Confrontation 1/1
Title: Confrontation
Author: sagaluthien
'Verse - Donbury
Claim/Characters/Pairing: Original general characters; Penny Smith, Aelo Mactyr, Selina Mayfair, Hadailis Mactyr
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: (het), mention of incest
Disclaimer/author's note: This story includes my own characters and as such I would appreciate that no-one uses them without my knowledge. If there are any similarities with real people or well-known fictional characters it is unintentional.
This is also for the challenge stories_a_z and one wish at comment_fic.
The story will also be translated to Swedish with some alterations.
Beta: Phil Elliot
Word Count: 3022
Table/Prompt: Table 18 Un-themed 7, 4 - 'sever'
Summary: Penny hasn't heard from Aelo, so when she is back in Donbury she goes to where he works to have a talk with him.
The Café was deserted, which it always was at this time of the week. School had yet to finish for the day and being a Tuesday many other youths were at work. Penny liked that as then she and Aelo would be alone, as she knew Aelo was working at the café.
Entering she saw him sitting with his long legs on the next chair, reading. He had his white hair in a ponytail, but a few strands were loose. For a few minutes she stood just inside admiring him, and then she continued up to him. When she stood beside him he looked up, not giving away anything, not even a little hint that he was glad to see her or that it was a surprise she had come.
Penny had gone over what she would say to him, but standing there it disappeared and what came out was what she would have waited to take up later.
"Didn't you get any of my letters?"
Aelo just looked at her like he didn't understand what she said and his face remained blank.
"Aelo, I thought we had something together. I expected you to reply to my letters when I was away and wrote to you."
His feet dropped to the floor and he rose.
"I'm sorry. I would have answered you if I actually did get any letters, though I haven't seen any. I thought you had changed your mind."
She knew he was at times cold and acted strangely, but not like this. A normal person would have been happy to see his girlfriend if they hadn't seen each other for awhile. He should have risen and hugged her faster. Now she didn't know if she should be the one hugging him but as he didn't show anything she refrained from doing it.
"You really didn't get any of my letters?" she asked instead.
"No. How many did you write?" At least he seemed to try to sound interested.
"Several. I think I sent… maybe fou… five. But you didn't get them?"
"No." He started to walk behind the counter. "Do you want anything to drink?"
She boiled inside. Nothing seemed to go the way she wanted or planned. Penny took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.
"A cup of cappuccino would be nice."
Aelo started fixing one. She sat down on the chair he had had his feet on. Neither said anything, and that was one thing Penny didn't like even though she knew he had never been one who talked much. His sisters didn't seem to be talkative either and she had been with 'Lis' for all of compulsory school, so she knew her.
When he finally came back with a cup for her and one for himself, she'd collected herself to do what she had decided. It was just that she found it difficult to get started. Penny blew on her coffee so she would not burn herself when she drank. She took a mouthful, and swallowed, but it was too hot for her so she put the cup on the table. It felt like she would need a kick in the ass to start talking. Aelo was not making it easier for her, because he still hadn't said anything or made any gesture to show any special feelings.
"Hmm, haven't you missed me at all? Even if you did not receive any letters, you could have called me. It's not just me who should try to stay in contact." Maybe it sounded a bit demanding and accusatory, but because she wanted to feel calmer, she needed to know where they stood with each other. She had been unsure of what they had and because she had not heard anything from him, she had begun to fear that perhaps he had met someone else. Before she went to London, they had spent some time quite intensely together.
He looked at her a long time. Penny bit her inner cheek not to say any more before he answered.
He moved the book and sat up straighter.
"I've been pretty busy with my job and I also started a distance reading course. I know I forgot to call but we have talked, when you called me."
Penny bit her cheek again and counted to ten silently, twice. This was make or break. She was going to get answers to her questions and the concern she felt. She could not go on like this much longer, and knew that if she did her school work would suffer.
"I just want to know if you still like me? If we're together?" She looked intently at him.
"Of course I like you! Why wouldn't we be together?"
He said it like it was rehearsed, and it felt wrong. Yet he had indirectly told her by his question that he thought they were a couple. She should feel more comfortable, but she did not.
"Can you please explain why I've heard that you have been seen with Selina Mayfair?"
"Who did you hear that from?" He glared at her. "Is it Laura, Elizabeth and Sue gossiping again?"
"You know very well that I'm best friends with Elizabeth and Sue. Both have mentioned it, but also Morwen and David. Why?"
