Yeah just a little something that wouldn't leave my brain. So have at it.
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Abby decides to go investigate this new friend of Frank's he keeps talking about. Repeatedly. Endlessly. Nauseatingly.
Mel did this
Mel said the funniest that
Abby knows he isn't cheating. Frank is more loyal than that fucking dog he brought home. But there's a warmth in his voice that she hasn't heard in a long long time. Her husband sounds like he has a crush. And is completely oblivious to it.
So she decides to damn it all and be that wife she swore to herself she'd never be. The snooping one. Suss this woman out for herself.
Under the guise of dropping off his lunch (he could never remembered the damned thing. Abby had stopped bringing them in shortly after she'd gotten pregnant the second time.)
Dana spots her immediately. And knows. That all knowing stare over her glasses. But she doesn't say anything. Doesn't have to. Abby hovers awkwardly. Craning her neck to try and find him.
She hears him first. His laugh big and boisterous. A second laugh joins in. A little deeper than Abby had expected. But they blend together well. Beautifully even.
Abby clutches the lunch in her hands. No doubt crushing whatever the fuck she had brought in. No clue now. Because she sees them.
Mel King. She's blonde and petite. Pretty in a way that demanded a second look. Not typical. Big wide eyes with a wider smile.
And smart if she was getting Frank laughing like that.
His eyes drag away from her like it takes effort, concentrated effort. Widen in shock as he sees his wife standing there. Completely out of place. Mel tilts her head curiously. Asks Frank a question who mutely nods.
He's not happy about this.
Well neither is Abby.
Dr Mel King walks over and immediately sticks her hand out with a big friendly smile.
Abby feels beyond guilty. In one gesture Abby knows this woman. And she's just nailed the final nail in her marriages coffin with it.
"Mel King, so happy to meet you Mrs Langdon."
Dana flinches behind her back.
Yeah it wasn't going to be Langdon for much longer. Perhaps only Mel and Frank weren't aware.
Shit.
She likes this woman.
'Yeah call me Abby.'
I think my husband is in love with you. And after 10 seconds I get it.
what’s this? Billford fluff?
why yes indeed! I thought it’d round out all the angst I’ve been posting.
Technically I was thinking of the uncle bill au when I thought of this, wanted to capture the exact moment Bill gave up on his plans for world domination but honestly? Could also be set in the normal timeline idk.
It had taken much longer than it should have done for Frank to realise that neither he nor Abby had said I love you to each other for over 6 months. One second he was sitting at the staff table. Trying to ignore the picture of adorable that was Abbot and Samira.
Was it six months?
Could be longer?
Of course this random thought rapidly spiralled.
Samira and Abbot talking quietly and softly. But nothing was as soft as those gazes. When was the last time he'd look at his wife like that?
Luckily for him neither of the besotted Doctors were paying him any mind. His rapid existential crisis. They left him be. Spoon mid air, soup rapidly growing cold.
Once there had been a time he'd texted Abby he loved her every hour. And now he had no clue when he'd last said it? Never mind felt it.
Oh shit.
'Dr Langdon? Are you okay?' He nearly jumped out of his skin. The unexpected voice cutting through his thoughts like a knife. Spoon colliding with the opposite wall. Tomato soup looking a little blood splatter.
Well that felt appropriate.
Mel King picked up the spoon with a frown on her face. Thick eyebrows knotting together in concern.
He hastily stood up and helped her clean up his mess. Trying to stop her. However one of the many things he'd learned since his return was that Mel King rarely could be stopped. From finding answers to helping people. She truly was the most stubborn woman he'd ever met.
'Frank.' At work she tended to default to his full title. He pretended not to notice her pink cheeks. Not to save her any embarrassment but for his own sanity. Married men should not have crushes. God help him.
'Frank.' She echoed her voice dropping a little. Frank didn't need to check his smart watch to know his heart rate tick up. 'Are you okay?'
He dragged a hand through his hair. Standing up and dumping his soup out in the sink. Mel's lips pursed at the food wastage. It had already been in the fridge for two days. But she'd kill him if she'd figured that out. Mel made herself a cup of tea. Glancing over at him far more often than necessary.
He debated telling her. If he was going to he could do it here. Mel was ahead of him. As per usual. Travel mug at the go.
