The Artist's Amour (BWWM) ✓

Chapter 19: Lacey

I massaged my temples harder as the screaming intensified. Jesus Christ, I thought, gripping the edge of my desk.

Timmy was crying for his mother the third time today.

"Timmy, honey, it's okay. She'll be here in an hour." I cooed in a somewhat calming voice as his cries started to turn into hiccups.

"Sh-She will?" He asked, wiping away the mixture of snot and tears as he pulled the paint brush out of his mouth. A string of saliva followed.

"Yes." I sighed, leaning back into my chair.

"Ew, Timmy, that's gross." Nick whined, as he sat in the chair next to me and painted.

This was basically an everyday occurrence. Timmy would cry for his mother, and Nick would sit on his spiny chair that he stationed beside me, and look down on Timmy like a peasant. It was actually quite hilarious how civilized Nick was for his age, compared to his peers.

Nick was currently painting a scene out of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His favorite character was Kylo Ren, although I liked to argue that Han Solo was the best part of the movie.

Was.

Too soon?

"Timmy, don't put paint brushes in your mouth." I instructed, pouring more paint onto my little protege's pallet. Nick smiled up at me and nodded a thank you before going back to painting his light saber.

"How come you get to sit next to Aria, and we don't?" Timmy whined, whipping the slob off his mouth as I took a drink of my water.

"Because she's dating my father, obviously." Nick replied. I just about choked out my drink as water spewed all over my desk.

"W-What- wait, no-" I started, trying to piece together an explanation.

"Oh, I gotchu Nick." Timmy nodded, accepting Nick's explanation full heartedly. I wasn't even sure what was going on, but these two kids had somehow come to an agreement.

~

Lacey's POV

"Grab me a beer from the fridge." Steve barked out, as I continued to wash the dishes. My arm stung slightly from the events that had happened earlier today.

"Hey, honey, I'm home." I spoke, walking further into the house as I set my keys on the table near the front door.

"Come here." He spoke, his voice soft and caring from somewhere in the living room. I climbed the steps near the door and walked into the living space but I didn't see Steve anywhere until his hand grasped my arm forcefully from somewhere behind me.

"W-what's wrong, honey?" I asked, my voice breaking slightly as fear rushed through my body.

"You're an entire hour late." He barked, his voice now malicious as his gripped tightened.

"I-I had car trouble." I spoke honestly. I had accidentally left my headlights on in the morning and it had run down my battery, I had to have a coworker jump start it. But Steve wasn't listening. He suddenly forced my body up against the wall near our kitchen as his fingers bruised my skin.

"I had to wake up and make my own damn lunch today. Are you cheating on me, Lacey? Are you fucking cheating on me?" He seethed, as he got even closer to my face. I could smell the alcohol on him and knew that he had had too much to drink. He always got this way when he had too much to drink.

"I-I'm sorry baby, you know I'd never do anything like that to you." I whispered, shutting my eyes tight as his breath made them teary. My arm had started to go numb with pain.

"I know, baby, I know." He whispered, his voice turning sweet again as he finally let go of me. He then wrapped his arms around my slightly trembling body, whispering sweet and caring things into my ear before letting go.

I glanced down at my now swollen arm as I wiped a tear away. Steve had went back to the living room to watch some football as I headed to the kitchen to do the dishes. He always had a temper when he touched alcohol, but he had never hurt me before now. Sure, he's thrown things at me, but this was the first time he had laid a hand on me. I tried to calm down my nerves as I went to the fridge and grabbed him a beer. As I reached down, I could literally see the hand imprint that was left from just how hard he had grabbed me. It was now all inflated and irritated with a deep purple and blue bruise to go with it.

I walked into the living room and set the beer on the table. Steve glanced down for a fraction of a second before his eyes were back on the tv. I was sure he had seen what he did to my arm, but he chose not to speak on it.

He never used to be like this.

He used to be more apologetic about the incidents.

Our relationship started with a friendship, and it was beautiful. He was the man I had always wanted. He showed me so much love and compassion, helping me through the divorce, and being there for me and Nick, but he had recently started drinking within the last month, and he was a different man then. It used to be only at night, after he had had a few drinks, he would come home from the pub drunk, and start a fight for no reason. Now, he was drinking constantly during the day, I wasn't even sure of the last time he had been sober.

I kept telling myself that if it got physical, I would get out, but here I was now. With a large bruise on my arm. Still washing these damn dishes. I thought back to the lunch we had yesterday with Aria. I could tell by the way Chris looked at her, that he loved her. The adoration that shone in his eyes were hard to miss, and who could blame him? Aria truly was amazing.

She was so sweet to me, even when I started our brunch off acting like a bitch. I truly was happy for Chris.

"Babe, make ribs for dinner." Steve called out over the sound of the commentator on tv. I sighed to myself, walking to the fridge to pull out a packet of ribs to defrost, before going back to washing the dishes.

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You all will be getting a double upload tonight because I forgot to upload yesterday! This was quite a serious chapter. Anyone else kind of want to baptize Steve's face into a table? Because I do.