Their Loving Solitude

Chapter 6 Building Tension

Mia's POV

I wake up mad.. There is no getting around it.. I remember exactly what happened, and I couldn't be more irritated by the fact that my best friend keeps taking advantage of me because this isn't the first time, but I'm going to make sure it's the last. I'm sure Naomi was hoping I wouldn't remember what happened last night, but I do.

I understand she was trying to help, but when I ask her to stop, she should be respectful to me and stop. Yes, it felt amazing, and there was no denying that.. She knows what I like, but that doesn't make this any better or easier.. she has taken advantage of me being drunk and doing stuff with me even when I put down my boundaries and said no.

This isn't the first time, which makes me even more furious about that thought.. if she really loved me and respected me, then she would've listened to me.. but she didn't.. but she is my best friend and wants to help me feel better.. it did relax me for sure.. but not what I wanted. Since it took away one stress just to replace it with a bigger one.

I think because of the fact that I like women and men that she thinks I want any woman taking care of me and that's not the case.. a lot of women automatically assume because you like women that you're automatically attracted to them, and most of the time, I am not. Besides, I want to pick who has access to my body, not the choice be made for me.. But yea, I am a free loving kind of woman.. but that doesn't mean any person can have me.

I don't feel like I got much sleep at all, and thankfully, I don't work this morning only the night shift. I get out of bed in a huff, storming around my room to throw up my hair and put on my bathing suit. I don't want to see her but I do know what I want and that's to swim and get out of this place for now.. I don't want to be here with her.. because I have a lot to think about, and it involves her and my future.. and if there will even be one after this.

I grab my see-through dress to throw over the top from not feeling that comfortable with my body after feeling almost violated. Maybe even r*ped after everything last night.. I don't want to lose my best friend, but the crossing of boundaries is never ok in my book as so I'm torn. I want to grab my things and run, but I have nowhere to go. So rhis is harder than I ever expected.

I get out of my room and grab my towel from the bathroom. Naomi is waiting for me, looking nervous but has the biggest fake smile plastered on her face. "Good morning, beautiful." She sings out to me as I just send her a small smile and reply. "Morning." I walk past her, not trying to even look at her. "You're still mad at me?" she asks as I just keep walking past her and out our door. But I can hear her following right behind me.

"Come on, Mia.. you can't be that mad at me.. you can't. especially since it helped relax you." She states following right behind me out the front door. "I can be mad, and I'm allowed to feel how I want.. I don't care that it relaxed me, I told you no.. that was my boundary that you decided not to respect Naomi.. and as my best friend, out of all people, ypu should be the one respecting that." I snap at her as I turn to walk away.

But she quickly grabs my arms, spinning me around to face her as she pushes me back until I'm leaning against the railing. I try to pull my arms out of her grip but her grasp just tightens around them. "I am your best friend, and I do respect your boundaries, but I was trying to help you, and it worked." She states in an even angrier tone as if she is holding herself back from exploding.

"I don't care that it worked.. I didn't want it, and I told you that, but you didn't care, and you did it anyway.. You releieved one stress just to cause a bigger one.. I don't know if I can even trust you when I'm drunk anymore.. I don't even think I'm going to drink around you anymore." I spat as she snaps with her eyes getting darker looking like they might have changed color even though I know that not possible. But she looks even more livid with me than I have ever seen. I actually feel threatened with her, and I have never felt like that before.

"You can't trust me? I'm the only person you can trust.. I'm all you have because no one wants you.. You're alone all the time, and no one wants you but me.. I'm the only one.. So go on without me and see how I feel." she spats as her grip tightens on my arms, hurting me before as I shake my head. "What? You're lashing out at me because I'm telling you how I feel?? It's not my fault you took advantage of me, so don't you victim blame me! I'm allowed to be mad and not trust you.. whether you like it or not." I snap at her through clenched teeth as she steps closer with anger in her eyes.

She uses the hold on my arms to shove me back into the railing as I whimper out, not knowing what she plans to do, but I'm scared.. She has never acted like this before.. ever. "I won't leave this alone.. Or you.. I love you and I.." she snaps just to be interrupted. "Hey... Olympian.. is everything alright?" we both look over to see the handsome neighbor looking concerned for me. "This is none of your business." Naomi snaps while glaring daggers at him.

