A Real Love

Nyomi didn't know what to do, she had been stupid to trust her husband Carl would not cheat on her for a third time now. Upon discovering his infidelity, she fled her own home and turned to the only man who had ever warned her from marrying Carl, her best friend Mark.

The two had been friends since College, and now almost thirty years of age they had been friends until three months ago, when Carl had cheated on her for the second time in their marriage Nyomi had forgiven him.

Mark told her, if she wanted to repeat this routine for the rest of her life he could not bear to watch her doing it, and broke his friendship with her.

The reason however for this, was that Mark had been hiding his feelings for Nyomi since their College years.

Sadly fearing it would destroy their friendship, he never told her his true feelings for her and watching her marry Carl, and seeing her cheated on by him was too much for Mark to bear.

Now she stood outside of his apartment, unsure if her arrival at his door would upset him or if he'd even open the door to her.

Her beautiful dark, brown skin shimmered in the light of the street lamp outside Mark's building, as she wore a pair of blue jeans, and a grey blouse.

Her dark black hair was combed, and cascaded over her shoulders.

"God what am I doing? He won't even open the door to me, if he sees it's me."

Nyomi said with a sigh, swinging her arm in frustration.

The waiting was worse than the actual outcome, and so in frustration with tears in her eyes she fought back, she walked up to his front door and pressed the doorbell.

Fighting back tears, she tried to put on a brave face.

The door soon opened, and Mark stood there. Changed somewhat from the last time she saw her friend, he was a changed man.

No longer clean-shaven, but with a thick black beard and short hair he stood looking at her in a pair of jogging bottoms, and a t-shirt.

"Nyomi..."

Was all Mark could say in his strong Scottish accent.

"Mark."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them both.

"Can I come in, please? I want to talk."

Mark sighed, and nodded walking inside his apartment followed in tow by Nyomi behind.

She closed the door behind her, and followed Mark into his front room where the television and couch was.

Mark had been half-way through a microwave meal, of curry and rice on the coffee table in it's container.

Mark was single, and had been for a while and so he didn't have a luxury of a cooked meal often.

He made some space on the couch for Nyomi, and sat down as she sat next to him.

"It's been a while, since we last spoke."

Mark said gently.

"It has."

Nyomi said gently clasping her fingers together on her knees.

"So what made you come here?"

Nyomi said, bringing her hands to her face.

"He did it again, he cheated on me again. The third time now."

Mark sighed, standing from the couch.

"I'm not going to be your sob-pillow again Nyomi, only for you to go back to that fucker again."

Mark said defensively.

"Mark please, I need you."

Nyomi said in tears.

"For you to go back to him again? No! I am not going to be there for you, to go back to that prick again."

Mark was angry, infuriated but he would never harm Nyomi.

He loved her, he always had loved her.

"I'm not going to be here for you, for you only to go and run back to Carl."

Nyomi was at her wits end, Mark was always her best friend and he was literally telling her he was not going to support her again.

"Please Mark you're all I have!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Every time! Every fucking time he's done this to you, I was there. I am not some fucking pillow to run to, I'm not just there for you to cry to!"

Nyomi looked up at him with wet eyes.

"What does that have anything to do with us as friends?"

"Because it's all I've ever been with you! Friends, never more than that!"

Mark wanted to punch a wall, a mirror to let out his frustration at the only woman he had and still did still love, being so far away from him in life.

"You marry Carl, and you look past the one fucking guy. The one guy, who was always there for you Nyomi, all for another cheat of a man!"

Nyomi was crying.

"I don't understand any of this, you never told me anything of how you truly felt about me not now, not even at College."

Mark sighed, calming himself.

"Because I didn't want to lose you as a friend, Nyomi."

It all made sense to her now, Mark never approved of any man Nyomi dated. Not in some possessive way, but in a manner that spoke of him struggling with feelings of his own for her. Mark never approved of Carl, even claiming he was never good enough for her. Because in his mind, he was the one he so wished to be with her.

Nyomi looked up at her oldest male friend, and sighed.

"You've wanted me, to be with me as far back as College?"

Mark laughed half-heartedly.

"Was it so hard to see?"

Nyomi stood.

"I should go."

Mark sighed, and breathed in deeply.

"Go on then, run back to that sleaze of a man who cheats on you with any woman he sees fit. You're worth more than that, and you know it, but you've never acknowledged it."

Nyomi was breathing hard herself, the revelations turning her mind.

Nyomi was about to leave Mark's home, but he took her hand.

"Tell me, truly tell me. Is it so absurd, to think of me as more than just that friend at College?"

Nyomi brushed his hand away.

"I can't deal with this right now."

Nyomi ran to the door, yanking it open and running out into the night air as the door closed behind her.

She saw him watching her, from his lounge through the window and her heart was skipping more beats than an MRI machine in a hospital.

