Like a Dream Come True
folder
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
20
Views:
11,105
Reviews:
185
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
20
Views:
11,105
Reviews:
185
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Joey
Against Madison’s advice, Lianna went to Joseph’s condo the next morning. She wasn’t going to apologize; she just wanted to talk to him. She also felt that if things didn’t go the way she hoped they might, she could at least pack a bag of her own belongings to bring back to Madison’s apartment, until she could get all her stuff. Deep down, though, she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Lianna gave the security guard in the lobby a watery smile as she passed, knowing she looked awful. After having been up all night crying at Madison’s, her face was blotchy and her eyes were puffy. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” the kindly man asked her. She had seen him dozens of times when she was coming and going from the condo, but there exchanges had never consisted of more than a ‘good morning’ or a ‘good evening’.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Lianna told him, realizing how ludicrous that sounded considering her appearance, and began walking towards the elevators. “Have a good day.”
“You try to do the same,” the man told her as she got on the elevator. Looking at her reflection, Lianna felt a wave of dread. She and Joseph had been harsh to each other the night before, and now she was showing up looking like something the cat dragged in. Still, she couldn’t care less about how he would look, as long as they could talk things over and try to work them out.
Stepping out of the elevator, Lianna walked over to the door. As she had given her key back to Joseph the night before, she lifted her hand and knocked, taking a deep breath as she did. Not hearing a response, she realized that it was still rather early and that he might still be in bed. She rang the doorbell this time, knowing from experience that the sound chimed through the condo and would wake the dead. She immediately heard movement coming from inside, and a moment later the door opened.
Joseph stood there in just his boxers, looking shocked to see Lianna. From the state of disarray that his hair was in and his lack of clothing, he had obviously just woken up. “What are you doing here?” he asked. He didn’t sound angry, just surprised.
“I was hoping we could talk,” Lianna told him softly. “Could I come in?”
Pulling the door shut behind him, Joseph’s eyes didn’t meet Lianna’s. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he told her. “I mean, I want to talk to you, but maybe we could do this a little later. I, um, I need to be somewhere soon.”
Looking at Joseph, Lianna felt her throat tighten. “Is there… is there someone in there?” Her voice was a whisper.
Staring at the floor, Joseph’s face was filled with regret. “It’s just… I thought, last night… I thought you were breaking up with me. And I was really upset… and I got really drunk…”
Her vision blurring with tears, Lianna didn’t know what to say. She could barely find her voice, and her heart felt like it was breaking in her chest. “So I stand up to you one time,” she finally forced herself to say. “I stand up once, and you go and pick up some random girl and sleep with her?”
Joseph still couldn’t raise his eyes to meet Lianna’s. “I’m so sorry-” he began, reaching out for her, but Lianna immediately took a step back.
“Please don’t touch me,” Lianna said quietly. She wished she didn’t sound so weak, but she couldn’t force herself to show any real strength. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her and like her knees were buckling all at the same time. “I… I have to go now.”
“Lianna, please, don’t go like this,” Joseph begged as she reached for the elevator call button. “Please, just say you’ll call me later and we’ll talk. I’m so sorry, Lianna. You have to believe me.”
“Just go back inside,” Lianna shook her head. “You are standing in the hallway in your underwear. The neighbors are going to think you’re nuts.”
“Fuck the neighbors,” Joseph’s voice was getting desperate. “Please, Lianna, I am so sorry. If I had any idea you would be willing to talk this over, I never would have… I’m sorry.”
Hating herself, Lianna felt her resolve weakening a little. She looked up at Joseph’s face and felt her own expression crumble. She started sobbing, pulling her hands up to her face to cover it while she cried. When she felt Joseph’s arms reach around her and pull her to him, she just didn’t have the strength to pull away. Instead, she let herself weep into his shoulder.
A moment later, Joseph’s door swung open. “Joey, where the hell did you go…? Oh, hello, Lianna.” Frankie leaned against the doorframe in just a black lace bra and matching thong, her thin arms crossed in front of her chest, a smirk on her face. “How are you doing today?”
“Go back inside, Frankie,” Joseph’s voice was cold as he spoke to the woman.
“Whatever you say, Joey,” Frankie said, her voice dripping with cruelty. “Have a great day, Lianna.”
“Inside, now!” Joseph barked at Frankie once more before she turned around and closed the door. When he turned to face Lianna, who had pulled herself from his grip during the exchange with Frankie, he saw a look of pure pain on her face.
“Frankie?” Lianna said with disbelief in a tiny voice. “You fucked Frankie?”
