Webs We Weave

Caught In A Web

Tokai's P.O.V

Why isn't she answering? What the fu**??! She always answers when I call. I need her. Doesn't she get that? I lit my cigarette and lay on the couch. This old dark green couch with the patterns, the stories it could tell. Slo is always there for me no matter what. It's probably because of that guy.. Jayden. What a wa**er. I don't even know or understand why or how she fell so in love with him so fast. She must love him if she's ignoring my calls. Why does that bother me so much? When I think about that guy, all I see is red. Just had a funny thought about all this as I burned the last of the tobacco, 'what comes around goes around'. I finally tried to call Slo again. No answer, no surprise. I just want to take her and make her my own. It makes me want to die. I ended up falling asleep on the couch rather. I'm not letting go just yet. Whatever happens, if Slo is going to love anyone, it's going to be me. My phone buzzed and guess what, a message from Slo. Look at that. I tried calling her again, no answer. So I read the message that said,

'We need to talk. I'll let you know when.'

So blunt. How unlike her.

Sloane. Slo, Slo, Slo..

I keep every thought, moment, memory of her.. and save them for rainy days. She used to say, "we are meant to be together", and I believe that now. I don't want to live without her.

Sloane's POV

Had anything been different, I might not have met one or either of them. Things just had to be the way it happened, for a reason I don't know what. Yet, I can't help but think about how some things could have been avoided without causing such a stir. I can't believe that guy that tried to...

Jay's cousin. Shocking. How he managed to keep a straight face while Jay was giving him the choice of life and death, is beyond me. I've never seen Jay so pissed before. Within reason I might add. Apparently everyone in the family is aware of this guy's track record, yet for some reason they still invite him to family events.

"Morning angel.." Jay mumbled with a smile on his face. The windows were open, and the summer breeze blew in the scent of 'yesterday, today and tomorrow' flowers. The morning sun painted his skin gold, he smiled his dreamy smile while I played with his locks of dark hair. Such a beautiful soul on the pillow right next to me, I just want to kiss this man every time I look at him. His face, so serene.

I always feel like I'm going to lose him, as if I'm about to wake up from a dream and he won't be there. I also know that he loves me and won't leave me without a good enough reason, and even though he swears nothing could be reason enough, I know better. I know things don't last forever, I know that all good things must come to an end, I know sh*t happens, I know that there's a time and place for everything, I know, I know, I know. My brain goes on repeat every now and then, but I need to remind my heart of this constantly. I get so carried away on waves of his love that the tide gets me and suddenly I'm in too deep.

"I can hear your wheels turning." Jay said and opened his eyes to look at me.

I haven't taken my eyes off of him this whole time while I was sitting here in bed next to him, tracing lines on his face, twirling his hair around my finger.

"So.. What did your mother and sister say to you last night? You were gone for quite some time." I didn't make eye contact with him, if his words were going to cut me, I would rather bleed in silence.

"I can't believe I left you alone at the party. I knew Wesley was going to be there.." I cut him off right there before he could go on.

"Babe, please, there was no way we could have predicted this. I shouldn't have gone off alone. Technically it was the cigarette's fault. Or rather my addiction to nicotine that led me there." Talking about this won't help with the weight on my shoulders.

"Angel. You always smoke there when we go to visit, it's not your fault.." cutting him off again,

"And I didn't say it was! Look, just forget about it okay? I didn't know then what I know now and I won't likely be in that situation again. Luckily nothing serious happened, can we just leave it at that?" Jay sat up straight in bed and just like that, the clouds were back.

"Leave it? He touched you!!!"

"I know, but it could have been much worse!"

"He fu**ing touched you! He didn't just r**e some woman on the sidewalk or abused a lady at a club, he put his disgusting hands on you!! Mine! He laid hands on what is mine!!! And this at my parent's home, at my dad's birthday no less! He should be banned from the family, stripped from the family name and everything else." Jay got up and was standing by the window now with his arms up and his hands folded behind his head.

"What did your mom and sister say last night?" I asked again.

"Why are you avoiding the subject?" he said.

"Why are you?" I stated.

He sighed a heavy sigh and dropped his arms, making his way back to bed.

"Because, what they said does not matter to me."

"What did they say that doesn't matter to you?" I want to know everything they said.

"And what were you looking at when I told you your mother was there?"

"What? When?" he suddenly looked very bewildered, until his memory became clear and he tensed up again the same way he did that night.

"We were at the party and your mother came walking towards us. Before you turned around, you were looking at something, or someone, behind me." he was very aware of the tension that was vibrating off of him, he cleared his throat and sat at the edge of the bed.

" Look, baby, a lot of things happened in my life before you and I met. Things that could tear us apart if you give it the chance. I don't want to hide anything from you, I don't want secrets between us I want us to be real and true. We need time though. I can't just rush into conversations about my life before you and expect you to understand and remember all that. I want to know everything there is to know about you as well, but you're not going to tell me everything all at once, are you? Rome wasn't built in a day, you know. Does that make sense? " I just nodded when he stretched out his hand, indicating for me to take it. I took his hand and he pulled me up onto his lap in one quick movement.

" As for what my mother and my sister said.. I will tell you. And I will, I just first want to know that you are sure about my feelings for you. Nothing I'm about to say is true about you, and nothing they said will or could ever change my mind about you. Only you have the power to do that. I'll only tell you if you promise not to let it get to you. "

They must have finally had that long awaited intervention. No wonder he's presenting with so much caution.

" Tell me. " I said, not agreeing to anything, but I understand what he means.

" They asked if you were planning on 'furthering' your education. That you're not good enough for me. You don't come from a rich family and your morals and beliefs are different to ours. They called it a fling, said you were only trying to get money out of me and that you have too many tattoos. They also warned me that you just want to get pregnant so that you could "trap" me, as they put it." I was still sitting on his lap with a fat frown on my forehead and pursed lips when he suddenly burst out with laughter and pulled me in for a hug. Although these were petty things, like my tattoos and money, but what about beliefs and getting pregnant? I put some distance between our hug, and chuckled slightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused. Is it your money I want or your babies? And what does my belief in God have to do with your belief in.. nothing. How are they putting all of this together? And I mean I know you don't struggle financially, but are you that rich that someone would want to try and take it? Also, how does getting pregnant "trap" you? Is there like a secret code for unwanted pregnancies? Don't they know that you don't want children? Don't they know that we will never get married? " Jay was chuckling at every question I put out there until the last one.

" Says who? " now he seemed completely baffled.

" You did!!! You made it clear from the beginning that you don't want to get married or have children. Why would I go against that when all I want is just to be with you, and if that's what you want then I'm okay with that." he looked down at my hands that he was holding.

"Is that what you want?" I shook my head and took his face in my hands.

"I don't want anything that does not include being with you. I will give up every fantasy I have ever had about 'happily ever after' if it contradicts with yours."

"That's not right is it. You shouldn't have to make sacrifices like that for me."

"Babe, we make sacrifices for each other, because we want to be together!! You went up against your whole family in order to stay with me."

"Yeah, but.."

"It's fine my love. No sacrifice is too big if it means we'll be together." If for some reason our paths move in different directions in the future, I'll have to come back and swallow these words I've just spoken. But Jay looked at me with so much warmth in his eyes.

"Do you?" I don't like where he's going with this now. I feel uncomfortable to be honest with him on this topic, but how can I avoid it without making it obvious? I don't like lying, plus, I'm really bad at it.

"Do I.. What?" playing dumb for what it's worth. He leaned in close to me, kissing my face and my neck, his breathing became deeper. He put his cheek against mine and whispered into my ear.

"Want to get married?"