as her lap dance was, he missed being able to touch her as she got aroused, and he missed being the cause of it. When he got her under him on the bed he had half a mind to stop and tease her like she’d done to him, but after the last time they hadn’t had sex, he craved it. He was frustrated and aggressive, and by the time they were done he was completely out of breath and after he caught his breath, he cleaned up and flopped into bed beside her. It had been a long time since she’d been at his place. He turned to look at her, his hair sticking up at odd angles due to the sex, and wondered why he hadn’t seized the opportunity to call this off. Watching her relax beside him wasn’t giving him any answers, in fact, it was just extending the list of reasons why he didn’t. He fell asleep with his head unintentionally facing her that night, his breath rising and falling in gentle wisps.

They were back to normal. Or, well, whatever ‘normal’ was it came to them.

Adelaide didn’t take the news very well. Of course the next time she was at her uncle’s place, she asked him about Chardonnay. When her uncle tried to explain that it was none of her business and that she couldn’t say anything, Adelaide just said she was curious. So, somewhat reluctantly, Arthur told her that they were the same as always and he wasn’t going to give her any other details.

Adelaide hated it. She hated it so much. Why did he continue to be around such a mean person? Her uncle, despite his temper, was a good person. But Chardonnay? Adelaide doubted it. She was obviously manipulating Arthur to steal stuff. His money maybe? His time? His future? She was like a succubus, preventing him from getting a good girlfriend who could become Adelaide’s cool aunt!

The end of the school week was boring, but next Tuesday they had off for a teacher function day or something dumb like that. Adelaide decided to put a plan into motion.

That Saturday, she went to the movies with her mom and got in for free due to Arthur being there. That night Adelaide begged her mom to let her go to one of their friends with Annabelle up in Chardonnay’s city. Her mom was skeptical, but she said Annabelle was going too and that eased Susan’s worry. She was told to have her phone on her, and she did.

That was a lie – Annabelle wasn’t coming but she did know the plan. Adelaide took a bus that went directly to the city and, once she got there, she followed a map-quest she’d taken to get to Chardonnay’s complex. It was so big here, in the city, and Adelaide was blown away by the building when it first came into sight! She walked inside the complex and looked at all the people, realizing she needed to figure out where Chardonnay’s apartment was. She wondered if her uncle came here often. He probably did. That made her sneer.

She approached the front desk and asked if she could talk to Chardonnay – she was a student at Metric, she said, interested in cooking and since Chardonnay was an alum she had asked to interview her for a project. It was all bullshit but a good reason for her to be there. The front desk worker told her to wait and swiveled around in his chair to grab the phone. He dialed Chardonnay’s number and waited for an answer.

When there was one, he cleared his throat.

”Hello, Ms. Nicholas. You have a guest down here on the ground floor. A student from Metric Academy wants to speak to you about culinary arts for an interview. She says she doesn’t have an appointment but was wondering if you were available,” He glanced at Adelaide and she nodded along, confirming everything was right. Adelaide leaned across the desk and whispered something, too. ”She says her name is Adelaide Summers, and that she’s contacted you before.”

When the elevator doors opened and revealed Chardonnay, Adelaide felt her blood beginning to boil. This was the succubus woman who seduced her uncle! She made his brain weird and his thoughts a mess. She didn’t even date him! She didn’t show him off like a girlfriend should show off their significant other! She knew how couples worked and this lady and her uncle weren’t one, but at the same time, they were? It reminded her of Annabelle’s boyfriends, in a sense. They were so dumb they never appreciated what they had! They didn’t show off Annabelle or act like she was amazing like a loyal boyfriend should do. They ignored her and only called her privately! And that was exactly what this lady was doing to her uncle!

Fortunately, Chardonnay played along with her plan. Despite the staring sent their way, Adelaide remained firm and glared up at Chardonnay. She could feel the tightness on her shoulder from Chardonnay squeezing it.

The second the doors closed Adelaide wrenched her shoulder free from Chardonnay and didn’t back down even when the older woman glared at her. If she kept doing that, she was going to get frown lines on her face and hopefully they made her uncle stop sleeping with her forever!

”What the fuck is wrong with my uncle, huh?!” She snapped, paying no mind to her volume or what Chardonnay had asked her. She couldn’t believe – despite the blackmail, despite the fact she’d almost torn them apart – they were still going to see each other behind her and her mother’s backs! This was not fair! She was getting emotional now – her cheeks were red and her eyes were warming. She hadn’t expected to get this emotional off the bat but when she was here, dealing with Chardonnay, she just – couldn’t help it! The woman was crazy and manipulative! And evil! ”Why do you keep wanting to hide the fact you’re seeing him from everyone?! What, is he not rich enough? Is he not famous enough?! What the heck did you do to him! He deserves better than you! If you’re going to keep doing this why don’t you just date?! What’s wrong with him, what doesn’t measure up to your stupid fucking standards?!”