I use my arms to shove her body back from me, but it only slightly works, so I swipe my arms out of her grip as I state. "Yeah, I'm fine, just ending this conversation and getting away from this apartment.. without my roommate." I emphasize the word roommate, making sure she knows she is on such thin ice.. I glared at Naomi as I watched her eyes lighten, and she now looked panicked.

Her mouth opened as she stepped closer, but my neighbor stepped between us, keeping us separated and slightly in front of me, which got my attention. I stare at his broad shoulders as he looks over his shoulder at me and asks. "May I walk you down?" I nod as I slip past him and her. Walking away as I feel her eyes boring into the back of my head.

"Hey, not trying to involve myself in your personal life, but is everything ok? More importantly, are you ok?" He asks me as I glance back to see she is not there anymore. "Yeah.. she is my friend but she.. she... crossed some boundaries of mine last night, and she is mad that I'm mad.. she is my best friend but that doesn't give you a free pass to do what you want." I snap as I see him nod from my peripherals. He turns in front of me, stopping us halfway down the stairs. He looks up at the top of the stairs, and I do the same, but Naomi is still not there.

I look back to him as he gently takes my arms into his hands while he checks them out. His fingertips graze over my arms where I was being held. They are red and tender but I think that's the worst of it. The concern in his eyes for me makes my heart flutter. I don't know what it is about this, but I love it. Maybe it's just the desperation in my heart for companionship.. or maybe he is just a genuine man who had my attention for that fact alone.. That is a quality I seem to love.

"The sad part about friendship is that lots of friends get too comfortable and think they can do what they want and it won't matter.. its as if they think you will always be there no matter what they decide to do.. but what they don't know is that you can leave at any time.. and sometimes you have to do that for your own sanity.. that's what I had to do with my friend." He explains to me as I nod, feeling the hurt in his words as he sympathizes with me.

"Yeah, she makes me feel like she can do anything but that I have to stay around her because she is all I have.. But I don't know what to do.. She took advantage of the situation, which hurt me, and it's like she doesn't even care.. she said I should be grateful because it slightly helped, and it did, but that's not the point or reason why I am mad.. She crossed the boundaries I had set for her, and I'm pissed to say the least." I spat as he sadly nods, still gently rubbing his hands over my arms.

"No one deserves that, but know you're not alone." he declares, slowly letting go of my arms as I smile up at him. "Thanks for your kind words, and I'm sorry that happened with you.. I can tell it's recent from the hurt in your words and eyes." I say as I glance over to see him huff out and shrug his shoulders. "Well it was hard, but I got a new apartment because of leaving and a nice neighbor, so I guess I can't complain yet."

"Oh, so this just happened to you?" I find myself asking with shock as he huffs again, replying. "Yeah, my best friend thought it was ok to sleep with my girlfriend and that I would be fine with it because we are best friends and share everything.. but he was completely wrong and ended up with her and the place we shared, so maybe I'm the one that got the shaft in all of that.. but only time will tell, huh?" he states this with pain threaded through the words as I slowly nod thinking about that.

"I'm so sorry that is awful.. well, if it makes you feel any better, my friend loves to take advantage of me when I'm drunk.. so I honestly don't know how to handle that.. She knows I like women.. but I prefer men, but she thinks she has dictation over my life and body and that she can change my mind completely when she is probably turning me away from women by her actions." I spat thinking about it but not wanting to tell him all about my life. I clear my throat as I keep walking past him, not wanting to be the center of attention when it comes to my personal life anymore.

I can hear that he is following me and for whatever the reasoning I don't mind that thought. But as I get to the bottom of the stairs, I stop not knowing where to go. I feel his hand placed lightly on the small of my back that I almost didn't know it was there if he didn't use it to turn me around to face him.

"Taking advantage of your drunken state to get their way is never ok.. but depending on what she decided to take advantage of, it will determine if it's toxic or not, I guess." I sadly nod at his statement before I look back again, worried she will hear me talking about her to this strange man, making her madder at me because I am scared now. What else could she do if she is willing to threaten me slightly before.. she took advantage, then made me calm for her actions and then slammed me into the railing while hurting my arms.. this isn't the person I knew, and I don't know how comfortable I feel about her right now.