She turned, and walked home to face Carl.

In her mind, she'd rather face Carl than face the feelings Mark had for her.

The Next Day, 6:30pm, Nyomi's House

Nyomi had been packing her things for an hour or more, basic clothes and such in a suitcase to take to her mother's house in Birmingham where she planned to stay for the foreseeable future.

Carl was out, at least she hoped he wouldn't be back until she had left.

The sound of the front door opening, and closing signalled that Carl had returned home sooner than she had hoped.

"Oh no."

She said in a whisper to herself during her packing.

She tried to shove what was remaining of her clothing into the suitcase, but Carl walked into the bedroom catching her in the act.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

He demanded of her.

"I'm going to my mother's in Birmingham, this third time is the last straw for me."

With shaking hands she closed her suitcase.

Carl stood there in his jeans, and shirt anger clear on his face.

"You think you're leaving me?"

Nyomi had tears in her eyes, standing in front of her cheating husband in a long black skirt, and blouse.

"I gave you no reason to cheat on me, Carl. Never, not once. I was a good wife, a good lover. I did my best, and you threw it away for another woman, three women in fact."

Nyomi attempted to push past Carl in the doorway, holding her suitcase.

Carl lashed out, grabbing Nyomi by her long black hair.

"You married me, you married this as well."

Nyomi screamed in pain, as he pulled on her hair.

Unknown to the pair, Mark had come to the house to apologise to Nyomi for last night and how he threw his feelings at her, and put unnecessary pressure on her. It wasn't by magic he was on his way to see her, he had been pondering the choice to see her and make things right with his best friend. He had attempted to call her, but Nyomi hadn't answered any of his calls or texts.

He had even brought her some flowers, thinking she would appreciate the gesture.

As he approached the front door of the two-storey house, Mark her Nyomi screaming from inside.

"Carl please, you can't stop me from leaving!"

Mark heard every word, since their bedroom was near the front door of the property but on the second floor of the property.

Inside Carl was forcing Nyomi against their cupboard, in their bedroom.

"You never leave me, you married me for life and I decide on who I fuck or be with but you will always be here. Waiting for your loving husband."

The taunt was painful for her to bear, this wasn't a marriage but a forced-unison.

"You never loved me."

Carl tightened his hold of her hair, making her wince and Nyomi's legs went weak.

Crash!

The front door of the house was kicked in, Nyomi and Carl both heard it from upstairs.

"Nyomi!"

A rough, harsh Scottish voice called.

There was the sound of an individual running up the stairs, and Carl looked to their open bedroom as Mark stumbled inside wearing his jeans and a hooded-jumper.

Carl looked at Mark, only ever meeting him once or twice at the wedding and afterwards.

He never liked Mark, sensing that he had feelings for Nyomi himself.

"Let her go."

Carl grunted in anger, at the intrusion of his own home.

"This is my house. Leave!"

But Mark didn't move an inch from the doorway.

"Mark."

It was a whisper from Nyomi, looking at him with glassy eyes.

The man who was always there for her, and she never noticed. A bear of a man, with a thick beard staring at Carl as if he was the monster of the world.

"A real big man, ain't you? Beating on your own fucking wife, after she discovers you cheated on her again."

Mark slowly entered the room, staring across at Carl with pure revulsion.

"Stay out of this, she's my wife!"

Carl retorted in a grunt.

"And that gives you a fucking reason to hurt her? She's never hurt you, nor ever cheated on you. What gives you the fucking right to lay your hands on her?"

Carl released Nyomi's hair, and she slid down the cupboard to her knees crying.

"Get out of my house, now!"

Carl shouted, breathing hard and shaking.

"Make me, ya' cunt."

Carl rounded on Mark.

Out of the pair, Mark was calm but determined. Carl was upset, not thinking straight. His anger fuelling him, and his actions.

"If you want a fair fight pal, I'm right here."

The challenge was clear from Mark's mouth, and Carl was the type of man to be goaded into a fight just like this one.

"A big man, let's see if you can take a fair fight with someone."

Mark clenched his fists, staring at Carl.

Carl lunged for Mark enraged, but Mark side-stepped his charge and turned to punch him in his ribs.

Carl collapsed to the floor, clutching his side spitting in anger at being embarrassed.

Nyomi watched the two square off, Carl turning getting onto his feet to look back at Mark who was now stood in front of Nyomi on the floor.

"If ya' want to lay your hands on this woman again, you're going to go through me first. If I'm still fucking standing, I will never back down to protect this woman."

Carl lunged once again, charging for Mark.

Mark didn't move and as Carl came at him, he brought his foot up landing it on Carl's chest sending him flying backwards into the wall of the room.

Mark unzipped his hooded-jumper, wearing a plain black t-shirt beneath it and Nyomi saw the muscular chest beneath it, the broad shoulders he had worked on since they last really saw one another.