Adelaide couldn’t wrap her mind around their relationship. At the very least, they should have been friends, someone who maybe she knew but didn’t really knew, or at least, not people who the other was ashamed to be around. When she pointed out that she wasn’t the only one keeping this arrangement a secret Adelaide’s lips formed into a pout – she was right. But, then, who cared?! It was obviously because of her that it was a secret! Arthur wouldn’t keep all these secrets if he didn’t get coaxed to by Chardonnay! At least, that was what Adelaide told herself. There was no way that he was deliberately hiding a significant part of his life, someone who he slept with, there just... but... they just... she didn’t get them!

”No, you’re the stupid one! Why the fuck are you so pathetic that you don’t want a relationship but keep being with my uncle! If this didn’t really matter to you why can’t you just leave him alone! He deserves way better than you! And whatever you’re doing to him is – is – is wrong! You made him yell at me! You made him lie to my momma! You’re the one ruining his life all because you’re too selfish to let it stop! If my momma hates him forever it’s all your fault!” She couldn’t ever imagine her momma hating her uncle, but if she found out he was lying? Maybe she would! And it was all this rich lady’s fault... this rich lady who wouldn’t take her claws out of her uncle’s back!

Of course, the image Adelaide had in her mind of their ‘relationship’ was wrong – she imagined Arthur was being strung along by Chardonnay, and that he wanted more out of it than she did, and that he cared for her when Chardonnay cared little for him. The only reason she’d keep this up, Adelaide was convinced, was hiding this relationship of theirs from everyone. And because her uncle was in too deep already, he couldn’t get out. Yes, that had to be the only reason he was still doing this! She clenched her teeth together when Chardonnay said she didn’t make him do anything. ”Nut-uh! I don’t believe you! You’re awful!”

She was not a child! She was 13 years old, almost an adult! Of course she understood what was coming out of Chardonnay’s mouth – it was all trash! All garbage! Just like her! Adelaide folded her arms across her chest and stomped her foot on the ground, angrily, her glare not softening anytime soon.

She didn’t think she knew everything – she knew everything important! She knew that Chardonnay was obviously just using her uncle for sex! Accusingly, she pointed a finger at Chardonnay.

”You told him what happened! You obviously told him to yell at me! Uncle Artie never yells at me and he’s mad at me and it’s only because of you! You and my uncle ever happening wasn’t an accident – it was a mistake! Obviously! Because you’re such a bitch to me and him! You probably put him up to this secret stuff! There’s no way my uncle would hide this stuff on purpose! It’s because you put your gross sex charm on him or something! You’re manipulative and mean!” She flinched a little when she said that Arthur had said this was no one else’s business – which he might have said – but, still, she was so convinced that Chardonnay was just... just... manipulating him!

The explanation about sex made her cringe, especially when she said they did this for pleasure. Sure, she had heard stories about sex and knew the basic process of heterosexual sex – it was supposed to feel good and that was the reason people did it. But imagining this woman and her uncle doing that together just made her go ”ewww” and recoil. ”You’re so selfish! I hate you! If you don’t really care about my uncle, stay the fuck away from him! Just,” before she could stop her body it lurched slightly, and she hiccupped, the tears beginning to form in her eyes. This was so lame! She never cried! What the heck?! She sniffled and wiped at her face, bringing back the hard glare, ”you stay the fuck away from h—him! It’s all your fault!”

Adelaide didn’t want to be crying right now – she hated to cry right now – but she just couldn’t help it! Not when this mean lady still had a hold on her uncle... not when she was still turning him against her, and against her momma, and against everything he’d ever stood for. When she was told to stop crying that just made it worse and Adelaide hid her face in her hands. Was he going to keep doing this forever? Or would, one day, they decide to elope together and go who knew where? What if her uncle stopped contacting her and her momma completely? What would the two of them do without him?

Or, what would they do if this mean woman broke his heart somehow? What if she swindled the theater away from him, took his money, and maybe him a hobo on the streets? Adelaide knew that Arthur would never be homeless, he could always live with her momma and her. But what if being jobless and manipulated made him spiral into a massive depression? What if something happened to him and it was all this woman’s fault? She didn’t like it. She didn’t like the thought of Arthur replacing her mother and her with this woman, nor did she like the idea of them continuing so that she could suck him dry. She just wanted her uncle to be free – she wanted this crazy lady to end it! Because obviously she didn’t want a relationship! She never would and she obviously didn’t deserve one!

