Beauty Queen in Tears

I did everything I possibly could to stop myself from getting attached to Victor Vincent Fuentes. Whenever he texted me... I made sure to wait at least five minutes before texting back. When he called... I let him go to voicemail before getting back to him twenty minutes later. I was trying entirely too hard not to seem desperate, something I read in the pages of a Cosmo magazine. Anna told me that coming off as too 'unavailable' might put him off, but I had much more experience when it came to men than she did. I knew what I was doing. At least I assumed so. Things seemed to be going pretty well Vic for the most part. We were still smitten with each other, for the most part.

Smitten, I scoffed out loud at the idea, even I would downplay what we had to myself.
I dug through the box of deodorants, picking up a few of the Dove brand, and sticking them up on the shelf where they belonged. Unlike everyone else in this damned store, I didn't mind working the stocking shift. I got to keep to myself and think about things that I usually wouldn't. It was 'me time' that I also happened to get paid for. Once I finished putting up the last of the deodorant that was in the crate, I glanced at my watch, it was a quarter to six. I silently thanked my lucky stars, picking up the crate and taking it to the back. Since I wasn't allowed to 'waste company time' and hang around until it was six o'clock, I found some bullshit task to do until I could clock out. That meant sweeping the already swept floor.

At six on the dot, I was out, running across the street to make my way back to Anna's house. I had gotten too comfortable with the fact that I worked up the street from where I was living. But unless I planned on deteriorating at 7-11 for the rest of my life... I needed to get a vehicle. It's not like I didn't have enough money saved up. My online shop was booming! People couldn't believe that I was selling such expensive designer threads for 1/3 the price. I had no use for most of them and I desperately needed the money. I knew that Anna loved having me at her house. She would be lonely otherwise, but my set-up in her living room was beginning to become an eyesore.

I grimaced at a number of cars littering her driveway and the surrounding curb. The last thing I wanted was to walk into a house full of company. That was until I spotted Vic's car. I ran my fingers through my hair, poking and prodding at my face like a nervous teenage girl. With a roll of my eyes, I pushed open the front door, immediately met with the sight of Vic sitting on the couch awkwardly. I smiled at him and wasted no time in attacking him. He shot out of his seat and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing at both of my cheeks as if we hadn't seen each other in months. "Before you get surprised, I just wanna warn you and-"

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway separating the kitchen and the living room; my mother stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. My eyes nearly tripled in size as I stared at her in disbelief, quick to push Victor off of me. "Mom..." I muttered, trying to get my head to stop spinning. She was here and not in Maine with my father. She was honestly the last person I expected and hoped to see. She wore this disappointed look on her face, checking me from my head to toes, scowling at the sight of my 7-11 nametag and uniform. She moved swiftly over to me and held me at arm's length, tsk tsk tsking as she pet my hair. "My poor darling. You're so much better than this. Have you spoken to Aless-"

I stopped her right there, yanking myself out of her grasp as I held up a hand. Slow down. Stop. I was so dizzy. "What are you doing here? How did you know where I was?"

My mother, in all her glory, just sighed and went back to her usual stoic expression. Anna popped out of the kitchen, face apologetic as she waved Vic over, leaving my mom and me alone in the living room. "I was beginning to worry about you. Alessandro," I cringed, "said he hadn't spoken to you since you left him."

"I didn't leave him, mom. That's not how it went and I can't fucking-"

"Language, Sydney." She said, finger pointed at me sternly. "All I'm saying is that you never called. You just disappeared. We were all worried." She straightened out her pencil skirt, out of habit, there were absolutely no wrinkles. "Just look at you... a renowned beauty queen with more trophies and awards than you could count... working at a 7-11." My mother looked like she could break out into tears at any moment. "I'm here with your father, Sydney. He's at a business convention right now. Please come to Maine with me. I should've never let you move to Texas with him but I did because you were in good hands."

Good hands, my ass. I drug my fingers through my hair, trying not to flinch at how many knots I hit.

Note to self, brush my hair.

"I can't go back there, mother. I have to make a life for myself." I stood my ground, mimicking her stance that she often used to intimidate me.