“Lianna, I didn’t mean for it to happen, I swear,” Joseph’s voice was frantic. “I was all fucked up about us last night, and I ran into Frankie at the restaurant after you left, and she came over so I would have someone to talk to, and we were drinking way too much, and one thing led to another… But it didn’t mean anything, Lianna, I swear. I’m so sorry.”
Just then, the elevator chimed and the doors opened. “I… I have to go,” Lianna couldn’t even look at Joseph anymore.
“But I love you…”
With horror, Lianna turned around. “Now?” she said in disbelief. “We’ve been together for almost six months, we’ve been living together over two, and you have never said that you loved me. It’s all I ever wanted, not necklaces or credit cards or celebrity parties. But now… with Frankie still in there… Now you say it?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it before,” Joseph looked distraught. “It’s hard for me to say it, but it’s true. I love you. Please, I’m so sorry, Lianna. Please, will you at least call me later?” Joseph asked as Lianna finally stepped into the elevator.
Looking up and meeting Joseph’s eyes, Lianna just stared at him for a moment. “No, Joey,” she said softly, using the nickname she had always refused to call him by until that moment. “No, I’m not going to call you.” She didn’t stop looking into his eyes until the doors to the elevator closed, and then her body collapsed to the floor, and she began heaving with sobs once again.
-----
I KNOW THAT THIS WAS A FAR SHORTER CHAPTER THAN I USUALLY WRITE, BUT I FELT THAT THE CONTENT OF IT DESERVED TO HAVE ITS OWN CHAPTER.
THANKS AGAIN FOR READING AND ESPECIALLY FOR REVIEWING. TO COPE, SORRY I HAD TO GO AGAINST YOUR REQUEST, BUT HAVING JOEY SLEEP WITH FRANKIE WAS ALWAYS A PART OF THE STORY IDEA FOR ME. TO DARKDRAGON, I THINK YOU CAN SEE NOW WHY I HAD LIANNA GIVE HER KEY BACK TO JOSEPH AT THE RESTAURANT – THIS WAY WAS BAD ENOUGH, COULD YOU IMAGINE IF SHE HAD ACTUALLY WALKED IN ON THEM?!? TO MISSHOLLIEMAE, DEBBIE, MICHELLE, AND SPHYNX, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CONTINUED ENCOURAGEMENT. AND TO CU-KID, I THINK I LOVE YOU! YOU MADE ME WHOLE DAY WHEN I READ YOUR REVIEW. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Lianna gave the security guard in the lobby a watery smile as she passed, knowing she looked awful. After having been up all night crying at Madison’s, her face was blotchy and her eyes were puffy. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” the kindly man asked her. She had seen him dozens of times when she was coming and going from the condo, but there exchanges had never consisted of more than a ‘good morning’ or a ‘good evening’.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Lianna told him, realizing how ludicrous that sounded considering her appearance, and began walking towards the elevators. “Have a good day.”
“You try to do the same,” the man told her as she got on the elevator. Looking at her reflection, Lianna felt a wave of dread. She and Joseph had been harsh to each other the night before, and now she was showing up looking like something the cat dragged in. Still, she couldn’t care less about how he would look, as long as they could talk things over and try to work them out.
Stepping out of the elevator, Lianna walked over to the door. As she had given her key back to Joseph the night before, she lifted her hand and knocked, taking a deep breath as she did. Not hearing a response, she realized that it was still rather early and that he might still be in bed. She rang the doorbell this time, knowing from experience that the sound chimed through the condo and would wake the dead. She immediately heard movement coming from inside, and a moment later the door opened.
Joseph stood there in just his boxers, looking shocked to see Lianna. From the state of disarray that his hair was in and his lack of clothing, he had obviously just woken up. “What are you doing here?” he asked. He didn’t sound angry, just surprised.
“I was hoping we could talk,” Lianna told him softly. “Could I come in?”
Pulling the door shut behind him, Joseph’s eyes didn’t meet Lianna’s. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he told her. “I mean, I want to talk to you, but maybe we could do this a little later. I, um, I need to be somewhere soon.”
Looking at Joseph, Lianna felt her throat tighten. “Is there… is there someone in there?” Her voice was a whisper.
Staring at the floor, Joseph’s face was filled with regret. “It’s just… I thought, last night… I thought you were breaking up with me. And I was really upset… and I got really drunk…”
Her vision blurring with tears, Lianna didn’t know what to say. She could barely find her voice, and her heart felt like it was breaking in her chest. “So I stand up to you one time,” she finally forced herself to say. “I stand up once, and you go and pick up some random girl and sleep with her?”