Adelaide wiped her face off and glared up at Chardonnay when she taunted her and called her stupid for crying over something as simple as sex. When she mentioned the last time she and Arthur had sex Adelaide let out another ”ewwww”, but the thought made her throat constrict. Saturday night... what was she doing Saturday night? She remembered being at home and her momma had been on the phone with her uncle after he got off of work. He talked about the theater and what happened and then after that... after that he must have had sex with this lady!

Her bottom lip trembled as she thought about how won over her uncle must be by this woman. If she asked him to, he would obviously pick her over his family! That was what she believed as she stood there and was sneered at by Chardonnay. Why was she so mean? Adelaide hiccupped again and wiped at her face, looking away at the wall. Her uncle and mother were all she had. She didn’t want either of them taken away from her. She was selfish, but she wanted to hog them all to herself.

”You wouldn’t understand, because you’re a heartless bitch,” She snapped. She didn’t believe that Arthur wouldn’t listen to Chardonnay. After all, he liked her enough to not call them off and instead turn the tables on her. ”...you don’t understand how important my family is to me! You don’t understand that my uncle is a good person, and you’re just ruining him. You have no idea because you’re too selfish to realize it!”

Suddenly, Adelaide felt drained. She didn’t want to get off the elevator and go into Chardonnay’s apartment. She hated her. She hated her so much. Again she sniffled and looked away from Chardonnay. ”I hate you.”

Adelaide sneered over at Chardonnay when she asked for an example of how she was ruining her uncle. Well – that went without saying! Obviously, Chardonnay was getting under his skin somehow. She was calling him names, insulting him, and he was letting her get away with it! He was letting her get between him and his family, which was so important to him before, and this – she hated the accusation that he wasn’t important to her. That accusation made her nostrils flair and her tears subside as she took a step forward and jabbed a finger in Chardonnay’s direction.

”Don’t you fucking dare imply that my uncle isn’t important to me! He is! He and momma are the most important people in the world! Period!” She snapped. Annabelle, of course, was the third most important person and following her it was the rest of Annabelle’s family. She was going to let her uncle live his life – she was doing so! He could do whatever he wanted but when it came to a him having sex (ew) that was just – if it was with this woman – Adelaide just didn’t know!

”You are too ruining him! He hates people like you, the rich and snobby spoiled people who just – who have this big big house and have a special floor and stuff – but he’s still sleeping with you! You’re making him different! Ever since I found out about this I’ve noticed that he’s just different and I hate it! It’s all your fault! I might not know what goes on – and I definitely don’t want to know what goes on – but I do know that it’s just not... he’s different! He’s lied to me and momma for years now! And you – if you still want to have sex with him why aren’t you dating him?! Just because you don’t want to?! Then why not! You’re a hateful person and I hope you fall out your window and save our family all this trouble!”

Adelaide didn’t get it. If she didn’t give Arthur nice things, and spoil him, why was he still hooking up with her? Her uncle wasn’t some sex maniac, was he? That would be a nightmare. But, then, just like all of this was, this whole situation was just a slap in the face to the uncle that she had known and loved for her whole life. She hated that it was Chardonnay who was forcing her to look at her uncle in a new light. What sides of him did Chardonnay know? They were all the wrong sides because she obviously didn’t know – or care to know – him!

And that infuriated her. Not so much that they weren’t a couple – because she did not want Chardonnay to be a permanent fixture in her uncle’s life, ever – but because she didn’t want to get to know her uncle! Why wouldn’t she want to? She was lucky to know him in general so why not bother getting to know him! Why, if they were doing that gross deed with one another, were they not trying to find something more, why wasn’t there just... why was there nothing?! Why did Chardonnay still continue to put down her uncle, like she was naïve and dumb to even care about him. Adelaide clenched her fists.

”I can already tell he’s gonna say no! And I know why he doesn’t want to date you! Why the hell would anyone want to date you?! I’m asking about him! Not you!” She snapped, cringing at the idea that her uncle liked this woman for her body. Well, on a surface level, Adelaide could kind of see why. She had a nice figure, and looked pretty, but still, the thought of her not wearing clothes? Totally not cool! And not just because her uncle was apparently sleeping with her. Adelaide rolled her eyes when Chardonnay chastised her for suggesting she fall out her window. What! It wasn’t like Chardonnay wasn’t wishing the same thing to her!

