Too Sweet Pt. 04

"I wasn't planning on it," Teddy said. "They'll hear about it eventually."

He was flat on his back on his bed with my copy of Uzumaki held above his face. I don't know how he read like that, especially not with a massive, heavy book like Uzumaki, but who was I to tell Teddy how to read?

"I'm not sure this one's for me," he said apologetically and closed the book. "That thing with the tongue is, um, a lot."

"If the tongue bit is too much, you definitely don't want to go any further," I agreed. "I have lighter stuff if you just want to read a pretty graphic novel." Teddy wouldn't be the first or last person to back out of a Junji Ito book. Teddy just shrugged at that and said he would take a look at my bookshelves.

"What kind of wedding do you want?" Teddy asked.

"I've never been a wedding person. Just you and me at the courthouse would be fine," I suggested.

"You would be such a pretty bride," Teddy said with a little disappointment.

"What kind of wedding do you want?" I asked him and hopped on the bed to force him to wrap his long arms around me.

"Small ceremony in the park and an after party at the Tavern?" he said hopefully. "I really would like at least my sister and the guys there. But it doesn't have to be a whole thing if you don't want that. I know weddings are really about the bride."

"You sweet man, we can do whatever you want. I don't have enough people to fill up my half of the church, but if you want to invite everyone you know, we can do that."

"So, if I'm planning the wedding," Teddy said thoughtfully with a playful grin spreading on his face, "Then I pick the outfits, right?"

"Oh, I see where this is going," I pretended to be annoyed. "You don't have to marry me to see me in that white goddess dress."

Teddy tried to look innocent, but he just looked adorable and guilty.

"Can I do both?" he asked.

"Sure, you can do both. You really want everyone to see me in that dress or is that, like, a fetish?" I teased him.

"It's not a fetish," Teddy scoffed. "You would look so, so beautiful, diosa. Oh! Hold on, I want to show you something."

Teddy got up and flipped through the sketchbook he was currently working through. He stopped on one page and hesitated. He could be shy about his art, but he usually shared it with me without thinking about it.

"Estás bien, querido. ¿Qué es?" I asked.

"I'm a little worried you're going to think this is creepy," he said doubtfully.

"I mean, it would take a lot to freak me out. You do know I used to go to fetish clubs and shit, right?" I laughed.

"It's not like that. It's, um," Teddy trailed off and blushed a little. God, that man.

"¡A ver! Eres mi artista favorito. ¡Quiero verlo!" I encouraged him. As usual, my hacky attempt at Spanish always bolstered his confidence. He shyly offered me the sketchbook and my mouth fell open.

It was another of his art nouveau style watercolor and ink paintings, but this was a modern scene of me in the coffee shop. I was wearing my usual tee shirt and jeans, but he had toned down the black to a soft gray. My hair was in the long french braid I wore it in at work with tendrils escaping to frame my face. The steam from the espresso machine formed intricate swirls in the background.

"Teddy! This is amazing!" I gasped.

"Do you like it?" he asked shyly. "I was worried you wouldn't."

"Do I like it? ¡Aye, querido! ¡Eres loco! I've never seen anything so beautiful!" I felt a stupid grin on my face that I couldn't tone down. "Can I frame it? It has to be the first picture we hang in our house. Please?"

"You can do whatever you want with it," Teddy said. His ears were pink at my praise.

...

Teddy

Kit sat quietly while the mortgage broker quizzed me over various parts of my pay structure. He glanced at Kit's information and nodded.

"So, you're a barista?" he confirmed. "And before that you were a staffing agent? Why the change?"

"Quality of life," Kit said with a fake smile and a forced laugh. I squeezed her hand. "The pay is the same."

We managed a pre-approval for more money than seemed wise. Kit popped her helmet back on the second we stepped out of the door. I suspected she was trying to hide her face.

"¿Estás bien, diosa?" I asked her over the helmet connection once we were on my bike. She squeezed me and I felt her shrug against my back. "¿Quieres mirar casas?"

"Sure, let's go scare the potential neighbors," she answered. I zipped us out to one of the older neighborhoods that bordered downtown.

...

Ben

It was one of the rare days that I worked alone. Kit was off with Teddy looking at houses, which was completely bonkers, but ok, so I was juggling the rush orders and the cash register at the same time. I didn't mind it, exactly. I had done it for years before I grew the shop into the profitable business it was then. I had spent days pouring through our books, orders, and sales, trimming fat and eliminating waste as I went.

