THE BLACK MARRIAGE
© Ralph Angel
EPISODE 36
“It is ok wife” Andy said, stressing the word ‘wife’. Jessica shifted uncomfortably, looking at the walls instead of matching Andy’s intense gaze.
“Drew, I-”
“Why are you doing this?” what she saw when he stared at her scared her. The pain she saw in his eyes was so unbearable; it cut through her like a knife. She suddenly wanted to cry. “You are killing me, do you know that?”
Jessica took a deep breath. “I don’t want to hurt you Andy, I really don’t”
“But that is what you are doing Jess. Do you know how it has been with me ever since you disappeared? I have almost driven myself crazy in my search for you honey, and now that I have found you, you want to leave me indefinitely? And you say you don’t want to hurt me?”
Andy looked bewildered and shocked.
“I don’t Drew, I just-” she stood up and faced Andy as a cold shiver went down her spine. “Look at me Andy; I have been disgraced in the public. I have been humiliated beyond redemption. I feel people whispering behind my back everywhere I go” the tears Jessica tried to hold back came cruising down her cheeks. “I can’t bear it Andy, I just can’t. If I continue with you, the gossips would continue and I can’t put you through that Drew, you deserve something far better”.
The tears on Jessica’s face seemed to hurt Andy more than anything.
He closed the distance between them and held her face in his arms, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. The contact made Jessica shiver slightly. “Look at me” Andy whispered and Jessica hesitantly raised her eyes to meet his. “You don’t think I deserve you? You don’t think I deserve love?”
“What are you saying? Of course, you deserve all the love you can get Drew”
“Even if I have to get it from someone else? Is that what you want – for me to be with someone else?” Andy asked, with his eyes blazing.
Jessica felt all her blood drain out of her. “If… If it makes you happy” she breathed quietly, lowering her eyes, Andy had to strain to pick her words.
“You would be able to handle it?” Andy emphasized quietly.
The thought of Andy with another woman was like a sticky bitter bile in her mouth and she had the urge to throw up just by thinking about it. She could not open her mouth so she nodded softly.
Silence stretched uncomfortably between them. “Fine” Andy said and left Jessica. Her head jerked up; alarmed by what she had just heard but Andy had his back to her as he went to stand by the wall.
Finally, he faced her and leaned against the wall. Jessica could not tell what he was thinking about because his face was carefully blank.
“What?” she gasped out.
“You want out and I am consenting to it. Is that not what you want?”
Jessica stared at Andy like he had just lost his mind. She had expected him to beg and try to convince her but not agree. Does it mean he never truly loved her? She felt hurt and angry as she continuously stared at Andy. She choked and took her eyes away from him, trying desperately not to cry. She snatched her sandals from the floor and sat on the bed to put them on but her fingers were shaking so awkwardly that she just couldn’t.
“Let me do it” She did not know when Andy reached her side and her anger increased.
“No” she said too loudly. “I can help myself”
“C’mon, don’t be a baby” Andy’s voice held vague amusement and when Jessica looked, he was trying to hide his smile.
“What is so funny?” she snapped and her anger doubled. She would not tolerate being made a fool of. The tears she had been preventing dropped suddenly and Andy’s face clouded confusingly.
“Don’t cry, damn it” Andy said, alarmed.
Jessica wiped her face furiously with the back of her hand, pushing Andy’s hand away. “I am not crying, damn you. I just want to get-”
Andy silenced her with a firm kiss, stunning her. Once he had his lips on hers, he could not stop again; he devoured her mouth completely, using the kiss to reassure himself of Jessica’s presence. Jessica held on to him, unable to let go. “Can’t you see… that you drive… me crazy?” Andy murmured between kisses. Jessica put her hand in his hair, holding him close and allowing his words to sink into her.
When they came up for air, they were both breathing heavily. “I can never let you go Jess, no matter how hard you persuade me. I love you, don’t you get it? I love you so much”.
Jessica swallowed. “I love you too Drew” she was silent for some seconds, happy that the past few minutes had been a terrible joke.
“But-”
“Shhhh… We would figure it out baby, OK?”
Jessica nodded. Andy sat on the bed and pulled her onto his laps.
She placed her head on Andy’s chest, feeling safe with his strong arms around her………
To be continued…