When Chardonnay called her a little shit, Adelaide glared over at her wish gritted teeth.

”If I’m nothing but a little shit, you’re nothing more than a whore!” She snapped, even though it wasn’t true and no matter how much she hated Chardonnay, she knew that. But, then, what if she slept with other men besides Arthur? For all Adelaide knew that was the case. Maybe she ran a sex dungeon and her uncle was a regular customer. Adelaide scowled at the suggestion to go tell her mother. She knew Arthur wouldn’t be happy, and neither would her momma. No one was going to be happy in this situation, except this slimy bitch. As the elevator descended and dinged, Adelaide turned to glare back at Chardonnay. ”I can’t wait until the day he dumps your ass for someone who’s actually a human being, one who’s worth something to him!”

And, with that, she stormed off through the lobby, paying no mind to the security guards and other residents who looked confused. She wiped the back of her hand against her cheek, the tears beginning to stream more regularly down her face. That stupid succubus woman had her uncle wrapped around her finger. She just hoped that it ended well. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing her uncle.

After Arthur told Chardonnay Adelaide had stopped her blackmailing, things started to go well again. Adelaide was still unhappy about it but she stopped asking questions about him and Chardonnay. He had no reason to suspect she actually continued to let the matter go.

One day during the week, Arthur left work early and picked his niece up from school. It was a surprise and he told her that he was going to take her out to a movie and dinner if she wanted to – and she eagerly accepted. She bounced away from her friends and hopped into the car, rolled the windows down, and was even allowed to play the music she wanted to play (one that Arthur hated, but put up with for her sake). When they pulled into the theater, they entered to familiar faces. Jasmin smiled at Adelaide and snuck her some extra popcorn while Arthur was distracted. They watched a movie of Adelaide’s choice – one that Arthur wasn’t particularly interested in but watched anyway – and afterwards Adelaide got to pick where they went to eat for dinner. She wound up picking a small but quaint restaurant a few towns away, and Arthur drove there and let Adelaide pick whatever she wanted from the menu.

Susan knew about his plan to take Adelaide out – and, since it gave her a break from being a mother for a few hours – Susan was more than willing to give them the time to be alone. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea for Arthur to attempt to buy her love again by taking her out like this, he thought, as he watched Adelaide pick and choose her entrée from several choices. But he just didn’t know what to do. There was something off about him – about their relationship – and whatever it was, Arthur didn’t like.

They ended with dessert and Arthur drove Adelaide back to his apartment – she was going to spend the night there. After a quick call to Susan, Arthur and his niece would up playing some games until way later than they should have. Adelaide pointed that out when they were finally done and Arthur said he’d done worse at her age – which got a snort out of her.

But, still. Something was wrong. After Adelaide changed into her pajamas and pulled her long hair back up into a lazy bun, she stayed in her room at her uncle’s place, flicking the pages of her teen magazine back and forth as she took a quiz to find out who her ‘dream guy’ was. It was something she liked to do for laughs, especially when she saw how ugly her ‘dream guys’ usually wound up being. She heard a knock at the door and looked over to see her uncle looking more hesitant than he ever did before... and he asked her if she was still angry at him in a voice smaller than she ever recalled hearing him use.

Adelaide furrowed her brows and asked what this was about but as soon as she asked the question, she saw her uncle’s eyes dart towards his room and she remembered that bitch. It was because of that bitch that her uncle was looking so forlorn, and she was the whole reason that they had this... tension, that despite the good things they’d done together, this conflict...! It was all Chardonnay’s fault!

Adelaide’s response was that of course she was mad, that this bitchy lady was manipulating her uncle like that! Arthur sighed and entered the room, sat beside her on the bed, and told her that there was no manipulation there. He was completely aware of what he was doing, and she was aware of what she was doing, too. But then he turned towards Adelaide and said that what mattered most to him was family, was her and her mother.

Adelaide was happier after that and told him that she didn’t hate him. That response, though not what he had expected, was what he wanted to hear He told her he loved her and then departed towards his own room. Adelaide was smiling more after that – feeling like she’d bested Chardonnay in some way – and went back to her magazine, texting Annabelle the results of her quiz taking.

