"IS THIS LOVE?"
Pairing: Artem Wing x oc
Genre: angst 💞
Word count: 1410
💌How much longer did Artem think Elaine would stay silent and go along with his lack of action for fear of doing something wrong? Even the most voluminous jar has its capacity.💌
Setting: Artem's office
She had hated how he kept putting her down. What made it worse was that he always did it unknowingly.
They had known each other since their university years. And that hurt her even more. Almost 10 years together and yet, she always faltered when he opened his mouth to placate her with his sweet words.
"It is your problem, Elaine. Why should I keep bothering with your 'insecurity issues' when my words clearly don't console you? You can't expect me to neglect Rosa for you." Artem spoke, not even looking up from the paper he was highlighting.
She felt neglected, 'Does he not even care enough to look up at me when he is speaking?' She wanted to cry, laugh, yell and scream, thrash around his room like a mad woman. But she held it in.
"You know I don't mean that. But can't you just try and see it from my-" She tried to press on, wishing he would look up... at least once.
"No, no I can't. I have been hearing about this ever since she came to the office. So what? I had to cancel some dates. I had to cancel a few plans. You have done it too, it isn't any different. But you just want to create a big deal out of it, don't you?" He cut her off, his voice as calm as ever. He too, was troubled with her.
They both knew a conversation on this topic was important. He knew that he wasn't doing right by not looking at her while they were arguing. But he couldn't bring himself to look at her. If he did, he would break down. Her face was twisted, the kind that made him worry about their relationship. But he knew, he very much did, that she wasn't in the right in this argument. And he was tired of their constant arguments.
"I have, yes." She admitted, "I have, in the past, cancelled dates as much as you. But I do inform you beforehand, do I not?" She questioned him, walking forward. "And you know the problem isn't about cancelling dates. Such things are unavoidable in our lines of work. I would never hold it against you."
"Then, what is it?" His voice was stern as he stared at the papers in his hand The words weren't making sense to him anymore, he sighed.
"You did not inform me beforehand that you would cancel, Artem! You can't just throw that sort of information to my face after I am already at your doorstep, or when the waiters are feeling too sorry for me to even move around my table." She was tired, frustrated and most of all, embarrassed.
"But I did tell you, didn't I? So your argument that I cancelled the date without telling you beforehand is incorrect."
She tried to stop the twitching in her fingers, she wanted to let her frustrations lose. 'I can't punch him here, I would be risking a lawsuit.' "Are we court, Mr. Attorney?" she saw him frown and weirdly enough, this time she didn't feel anything.
"You know I didn't mean it like that Elaine." He trailed off, but still refused to look at her.
"But I did. I meant everything I said and implied and I think we should-" She was cut off by him grabbing her hands and staring straight at her eyes.
"We are not breaking up." His voice was filled with hurt and her eyes immediately softened.
"I wasn't about to say that." She freed her hands from his grasp. "I was about to ask you for a break."
"It's the same thing, Elaine." He was desperate now. He was aware that if they took a break, it could quite truly be the catalyst to a break-up.
"You are treating me like I am your opposition in court again." She responded "With that condescending tone... and you know what? Maybe I am wrong and they are the same, but would that be so bad?"
"Elaine." He walked to her now, she was seated in front of him. "I do not treat you-"
"You do!" She cut him off, "And news flash dude, I am the same age as you." She put on an expression of faux surprise, "Mind blowing, isn't it?"
"You are acting like a child."
"Am I? I wasn't aware." She replied sarcastically, "But I think we are done here, wouldn't you say the same, Mr.?"
"Elaine." His voice was stern, "We are not done here, we have not even reached a conclusion. And I do not agree with your proposal."
"You do not agree? Who would've thought." She walked towards his table now and picked up a book, 'Fading Love'. "Why do you have this on your table anyway?'
"You gave it to me to read." he walked towards her again and took a closer look at the book.
"What's the book about?" She quizzed him, hiding the book behind her.
"Elaine." He tried to grab the book from her but she moved behind his desk in time.
"What, Elaine? I am pretty sure when I read it, it wasn't about me." She felt safe behind the desk.
"Fading love is about a love that has faded..."
"Sure-"
"And it is about a married couple. They start to see each other less and less... and their marriage is not safe anymore." He sighed, he knew she would be using this against him now.
"Doesn't this remind you of someone? Or specifically, a couple we both know very well?" She asked him.
"No. No it doesn't." He knew her point but he did not want to agree with her.
"I know you do, Artem. You are not dumb. You know what I'm implying. This book is about future us!"
"It's not about future us. We are better than them." He argued.
"Better? How are we better? The only difference between us and the couple in the book is that their separation will be more difficult with all the legal stuff. But for us? There won't be any such thing. We can both just say 'bye', walk away and never look back." She was huffing after she poured out all her anger and annoyance.
"Don't say that, Els.. We are great together." He pleaded with her.
"Great? Yes.. Maybe in the past we were great but I don't see how that is possible anymore, Artem. Clearly you don't care for my feelings."
"I do care. There is no one else I care for more than you." He grabbed her hands and held on to them, tracing light circles atop.
"No.. no, you are wrong, Artem. I don't know if its Rosa you care more for or your reputation but I can assure you that am not at the top of your priority list. stop-I already know what you want to ask me. You want to know now I am so sure of this right? Well, Mr. Attorney, I guess you have trained me well because I can list out multiple counts of neglect. If you need, I can submit the report to the judge."
"Just because I forgot to inform you of a few dates?" Artem sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Just a few dates?! I know that you know me well enough to know that I would not have this reaction had it been just your usual lack of planning skills. But NO! It is not just that. This is for the humiliation, embarrassment and pain you've caused me just for some rendezvous with her!"
She started to make her move towards the door of his office again when he grabbed her and spun her around again to face him. " You can't just fault the poor innocent girl for a relationship already on a rocky tract..."
She winced in pain and shock as she processed his words, " A relationship already on a rocky tract... Was that how you saw us, Artem? I hope you are glad then, you won't have to trudge along this path anymore. Go to whatever smooth sailing path you compared our relationship with." She removed his hands from her shoulder, before closing the door she turned around to look at his downcast gaze,"You claim that I am faulting a 'poor innocent girl', but my love, I am not. I place the blame only on the 'guilty man I thought I was in a steady relationship with.' "
