Coup de Foudre

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons​:

“That’s not entirely true,” he shrugged. “Is it a lot later than most? Yeah, but you’re not the oldest woman to have ever gotten pregnant. I don’t want to be all…I don’t know, superstitious or get into that hippie bullshit, but maybe it’s a sign. Who fucking knows.” He sighed once more, not missing the way her expression darkened a bit at the thought of Emmy. Somewhere down the line, she had decided Nadia was the bad guy, and neither of them could do or say anything to change that perception. She was truly their kid, stubborn in all the worst ways. “Well it does matter if it’s upsetting you, but…” he trailed off with a shrug, not wanting to go down that path just yet. They had larger issues to deal with.

The look on Bob’s face likely showed everything he felt about the words that came out of Nadia’s mouth. He wasn’t sure if he was more offended, angry, or perhaps a large mix of both. “What the fuck does that even mean?” he asked suddenly, shaking his head. “Cut the shit and don’t play dumb, Nadia. You’ve known me for how fucking long, and you’re really pulling the ‘obligation’ card? Do you truly think that I would say all that because I feel the need to pay off some kind of debt? After all these years, you think that I’d do that? Just fuck you and leave you to deal with the rest on your own? That’s real low, especially for you. It’s not about my feelings towards you because it’s not just your fucking kid, Nadia. This is happening to me too, so instead of putting your stupid pride bullshit first, fucking choose like we’re doing this for the baby. I’m either there with you along the way or I’m there from afar. Pick.”

“A sign,” Nadia repeated. “I thought you were a scientist.” Maybe, once, she would have believed it, but if there were cosmic forces at play here, it was to play a huge joke at her expense. After so long of dreaming about this, and for it to happen now was nothing short of cruel. They were done. They had both thrown in the towel, and she was just getting to a point where she was okay with that. This, though? It sent Nadia spiralling back to square one. “No. Don’t...” she broke off. Don’t ask me about my feelings? Don’t pretend that you care about that? She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, and with something far bigger at hand, it didn’t feel right diving into it. 

She wasn’t sure what came over her. Any normal day, she would be biting back, jumping straight to the anger and fire that had defined their relationship for far too long now. Maybe it was the hormones, but Nadia didn’t want to fight. She was drained and tired, and instead of being suckered into a screaming match, she found herself biting back tears. “I don’t know you.” She pointed out. “Not anymore. That’s why we got a divorce, isn’t it? We just don’t know each other anymore. You aren’t my Bob anymore. Having a child is hard enough without the added pressure of being resented for having it in the first place.” She clenched her fist and stood, putting distance between them. It was odd and unnatural, but perhaps if she’d put those boundaries in place in the first place, they wouldn’t be in this mess. “It’s not down to me to choose that,” she hissed, her frustration more than likely shining through in her voice. “Maybe it would be better if I didn’t have this baby at all.” 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons​:

“Biology isn’t really my strong suit, but I think you’re a little young to be starting menopause. You can ask Trevor if you want an accurate answer. I’m not sure that’s his area of expertise either, but that sort of what he teaches,” he shrugged. He somehow knew that the what-if’s were a way to not get their hopes up. It sucked, and he hated that their first thoughts had to revolve around not getting too excited, but he understood it. Wishing and hoping just to have everything fall through is ultimately what ruined them in the first place. Having the walls and guards up made perfect sense. It just hurt to be back there.

The frown on Bob’s face clearly showed his feelings towards everything she was saying. She wasn’t wrong by any means; they’d finally gotten to a point where they’d settled the divorce and were making plans to move forward. If Emmy’s reaction to it all didn’t fuck them both and throw a wrench into whatever plans they’d formed, another baby sure did. “I know. I get it,” he sighed, feeling an odd sense of responsibility for some of the things their daughter had said. He never wanted there to be a game of favorites, even if he was the one who was dubbed as the favorite. Unfortunately, that’s just how things happened to turn out. It seemed that no matter what, there’d always be some kind of underlying tension between them.

Sadness flickered across his features as Nadia pulled away enough that he couldn’t touch her. Maybe he deserved that, maybe not, but all he knew was that it hurt. He thought that feeling might go away, but it was just as present as ever. He nodded a bit, a thought coming to mind that he almost wanted to swallow back down. Instead, he blurted it out. “You keep asking me about my decisions. Maybe it’s time to start considering your own. I mean, fuck, do you even want me to be involved, Nadia?”

