.10.

FIVE O'CLOCK IN the morning and Sreya's car headlights pierced through the darkness as the sweat on her skin seeped through her gym clothes, drenching her car seat. Her heartbeat raced and her hands shook a little but she pretended not to notice. It was always easier to pretend to not notice.

Mind racing, her foot pressed down harder on the accelerator as the air whipping in through the car window dried up the sweat on her body, leaving her feeling sticky. Moments later, she pulled up into a graveled driveway, slamming her door closed as she raced into the well spaced duplex.

The house was quiet and a bit dim, making it look empty. But Sreya knew exactly where to find who she was looking for as she took the stairs two at a time to the master bedroom upstairs. Sweat was beginning to breakout on her forehead again and Sre rolled her eyes as she pushed the door open.

Bed covered in tissue paper, pink robe latched tight on body, hair slightly wet and tangled, slight dark circles lining eyes, skin pale, nose red... Luna looked like shit.

Blue eyes settled on Sreya as chapped lips whispered, "You look like shit". Which was true because Sre had just pulled on a sweatshirt before zooming out of her house but...

"Says the pale queen that looks like she's been dragged down a rocky hill twenty-five times and blood-drained by Dracula"

Luna didn't laugh.

Sighing, Sreya shut the door and walked into the room, "You really look like Coraline Jones' evil second mother though".

That seemed to make Luna sad all over again and she burst into tears for what Sreya could guess was the millionth time that morning, she wasn't there in the beginning to count.

"Awwww, honey".

Hastily pulling off her Nike's, Sre climbed on the large bed, trying not to be grossed out by all the tissue paper as she pulled Luna in for a hug.

She'd been working up a sweat in her in-house gym, trying to squat out all thoughts of Xaver Kirk-fucking-garde, his amazing hand-gasms, his sweet ass tongue and her own stupidity when she'd gotten a phone call from a frantic Luna who couldn't even get a word in past her sobs. Extremely worried, Sre had hurried out, heart in throat, fingers twitching.

Tucking Silvery hair behind ears, hands wipped tears before lips asked, "What's wrong?"

More sobs tore out of Luna's throat as she tried to squeeze a few words out, "Kyle... "

Kyle was Luna's husband of eight years and since the past two, their relationship has been a bit rocky. Unnecessary fights, angry sex and absence after passion.

"What did he do this time?" Sreya rolled her eyes upward as she asked. She'd have to talk to him. Again.

Blue eyes shifted to Sre's brown ones and she saw it. The purplish bruise on the left side of the forehead hidden beneath long hair. Sreya didn't need a soothsayer to know what'd happened.

The world seemed to freeze and her blood ran cold as sizzling anger hissed at the pit of her stomach before brewing into hot blazing fury.

The son of a bitch.

"He fucking hit you!?"

Luna's eyes widened as more tears rushed to the surface, her hands frantically dragging her hair over the bruise, properly covering it.

Her voice shaky, she stammered, "He didn't mean to, he just... he wanted to give me coffee and his hand smacked me a little".

Dumb fucking excuse.

"That doesn't even make any sense!!?"

Luna flinched. She hadn't expected Sreya's anger and all the yelling was getting her scared.

Closing her eyes, Sreya inhaled, scaring the shit out of her already broken friend wasn't the way to do this, "I'm sorry, Luna. I just... Come on".

Helping Lu downstairs, Sre ransacked the cupboard containing pills before she pulled out a small bottle, shaking it a little as the sound of tablets against plastic reached her ears.

"I know I told you not to take this. But we both need it".

Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, she popped the pill into her mouth and as the bottle touched her lips, she made a toast.

To you, Kirkgarde.

Luna took her pill and Sreya pulled the fridge open again as her eyes roamed around. Finding what she was looking for, she closed the fridge again. She took Luna to the sitting room and rushed upstairs to get blankets and pillows.

When last did she pop a pill, drink vodka and binge watch an old movie....

~•~

"What the fuck, Kyle?"

Kyle rubbed a tired hand over his eyes and muttered a soft but audible curse. He hadn't slapped his wife on purpose. He'd been furious and it was at the heat of the moment.

"I'm sorry, Sre. I didn't mean to"

"Sorry is what fuckers say to get out of a difficult situation and it doesn't change anything. Your apology doesn't mean shit as far as I'm concerned. Do you even know what you did to her!? You broke her, Kyle. And she fucking loves you!"

Sitting in his expensively furnished office, Kyle didn't look like the super handsome happy wealthy business man Sreya used to know. He looked different. Sad. Angry. Confused. Harsh frown lines adorning his beautiful face.

They used to be so happy. What happened to them?

"I'll make it up to her. I promise".

"That's bullshit and you know it. You can never make up for hitting a woman. Not to me anyway".

His voice began to rise, "What else do you want me to do!? I've tried alright. I've tried and I'm fucking tired", he was yelling now, "I've tried to—"

"You're not trying enough!" she yelled back at him.

That did it because Kyle immediately stopped. Everything just stopped and his office became pin drop silent. He hadn't expected the outburst. She'd never yelled at him before. The last time he'd had a problem with Luna, Sre had talked. Not yelled. He'd never heard her yell.

And if she was yelling now, she was damn right serious. And furious.

Taking a deep breath, Sre tried to calm herself. She'd come to talk, as a mature adult, not exchange words and that's exactly what she was going to do.

"You're going to take a vacation, Kyle. You're going to go home and stay there. And for the next month, you're going to spend every fucking day showing her how sorry you are and you're going to do it right."

He was still quiet. Mulling over Sre's words obviously but he was going to do it anyway. He owed it to Luna. He owed her an apology and he owed her to try and make their marriage work. She's been trying all these years. It was time to do his part.

"Okay. I'll do it".

"Good, because, if you raise a hand on her again," hard brown eyes met his, "I'm getting her a good lawyer, and you're getting the divorce papers".

Grabbing her Chanel purse from the seat beside her, Sreya stood up, her voice merely above a whisper but strong enough to make him know she meant business, she spoke, "Secondly. Don't ever speak to me like that again".

The sound of her six inch stilettos on tile filling the room, Sre walked to the door. About to pull the doorknob she heard a deep sigh, "Sreya?"

Hand still on the knob, she turned a bit so that the left side of her face was all he saw.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you".

"You don't have to be. Just don't do it again".

She pulled the door open.