The next day, Arthur dropped Adelaide back off at school and went into work. He stayed there the whole day, from opening to closing, making sure that everything ran smoothly. Lately he noticed that things ran smoother when he was there – there were deficits in employee attitude and finances that were making Arthur begin to worry. He wound up spending late nights and staying until well after closing – and the deficits somehow seemed to stop. One thing about the way Arthur ran his business was that he verified all the inventory personally, and all of the income and revenue, so that he could catch things as they happened. He wanted to trust all his employees – and he knew he could trust most of them – but obviously, something was wrong.

That weekend he actually texted Chardonnay to tell her he’d be busy. But, not wanting her to think that he wasn’t interested in sex anymore, he decided to add ’I have to do something important for work’. That something involved looking over the security camera footage until 5 AM the next morning, until his eyes felt like they were going to roll out of his head. He went over logs and statistics and discovered that most of the disappearing happened on the days that Christian closed the theater. That made Arthur bite his lip in irritation.

Christian, that stupid fucking Chad-lookalike.

He did a background check – more thoroughly this time – on Christian and saw that he had graduated college with a business degree up in Massachusetts, and had moved to California with his girlfriend right before he was hired. Arthur went over his application and called his former places of employment – none of which had a negative word about him. Odd, but then, Arthur figured he wouldn’t list references he knew would badmouth him.

Arthur kept his eyes on the funds and specifically monitored Christian’s card whenever he performed any kinds of transaction. But something wasn’t adding up. The funds were depleting, but Christian’s card wasn’t reporting anything odd. Arthur was beginning to think he’d have to get the police involved – he could only do so much, being as inexperienced with funds as he was.

That next weekend, Arthur went up to Chardonnays place again. When she opened the door he didn’t give her a chance to talk before he roughly kissed her and started to shove his hands up her shirt, frustrated as fuck. He wasn’t even paying attention to whether or not they made it to her bedroom, all he knew was that he’d worn a condom and that the sex was incredible, better than the last time, as almost every new time was.

Arthur wound up leaving early that next morning – he barely got any sleep. When he moved and shifted, he must have pulled Chardonnay into his arms because when he woke up the next morning she was there, and his face was towards her. He blinked at the position they were in, holding it for a few seconds longer than he usually did, before he somewhat reluctantly maneuvered his limbs away from hers. Their arms and legs were tangled together, so it was a bit of a task. When he finally succeeded, he gave her one last look. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, he always knew, and with the way the sun was rising beyond the curtains, it gave her cheeks and hair a slight highlight. Would it be the same to wake up beside a girlfriend? A wife? Arthur didn’t know and shook his head at the thought. He didn’t need either of those right now. He had Chardonnay, he had his current family and business. That was enough. Right?

Arthur wound up enlisting the help of the police the next week, to help him figure out who was taking his money. Arthur had barely slept a week and the bags were thick under his eyes. He couldn’t just fire every employee. All he could do to ensure the deficit didn’t increase was be there, every day, from opening to closing. But when the business was open from 10 AM until 3, not counting those days he had to stay there late to close, that was next to impossible. Arthur wound up sleeping in his office on occasions he shouldn’t have, and even Jasmin knew something was wrong. As much as he trusted her, he couldn’t tell her this. Not yet.

Christian was called into Arthur’s office one afternoon, and he seemed to know the conversation wasn’t good. Arthur asked him, point-blank, if he was stealing money. Christian of course said he hadn’t, and while doing so, there was something said that really pissed Arthur off, pissed him off enough that he screamed ”you’re FIRED” in the guy’s face. Christian fought for his job but Arthur didn’t listen – the now ex-employee left, and everyone was confused as to why. Arthur felt relieved and stayed home from work the next day. That night, Arthur told Chardonnay that she could come to his place and they had sex again – he hoped he didn’t look as exhausted as he felt, and he couldn’t lie, the sex helped him feel considerably less drained – at least, until he woke up to a loud text alert from his security system saying that there was a report of a break-in at his theater.

Swearing to himself, Arthur got up out of bed, threw on a shirt and pants, and left without leaving a note for Chardonnay. When he got to his theater the police were there, as were some confused people and the manager who usually opened the building. There was a broken window and shattered glass along the tiled floor. Fortunately, the safe was still locked and there was no further damages. Arthur felt slightly relieved when he realized this and the police said they wouldn’t rule out the possibility of it being a random act of kids just throwing rocks at glass, but it was highly probable it had been a crime committed as Christian’s revenge.

Arthur made sure everything was running smoothly and cleaned up the glass of the window, then ordered a new window to replace the shattered one. For the time being, his theater sported a ‘band-aid’ of wood, that Arthur hated, but it was all he could do. Regulars expressed their condolences and Arthur had to put out applications for the position of closing manager, as well as deal with the possibility that he might have to be involved in a lawsuit with Christian.