At the tail end of the rush, a guy in a polo shirt leaned up on the pick up bar and looked around the shop.

"I thought Kit Clark worked here," he said thoughtfully. I glanced up at him warily.

"You a friend of hers?" I asked.

"Yeah," he answered. I didn't like the way he smiled at me. It felt very empty. "I've been trying to get in touch with her, but I think I have an old number. When does she work next?"

"I'll give her a message," I said. "We don't give out work schedules. Store policy." A brand new store policy I just made up, but no one had ever asked before. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"No, that's ok," he said. "I'll come back another time." He left without buying anything. Fucking suspicious.

I texted Kit, "Some dude in a business casual was just in here asking about you. Medium height, brown hair. Kind of scruffy looking."

Her texts came back in a series of short replies, "Oh shit. Oh fuck. Did you tell him anything?"

"No, of course not. Who was that guy?"

"Bad. He's a bad guy. Please don't give him any info on me. Please".

"I wouldn't. Look, if he comes back, I'll ban him from the store, ok?"

"Ok, thank you. He's dangerous. Be careful."

Jesus.

I had to let that go and focus on the shop. The afternoon rush carried me through to the lull comfortably enough until Mike showed up.

"Hey, Benji," Mike greeted me.

"Don't call me that," I snapped.

"Ira calls you that?" he countered.

"You're not Ira," I said sourly. He arched an eyebrow at me.

"You're more snappy than usual. I thought you were a professional?" he challenged me.

"Weird morning. You ordering something? Kit's not here if that's why you came," I told him. "She has half the town coming in here to look for her."

"Who's looking for Kit?" Mike asked warily. I didn't answer him, so he went on to explain why he was asking, "There's a guy I kind of know that Teddy asked me to look out for."

I softened at that. A request from Teddy was much different than Mike being nosy.

"Some scruffy guy in a polo shirt," I answered. "I didn't get a name."

"Oh, shit," Mike mumbled. He tapped at his cell and showed me a screenshot. "This guy?"

"Yeah, that guy," I said. "Who is that guy? Why do you have his Fetlife screenshotted?"

"Some guy who's harassing Kit, apparently. He's bad news. He got kicked out of the scene around here for the shit he pulled," Mike told me quietly. "I know you hate me, but I'm really not fucking around on this. Teddy pulled some white knight shit. That guy is probably trying to reassert himself."

"Of course Teddy put himself in the middle," I sighed. "Chronic superman complex on that one. I warned Kit that he was in here. I'll keep an eye out."

"Did you tell Smokey?"

"Not yet, but I will. Does Ted like you calling him cutesy nicknames?" I asked.

"He hasn't said anything about it," Mike answered and shrugged.

I considered what I was about to say next carefully. I settled on it probably being better coming from me than Teddy.

"He and Kit are engaged," I said. Mike blanched a bit, but he tried to cover it with his cocky smirk. "They're out house shopping right now."

"Oh, yeah? About time," he said tightly. "Those two are made for each other."

"Yeah, they are," I agreed. "Don't fuck it up for them."

Mike sighed and nodded with his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"I'm not planning on it," he answered stiffly. "If she's really as good to him as it seems, Teddy deserves her. You know, someone who appreciates him."

"He deserves someone who won't fuck around on him and then try to trick him into staying," I said pointedly.

"Yeah, someone better than me. I get it," Mike chuckled grimly. "I'm not after Ted anymore."

"Or Ira?" I pushed.

"Ira won't even talk to me, so no," Mike answered. "Maybe I just realized how much I fucked up and I'm hoping to be the group pariah again, at least."

"Maybe if you can convince Teddy. He's the forgiving one," I said.

"Right," Mike scoffed. "Look, text me if that guy shows up when Kit's here? I live nearby and I work remote most of the time. I can get here fast if he causes trouble."

"And you're a big bad bodyguard now?"

"More than you are," Mike chuckled. "Can I get a latte? Oat milk, no sugar?"

I made him his coffee and handed it over. He looked down at the foam with a little smirk.

"The lattes here are usually prettier."

"You have to order from Kit to get latte art," I explained. Mike paid and tipped me the full price of the drink. "You're going to have to start going down the street. The guilt tipping is getting expensive."

Mike shrugged and took his coffee outside to drink.

12

Kit

Ethan found me.

Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God.