Penny had a hard time understanding what Aelo could see in Selina. There was talk all the time about her and her brother, because they had children together. She found it hard to believe that Selina could have eyes for someone else, but she still felt uneasy about Aelo's relationship with her.
"There is nothing more between us than pure friendship. She needs the few friends she has." He paused, "Especially now that she has a daughter."
"That doesn't mean there couldn't be something more between you."
Aelo stood up.
"If you must keep being derogatory about them and be so suspicious of me, perhaps it would be best if it was over between us!" He took his book and cup, and retreated behind the counter.
Penny sat still. She was surprised that he was actually showing some emotions. The few months she'd been away, it seemed as if he had changed. Because of that, she wondered if her suspicions were not entirely unfounded. Selina and her family had been a hot topic for the whole town for several years, especially after she had first become pregnant and when it was later proved that it was her brother Jeff who was the father. Because Penny had always disliked it, she had not much over for them and she thought she would probably never want to be involved with them.
Aelo caring so much about Selina was like a thorn in her side. After hearing the rumors that he had been seen with her several times, she had decided to come home and find out what was actually going on, especially after that he had failed to respond to her letters. Ideally she would have wanted to stop Aelo spending time with Selina, but it seemed like he would actually break up with her so she could not ask that of him.
"Please, can't you come back and sit down? So we can finish talking..."
Penny didn't want to talk to his back or have an entire counter between them. She refused to run after him.
"Say what you want and make up your mind. I can't sit down again. I've got to get the café ready before people start coming."
"Make my mind up about what? It's not me who wants to break up, but I don't want to be deceived either." She rose and went to stand at the counter.
He paused and turned towards her. "It seems that it doesn't matter what I say, right? I won't change my mind about Selina and I am entitled to have the friends I want and hang out with who I choose. Have I ever complained when you hang out with your friends, or when you decided to go to London to study? "
Penny said to herself, 'Fuck!' When she thought about it, he was right. Though she found it hard to believe him, he had never complained or mentioned that he didn't like it when she spent time with her friends. He had not even let her know he was sad when she told him that she had actually been accepted at the art school.
"You never did." She fell quite silent. She was just about to speak when the front door opened. Automatically she turned around to see who arrived. In through the door came Selina with a pram.
To see Selina didn't help Penny in the least. She just became even more irritated. It was so typical, that she would come when she was trying to sort things out with her boyfriend. Her first thought was that stomping out would show her displeasure of having to wait until she could be alone with Aelo. She couldn't do that; she wasn't going to make it easy for them. She would not let anyone come between them. Not without a fight. He was her boyfriend and not Selina's. As long as they were together she would make sure that no one would interfere.
She turned back to him and said, "I think we have to continue our conversation a little later, when we are alone again. We haven't finished. "With a few quick steps, she went and picked up her cup and handed it to him. "I would like a refill, please."
Aelo took her cup as he was greeting Selina, who parked the pram at a table.
"Hi Penny, it's been a while since I saw you." Selina said, half-turned towards her.
"I live in London now and I'm just up here to visit my boyfriend and friends," explained Penny.
"Right, Aelo mentioned you moved. What are you studying?"
Penny didn't like it at all that Selina was being nice. But… if Selina was going to be friendly, Penny could not be unpleasant. She could at least pretend she felt no rivalry between Selina and her.
"I'm studying design and art. What about you? Are you studying anything?"
"I want to study, but that will probably need to wait until next year. I just had Sabrina eight weeks ago, which made it out of question to start this fall."
"How nice for you. Who's the father this time?"
Selina stopped looking at what was on offer and looked back at her.
"For your information it is Jeff again. We love each other and we wanted Jack to have a sibling soon." She picked out a sandwich and went to the end of the counter where Aelo stood and waited. "Don't think I don't know what all of you are saying, but both children are perfectly healthy."
"Selina, you know that you should not listen to gossip." Aelo told her. "The main thing is that all of you are doing well and that you love each other. Every child is a gift."
"Thank you, Aelo - you're a good friend."
Penny began to feel a bit stupid. She looked at Selina. She didn't really seem smitten by Aelo and maybe it was true what he said that Selina did not have many friends. When she thought about it, Penny realized she did not know Selina that well. She was probably judging her by her parents' views about the Mayfair family. Penny's parents were active in the church and embraced all that the priest said. This meant that she had never been in the same circle as Selina or Jeff.