He denied it, of course. Arthur looked over the surveillance tapes and saw a rock crash through his window, the person who threw it was obscured from view and obviously darted away the second the crime was committed. The police had a copy and poured over the images frame by frame, and Arthur worked with them when he could.

The plaza’s tapes were looked at, as well, and they figured out that the crime was some kid who lived in Salem – a kid who liked to vandalize things. Heat was off Christian, and Arthur got his window replaced within two days (he paid for the swift actions' upcharge). After that, everything seemed to be working in order.

Seemed.

Arthur spent the last month in a constant state of stress, constantly worried about something else happening to his theater. He wound up calling Chardonnay that night, asking if she was busy and if she could come over. She agreed and while he waited for her, Arthur just sat on his couch and thought. He thought about the fact that that break-in could have been worse, it could have been at a time when the theater was bustling full of people, someone could have been killed. Someone could have been shot.

Chardonnay knocking on the door distracted him from the phantom pain he felt in his knee. He moved to the door and opened it, pulling Chardonnay in for a kiss. He sighed against her lips, grumbled out an, ”about time”, and immediately fell into the way their bodies molded and moved together on his bed. After they were finished and cleaned up Arthur stayed awake for a few moments, before his body unconsciously forced him to go to sleep.

—

The next time he went into the theater, things went back to normal. He walked into the theater and talked to Jasmin, who was taking over the responsibilities of closing. Arthur could see a store through the window of the theater – the clothing store, staring at him, always there. It wasn’t usually there bot Arthur accepted that it was there this time, this particular morning, as he went into his office to file paperwork.

At about 1 PM, the busiest time for the shift, he heard a crash. He bolted up and out of his office to see them. They were wearing all black and had guns in their arms, large guns, and he could hear their voices saying nothing in particular as they tapped theirs guns against Jasmine’s forehead and one of the part-timers’ jawlines. One of the men wasn’t as slow and pointed the gun at Jasmin, took aim at her, and fired into her arm. He was aware that he was begging them to stop – he’d do anything, get them anything – but the words they were saying in response faded as Arthur saw another person go down due to a gunshot. Crying now, Arthur was deaf to whatever words they were saying until he heard one of them say ’cash’ amidst their rhetoric and he couldn’t even move to get to the register before he heard again – a loud, ear piercing gunshot that sent his leg on fire and as he fell he saw them – Susan and Adelaide and someone he could hardly recognize a little bit behind them – in the line of fire.

—

Unaware that he was sleeping, Arthur started to thrash at about the point the nightmare began. What came out first where quiet utterances of ”no”, and mumbled jargon that was unintelligible. He whimpered at one point, but after that he stayed rather still, his entire body trembling. He stayed still until suddenly he yelped and sat up, leaning forward to clutch his leg tightly, as though that would stop the painful muscle spasm that started right at the point of his scar.

Arthur tried to get out of bed and succeeded in untangling himself from the sheets – but when he tried to put weight on the foot that bore the scar from the bullet he lost his ground and would have crashed to the ground if he hadn’t caught himself with his hands and bent his good knee. Completely unaware that Chardonnay was there – or not remembering, anyway – he just stayed there curled into a ball on the floor, clutching his leg, his mind not registering the difference between reality and his nightmare.

While he’d had nightmares around her before, Arthur had never had one this potent or closely related to the shooting before. He’d never been struggling to catch his breath because of tears, or stumbled to the floor. Sure, he might have limped a few times, but he’d never stumbled. It was probably a buildup of all the shit he’d been put through that past month just whacking him in the face. Arthur tried to steady his breathing that came out in choked sob, his leg still throbbing in pain.

He was wide awake, but his brain was half in his dream world, still feeling that phantom pain in his leg as though it was real. As though he’d been shot again, and the skin was tearing apart, and he could feel the blood sticking to his leg. In reality the only reason his pants were sticking to his leg was because of the sweat littering his skin. Breathing was harder than it was before and he took sharp breaths amid the hiccups, his forehead wrinkled in pain. Fuck, fuck, fuck his leg hurt so badly. He wanted to rip it off and never feel anything coming from it again. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit back another sob. He needed to... he needed to... he needed to call his sister. He just needed to call her even if it was whatever the fuck o’clock in the morning because what if she was hurt? What if she was shot and his nightmare was just him, projecting that, or something, at the theater? What if it really happened at his house – what would Susan do with an intruder? Though she had pepper spray in her house and Adelaide knew how to fight, they couldn’t go up against a gun.