Teddy had his hands on my arms, he was talking but I couldn't hear it. The world was roaring in my ears. Teddy pulled me up from where I had sunk down to crouch against the wall in the hallway of the cutest little house. I couldn't keep my feet under me. He lifted me and set me down on some stranger's couch instead of leaving me on the floor. His soft voice and the warm grip of his hands on my arms brought me back to Earth.

"Kit? What's going on? What happened?" he was asking me quietly. The realtor was hovering around, asking if I needed water or something. I glanced up at her and back at Teddy, trying to clear my head enough to answer.

"Ethan showed up at Steamed," I finally managed to whisper.

"Oh, shit," Teddy mumbled.

I was looking past him at the realtor in her colorful blazer and perfect hair.

"I want to go home. Please take me home?" I whimpered.

Teddy nodded and made some kind of excuse to the realtor. He was pushing my helmet on and had me back on his bike before I realized we were outside.

"My home or yours, diosa?" he asked me over the bluetooth.

"Wherever you will be." I didn't tell him it was because we needed to talk. I felt the pendulum swinging back at the inevitable ending.

"I'll be anywhere you want me," he answered.

Apparently he chose his own house instead of my apartment. I was inside the kitchen, still with my helmet on, and shaking uncontrollably.

"Kit, sit down," he said and gently led me to the table and took the helmet off my. " I'm sorry. I provoked him."

"It would have happened eventually. He threatened to find me plenty of times," I said dully. "He was going to come for me."

"He's not going to hurt you," Teddy promised.

I felt angry hot tears on my face. How could he promise something like that? How could he stop Ethan? How could anyone?

"You can't stop him. No one can stop him," I hissed. Teddy didn't withdraw from my anger. If anything, he leaned into it. "You can't fucking protect me! You couldn't even protect Maggie! What the fuck do you think you'll do?"

Teddy's eyes widened a bit at that, but he still sat there and endured it even as I started yelling.

"You aren't going to be my savior, Teddy! I'm not going to be your princess in a tower! All the shit I did is catching up," I felt my voice crack before I realized I was going to go from angry to sobbing. My voice was a gravelly whimper when I managed to talk again, "I warned you. I fucking warned you. I warned you that it would fall apart. I knew I would ruin everything."

Teddy had my hands in his and he waited. He was waiting for me to wind myself down. He didn't know. He didn't know that I wouldn't stop until I saw blood.

"I'm a fucking curse, Teddy! I'll drag you down with me," I sobbed. "Have you ever been to rock bottom? I've taken everyone who ever made the fucking mistake of loving me there. I left all of them there! This is the beginning. You haven't seen me at my worst yet. I'll get there. It will happen. It always happens."

Teddy still had my hands. I wanted to dig my nails into myself. I wanted a little pain to stop the spiral. But Teddy wouldn't let go. He knew exactly what I was trying to do.

"Kit," he said softly when I finally stopped ranting. "You didn't do this."

"Then who?" I nearly spat at him.

"This in particular? Ethan," Teddy said. "And me a little bit, playing superhero and poking the bear. Take a breath, Kit. Take a breath and look at me. Sólo respira, diosa."

I blinked at the watery room and at the hazy, familiar lines of Teddy's face.

"You can't believe that," I whispered. "I just told you. This is the beginning. Some awful ex sniffing around, then I'll spiral and you'll find me fucked out of my mind in some gutter somewhere and you'll fix me. It won't last. I'll promise never again and I'll even believe it. I'll believe that I'm not lying this time." I tried to pull my hands away, but Teddy still wouldn't let me squirm out of his firm, gentle hold.

"Let go, querido," I whispered.

"Why?" he asked. Those deep ocean eyes wouldn't let me go, either. "So you can hurt yourself?"

"You won't take the warnings. You won't leave," I whimpered. "I'll go. I'll be the hero this time. Let me do something right for once."

"That just sounds like you found another way to hurt yourself," Teddy said gently. "Do you really want me gone?"

"I have to leave," I croaked. "I'll hurt you. Ethan will hurt you."

"And what will he do to you?" Teddy still wouldn't let go.

"Nothing if I can hide well enough," I said miserably. "It was stupid of me to take a service job. One of his friends must have seen me there."

"Kit, you wouldn't change your phone number to keep him from winning. Are you going to quit the job you love? Are you really going to leave me for him?" Teddy's voice cracked a little when he said that, but his gaze stayed steady. "I'll help, Kit. Ben and Ira and Foster will help. Even Mike will help. You don't need to do this alone."