'The usual?' Robby and Abbot at the roof. Since his rehab stint he and Mel had the stairwell. He tried not to read too much into it. But he'd found himself that first shift back hyperventilating in the corner of it. Mel had found him and talked him down.
So now when either of them became overwhelmed. That's where they went.
Frank paced back and forth on the landing. Brain whirling out of control. Mel sat on the staircase above him. Sipping her tea and watching with growing worry.
Frank turned to face her. Tried to speak. But how could he say this without sounding like an asshole? Mel was probably one of the few people in the world who saw the best in him. He really didn't want to wreck that. Even if her faith in him was completely misplaced.
'Can I ask you something?' Her left eyebrow raised, heading tilting. Right specific question. 'A personal one?'
Mel adjusted her glasses, biting down on her lip. 'I may not have an answer but okay.'
'I'm sorry if this sounds completely inappropriate-' Her face twisted in bewilderment. No doubt trying to list the possibilities and in order of likeliness to be asked. '-but do you remember the last time you told Becca you loved her?'
She straightened up. Her eyes narrowing at him. 'Yeah the end of our call last night. Why?'
Frank leaned against the wall opposite her. Staring up at the ceiling completely lost. If he actually admitted to this. It made it real. And real to someone outside of his marriage. Someone who made him wonder what if he wasn't married.
Her eyes looked even larger in her empathy. So pretty really. 'You can tell me anything Frank. I'm not going to judge you, you know that.' Maybe she should. Check him real fucking hard.
'Problem is. If I say it...'
Mel placed her tea down by the banister. Careful to keep it out of the way. She leaned against the wall next to him. Mimicking his stance. 'It becomes real.'
Frank nodded with an accenting hum. The scent of mint tea was soothing. Steadied him. He'd come to associate that feeling with her. He'd only been back 6 months. But Mel King had slotted directly into his life. Not just someone who wanted to learn from him. But a friend. A confidant.
'But if you don't acknowledge it even just to yourself. It'll eat you alive Frank. I promise I won't think any worse of you.'
He aimed for a light joke. Trying to break the tension in his head. 'Because your opinion can't go any lower?' Her glare, so rarely seen in the wild, was withering. But there was a deep, deep hint of mirth. But her elbow was sharp.
He closed his eyes with a deep steadily breath.
'I can't remember the last time I told Abby I loved her.'
There he said it.
And his world didn't fall apart at the seams.
'I can't remember the last time she said it to me.' Mel was staring up at him now. Eyes bambi large in her face. 'But that's not the worst thing... I can't remember when I last felt it.'
As she often was, Mel was right. He didn't feel bad that he said it. It was a relief. Something heavy breaking away.
'Oh.'
Memory really was a funny thing. He couldn't remember the last time he'd told his wife of almost a decade he loved her. But the moment he first saw Mel King was still so vivid he could swear it was yesterday.
having to watch your parents slowly fall out of love with each other when your older siblings moved out before it became a real issue is truly an experience
we were so madly in love; shopping for your vegan food; comfort bundles when it was that time of the month; cute little notes left around the house; late night mcdonalds runs in our pjs; picnics in the royal parks with the deer; the way your face fit into my neck like a puzzle piece that had found its home; the way we spoiled our fur babies; surprise tickets to a concert or theatre event just because why not; congratulations cards for promotions at work; counting the times; beating our times; bubble baths together; too busy to notice your eyeliner was blinding you; bingeing our shows but first snacks; christmas with your family; ‘broken windows and empty hallways’ while it rained; sticky tape to fix our broken furniture; sims on a beanbag on a mattress; you were amazed by the storm; ‘i am not starting this day until you kiss me’; long drives in jellybean; fabian; twenty three; five years of absolute joy, a ‘pinch myself’ kind of love..for me at least. all of this and the memory of wanting to end it all; the numbness; ‘if i don’t have you i don’t have anything’; memory is a beautiful curse.
Over the years’ I’ve broadened my dating pool out of a combination of curiosity, necessity, and lately, by chancing upon dudes who lie compulsively.
Lying you say?
Yes, I know. Lying isn’t exactly new to online dating. Between myself and my pool of single chicas we’ve all encountered chubsters, baldies, a guy in a wheelchair, a AARP member and yes, even people who have used someone elses photo…