And, even if it was him projecting, the thought of a man with a gun entering his theater just caused his shoulders to tremble and his breathing to grow sharper, because he’d subdued it but that was a fear he’d always had. Every time he heard about an awful shooting on the news, or on TV, he wondered if his theater would ever become a target. Maybe it would. Maybe the supporters of his business would become nothing but target practice to some psychopathic, horrible person? How could he ever stop them? He would never, ever buy a gun, even for his own safety purposes. Arthur could never hold a gun, and the only other time since he’d been shot that he’d tried to at a shooting gallery, he’d vomited. He just couldn’t.

So how could he defend his theater? The place he loved, the place he wanted people to feel safe at like he’d felt safe as a child. How the fuck was he supposed to make it a sanctuary if he couldn’t defend it? God, he was fucked up.

Arthur was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot Chardonnay was over, and when he heard rustling and a person kneel down beside him, he froze, thinking maybe it was his sister for... some reason who had been on the couch and had come in. But when he heard Chardonnay talk and had his cheeks raised to look at her face, he was surprised. Surprised, still slightly off-kilter, suddenly not sure if Chardonnay was actually... real or just his mind playing tricks on him.

He searched her face for a few seconds, suddenly aware of what a mess he looked. His eyes felt heavy, weighed down from sleepless nights, and his cheeks were stained with tears. And she was looking at him... she was looking at him with a look he didn’t recall ever seeing in her eyes. And she was reassuring him, too. Her words confused him, but at the same time, he felt a swelling in his chest that wasn’t at all unpleasant. It was similar to what he felt when he got a hug – he just felt like someone actually gave a fuck, which was something he often forgot.

He blinked at the sight, If he didn’t suddenly become painfully conscious of the ugly tear tracks that now smeared his face, he might have wanted to hug her. But, then, that wasn’t how they were. He had no doubt in his mind that Chardonnay was ridiculously uncomfortable right now and wanted him to just shut up and let her sleep. Even if she looked concerned... she wasn’t, actually. He didn’t expect that and it wouldn’t be fair of him to think she was.

He took a deep breath to help himself even out his breathing and brought a hand up to his eyes, to wipe the tracks away. He tore himself away from her eyes and vacantly stared at her chin, his eyes devoid of the light they usually had and unfocused. He still felt the sharp, stinging pain in his leg, which snapped him back to reality. Back to the reality that one of his employees was a thief, that he was too lenient on them, and that someone could have broken into his theater... and done so much more than they actually had.

”...sorry.” He said, even though his mind was still reeling with his thoughts and his leg still throbbed so painfully he couldn’t stand yet. He couldn’t believe this. Now that he was more awake, he remembered the circumstances leading to this moment. They’d had sex last night, and he’d fallen asleep, and then he... he exhaled and reached up, grabbing Chardonnay’s hands and removing them from his cheeks. And, as with any nightmare he ever had, he started to get lost in his thoughts as he felt strangely void. He didn’t look her in the eye. ”You’re right. I’m okay.”

Arthur took a few more breaths, beginning to feel his shoulders stop trembling and his crying to stop. Chardonnay was still here, though, even when he said he was fine. He assumed that would be enough to convince her to get up and go back to bed, and let him compose himself. He wouldn’t be going back to sleep, and when he glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand he saw that it was 5 AM. Not that late, but a little early. He’d be fine if he just had coffee and water. Maybe even a morning shower would be nice. He would likely be able to beat Chardonnay to it, since she’d go back to sleep after this.

...except, he noticed when his eyes bounced back to Chardonnay’s face, she didn’t move. She continued to look at him, with that concern in her eyes, as she asked him a question. If he wanted water... he furrowed his brow slightly. He didn’t need her help. He didn’t need it! He could do this on his own... he could get water. He wasn’t actually injured, he tried to remind himself. Instead of answering her right away, Arthur brought his hand down to his leg and rolled up the pant leg until it reached his knee, exposing his scar. It was still there, a blotched mark against the color of his leg. He exhaled and forced himself to look at the scar. It was a scar, not a wound. He was fine.

”U—uh... thanks, I can... get it...” Arthur mumbled, trying to stand up. He winced in pain and shot back down, his leg still hurting that phantom pain. He exhaled. Maybe he’d feel better if he could just sit. Not kneel, but sit. ”...uhm... I just need to get to the kitchen... can you just help me... stand?”