“I’m a little old to be starting pregnancy,” she pointed out with a grimace. Perhaps she was being illogical about all of this, but even with a quartet of positive pregnancy tests, it was all a little difficult to believe. If anybody could understand that, it was Bob - unless he just didn’t want to. A part of her could understand that, even if she wouldn’t give into it. Even if she as expecting, allowing herself to get excited about it felt way too much like tempting fate. “No offence to Trevor, but It’s a doctor I need to be talking to, not a high school biology teacher.” 

Nadia raised an eyebrow. As much as he claimed to get it, she wasn’t sure that he really did. Things with Emmy had complicated their relationship tenfold, adding an underlying tension that they had never discussed. She had never been ready to, and she definitely wasn’t about to start up that conversation now. It was a wound that wasn’t healing on its own, but she wasn’t about to pick at it. If there was one thing she could say in Bob’s favour, he hadn’t thrown it in her face yet. She wasn’t sure she would have done the same if the roles had been reversed. “Doesn’t matter, I suppose. Who knows if we’ll even get to that point.” The blunter she was about it now, the less heartache it would cause later. 

She should have known the relative civility between them wouldn’t last long. His words had her blinking a little. She didn’t normally shy away from fighting him, and she could feel that familiar fire flickering in her belly at his words, but she was just so tired of it all. The divorce should have put an end to their squabbles, but the curveball of pregnancy was dragging it all back up. That was the problem. Everything between them should be put to bed. They should be moving on. Now, they were tied to each other all over again, and that was almost as terrifying as the prospect of having another child in the first place. “I don’t know,” she admitted. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him involved. She wasn’t going to stop him if that was her choice, but what that would mean moving forward was playing on her mind. “If it’s what you really want, then yes. But if you’re just saying that because you think you have to, or out of obligation, then it would probably be better to do it on my own. It’d be better than spending the next 18 years with you hating me over this.” 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons​:

“Four?” he nearly choked, eyes almost bugging out of his face. He wasn’t a biology teacher, but he knew enough about science to understand that four positive pregnancy tests said something. “Fuck.” He clasped his hands together, feeling like he might combust if he didn’t. This should’ve been good news. It was good news. It was like the sky finally clearing during a hurricane, though. The damage had been done. This one glimmer of hope or whatever the fuck it was couldn’t have come at a more chaotic time. “Pretty sure it’s real, Nads. I’m not sure pee-stick technology has developed far enough to trick people just yet,” he sighed, eyes turning to her once again. He listened carefully, lips pressing together into a firm line. He knew what he wanted to do, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud when that’s what fucked them over in the first place. He propped his arm on the top of his knee, leaning over and resting his chin in his hand while considering everything she said.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I be there?” he asked, gaze still fixed on hers. “I mean, this is something we’ve been hoping for for years, isn’t it? Why the fuck would I want to throw that away? I mean, obviously, this happening years down the road wasn’t the plan, but…I don’t know. I’m starting to think plans aren’t our strong suit.” With a sigh, he scooted in bit closer to her, his knee now close enough to knock against hers. He reached up to brush a piece of hair out of her face, his hand stilling there as he studied her face. “I’m in for everything. Whatever the fuck happens happens. How about you?”

“Yeah. Fuck.” Nadia repeated. A few years ago, a positive pregnancy test was everything the two of them wanted, never mind four in a row. Now, though, she didn’t know how to feel about it. There was another part of her, though, that still couldn’t believe this was happening. After the first test, she had buried herself in Google searches, trying to find anything else that could cause a false positive outcome. There was an answer that she didn’t particularly like, but seemed more likely than actually having another child. “Or it could be menopause.” She hoped she was too young for that, between that and pregnancy, it seemed the more likely option. She also didn’t want him to get his hopes up too much. It was hard enough managing her own. It felt way too much like setting them both up for disappointment. Until this was confirmed by a proper doctor, it was probably best to take a pessimistic view on things. 

