Thread: Kindred Spirits {HoldTheDoor & Enigma_x}

Please tell me hes not going to be there? A soft tone ebbed through the line, a hint of disappointment threatening to destroy the rather cheerful tone. No Lucy, hes not. You know that, its a girls night. Why would I invite him? A similar tone replied, coming from a rather slender, curved woman. Brown curls that cascaded down had a hint of red throughout, giving her a rather auburn look. For Lydia Lawson, this was a rather standard conversation. Her friends didnt like her boyfriend, and she wasnt sure she did either. Carl had been a cheerful, nice guy when hed been younger. Over the years it only seemed to sour. Theyd been together eight years now, and clearly theyd both changed quite a bit, but he had certainly changed for the worse. It had started off with small things. Hed try and control who she went to lunch with, hed be checking in at all random times when she was at work. It was constant. Not to mention the arguments when she came home about who she was seeing outside of work. Lydia had never cheated on him, and she made that abundantly clear. However, Carl wasnt the type to listen. It always had to come from him if he was going to believe it. All of the tension had built up over the years, Lydia had failed to notice just how bad it was currently. Their arguments were frequent and rather violent. More often than not, Carl would break something in his vicinity, which would then spark off another argument. It was really only due to her friends that Lydia was ever able to get peace of mind. That night, theyd planned a girls night out. It was one of the days in the month that every one of them was free. The group consisted of about six of them, they had all been friends from school, and yet they managed to see one another still. Lydia noticed how relentless her friends seemed to be when it came to Carl. They would often try to convince her to break away from him and they were right, it was just that she and Carl had bought a place together and the legal issues involved would cost her a good deal to sort. Carl had well off parents, hed be more than able to fight for their possessions, whereas shed have to make a plan. Lydia was trying to be smart, or at least thats what she told herself. Being smart was much easier than being scared. Lydia had been preparing for the night out for two hours. So far shed debated about three different dresses, straightened and then curled her hair, as well as debating which heels she should pair with each dress. Unfortunately for Lydia, Carl had been home for some hours already and was starting to get unsettled. The man didnt like his girlfriend going out, let alone dressing up. Clearly he didnt believe that she was only going to join her girlfriends in a relaxed night out. Of course, his accusations of cheating soon arose. You know, Carl, Im getting sick of constant accusations, The female snapped as she finally tugged on a well fitted red dress. Well, you keep going out like a whore, what am I supposed to think? The taller male snapped. In his youth, hed been rather attractive. Ten years on, Carl had let himself go. Not only was he gaining weight, he clearly didnt bother attending to his hair or even dressing in an appropriate way. He seemed to have completely given up, that or he refused to care. Lydia had still been giving a good deal of effort into how she looked and dressed, which no doubt was one of the reasons he kept accusing her of cheating. Lydia simply gathered up her handbag, filling it with what shed need for the night. The auburn haired woman didnt bother to address Carls continuous claims, she simply gathered her things and left. All the routine argument did was make sure that she would stay out late enough for him to be asleep when she got back, just to avoid the drama of accusations and even more arguments. After a short cab ride, Lydia reached the bar in the heart of the city that her friends had decided to meet at. It took some fighting through the crowd that seemed to flood the building until Lydia could even see her friends. A shrill scream coupled with waving and cheers echoed from the bar, signalling her friends were already waiting. As per usual, Lydia was the last to emerge. Most of the time, this was due to Carl slowing her down. Arguments could break out and last up to an hour at least on some nights. Thankfully, she wasnt that delayed that night. Lydia! One of her best friends squealed, rushing over to embrace the petite, auburn haired woman. I was concerned you werent coming, Lydia chuckled softly, shaking her head. Of course I was coming, dont worry. I wont miss these nights. The girls all greeted one another shortly before one of the group ordered cocktails. It didnt take long for the women to finish their first and second round of cocktails, gossip of their partners flowing with ease. It began to turn to Carl. Come on Lydia, you deserve so much better. He isnt even shaving anymore. He looks like a bum! Cassie gave her friend a sympathetic look. I say we find you someone, a handsome prince to whisk you away. The rest of the girls chuckled, already scanning the room. Some time later, while Lydia was talking to one of the men the group had pushed her toward, she heard a squeal echo from Cassie who was suddenly rushing off into the crowd. What the hell is she up to? Lydia muttered, her gaze attempting to follow the tall, slender brunette. It wasnt long until she returned, almost dragging a man by the arm with clear excitement over her face. Of all the men shed seen there, he was the last man Lydia expected to see. Theyd been dancing around each other when they were younger but nothing seemed to develop despite their feelings. He looked incredibly handsome, the years had been good to him. Unfortunately, she wasnt able to quite escape the man still talking to her.