He looked over at Chardonnay, catching the concern in her eyes again. Why was she looking at him like that? If she didn’t care, she should just... not...! He felt so nervous when she looked at him like that, like any second she’d determine he was fine and make fun of him! Not to mention it just made him feel something he rarely felt around her anymore – shy. This was a completely new side to her that he didn’t know what to do with.

”...you don’t have to, though. You can go back to bed if you want.”

Arthur couldn’t help but flinch when Chardonnay said that he would probably bitch at her if she didn’t help. That would obviously be the only reason she would offer him any kindness, right? He was still slightly numb, zoned out, as he thought about what happened in his dream and what happened to his theater. He wanted to know if his sister and niece were okay, and he wanted to not be alone. He wanted to be in the company of someone who he could trust cared about him. He wanted to go to Susan’s house and bury himself in her arms like he’d done when he was a child, and just feel safe and like there wasn’t anything out there that could hurt him. He didn’t want Chardonnay to see him so vulnerable and pathetic looking.

Her faux concern was only so he wouldn’t complain. He tried to ignore the fact that that made his chest tighten for a few seconds and his eyes warm again. He was stupid to think otherwise.

”I won’t complain if you don’t help me.” He said, and as a case and point, he tried to get up without her help and pulled his arm from her grasp. And to his credit, he sort-of succeeded, until he tried to steady himself and wound up stumbling forward, clutching onto Chardonnay in the process. It wasn’t as obvious when he was farther away from her, but when his hands clutched at her skin they were shaking, and it took all his resolve not to just cling to her and hug her and try to feel safe again. He didn’t know why he would feel safe around her. At some point, he just... had. He was used to her being in his apartment, and sleeping with her and waking up beside her was something he was used to. It helped keep him from falling apart even if she didn’t realize it, even if he didn’t realize it. Just lying beside her was a structure he was used to.

He got himself a little steadier, then, and pulled slightly away from Chardonnay. He looked over at her. As uncomfortable as she probably was, her actually letting him clutch her was appreciated. ”...thanks. I... I... sometimes, my leg just does that when I... think about it. It’ll be fine the more I walk.”

He took a few breaths as he leaned against her, trying to convince himself that he was safe and that nothing was going to happen to him, or his theater, or his sister or niece. Even though she was obviously tired and bored with the situation, Chardonnay’s arms supporting him still helped. God, they helped more than he wanted to admit and for a second he didn’t want to let go – he just wanted to curl into her arms and pull her to the bed and just... sit there. But as it was, he’d already asked to go to the kitchen, and hugging and holding wasn’t what the two of them did. That was crossing a line that she wasn’t willing to cross. He wasn’t willing to cross it, either. Was he?

He looked at her as she understood or... tried to understand, anyway, what he was going through. It was odd but he appreciated it. She was actually... trying to understand? He didn’t expect that, but it made him feel a little less stupid when she said she knew what it was like to have a nightmare that bad. And she was right, still thinking about it all these years later, was so difficult... it was so difficult to just picture but at the same time, they haunted him. The laughter, the taunting way the gunmen had addressed them... it was all haunting. He took a few breaths as he allowed her to lead him to his kitchen.

It wasn’t new to him, not anymore, but it wasn’t the same as his small apartment had been. On the way inside, he flicked the light on, and halfway towards the chair, his limping got so tolerable that he only used Chardonnay for brief support before he flopped into the chair with a groan. He looked over at the fridge, realizing then that he forgot to get the water. Oh well. He exhaled.

Though some time had passed since Chardonnay had spoken and he had mumbled an agreement, now that he was sitting and his breathing wasn’t as labored, he just... felt more talkative.

”I... always think they’re coming back. Or out to get me. It’s stupid I know, but they’re out of jail.” Arthur said, not looking at Chardonnay though maybe part of him wanted to, but he was scared that she would turn around and head to his bedroom, leaving him alone. He didn’t want to be alone. He felt his hands start to shake again. ”And theaters aren’t uncommon places to be shot up. So I just... think... sometimes I, that, my – t—they’ll...” He bit down on his lower lip to stop his voice from shaking.”I have a good security system. I... I have one, I should be able to stop this shit but, still, that kid broke my fucking window, and one of my employees was stealing from me, and I can’t trust anything in that damn place right now so – “ he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his forehead. ”...I just...”

He thought again about his nightmare, about seeing those men burst into his theater and hold the place up. He thought about how he would react, if he’d get shot again, if he’d die that time. And the thought scared him, and the fact that when he was younger and the event first happened a part of him wanted to die, scared him. ”...I’ve never had a nightmare that bad before. I’ll be okay, Chardonnay. Thanks for helping me here.”