Nadia grimaced at his question. There were plenty of reasons why, but bringing them up was a surefire way to get sucked into yet another screaming match she didn’t have the energy for. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It just complicates things, doesn’t it?” The divorce had only just become official. They should be working on moving on with their lives, not getting sucked back into another 18 of having to co-parent. Not to mention, the circumstances were totally different now. “We hoped for it once. We also hoped that we’d be together forever once, too. That didn’t happen, though. Things changed.” She wasn’t going to hold him to plans they had made together. Not when they had already given up on them. “It’s a totally different circumstance. I’ve made enough mistakes as a parent when things were good with us, never mind what we could do to a child now.” It wasn’t until she heard Emmy’s reaction to their split that it hit her. No matter what happened between her and Bob, until that point, she didn’t think she had done too badly as a mother. Emmy had made her feelings clear, though, and though Nadia loved her more than anything, it wasn’t enough. Things hadn’t been the same between them since then, and that made the situation all the more terrifying. 

When he touched her, it was all too much. Nadia managed to stop herself physically flinching, but she still shifted away just slightly, enough to break the contact of his hand in her hair. “If there is a baby,” she spoke slowly, trying to voice the thoughts in her head as diplomatically as possible. “I want to keep it. It’s just going to take a lot of figuring out. I don’t know where we go from here.” 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons​:

Bob felt a tiny smirk of his own perk up on his lips when she seemed to take his comment well. It also set off some alarm bells; normal them, ready to duke it out in a moment’s notice Bob and Nadia, would be easily set off by jokes like that. His eyes remained on her until she leaned forward, having to do a double take once he saw the small stick on the table. It was one that had a little, pink plus sign on the end of it. He blinked, then reached up to rub his eyes. Everything he was hearing and seeing had to deceiving him. The struggle to conceive was what got them to where they were in the first place, and now…this? This was what all that bullshit got them? It was what he’d wanted for so long, and now that it was there in front of him on the coffee table, he wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it. He turned to look at her, his expression likely showing the same amount of concern as hers. He wanted to be happy for her, but he was too unsure to let himself get there just yet.

“Wha-…are…are you sure? A hundred percent? I might need you to swear on my great aunt Una that this isn’t a joke or a false positive.”

Nadia didn’t expect him to jump for joy at the news. She wasn’t herself. All those years of trying to give him another child seemed like a bit of a joke now. All that wasted time and effort, years of waiting and hoping, only for it to happen totally out of the blue and at the worst possible time. Nadia couldn’t really blame him for questioning things. Not when she didn’t really know where things stood herself. None of this felt real. Not the conversation they were having, and definitely not the pregnancy itself. That alone gave her a little more patience than they had shown one another lately. Normally, she would be so eager to jump into a fight with him, but right now, she just felt tired. 

“Yeah, could be.” She agreed. “A false positive, I mean. Not a joke.” She had considered the idea `herself. Being pregnant at 38 when she had spent most of her twenties and thirties trying without success, it was impossible not to think about how this could be going wrong. “That’s test number four, though. What are the odds of four false positives in a row?” Her lips pressed together in a thin line, the tension obvious in the set of her jaw. “I need to see a doctor I think. Just to make sure it’s real and not some sort of mental breakdown.” Again, another likely positivity though. “If I am, though, I think we need to talk about what we’re going to do, Just so we’re on the same page.” Nadia had already made up her mind, but it was different for Bob. When it came to having kids, men didn’t have to think about things like age. He had been a good dad to Emmy, and that was one thing she would never fault him on, but they weren’t even married anymore. He had no obligation to do the same for this child. “You don’t need to decide now, but I need to know if you plan on being there.” 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons​:

Somehow, Bob had found himself in a weird rhythm of life. He hadn’t been dealing with his own drama lately, but more his brothers. It was a nice change. Maybe not so much for Travis and the stupid shit he’d managed to get himself into, but worrying about someone else’s issues instead of his own was so much more manageable. It was almost strange, in a sense. His biggest problems now were getting everyone’s tests graded on time and making sure his siblings weren’t rotting in a jail cell. It was almost like a vacation. Almost.