"This... -- this is what you consider making a life for yourself? Get real, Sydney Nicole. You're better than this. You're high class, look at your life and your choices!" She grabbed me by the arms, pleading with me using only her eyes. "You can do better than this, I promise you. You are from a family worth millions of dollars... yet here you are... sleeping on a couch." She sighed deeply, "Anna and you both. I don't understand you girls. You both have families who are willing to financially support you and help you achieve great things but you both settle for mediocrity."
Every word felt like a cut and I couldn't stop myself from squeezing my eyes shut, trying to get rid of her sugar-coated insults. "You used to be breathtaking... you've let yourself go. I see you're not regulating your meals and..." She paused, allowing me a second to breathe before diving back in, "just -- please come back home. Your father and I will take care of you. You can go to school and make something more of yourself... we have the money. I'm sure Alessandro will-"

"Enough, mother. I've had enough." I took a few steps back, bottom lip trembling as I was practically jerked into the past. Back to the times when I felt little under my mother's reign, where I felt like nothing, and everything I did was wrong. I wiped at my tears angrily, "you should leave."

She didn't put up any sort of fight, nodding as she pursed her lips and waltzed into the kitchen like she owned the damn place. She bid her goodbye's and gave me one last look while lingering by the doorway. "Your father and I will stop by tomorrow." With that said she left, but I didn't consider myself safe until I heard her engine slowly fade until she was out of the neighborhood.

I practically collapsed on the couch after, holding my head in my hands as I let the sobs rip through my body. My mother, like any person from my past, was the last person I ever wanted to see me like this. I knew that she was right on some level. There was a saying that went, 'you are your own worst critic', but how could that be true when I had my mother? I could never be the perfect daughter she wanted me to be. I wasn't smart enough, pretty enough, skinny enough. When Alessandro and I started dating she was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe a man of his class was interested in a girl like me. But I guess money talks, right? That's all she thought I ever had going for me.

I felt the couch sink underneath someone's weight, their arm wrapping around me in a comforting manner. I recognized Vic by the scent of his cologne, my face swiftly finding sanctuary in his chest as I clung to him for dear life. He didn't seem to mind my blubbering mess as my tears soaked through the thin material of his shirt.

That was the moment that I knew just how deeply he cared for me.

He didn't try to get my to stop crying, or try to tell me that everything was going to be okay. Vic knew that the future wasn't something he was aware of. Maybe things weren't going to be okay... but he'd be there for me throughout it. That's all that really mattered to me. I could go through anything as long as I had him by my side to help guide me through the maze that was my life.

After what felt like ages I pulled myself together, wiping the excess tears from my eyes. Vic grabbed both of my hands in his own, laughing softly with the cutest of frowns on his face. "You look so pitiful right now, baby." He commented, eyes scanning over my face worriedly. "Your eyes are red and your whole face is puffy and you have this permanent pout on your face."
His words only made my pout grow tenfold, head dropping to rest on his shoulder. "I don't know what to do, Victor."

"Whoa, Victor... yeah, you're definitely under distress."

I tugged at his shirt, shoulders shaking childishly as I whined out loud. "I'm serious!"

"For starters, you can stay the night with me." I perked up to look at him, his face dusting a light shade of pink, "you know -- so you can avoid your parents."

I nodded.

"We can plan from there."

He stood up, holding his hand out for me to grab. I couldn't do anything but comply, grunting softly as he lifted me up on my feet. Vic placed a couple of kisses on the crown of my head, rubbing at the small of my back before pressing his lips to my ear to whisper, "go shower, stinky."

I scoffed and nudged him in the ribs, following his advice anyways and scampering off towards the bathroom.

It didn't come as much of a surprise to me that once I was under the hot water, I started crying again, this time without restraint. I felt so hopeless. All the self-confidence I had built up over the years was slowly declining into nothingness. I found it pretty hilarious. Family was supposed to have your back and build you up, but they were also the first people to break you down.

I wrapped a towel around my torso as I stood in front of the mirror, reaching out to wipe the condensation off the glass. I stared at myself in awe, unaware of whose reflection I was looking at. I couldn't bear to dwell any longer, treading back towards the living room. Vic glanced over at me with an unreadable look in his eyes before smirking and going back to whatever he was doing on his phone. I was able to dig through my suitcase for some casual clothes without prying eyes, rushing back over to Anna's bedroom to get dressed. I followed my usual routine; get dressed, brush my hair, 'borrow' some of her hair product, and spritz on a bit of her perfume.

I made sure to grab a backpack out of her closet before running around the house and shoving the stuff I would surely need for tonight and the subsequent morning. I made my way into the kitchen when finished, finding Anna and Victor laughing about something that must've been hilarious considering the redness in their faces and tears in their eyes. I raised an eyebrow but decided to let it go, "I'm ready." I told Vic.

"Anna packed us dinner since we won't be staying." I nodded as my eyes wandered to the abundance that was sitting on her stove.

