...F-Four years ago? [Lemon asked cautiously.] ...No? Vee's the first person I've ev-- [Then, suddenly, the pieces clicked into place.] ...Andy? You... You're the one who... who almost killed Andy? [She asked quietly as she slowly started to hug herself again.]
[...Even though a number of years had gone by, she still remembered the night vividly. She had spent the whole day with Cam in the fancy schmancy apartment Henry was paying for--an apartment that Lemon only just now realized... deeply resembled the one she was currently in with this stranger--watching classic movies and trash reality TV while they gorged themselves on expensive take out and an irresponsible amount of sweets.
Back then, Henry seemed to take over just about every moment of Cam's free time, so, in direct opposition to now, their 'girl nights' were few and far between. So few that Lem was willing to cancel anything to spend time with her bestie. Even something as important to Yellow's bottom line as a 'client'.
Around this time, Lemon's 'second job' to help make Yellow's ends meet was still relatively new. She had had a number of one-off clients and even managed to make a few regulars like Ian and Keith, but none of them fought for Lemon's time the way Andy did. With the gift of hindsight, she should've seen the red flags from the beginning: the over-tipping, the gifts, the pleas for 'post-transactional' cuddling, the insistence on calling Lem his 'girlfriend' no matter how many times she timidly asked him not to... the troubling behavior would only increase as time went on, but, back then, things were still new and Lemon was still so green. She really had no idea what a 'healthy' John looked like ...if that was even possible.
Lemon still remembered cancelling on Andy that morning. She had never canceled on a client before then and she spent the first couple hours of her time with Cam worried sick about it. As the day went on, she slowly relaxed into her usual routine with her bestie, and she cherished every second of their rare time together. But, reluctantly, eventually it was time to go home to her shoebox of an apartment.
She slept soundly that night with dreams of her and her bestie being able to spend every day like the one they just had--or at least she did until she was woken up by a haunting phone call that still wedged itself in her memory: A call from a nurse stating her 'boyfriend' was in the hospital; that he had begged for her, by name, to the police before he lost consciousness; and that regular visiting hours were long over, but because he was gravely injured, she'd be welcomed as soon as possible. Lem didn't even think to correct the nurse in that moment. Instead, she packed one of her duffle bags and rushed over.
From their hours of pillow talk before that dreadful day, Lemon knew Andy had no one else. So any moment she wasn't at the club or with other clients, what was at the hospital holding his hand. When he miraculously awoke, she took it upon herself to help nurse him back to health--an endeavor that took almost a full calendar year and added yet another pile onto her already overflowing plate.
Throughout that time, she'd occasionally ask timid inquiries into what exactly happened and receive cagey half-truths in response. "I wasn't doing anything" and "he came out of nowhere" were just about the length of the explanation she received before Andy would start to get hostile. Unsurprisingly, at a certain point, she stopped asking altogether.
There would never be a true 'justification' for a man to reach the level of stalking and possession that Andy eventually did. But it wasn't lost on Lemon that his obsession with her seemed to bloom around the time he was finally given a clean bill of health...]
...Y-You're the one who almost killed Andy? [She repeated (even though what felt like minutes in her thoughts was only a few milliseconds in real time).] ...Why?
[But before Lemon could get a response to that question, Monty was onto the next. She bit her lip and slowly shook her head 'no' as he ensured she was really as in-the-dark as she appeared.] I don't. I-I promise, [She whispered back just as calmly.]
Of course he is! We've been together for-- [But that sentence never found its ending. As Monty dropped the final bombshell, Lemon froze. And as all the air left the room, the only sound heard in the vacuum was her heart breaking.
For God-knows-how-long, Lemon stayed a picture perfect statue as every interaction between her and Vitya flashed by her mind. Every suspicious statement. Every unexplained absence. Every instance of odd behavior. And, most painfully: Every time she gave him the benefit of the doubt.
By the time she came back to reality, there were streaks streaming down her face. But her body stayed stiff and her face stayed expressionless almost as if, somehow, someone else had cried the tears.
She didn't even bother trying to wipe them away.]
...Two questions, [Lemon finally said, her normal bright, warm, 'bubbly-despite-everything' tone replaced with a cold, flat affect.] ...Two questions and then you'll never have to see me again:
...And did he tell you that he loves you, too?
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