He knew something was up the moment Nadia walked into the room. They hadn’t been at each other’s throats so much lately, which was also weird. It seemed that they got most of that aggression out during sex, leaving all the snide remarks and pent up feelings for the bedroom. It was almost preferable that way. Even if they weren’t together or sharing a room or anything like that, the sex somehow kept a bit of normalcy between them. The look on her face now had him thinking that was about to change, though. He kicked his feet off the stool in front of his favorite tartan chair, brows raised curiously. He didn’t happen to see the small stick in her hand, but if he did, alarm bells would’ve been going off in his head. “Uh oh. You breaking up with me?” he teased, letting the small smile he wore fade away when he couldn’t gauge how serious this talk was going to be. 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Nadia sat next to him on the couch. She couldn’t remember the last time they had a proper conversation. Not one that didn’t descend very quickly into fighting and fucking. It was the only language they knew how to speak to one another with. Trying to talk to him reasonably felt alien, and Nadia couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. Especially with what she had to tell him. She didn’t remember it being this difficult when she was having Emmy. His question had her pursing her lips. Though he was was obviously not serious, it still begged the question of where their current relationship stood. They weren’t together, not legally or on their own terms, but they were still not done with each other, pregnancy or not. “Who knows? If I do it enough times, maybe it’ll actually stick,” she shrugged, a tiny smile flitting across her face before being replaced by her former, anxious expression. It wasn’t often these days her English failed her, but it was now. Instead, she placed the test she was still holding on the coffee table, looking away and taking a deep breath. “I’m pregnant, Bob. We’re having a baby.” 

[nadialamont]

If anybody had asked Nadia even a few months ago, she never would have imagined getting to this stage. The breakup had been a long, messy process, but somehow, they had gotten through it. The divorce papers were signed now, though, and everything was final. It didn’t feel half a good as she thought it would have. She should be relieved it was all over, but all she felt was inexplicably emotional. All that was left now was to sell the house, and move on with their lives. Or, so she thought. Unfortunately, things were never that simple. She should have known better. Nothing with Bob was ever that simple.  

It was ironic, really. They had been trying for years to have another child, but her period had arrived like clockwork every month. She hadn’t been late since Emmy had been born. Now, however, she as almost two weeks late. She had put off taking a test. There was no way she could be pregnant now. She as too old, for one, and probably just stressed. At least, that was what she had been telling herself. She had taken a test anyway, though. Just for her own peace of mind. It wasn’t until the little pink plus sign appeared on the screen that it really hit her. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath. It must have been a mistake. Three tests later, though, and the truth was finally sinking in. She was pregnant. 

Clutching the latest test in her hand, Nadia made her way into the living room. She had waited for Emmy to leave for the day, heading out to spend time with her little boyfriend. It was rare that she and Bob were alone in the house together, and she had half expected him to follow their daughter out of the door. He hadn’t, though, and she wasn’t sure when she’d next get the chance to get him on his own. 

“We need to talk.” 

@robertxsimmons​

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

Nadia’s jabs would normally be met with an automatic comeback. This situation was a little different, though, only grinning in response to her comment about the Scottish. “Good thing that what we lack in smarts, we make up for in size,” he said, finally getting to the bottom button and sliding his shirt off. He let out a loud chuckle as he watched Nadia whip her clothes off rather quick. “Whoa, whoa, what’s the rush, darling?” he smugly grinned, unbuckling his belt and sliding out of his own jeans. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think someone might actually be missing me.” He walked up to where she sat, gripping at her hips and tugging her closer before reaching up to tilt her chin towards his own face. “If you want to show me how much you miss me, feel free. I won’t judge you for it. Not today, anyways,” he smirked before returning his lips to hers.

It had been years since she had met him, but things had never felt stale between the two of them. Even separated, they still wanted each other, at least in the physical sense. A part of Nadia thought that she must just get off on the dramatics of it all, that all the fighting just added another layer of tension that drew her to him. “Lucky you have that, at least. Size is about all you’re good for,” she retorted. Her legs wrapped around his waist again at his approach. The longer they spoke, the more it was killing the mood. “Hard to miss you when you just won’t leave.” She pointed out. Nevertheless, she returned his kiss in kind. Her hands slid down his sides, and without breaking the kiss, she slipped one inside the waistband of his underwear, running her fingers along the length of him before taking him in her hand. 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

Bob chuckled in response to her practically growling at him, but it was cut off pretty quick by another kiss from her end. He didn’t even have time to pretend he was surprised, kissing her back with the same ferocity. There was a part of him deep down that hated how much he was getting off from all this. For now, though, he wasn’t going to think about it too much. “Happy?” he muttered as he started to unbutton his own shirt, going agonizingly slow to rile her up. “These damn buttons…must’ve been one of those shirts I got in France. You know how complicated they like to design things there.” The shit-eating grin on his face showed how he really felt about the whole situation, but he just continued with his game. “Feel free to jump in and help at any time, sweetheart.”