Joseph still couldn’t raise his eyes to meet Lianna’s. “I’m so sorry-” he began, reaching out for her, but Lianna immediately took a step back.
“Please don’t touch me,” Lianna said quietly. She wished she didn’t sound so weak, but she couldn’t force herself to show any real strength. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her and like her knees were buckling all at the same time. “I… I have to go now.”
“Lianna, please, don’t go like this,” Joseph begged as she reached for the elevator call button. “Please, just say you’ll call me later and we’ll talk. I’m so sorry, Lianna. You have to believe me.”
“Just go back inside,” Lianna shook her head. “You are standing in the hallway in your underwear. The neighbors are going to think you’re nuts.”
“Fuck the neighbors,” Joseph’s voice was getting desperate. “Please, Lianna, I am so sorry. If I had any idea you would be willing to talk this over, I never would have… I’m sorry.”
Hating herself, Lianna felt her resolve weakening a little. She looked up at Joseph’s face and felt her own expression crumble. She started sobbing, pulling her hands up to her face to cover it while she cried. When she felt Joseph’s arms reach around her and pull her to him, she just didn’t have the strength to pull away. Instead, she let herself weep into his shoulder.
A moment later, Joseph’s door swung open. “Joey, where the hell did you go…? Oh, hello, Lianna.” Frankie leaned against the doorframe in just a black lace bra and matching thong, her thin arms crossed in front of her chest, a smirk on her face. “How are you doing today?”
“Go back inside, Frankie,” Joseph’s voice was cold as he spoke to the woman.
“Whatever you say, Joey,” Frankie said, her voice dripping with cruelty. “Have a great day, Lianna.”
“Inside, now!” Joseph barked at Frankie once more before she turned around and closed the door. When he turned to face Lianna, who had pulled herself from his grip during the exchange with Frankie, he saw a look of pure pain on her face.
“Frankie?” Lianna said with disbelief in a tiny voice. “You fucked Frankie?”
“Lianna, I didn’t mean for it to happen, I swear,” Joseph’s voice was frantic. “I was all fucked up about us last night, and I ran into Frankie at the restaurant after you left, and she came over so I would have someone to talk to, and we were drinking way too much, and one thing led to another… But it didn’t mean anything, Lianna, I swear. I’m so sorry.”
Just then, the elevator chimed and the doors opened. “I… I have to go,” Lianna couldn’t even look at Joseph anymore.
“But I love you…”
With horror, Lianna turned around. “Now?” she said in disbelief. “We’ve been together for almost six months, we’ve been living together over two, and you have never said that you loved me. It’s all I ever wanted, not necklaces or credit cards or celebrity parties. But now… with Frankie still in there… Now you say it?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it before,” Joseph looked distraught. “It’s hard for me to say it, but it’s true. I love you. Please, I’m so sorry, Lianna. Please, will you at least call me later?” Joseph asked as Lianna finally stepped into the elevator.
Looking up and meeting Joseph’s eyes, Lianna just stared at him for a moment. “No, Joey,” she said softly, using the nickname she had always refused to call him by until that moment. “No, I’m not going to call you.” She didn’t stop looking into his eyes until the doors to the elevator closed, and then her body collapsed to the floor, and she began heaving with sobs once again.
-----
I KNOW THAT THIS WAS A FAR SHORTER CHAPTER THAN I USUALLY WRITE, BUT I FELT THAT THE CONTENT OF IT DESERVED TO HAVE ITS OWN CHAPTER.
THANKS AGAIN FOR READING AND ESPECIALLY FOR REVIEWING. TO COPE, SORRY I HAD TO GO AGAINST YOUR REQUEST, BUT HAVING JOEY SLEEP WITH FRANKIE WAS ALWAYS A PART OF THE STORY IDEA FOR ME. TO DARKDRAGON, I THINK YOU CAN SEE NOW WHY I HAD LIANNA GIVE HER KEY BACK TO JOSEPH AT THE RESTAURANT – THIS WAY WAS BAD ENOUGH, COULD YOU IMAGINE IF SHE HAD ACTUALLY WALKED IN ON THEM?!? TO MISSHOLLIEMAE, DEBBIE, MICHELLE, AND SPHYNX, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CONTINUED ENCOURAGEMENT. AND TO CU-KID, I THINK I LOVE YOU! YOU MADE ME WHOLE DAY WHEN I READ YOUR REVIEW. THANK YOU SO MUCH!