"Let go of my hands," I said flatly. Teddy sighed and released me. I squeezed the flesh of my thighs hard enough to draw tears from my eyes beneath the table where he couldn't see. He watched me like I was opening a vein.

"Kit, stop," he pleaded softly. "Stop."

I brought one hand back up, palm up, and held it out to him. Teddy flinched like I had raised a fist when he realized I was handing him back the perfect little black-gemmed ring.

"I don't deserve you," I said. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I'm too delusional to be kind. I shouldn't have let you get this far."

"Kit," he started, but he choked before he could go on. I waited with one hand still pinching the fat of my thigh as hard as I could. "Kit, don't. Please."

"I'm doing it for you," I whispered. "It's the first selfless thing I've done."

"Don't. I don't want it. If you're going to rock bottom again, let me keep you company down there," he said shakily. "I've been there before, Kit. I know the way back up."

"You almost died last time." My eyes strayed to his watch that I knew he only wore to hide his scars.

"I have a good reason not to die this time." He took the ring, but he caught my hand before I could pull it back and slipped it back on my finger. "I have to protect my wife."

"Teddy," I started, but he clutched my hand in both of his and shook his head.

"Don't leave to keep me safe, Kit," he begged me. "If that's the only reason, don't go. This isn't a hostage situation. I won't try to make you stay. But, please, please don't leave it that's the only reason."

"Teddy, I," I tried to argue, to insist, but my resolve broke under his soft pleas. "Will you hold me? I'm so scared."

Teddy didn't hesitate. He picked me up entirely and carried me back to his room. I didn't look at him as I shed the heavy motorcycle boots and black jeans I was wearing. Teddy stopped me from crawling under the blankets with the softest touch to the reddening handprints on my thighs. I would definitely have bruises in the morning.

But I couldn't have that conversation right then. I crawled into the bed and turned to the wall.

Teddy joined me a moment later after removing his own clothes. I felt his arms circling me and he pulled my back flush to his chest.

"Stay with me, please," he whispered into my hair. "I need you, diosa. You're the only future I want."

"I'll stay," I answered. "I'm so sorry to do that to you, but I'll stay."

...

Teddy

"What do I do?" I groaned.

Foster looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.

"What should you do or what would I do?" he asked.

"Both. Give me both options.

"You should convince Kit to stay here for a while and we make sure she's never here alone. If Ethan shows up and causes a scene at the shop, Ben will call the police. She's safe there. If he follows her here, we let him get far enough to give us an excuse to kick his ass, then we call the police," Foster said. "I would go out to that bar Mike mentioned and kick his ass up and down the highway for a while. But that's going to get you arrested and might turn out pretty bad if he has any buddies at all out there."

"So option one, right?" I sighed.

"Yeah, option one," Foster agreed grimly. "Send me that picture."

"Don't get yourself in trouble," I warned him. "Kit won't appreciate that."

"No, I'm going to work remote from the coffee shop for a bit. Ben and Kit aren't safe alone. I'll go keep an eye while you're on site," he said. "I can't stay there all day, but I'll send Ira when I leave. He won't mind."

"You don't have to," I started.

"Ted, shut the fuck up and let me help you," Foster scoffed. I chuckled.

"Thanks, man."

...

Kit

I wasn't sure how to react to Foster working in the coffee shop the next morning. He ordered a black drip coffee and set himself up with his laptop and cell phone in one corner without anything beyond a friendly greeting. I was even more confused when Ira showed up and took Foster's spot at luch with about as much explanation.

"Are they here to watch out for me?" I asked Ben quietly and jerked my head at Ira. Ira was in the middle of a heated but quiet phone call about something very confusing

"For both of us," Ben said and shrugged. "I'm not known for being particularly threatening."

"They don't have to do that," I mumbled, embarrassed to be inconveniencing so many people and by the idea that I needed help at all.

Ben just shrugged.

Mike showed up mid afternoon. Instead of his usual act of hitting on Ben and being vaguely antagonistic but friendly with me, he just ordered a latte, tipped 100%, and sat at a table far from Ira after the two exchanged wary glances to pull out his own laptop. I sat down across from him and waited for him to look up.

"Did Teddy ask you to watch me?" I asked him.

"I am the last fucking person Teddy would trust to watch out for you," Mike snickered. "I'm infamously unreliable."