“Happy? Not particularly,” Nadia said, eyes narrowing at the pace in which he was moving. She knew he was doing it on purpose, but it didn’t make things easier. “I’ve heard it said the Scottish were simple, but I didn’t think you were the type to be confused by buttons,” she retorted. She knew she wanted things to go further, but she would rather get up and leave the room than help him with the shirt. It felt too much like a win for him, as twisted as that sounded. “Help yourself,” she said, wasting no time in grabbing the hemline of her own shirt and tugging it off over her head, tossing it on the ground next to the desk. She lifted her hips slightly so she could wriggle out of her jeans, ridding herself of them swiftly. “You finished yet?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him coolly.

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

Any jab that came at him from Nadia’s side seemed to be forgotten the moment their lips met. All that was on his mind was the feeling of her kissing him back. It wasn’t romantic or loving at all, but it still had him feeling like his skin had been doused in gasoline. Somehow, their split only made the sexual chemistry between them that much more intense. He reached down for her legs, helping to lift her and position them to wrap around his waist. Without breaking the kiss, he walked the two of them over to his desk and sat her on the edge of it, only pulling away to catch his breath. “Guess the mineral labs will have to wait,” he shrugged towards the pile of papers he’d rested his hand on, pushing them off the desk without a second thought. “Are we doing this? You can back out if you really want. I’m starting to get used to disappointment so it’s not like it’d come as a big surprise or anything.” 

Nadia jumped a little to help him hoist her into the air. Being with Bob was familiar and new all at the same time. She hated that her body still reacted to him in that way, but she wasn’t about to start complaining now. Not right in that moment, at least.  Instead, she wrapped her legs around him and clung to his shoulders, ensuring he didn’t drop her on the floor as some sort of twisted revenge. She was vaguely aware of him perching her on the desk, but didn’t bother to take stock of what was going on until he pulled away. She gritted her teeth at his words. Even now, there were no niceties between them. “Just shut up and take your shirt off,” she snarled, grabbing his face between her hands and pulling him back for another kiss. 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

“Takes a nasty piece to know one, doesn’t it, sweetheart?” he responded immediately. For some reason when it came to their arguments, there was no stepping back to take a breath and think about what was being said. It was just blow after blow, and there was nothing but the inevitable explosion to end it. He kinked an eyebrow, noting the dishes and glasses that were formally his mothers. They were given to them as their wedding china, and although they weren’t the prettiest, he wasn’t about to let a comment like that slide. “At least my family cared enough to contribute something. Kind of seems like that’s the never ending story here, we give and your side just takes. We might not have taste, but we’re not stuck-up Frenchies who only care about themselves.” He let out a humourless laugh towards the psycho comment, momentarily distracted by how close they were. Then that moment passed and Robert was stuck there, realizing their proximity and the overwhelming sensations it brought. He quietly studied her before he spoke, knowing his next move could go horribly but unable to resist. “You want psycho, baby? I’ll show you psycho.” With that, he broke their distance with a kiss. His lips pressed against hers with a rough urgency, as if that could solve their issues. Very well knowing this whole thing could backfire, he upped the ante by placing a hand on her ass and pushing her closer against him.

“Are you five years old now?” Nadia chided him, but only to conceal that she had nothing to respond with. She had behaved just as despicably as he had, and the fact she carried herself with an arrogant air that she was better than it all couldn’t change that. She laughed, loudly and without any humour in the sound. “You know why that is? Because none of my family could ever stand you. they warned me not to get involved with someone like you, and they were absolutely right.” It was a lie, but he needn’t know that. In actual fact, her parents and sister were quite fond of Robert. She would have folded her arms, but he was too close to her. She knew the way things were going to go. It was inevitable for them, and when his lips pressed against hers, he only proved her suspicions right. She kissed him back, hard and without any tenderness or affection. They had always been passionate together, but the circumstances they were in with the divorce added that extra spark of fire, and she couldn’t deny that she was powerless against him when the argument took such a dramatic turn. Nadia placed one hand on the back of his head, tangling fingers in his hair, and the other against his chest. It was almost worth the arguing to get to this. 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

“It’s the truth, isn’t it? It might be low, but it’s honest.” He bit his tongue rather than lashing out at what followed. In a sense, she was right. As much as not being able to add to their family hurt, he wasn’t the one that had to experience pregnancy. It didn’t lessen the sadness in giving up on that, though. That, and the fact they could never approach a civil way to discuss it lead to how things were now, bitter and resentful. It was the broken piece neither of them could fix anymore. “Well why stop there then, huh? Why don’t you just go through the whole fucking house and start ripping books page-by-page? Or breaking that expensive China set we were given for our wedding? It seems appropriate. Maybe I’ll do that and save you the trouble of actually taking responsibility.” As if he were daring her to make a move, he came over and broke almost all distance between them. He inched forward and let his face stay unnervingly close to hers. “You’re right about that. Considering that I married you, I must be a fucking lunatic.”

