Present

Obviously, joining this riveting argument is something I've been looking forward to for the last 5 some odd years but I refrain from charging right in and linger back in the hallway hoping Muriel somehow grows some significant form of lady balls and sticks up for herself.

I'd much have her be the one to rip this douchebag a new arsehole than me, so I remain in the narrow hall out of sight listening to this poor excuse of an argument.

"I'm on your side, Mur. All I want is what is best for you. Both me and your father only want what you've been working so hard for."

Fucking eye rollllll.

Did I mention Reynold's here is an arse kisser? 

"The second you came here you've been acting like someone you're not, and this isn't you Muriel. You're so much smarter than this. You can not blame everything on Henry when you're the one who chose to drop out and not return any of your professor's emails. Henry and I have been doing everything to be sure they don't drop you from the classes. After everything you've been working towards you're throwing it away just to what? To spite him?"

"No, he-" She manages to hardly squeak out before Jeremy starts off again.

Come on, Murry.

"Why even come here? All you're doing is distracting yourself from everything you've been working towards. The Muriel I know would be so disappointed with every choice you've made since you left New York."

Come on, girl. Stick up for yourself and say something!

"I'm doing exactly what I-"

"And just to make it all worse you've shacked up with fucking Ollie of all people? You told me the two of you were just friends, but the second we're on a break you're off getting drunk with him, then you disappear and I find out you're in Cornwall, with Ollie, yet again. You told me over and over years ago the two of you were only friends-"

"We were only friends, Jeremy. And you cheated on me, not the other way around."

Were friends? Fucking Hell, Mum was right.

A self satisfied smile spreads wide across my face and I hang back hoping to hear more. Unfortunatly, the idiot has other plans. "So, is all of this to punish your dad and I? Throw your education away and get together with Ollie? Just because you're angry with us?"

"NO! This has nothing to do with you, you selfish prick!"

Good, keep going! I cheer her on silently in the hallway. This time her usual quiet voice echoes clearly down the hall.

"I'm finally doing what I've been wanting to do for my entire life. I never wanted to be in a hospital like he always forced and you knew that! And now I see I never wanted to be with you, the two of you manipulated me."

"Oh that's bullshit. You're the one who pushed everything with me first of all. Need I remind you you opened those legs up willingly. I asked you on multiple occasions if you truly wanted to be with me and you said yes every single time."

I cringe and hate that she's stopped suddenly before she hardly got started. And I loathe the sudden turn of the conversation.

"Look, baby, I know you probably feel like you've never had a chance to act out like a teenager should." ugh, really?  Baby?  "I'm willing to look passed it if stuff has happened with Ollie, I get it, I do. People make mistakes all the time-."

"I didn't make a mistake." She says and I begin to smile again. "I'm staying here. I don't want to go back to New York or to our apartment. I want to stay here and the Thomas's are letting me stay here."

"Come on, you're a smart girl! What the hell are you going to do here?" Jeremy barks, and I take a protective step but stop myself knowing I should let her continue to handle it. Hell, she does just fine when I yell at her, mostly. "The only reason Ollie is interested in you is because you're finally single and he can see just how weak minded you are right-"

Oh fuck no.

Not once have I taken adventage of Muriel. "Right, mate, I reckon you rethink what you've just suggested." I say stepping into the lounge where I see the two of them are both standing with the wood coffee table set between them.

Jeremy Reynolds is just as fucking lame as I remember. His dark hair is combed off to the side and his polo shirt is tucked into his business slacks. He literally dresses like fucking Henry and looks like a shit version of me. It's weird as hell.

"Oliver, I'd like to talk alone with my girlfriend." He holds out a palm towards me and directs another at Muriel.

"Ex girlfriend." Both Murry and I say in unison. 

"Ollie it's fine," Murry sighs and clamps her arms tightly across her chest clearly uncomfortable with everything that's being discussed.

"No, it's not fine. I'm perfectly happy with the two of you hashing out your shit but he's not going to drag me through the mud in order to make himself look better." Granted I'd rather they not do any hashing of their shit, but at least I sound mature when I say it aloud.

"Stop playing the innocent card, Thomas. Everyone knows you've been sniffing around for years. Drop the damn act." Jeremy says. What he says isn't completely false, but I wasn't waiting around like a shark in the water.

"Can we all just calm down, please?" Murry chimes in but Jeremy speaks over her and at this point directs all his frustrations he has with Murry also at me.

Fucking Lovely.

"To be fair, I've been out of her life the entire time the two of you were a couple. I let her make that decision, despite the fact I didn't agree with it. Maybe you and Henry can take a few pointers."

"You will not tell me how I should act with Muriel. As you just mentioned you've been gone the last five years. You dropped off the face of the earth the second there was any sort of competition. Let's be real, Thomas. You know you've never been good enough for her and you still aren't good enough for her."

Yup, this preppy fuck-face is a literal clone of Henry.

"Jeremy, that's enough." Muriel says giving him a glare I'm surprised to see coming from her usual kind, soft eyes.

"No, I think he needs reminding. What are you going to do? You two aren't even on the same level. Can you even hold a decent intelligent conversation with the woman?" He's nearly laughing at me at the end but I allow him to continue. He's digging his own grave and I really like the idea of giving him a good mouthful of my fist.

"Jeremy, you need to leave." Murry says, and steps over towards me and hangs onto the material of my shirt, probably seeing I'm seconds away from feeding him my fist.

"You're smarter than this, Muriel. He only wants one thing."

"Goodbye, Jeremy." She deadpans clutching the material of my shirt tighter, as he comes around the coffee table and slowly starts in the direction of the front door.

"Front door is just there, Reynolds." I add just after Muriel pointing to the obvious direction of the door. He keeps his green eyed glare on me then stops in the archway shaking his head and finally looking to Muriel, giving her a good once over. I clench my fists trying not to be a caveman when his eyes so clearly hover much too long on her, but I keep my mouth shut.