"Get your stuff Nyomi, on your feet. You're leaving."

Nyomi on unsteady legs got onto her feet, and retrieved her suitcase.

"She's not going anywhere."

Carl grunted in a spiteful tone, spitting blood from his mouth onto the carpet floor.

"Oh really, are you going to stop her?"

Carl was unsteady on his feet, clutching his ribs.

"Leave Carl, because there is only one way you're getting to her. Over my dead fucking body."

Carl saw an intensity that Nyomi also noticed in Mark's eyes. Conviction, determination. He was willing to fight for her, even be hurt for her.

"You crazy Scottish bastard!"

Carl spat.

Mark simply smiled.

"You're not the first person to call me that, but I can prove it correct if you'd like me to."

Another threat, laced with passion as he stood in Carl's way to get to Nyomi.

Carl slowly stepped aside, and Mark took Nyomi's hand and walked her past an out-of-breath Carl from the bedroom and down the stairs.

Nyomi saw the bouquet of flowers on the floor of the corridor, as they walked past it out of the house.

He bought them for me. Nyomi realised.

"Where are you going?"

Mark asked her gently.

"Train station, I am going to my mother's in Birmingham."

Mark nodded, in his mind he wished it was otherwise but he cared for Nyomi over his own wants.

"I'll take you to the train station, get you on that train."

Nyomi didn't say anything, and nodded feeling safe. Safe for the first time in her life, a feeling she had felt at a level of friendship with Mark. But now there was something more there.

Mark called a black cab, and it took them to Euston train station in Central London.

Throughout the whole transfer to the station, Mark said nothing but she sensed he wanted to say a great many things to her before she left.

At the station wrapped up in a large coat against the winter weather, she looked at Mark with his grizzled beard and luring hazel eyes.

He smiled at her.

"Your train is boarding."

The Scottish man she had befriended in College in Manchester was about to say goodbye to her, and she feared she'd never see him again in her life.

"Mark-."

Mark cut her off gently with his hand.

"Get on that train, forget about him and move on with your life Nyomi. You deserve happiness in your life."

Nyomi was crying, and gently pressed her head to Mark's chest as he embraced her with his arms resting his own cheeks on her forehead.

"I never knew, I am so sorry Mark."

Kissing her forehead, he whispered into her ear.

"I love you Nyomi, I should have told you. I left it too late."

The pair were watched by those in the station, looking like a couple saying their goodbyes. People truly oblivious to what the two had gone through together.

Nyomi noticed scars on his wrists, and knuckles. But they were not fresh, they were healing and old. She wondered what he had been through in those three months since she had last spoken to him in person.

A message was called from the station speakers, the train bound for Birmingham was ready to leave in mere minutes.

They embraced, her feeling his heart beat in his chest against her cheek.

"I've dreamt of holding you like this, for almost half of my adult life."

He whispered to her.

Their bodies twirling slowly as they held one another, Nyomi pleading in her own mind to tell him she could love him. His heartbeat made her own heart skip a beat.

"Your mother is waiting, Nyomi."

He said gently, but fighting against his own judgement to break their embrace.

Mark saw the tears in her eyes, and gently with his thumb rubbed their away from her dark cheeks.

Nyomi hadn't released her grip of Mark's waist.

"Mark-."

He gently kissed her once, on the lips and the kiss was electric for Nyomi.

Feelings she hadn't felt in years, surging through her body, heart and mind in a flurry of speed.

"Goodbye, Nyomi."

Gently he slipped her hands from his waist, and held them in his.

As if her body was hard-wired, she gently turned to the platform archway where her train waited.

Slowly she took small steps towards the platform, pulling her suitcase with her on its wheels.

She turned to glance over her shoulder, seeing Mark standing there.

His hair brown, but his beard in the light of the day brown and copper red covering his entire jaw and face.

A bear, but a loving bear with her as he always had been with her since they had become friends.

Mark was struggling to hold back, from running to her as he clenched his fists in the pockets of his hooded-jumper staring back at her in the busy terminal.

He was tall, she had never noticed before.

He was built, rugged, broad shoulder like a disciplined sentry on guard watching her forcing his emotions down, to stop his own tears of regret.

Her hands were clammy, moist from sweat as she struggled to walk the short distance to the platform as she looked at Mark over her shoulder.

Minutes later she was on the train, alone at a table cradling her face and crying.

Mark was struggling to leave the station, but found the courage to walk to her platform and watch the train pull out of the station.

All the while, unaware Nyomi could see him from her window seat.

"Mark."

Was all she could say to herself, alone at the table watching him.

And she was soon gone, bound for Birmingham.

*****

All feedback is appreciated, I want to gauge how people found this story to see if I can continue this series if the right people want it.