"Invite someone over and get rid of the rest of it. You cooked way too much." I scolded.
Anna laughed shyly, shrugging her shoulders. "I wanted to try this meal prep thingy I saw on Facebook since I never have any time to cook in the morning anymore but I went overboard."
"Invite Jaime over," I suggested, earning a confused look from Vic. I smirked, much to Anna's horror, and decided to clue him in. "Anna's like in love with the dude."

Vic burst out into laughter as if he couldn't grasp the idea. Perfect Anna in love with Jaime? "That's rich, you know... he used to be in love with you. Like when you guys first met. Man, oh, man. He would talk about you nonstop."

Anna's face brightened, she couldn't believe the words that were coming out of Vic's mouth.
"But then he kind of had this period where he felt like he wasn't good enough for you. He just kind of put the idea to rest after that."

Just as quickly as she found a silver lining... Anna was back to her hopeless expression.
"Do you think Jaime would still be interested in pursuing something with her?" I questioned, not wanting Anna to be discouraged.

Vic nodded, "without a single doubt in my mind. That man was a goner for you."

Anna nodded, presumably creating a plan in that pretty little head of hers. She smiled, confidently, before toying with her iPhone. "Okay, okay, okay. I can do this."

Vic grabbed the plastic bag that was filled to the top with Tupperware containers of what would surely be yummy food. I walked around the counter to give Anna a hug goodbye, but not before whispering a quick, 'you got this'.

"Bye, Anna! Good luck." He winked at her, grabbing at my hand as he led me out of the house. Like the gentleman he was trying to prove that he was, he opened the car door for me. I was anxious to spend time with him alone. Would he bring up Alessandro? Would he question me about my family and my past? I couldn't help but stress myself over the idea of having to speak about things I tried so hard to bury.

It was almost as if Vic could sense my discomfort, turning the radio on as soon as he got into the car. I felt at peace, falling asleep for what felt like ages until we arrived at his home. He nudged me awake and I immediately glanced at the time on his dashboard. I sighed, noticing that it had only been about twenty minutes. He opened the door and held his hand out to me, helping me up and out. I smiled at him warmly, floating by his side as we walked up to his pathway to his front door.

He kissed me deeply once inside the house, one hand pressed against the small of my back as his tongue slipped inside of my mouth; yearning for what happened to be his absolute favorite taste. I clutched at his clothes tightly, pressing my body against his feverishly. It almost became too much, that much was evident from the pressure I felt poking at my thigh. My stomach started rumbling and I pulled away, reluctantly, and chuckled as I wandered into the kitchen. I could hear him groan as he followed behind me.

He placed the bag of food on the counter and I hopped up to sit beside it. "Feed me," I asked using all the cuteness I could muster.

Vic nodded as he laughed, grabbing a container of Tupperware out of the bag and peeling the lid off. "Steak fajita meal prep." He mumbled to himself as he tossed it into the microwave. I smiled, recalling how Anna shared the instructional video on Facebook from one of those cooking pages.

"Flour or corn tortilla?" Vic asked from behind his refrigerator door.

I hummed in thought before shrugging, "surprise me."

He grinned and pulled out a pack of corn tortillas from his fridge, heating them up, and spooning the fajita mix in the center. I reached out for one but he stopped me, topping them with Mexican crema, a mix of vegetables, and hot sauce. "There! Now it's complete." He announced proudly, scooting the finished product towards me. I didn't waste another second and took a bite, moaning at how good it tasted.

His grin only grew as he went back to preparing a few more. He paused to eat, staring at the rest of the containers that sat in the bag. "She packed at least three more containers of this stuff... I don't know how I'm going to get rid of all this stuff."

"I guess that's gonna be your lunch for the next few days."

He nodded and chuckled, "guess you're right." Vic dug around the fridge, "want a beer?"

I shook my head, "give me a soda."

"What a kid," he teased as he handed me a can of Coke, grabbing a Corona for himself.

I rolled my eyes playfully, taking a few careful sips of my soft drink before reaching for another fajita. "You know... I was thinking about something."

"About what?" He asked, bouncing up to sit on the counter beside me.

"I think we should have sex tonight," I stated bluntly, laughing as he choked on his food.

"Yeah? You think so?" He asked, eyes wide as he tried to regain his composure.

I nodded, winking over at him. "You've earned it."

Notes

comments = motivation at this point tbh. but i do have a lot planned for this story. excuse the loooooong ass chapter btw. also i have a writing tumblr right here that you can request stuff. there's a lot in store for sydney and victorrrr.