61. Holiday

Genre: Drama, Romance
Characters:  Cian, Ramone, Raul, Wilson
Prompt: 61. Holiday
Word Count: 1,439
Rating: R
Type: series
Summary: The engagement party
Warnings: Abuse, language
** One of three prompts, sucky writing


Christmas day...

As the party was underway, Cian observed the expressions of their guests and tuned into the many conversations buzzing around her. People were talking about their morning and already forming plans for New Years Eve, her parents were being surprisingly civil, Angel was flipping her hair over her shoulder while flirting with some guy old enough to be her father, and Raul was pacing back and forth, concerned over the absence of his wife. Cian had expected certain people not to show up, like Phaedra and Renee but it didn’t make sense for Yolanda not to be there.

Cian stood by Ramone’s side with a glass of untouched champagne in her hand like the perfectly programmed robot he wanted her to be, shaking the hands of strangers that would soon become her family while he pretended to be the prefect loving fiancé’.

“I asked you to smile.” Ramone spoke through his teeth, nodding and waving at their guests.

“I’m tired.” She retorted exhaling sharply.

“I don’t care. You shouldn’t have stayed up all night trying to avoid the punishment you deserved. You ought to know by now that the ‘I’m sick’ card you keep pulling is not working anymore. Now smile!” 

 He knitted his fingers with hers; squeezing them together until he was sure he was causing her pain. She held back the urge to scream by closing her eyes tight and counting until the pain ceased. This simple, discreet form of punishment was his way of keeping her in line in public, his own little leash, appetizer for what was to come. Ramone eased up when he saw Raul approaching them, his expression still laced with worry, “Your mother should have been here by now and she is not answering the phone. I’m going to go home and see if she’s there.”

“I’m sure she’s fin-” Ramone stopped speaking as he felt Cian’s grip loosen, “Where are you going?”

“Bathroom.” She whispered, pulling her hand away completely. Ramone leaned toward her, pressing his mouth against her ear to keep his father from reading his lips, “I promised Yoyo I’d keep my hands off of you but if you try some slick shit, I’ll fuck you up. You have five minutes.” He pulled back with fake kisses trailing down her cheek, watching her as she walked away.

Cian sighed as she left his side feeling like she could breathe on her own for the first time in little over a month. She’d purposely used Raul’s presence to get away from Ramone and planned to use that time to think on her own and let her guard down without fear of being struck. 

******

Wilson discreetly watched the interaction been Cian and Ramone from the other side of the venue as he took quick sips from his glass. He’d managed to slip in unnoticed and planted himself against a wall where he could see without being seen. 

It’d taken every ounce of strength he had to keep from walking over there and snapping Ramone’s neck right there on the spot as he watched him squeeze Cian’s hand and her desperate attempts to fight the pain. After a short exchange that ended with a kiss, Cian unknowingly made her way toward him.

He quickly noticed the change in her shape. The way her body had gone from a cute little hourglass to a coke bottle, her breast fuller, her hips and thighs spread, silently begged him to grip them. He tried hard to focus, brush back the thoughts of what he could and would do as soon as he got his hands on her and focused on his mission. While his eyes continued to digest every curve of her full figure, he following her every move until she disappeared into the bathroom. Wilson looked both ways and sitting the glass down on the edge of the table but before he could step foot out of his hiding spot, Raul walked toward the front entrance and stood there, gazing out of the door, rocking back and worth as he dialed the same number repeatedly. Wilson stepped back, held himself against the wall and waited for the perfect moment to stealthily follow behind her.

Entering the empty bathroom, she felt her heart quicken at the thought of being alone. Never before had she treasured the silence that she was now engulfed in and overwhelmed by. Cian entered the first stall and locked it behind her with no intention of actually using it. She pressed her back against the side panel and instantly fell apart. All hopes of being rescued had escaped her and the reality of being stuck with Ramone had sunk in deep. This couldn’t last much longer. She couldn’t allow her life to go on this way. Even if that meant ending her own life, she’d get out of this arrangement, away from his beatings, the headaches, and stress induced sickness. Cian threw her head back, staring at the tiled ceiling praying for a miracle, something, anything to take her pain away. The bathroom door opened slowly prompting Cian to pull herself together. Ramone had only given her five minutes and she knew he wasn’t above coming in there to get her. She flushed the toilet, and shuffled her feet to appear like she was fixing her clothes and preparing herself for another two hours by his side. After a quick breath and exiling leftover tears, she exited the stall with her eyes glued to the floor.

“Cian.”

She froze; her eyes shot up from the floor and settled on the figure leaning against the wall. She stood in place questioning if it were a dream, this man standing before her with Wilson’s face and eyes but with longer hair pulled back into a neat ponytail.

“Will?” She breathed, feeling her chest tighten as a smile formed on his face. 

She rushed into his arms, crying as she held onto him for dear life. Her knees buckled underneath her as he lifted her from the floor and his scent took her breath away. Her body trembled against him, feeling the strain and stress of the last few weeks fall from her shoulders and hit the floor like a two ton weight. Wilson kissed her shoulder, eagerly making his way to her lips, his excitement just as apparent as hers. She broke, sobbed harder than before with each kiss he placed upon her, holding her tighter, staring into her eyes. “I’m sorry Will! I’m so sorry! I...I went to my Dad to tell him about us and Ramone was there and he said he’d-”

“Shhh,” Wilson pressed his finger against her lips, “its ok! We will talk about this later but right now I have to get you out of here.” He gently lowered her to the floor and grabbed her hand pulling her toward the door. Cian stopped before he reached the door, “Will, do you love me?”

“What?” He almost snapped when he turned to face her.

“I just need to hear you say it Wilson! Do you love me?” Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

Wilson stepped toward her cupping her cheeks, “More than anything in this world.” He felt her shoulders loosen, “Will you marry me?” She whispered through her tears. Her eyes widened as she heard her own words penetrate the air between them. It was sudden and out of the blue but after everything she’d just endured at the hands of Ramone and how close she’d come to being his wife, forever with Wilson was worth that giant leap.

 “You want to get married?” His confusion caused her internal panic. “But your father-”

“Doesn’t matter! I don’t care about him, your family or anyone else that who doesn’t understand us as long as I have you.”

Wilson pressed his lips against hers and felt his own knees buckle. She felt so good in her arms and her words were music to his ears. Their lips parted, a smile shared between them, “Yes, I’ll marry you but we’ll talk about this later and you’ll have to let me do the whole ‘down on one knee thing’.” He grinned, “For my ego.”

They both laughed and kissed one more time before easing out of the bathroom. They’d made it to the front of the venue and out the door when the sky began to change colors and small drops of rain were crashing to the ground. With each step they took, Cian’s heart picked up speed and she felt dizzy from excitement. Her prayers had been answered and she was finally back in Wilson's arms and going to get away from the torture, pain, and despair caused by…

Ramone.

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