“You’d think I’d stop being surprised every time you decide to show your true colours, but you just love to remind me what a nasty peace of work you are,” she fumed, still smarting from proverbial sand he had just thrown in her eyes. Long after they had called time on their marriage, heir inability to extend their family was still driving a wedge between them. “May as well. The china is hardly any good to any of us. Plus it’s ugly as hell, since nobody in Scotland seems to have taste,” she snarled. “Go ahead,” she dared him, eyes glinting in anger. She didn’t flinch away, even when they were almost nose to nose. She could tell where this was heading- the same place it always did- but she wouldn’t allow him to get the last word, or have the last laugh. It was a game of chicken, and neither of them could stand to lose. “you’ve been a psycho long before I came along and you know it.” 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

“Well I married you thinking we were on the same page for what we wanted in life, so I guess it was my mistake to think you could give me that.” He almost laughed when she hopped on his comment about moving in with Scott; as his friend, he knew that living with Scott would result in nightmareish results. However, in comparison to how things with her were going, it might’ve been a little less painful. He wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of knowing that, though. “If you want me gone that bad, then why’d you tear up the fucking papers? I thought you were supposed to be smart. Too much French wine instead of French language, I’ll presume.” He rolled his eyes, watching the shreds of paper now fall to the ground in confetti fashion. “Ah, there you go again. Making a giant fucking mess of things and leaving me to clean it up. So damn typical.” He scoffed, her claims that the craziness was something that she developed bringing a smirk to his face. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’ve always been nuts, I just don’t find it endearing anymore.”

“That is so low.” Nadia said. Even after everything that had come to pass between the two of them, it still shocked her more than if should when he used things like that against her. “Of course, you’d think it was all about you. Never mind the fact that it was my choice about my own body that had you sleeping in the spare room in the first place. If you couldn’t give me the smallest bit of respect for that, then why should I have given you anything at all?” she pointed out. His question was a valid one, but not something she could answer without making herself look like a bigger fool then she already felt. “I’m stone cold sober, darling. I tore them up because you’re determined to make this more difficult for the both of us, and if you want to get nasty, I’m happy to oblige.” She kicked the papers, sending them scattering even further across the floor. “When have you ever cleaned up anything? Your specialty is burning things to the ground and throwing the ashes in the wind. If you think I’m crazy, look at yourself. I believe the expression is birds of a feather, isn’t it?” 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons 

 “You’d know all about being wrong, wouldn’t you?” he responded, a pretty pathetic blow as he scraped for something to fire back at her. He didn’t dignify her next sentence with a response, just a groan and an eye roll. When there wasn’t anything to verbalize, there were always gestures to show how the other was really feeling. It was sad that they were acting like this. Their behavior was similar to what was expected from the kids they taught, and that said everything. “Oh, if only I were lucky enough to be long gone. I think I’d rather see Scott’s face first thing in the morning than yours, but unfortunately, I’m still saving up on a deposit and you’re still here.” He gave her a look as if her actions were completely incredulous, his hands upturned in a manner that said ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ without having to speak it. “Jesus Christ, what are ya, a fucking rocket?” he spat out as the papers were ripped away from his grasp, falling back to slang he grew up with. “Also if you want to give our daughter an early on-set heart attack, keep at the volume you’re talking right now and it should do the trick.”

“Oh, definitely. Like when I thought you were the man I’d be spending my life with, that was me being wrong. My mistake,” she snarled. The way they treated each other was like an elaborate dance, and both were waiting for the other to stumble so that they might take advantage of their moment of weakness. It wasn’t even slightly mature, and a part of Nadia still didn’t know how it actually became their life, but there was nothing she could do to change it now. “Oh is that so? then go and live with Scott, then. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have you. God knows I’d be happy to have you gone,” she challenged him, knowing full well he wasn’t going anywhere. “Nobody knows what that means,” she pointed out, discarding the now ruined papers on his bedroom floor. “Don’t you dare chastise me when it comes to Emmy. If anyone is going to give her a heart attack, it’s you. You’re the one who made me this way.” 