"Hope you enjoy sloppy seconds. Just remember Oliver, I got her cherry and you got nothing." 

That sort of disrespect is exactly what I've been waiting for.

It wouldn't be appropriate to hit this fucker just because it's something I've been dreaming of for the last five years. But, after he's insulted Murry, I now have free range.

"Oliver!" I hear Murry yell at me, when I explode from my place and tackle the dickhead in business slacks to the floor and throw my hard fist straight into his face. His teeth cut my knuckles, but I ignore the ache and blood and throw another one intending to knock his teeth out. 

"Oliver! Stop!" Murry pulls the back of my shirt hard, and Jeremy shoves me off him, holding his face. 

"I'm pressing charges, Thomas."

"Go ahead you fucking prick!" I yell at him raising my arms wanting to laugh in his idiotic face.

He hurries out through the front door clasping his mouth and I then start to chuckle shaking my fist out, it's been years since I got in a scuffle and I don't miss it in the least but hitting that guy felt amazing.

"Are you okay?" Muriel asks grabbing my hand and turns it over seeing my knuckles are busted. 

"I'm amazing actually, I've been waiting years for that arsehole to say something like that. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, that was more about you than me anyways." She says keeping her eyes on my hand, "C'mon. The least I can do is fix that hand after everything I've put you through." Well she's not wrong there.

I follow close behind when Murry goes upstairs. She dips into my old room and then immediately goes into the en suite bathroom and starts the hot water in the sink. "Murry, it's really not that big of deal. It's fine." I say trying not to laugh at her attempt to fix my hand. It'll be sore, but it's nothing to be worried about.

"I know it's fine. But I want to fix it." She says reaching for the medicine cabinet and removes the first aid supplies Mum has stocked in each one of the bathrooms. 

I sigh knowing I really should be leaving. I need to catch the first flight back to Italy. The sooner I get back the better. Denise is livid with me right now and with each hour that passes I know it's getting harder and harder for her to do damage control, "I have to go." 

She exhales a long breath and leans against the counter with the small first aid box in her hands, "I'm sorry. I really made a mess of everything, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." 

"Thank you for standing up for me down there." She lifts her blue eyes from the box in her hands looking so incredibly sad.

 "You don't have to thank me. You're my best friend, of course I'd stand up for you." 

"Am I...Just your best friend? Or did I mess up...Everything else?" She asks slowly and I break into a giant grin.

"Babe, we can't be 'just' friends. We've already tried. It worked for 18 years, I reckon it's time we stop running from each other."

Muriel bites on her bottom lip like she does when she starts to overthink something, and this time I remain quiet instead of doing what I want and to rush her along to say her thoughts outloud. 

She nods and simply answers, "Okay, then."

I chuckle in her easy response. Of course, after kicking and screaming, she now just gives in like that. Typical woman.

"Can I... Come with you? To Italy?" This time her words shock me.

"What do you mean?" I ask confused. Surely, I'm missing something. 

"I mean, if you want me to come with you still." She speaks quickly, and I can nearly see her start to medaphorically back peddle.

"Of course I want you to come with me. Shit, I've got to call Denise. She can get you a flight- or do you want to take a separate flight?" I wanted to tread carefully, especially given with everything that's happened today. I don't want to overstep and spook her, like I inevitably usually do. 

"Well, I want to take a flight with you but I don't want people to start asking questions. Is it possible to take the same flight and not cause a...Scene?"

My chest warms and stomach flutters with excitement, "Babe. I'm a pro at not causing a scene." Okay, that's a lie, but she doesn't need to know that. 

🦋🦋

"Absolutly not." I laugh next to Murry, "The snake was not my idea."

"You're a horrible liar." She giggles with her back leaning against the arm rest of her the first class seat. The oval window is behind her and the orange of the setting sun reflects brightly off her matching hair. 

Denise some how managed to get both of us on the same flight to Italy, and as long as the plane doesn't crash I'll make the fashion show tonight, on time. Murry agreed to remain in the hotel room during the event and I'd skip the after party and go back to the hotel afterwards.

"I'm not lying. That was all Stewart's idea. I swear." I say having not a clue whose idea it actually was to lock Murry in a closet with my pet snake when we were younger. 

"I'll be sure to ask him the next time I see him. I'll bet he will throw you under the bus, just like you're doing now." She lifts a red brow and settles back against the arm rest with her legs crossed in the large chair facing me. 

"He might. We're a selfish lot." I admit enjoying the sight of her like this, carefree. It's been since Cornwall last week and the moments I saw her like this didn't last long. So, I'm crossing all appendages that she stays this way. 

The pilot comes on the intercom informing us that he is starting the decent and to prepare for landing. Muriel sits straight in her chair and buckles the safety belt across her lap as the flight attendants move swiftly down the aisle. "So any questions when we land?" I ask her, although I'm pretty sure she knows the plan better than I do.

"Nope, I don't think so."

"It shouldn't be too bad, everyone thinks I've been in Italy all day." I tell her in hopes to ease any nerves she might have. 

"Okay."

"If anyone is there waiting for pictures, they'll most likely follow me out. So you'll wait ten minutes then go to the car parked outside Baggage Claim."

"Okay, sound's easy enough." 

It should be easy enough. And if anyone knows who she is I told her to ignore whatever they say and keep walking for the car. After ten minutes, we would have 'left' the airport and had enough time to loop around and pick Muriel up outside baggage claim.

______________________________________

Have these two finally figured everything out? Is it smooth sailing from here? I hope so, sheesh.

Part 3 of 3 of the flashback is next

Then some good old fashioned 🔥 ;)

Thanks for reading!