"May I look at her, or is she asleep?"
"When Sabrina wakes up, it's no problem, but right now I hope she will sleep for a while. She has been a little fussy today and it was not long ago she fell asleep."
"It's okay." Penny went and sat down. She was going to watch how they behaved and hoped that Selina would not stay too long.
Aelo continued getting ready. Penny had hoped that he would come and sit down when he was finished but people started to come in.
After an hour, Sabrina had not woken up and Selina said goodbye. People were still in the café and Penny decided to come back when Aelo's shift was over. There were a few things she had to consider and she still wanted to get him to take responsibility for a few things. Also, she did not believe that he had said everything.
* ~ * ~ *
Later, back at the café, Penny couldn't see Aelo at first. His mother - Hadailis - stood behind the counter serving the customers who were still there. Penny walked over and asked after him.
"Hi Penny. He will come in a minute, honey. He is just changing his clothes."
In the next second he came out from an adjacent room. He had changed into a shirt and let his long hair out of the ponytail. He was holding his jacket in his hand and waved to his mother. Before they reached the door he stopped to put it on. They walked in silence to his home. It didn't take long as his house was the next on the street after the café.
Once inside, they went directly to his room. Penny did not see any of his sisters or his father, but somewhere in the house someone was playing music. Penny sank down on Aelo's bed and waited for him to sit down too. She hoped that it would be next to her. Now there wouldn't be anyone who would come and disturb them, and maybe that was something earlier which had prevented him being more affectionate.
Aelo sat down in his office chair and turned toward her.
"Okay, what else do you think we need to talk about?"
"I really want to know if there is still something between us? If we really are together? If you love me?" Finally, she manages to ask the question that would make her feel confident in him and their relationship. Now she would stay calm, and sit there until he answered.
If Aelo was ever be in a competition to say nothing, he would have no problem winning. When the silence seemed to drag on, Penny started to move uneasily. She was looking around his room, until she thought she could tell exactly what was there if anyone asked when she left there.
In the end, he broke the long silence.
"I see no changes. For some time ahead, we will both be busy in different places, with school and employment. We will not be able to meet as often as we have, especially as you are studying in London. I'm happy about the times we can meet, and I have counted on us being together. That's still true as long as neither of us says the relationship is over. But there is nothing else than friendship between Selina and me." He paused. "I hope you will believe that. If you don't accept that, and if you continue to be prejudiced against their choice, then perhaps it would be best that we did not continue to be together. I know what it is like to be on the outside and different as our family still is. Lis and Yara feel most of it and in some ways, it is similar to how Selina and Jeff are treated. I have told you that where we come from, we see nothing wrong with where and how you find love. "
Penny almost wanted to tell Aelo to take a breath. There weren't many times that he spoke at length, but she had probably touched a sore point, so he needed to make her understand. This time it was she that needed to be quiet to go over what he said and how she would respond to it. She did not want to ruin what they had. If she carried on asking questions and giving her opinions, she might be shortening their relationship. If she intended to stick to her own family's line, then she would go on disliking the Mayfair family and would need to give up anyone who supported them. She liked Aelo too much to do that. Also, she had already fought her parents about being with him. To stay with him therefore, she now had to change her view and no longer be so prejudiced. But could she do that? If not, there would be those that won and she would loose.
He was right that they would be busy a lot and that the distance between them did not make things any easier. Also, he had never said he didn't want her to go. Perhaps it was because of that she had read more into what she heard and saw, and maybe it was to do with being a teenager. She could not ask any siblings what to do because she did not have any, and it didn't always work to ask her friends. Neither did she want to go to her parents, because they were not happy about her choice of boyfriend. It was not just the Mayfair family being talked about in the town, and Aelo's was also a hot topic, as well as others, particularly among those who followed the priest, Cort.
"I'm sorry." Penny mumbled.
When she felt a hand on her knee, she looked up and met Aelo's light brown eyes. She blinked, and the red color that used to appear in them in the sunshine was almost gone. For a moment there was nothing else for her in the world.
"I really am sorry for being unpleasant, but... you know how..."
"Your parents and Cort have a lot of influence. I'm sorry too." He sat down beside her on the bed. "How about we try and make ourselves feel better? How about taking out a movie to watch?"
Penny nodded and moved closer to Aelo. She had probably just been a fool who imagined more than what there were.
***THE END ***