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

“I thought it was. Not my fault you have a less developed sense of humor,” he shrugged, knowing that if he wasn’t building off her snide comments, he was naturally trying to deflect them. It was such a childish routine, but one he’d grown accustomed to with her. “Ah, yes, because you know that the sole reason I want to stay is here is all our glorious memories and not the fact that moving trucks probably cost half the price of a new apartment. It’s like you can read my mind. Amazing. Truly amazing.” Bob wasn’t normally triggered easily, but something about being called lazy was all it took to touch a nerve. “Is that so? Well excuse me for having a life outside of our break-up. I didn’t realize that everything still had to be about you, even when we decided that this wasn’t working out.” He was finally up on his feet, and although he could’ve just walked out of the room and left it, they both knew that wasn’t going to happen. In a twisted way, they fed off each other’s petty anger. “Look at you, sweetheart, got me again. You should really write a book, seeing that you seem to know every thought that anyone is having at a given time.”

“Well you were wrong,” Nadia said, derisively. when it came to Bob, she just couldn’t let things go. It was petty and stupid, and so far removed from the type of person Nadia wanted to be, but she wasn’t sure how else to proceed when constantly confronted with somebody who got under your skin in that way. “That literally is nothing like what I just said, but sure, Bob, whatever makes you feel better about yourself.” She rubbed her forehead, feeling a migraine coming on at the mere prospect of spending more than a few minutes alone in a room with him. “Don’t kid yourself. If you had any semblance of a life, you’d be long gone by now. We live in the same house, Bob, I don’t know who you think you’re kidding.” She was so riled that she reached over, yanking the papers back out of his hands and tearing them up with one smooth pull. “You know what? Forget it. We’ll both just stay here and be miserable and argue every day until we rot. Won’t that be lovely?”

[nadialamont]

robertxsimmons‌:

It was crunch time of the semester, knowing that the school year was almost at its end but not quite. Robert was in the former guest room which had pretty much been his since the beginning of the split, scrolling through different assignment ideas online. He was mid-debate between something astronomy based or volcanic formation based when Nadia burst through the door and broke his concentration. “That’s kind of like a hello but different,” he replied, pushing his laptop to the side. “Selling the home, huh? What, are we just going to live in a tent? Tell Emerald mommy can’t take it anymore so guess what, you’re homeless now?” Nadia did have a point; in a way, it might’ve been smart to downsize and go their own way. Their incomes would probably have been better with that type of scenario. Despite being separated for who knows how long, the two of them decided to stick it out together under the same roof. If not for money’s sake, for their daughter’s sanity. It was getting to an obvious breaking point, though, and Bob wasn’t sure who was going to crack first. Nevertheless, he took the papers to flip through. “Sounds like you’re the one moments away from causing a scene. I guess I see where our daughter gets it from.”

“Hilarious. Any moment now I’m sure to laugh,” Nadia sniped. She wasn’t in the mood for any of this, but that didn’t mean it didn’t have to be done, and it was far easier to do so without being scolded like a child for neglecting to use her manners. “The general idea is that we won’t be living anywhere at all. I’ll be living in a nice little two-bedroom somewhere near school, and you’ll be living somewhere else. Of course, you’re welcome to buy me out if you want to keep it to yourself, but we both know that isn’t likely.” How they got in this position, not together, but still sharing a child, a home, and a place of work, was beyond her, but she hated it, and everyday the strain was becoming more apparent. “This was never supposed to be a long-term arrangement. Don’t make me out to be the weak one because you’re too lazy to do anything about this situation,” she glowered. They were living in a pressure cooker, and it was only a matter of time before one of them blew, and she wasn’t sure either of them could be held responsible for their actions when that time came. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you,” she said. “Any excuse to look down your nose at me and you’re all over it.” 

[nadialamont]

“I want to sell the house,” Nadia said. She figured pulling the band-aid off fast was the best way to broach the subject with Bob, and it was a huge bomb to drop. The home they had shared together, though she had fought tooth and nail to keep it for Emmy’s sake, was simply too big and expensive for one person’s crappy teacher salary. “Since your name is on the mortgage, I need you to sign some stuff. Think you can manage that without causing a scene?” She added, a hint of snideness in her tone. 

@robertxsimmons