A Mother's Descent

Emily's POV

Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over, unable to contain the overwhelming surge of emotions coursing through me. I had never expected Blake to reveal such depths within himself, to expose his vulnerabilities so openly. But at that moment, I realized that I was falling for him, falling deeper than I had ever fallen before.

"The day I lost my sister and mother, I lost my humanity," he confessed, his voice cracking with pain. "But you...you brought me back, Emily."

His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of our shared experiences, and our shared pain. I reached up to brush away the tears staining my cheeks, my heart aching and yet hopeful.

"You helped me break free from the memories I kept inside for years, and I want to help you break free from the fear you've been carrying for years," Blake whispered, his voice laced with sincerity. He gently placed his forehead against mine, his warm breath mingling with mine. And in that moment, as his lips met mine in a tender kiss, my entire body shivered with a mixture of excitement and vulnerability.

It wasn't just the cold water that sent shivers down my spine, but the way he made me feel alive, as if every nerve in my body was awakened by his touch. I couldn't help but let out a soft plea, my words barely audible. "Don't break me, please."

Blake's eyes softened, and he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "I won't break you," he assured me, his voice filled with a deep sense of understanding. "And you have to promise to never leave me the way my mother did."

My heart ached as I saw the pain and loneliness etched in his eyes, a reminder of the sister and mother he had lost. I knew then that I never wanted to be the cause of such sorrow. With a smile, I made a vow to him. "I won't leave, I promise."

A flicker of relief passed through his eyes, and a small, mischievous grin tugged at his lips. "Good," he said, his voice low and smouldering. It sent a delightful shiver down my spine, contrasting with the cold breeze that whipped around us.

The freezing wind cut through me, chilling me to the bone. I turned to Blake, hoping he would share my sentiment.

"Can we please get out of the water now?" I pleaded, my teeth chattering. He nodded in understanding, his warm smile contrasting with the harsh weather. With ease, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me back to the safety of the deck.

I quickly dressed in my jeans, grateful for the extra layer of warmth they provided. As I removed my wet t-shirt, a shiver ran down my spine. I hastily pulled on my jacket, hoping it would shield me from the biting wind. Blake, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by the cold. With his strong, muscular physique, it was no wonder he could withstand the chill.

I couldn't help but giggle at myself when Blake caught me staring. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he zipped up his pants.

"Pizza and movies?" he suggested, his voice laced with a hint of playfulness. "Or do you want to go out tonight?"

My mind drifted to the idea of being nestled in bed with Blake, our bodies intertwined, the only illumination coming from the dimmed lights and the moonlit sky outside. The wind would serenade us as he showered me with kisses, exploring every inch of my body.

A blush crept up my cheeks as I realized I had been lost in my own fantasy. I playfully nudged Blake's arm, trying to regain my composure.

"Pizza and movies sound perfect," I replied, my voice laced with a mix of anticipation and excitement.

Blake's POV

As I picked up Em from the ground, her small frame felt light in my arms. Her face held the most adorable smile, and I couldn't help but be captivated by her. But the joyous moment was abruptly shattered when my gaze shifted towards the entrance of my apartment. There, lying in front of my door, was my mother, lost in her own world of puke and having a seizure.

"Blake!" Emily's voice pierced through my thoughts, and I quickly placed Em down before rushing to my mother's side. Panic filled my chest as I assessed the situation, trying to comprehend what had happened to my own flesh and blood.

"What the fuck, Mom? What did you take?" I shouted, anger and frustration bubbling up within me. Emily, sensing my distress, pulled me away from my mother's convulsing body and helped her onto her side to prevent her from choking on her own vomit.

At that moment, as I stood there, gripping my hair in frustration, my entire childhood flashed before my eyes. Memories of my mother's addiction, the countless times she had let me down and the pain she had caused our family all came rushing back. The wounds of the past were freshly reopened, and I struggled to keep my emotions in check.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Emily's voice broke through my thoughts, filled with genuine concern and fear.

"No, I can't have this all over the media," I replied, my voice trembling with a mixture of shame and protectiveness. The last thing I wanted was for the world to see my mother's downfall, to witness the extent of her addiction and the impact it had on our lives.

"Blake now is not the time for you to be ruthless. This is your mother," Emily pleaded, her eyes filled with compassion and understanding. She knew the pain I carried, but she also knew that at this moment, my mother's well-being had to take precedence over my own fears and pride.

As our voices grew louder in the hallway, the neighbour's door swung open, revealing a middle-aged man, clearly annoyed by the commotion.

"Get the fuck back into your apartment," I hollered at him, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. My emotions were running high, and I had no patience for his intrusion.

I stood frozen in the doorway, my heart pounding against my chest as I took in the sight before me. My mother lay motionless on the floor, her pale face reflecting the fear and despair that had consumed her. Emily, my girlfriend and a nurse was kneeling by her side, assessing the situation and urgently beckoning for my help.

"Help me carry her inside. I will run a bath for her," Emily said, her voice was a mix of concern and determination.

"Blake?" Emily yelled, her call for me cut through the chaos in my mind.

"Just do it, Emily," I shout back, and she grabs my mother's feet to carry her to the bathroom. I watch how Emily is trying to be strong and stay calm, maybe for me, or maybe because she's a nurse. Either way, I'm fucking furious. I just made a promise to Emily that I will never break her and here I am screaming and shouting.

What the fuck was happening? Why did my mother have to come here and unleash a flood of memories that I had spent years trying to bury?

"Blake, if we don't get her to a hospital now, she will die. We don't know what she took, and her pulse is weak!" Emily's urgent words pierced through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality. I glared at my mother, frustration and concern warring within me.

For a moment, I couldn't hear Emily's voice anymore. The only thing I could see was my mother lying in front of me, her features hauntingly similar to those of my sister. It was a memory that I had tried so hard to suppress, a painful reminder of a past I had never fully dealt with.

My sister's death had shattered my world, leaving me broken and struggling to find my footing. The pain had been unbearable, the guilt suffocating. And now, here I stood, face to face with a ghost from my past, a past I had desperately tried to forget.

Emily's words pierced through the walls of my mind, reverberating like a deafening storm, remembering how she made a promise. "Let me take away your pain. I promise I will stay!" With each syllable, a whirlwind of emotions engulfed me, leaving me immobilized, my feet retreating involuntarily as if desperate to escape the gravity of the situation.

My heart ached with conflicted feelings. How could I bear witness to the woman who had once blamed my fucking father for my sister's tragic demise, now gasping for air, her frailty a stark contrast to the fierce woman she once was? I couldn't fathom the sight before me; it was as if a stranger had taken possession of her body.

Desperate for respite, I turned my back on the harrowing scene unfolding in the bathroom. Emily's voice penetrated through the door, a mixture of concern and fear intertwining with her words. "Where are you going?" she screamed, her voice strained as she struggled to keep my mother afloat, preventing her from fucking sinking beneath the water's surface.

My footsteps echoed loudly in the corridor as I retreated further away from the scene that threatened to consume me. The weight of guilt pressed heavily upon my shoulders, a relentless reminder of the past. I couldn't bear to witness my mother's struggle, entangled in a web of memories where blame and despair had once thrived.

As I hastily slammed the door shut, Emily's voice called out to me, her cries a haunting melody that echoed through the empty spaces of my mind. "Blake?" her plea carried the weight of desperation, a plea for my presence amidst the chaos unfolding behind that closed door.