She and Scott were laying on the couch in her living room watching T.V.
"We don't fight all the time," Scott replied.
"We bicker...a lot...and then leads to fights."
"Where is all this coming from? We haven't fought all night."
"It's been bothering me. A lot. And I feel like it's mostly my fault because you constantly seem like you're angry at me and won't tell me what I did. Why can't you tell me? What's going on, Scott?"
"There's nothing to tell, really..."
"Don't give me that! Jesus Christ, Scott...why do you always try and hide everything from me?!"
"You want me to tell you? FINE! You act like we're the perfect couple, you talk about us getting married--"
"The last time I said anything about us getting married was at Sam and Taylor's wedding THREE MONTHS AGO!!"
"And I don't want to be like!" he continued, ignoring her interruption. "I don't want to talk about the future and will this happen will that happen. We aren't Taylor and Sam--we aren't gonna get married and pop out a baby and live happily ever after before we hit twenty!"
"I never said that's what I wanted..."
"You imply it all the time--you want me to come over so you can cook us dinner, you want me to come over when you babysit Draco, you talk about us moving in together once I'm done with highschool...I feel like we're playing house. And I DON'T WANT TO PLAY HOUSE!"
"So, what? This is it? You're dumping me?" her lower lip quivered as she spoke, tears glistened in her eyes.
"Did I say that? You only hear what you want to hear and you take everything out of context...I'm out," he shook his head and grabbed his car keys.
"Scott, stop...walking away isn't going to solve anything."
"No...it isn't...but you get me to the point where I have to walk away..."
The next morning, after Sam had left for work, Brooklynn went over to Taylor's to visit.
"You look miserable," Taylor commented, Draco on her hip as she got her friend a cup of tea.
"Scotta nd I are fighting," Brook sighed.
"Again?" Taylor put the baby in his play pen, then sat at the dining room table next to her friend.
"He thinks I'm trying to pressure him into...I dunno...settling down. He says that since you got married, I'm trying to be 'married' too..."
"He's probably just having some commitment issues. His best friend, whom he'd always seen as this huge womanizer, has just commited himself to a marriage...and Sam's only a year older than Scott. He's not adjusting well to the growing up thing. You just need to watch yourself for awhile...don't scare him off, ya know," Taylor shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess," Brooklynn sighed again. "Anyway...how's married life treatin' ya?"
"Not what I'd expected. It's a lot like when we were dating, only now if we break up it'll cost us a fortune."
"That doesn't sound good, Tay...what's going on?"
"I don't know, really...something just isn't right. It started a couple of weeks ago. Sam and me just aren't connecting anymore...maybe it's just a slump, but..."
"What do you mean you aren't connecting? Like, sex?"
"Well, yes and no...I mean, he hasn't tried to touch me in two weeks, but it's more than that too. I feel like he's...like he's hiding something...someone..."
"You don't think..."
"I think he's having an affair..." Taylor started to cry softly.
"Oh, honey..." Brooklynn scooted her seat closer to her friend and hugged her tightly. "Why do you think that, huh?"
"Because he's done it before...because he's being so distant."
"But he's changed...he's not the same Sam he used to be. And you know that has to mean something coming from me," Brooklynn tried to comfort her.
"He's been 'working late' and he's taking money out of our bank account for 'car repairs' or some other lame excuse..."
"Do you think he's back on drugs or alcohol?"
Taylor shook her head. "No...I'd know it. He's still straight...besides he'd never do that again. He knows if I caught him he'd never lay eyes on Draco again...that's who I'm worried about. My little Draco. I mean, I can deal with Sam, and if it comes down to it, I know I could live without him--I've done it before. But Draco needs him. He needs his father..."
"Listen to me, have you talked to Sam about this?" Brooklynn asked calmly.
"Once...but when I brought it up we got into a huge screaming match at like, two in the morning when his lame ass came home, and we woke the baby and had everyone that lives on our floor come over and complain," Taylor recounted bitterly. "I can not believe we're going thorugh this again. After he stood up there and took his vows--"
"We don't know what we're going through right now...you haven't got any proof."
"Fighting again?" Sam shook his head in disbelief.
Around the same time that Brook had gone to Taylor, Scott had gone to the garage where Sam worked to talk.
"It's ridiculous," Scott sighed, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the side of the car that Sam was working on.
"Yeah, well...word of advice--don't marry her. It only gets worse," Sam sighed.
"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?"
"Something like that. She's convinced that I've gone out and gotten myself a mistress," he explained as he wiped his hands on a rag.
"Do you?"
"No. For the first time in my life, I"m content with only her. She just doesn't realize it."
"Why does she think you're being unfaithful?"
"I work late. And after work, I go out with the guys. It's not that I don't wanna be with her...I just...I shouldn't have married her."
"You don't love her?"
"God, no, it's not like that at all. I love her more than anything in this world. I truly believe that she's my better half. And on top of that she loves me, takes care of me, gave me my son...I will forever be grateful to her for all that. But I wasn't ready to get married. I thought I was, but looking back, it's one of those 'seemed like a good idea at the time' moments."
"So what...are you guys getting divorced?"
"I could never leave her. I love her too much. And I know things'll get better. They always say that the first year's the hardest, right?"
"What if she leaves you?" Scott pointed out seriously.
"She'll never leave me. Not at this stage in the game, anyway. I mean, between the baby and the apartment. It's too difficult right now."
"But if she honestly believes that you're cheating on her, why would she stay?"
"She's stayed this long hasn't she? She stayed before the rings and the baby, she's gonna stay now."
Scott looked at his friend, and for the first time, honestly felt a mild hatred towards him. He was so cocky and nonchalant--almost degrading--when speaking of his wife and the risk of her leaving.
"Listen I gotta get goin," Scott sighed raking his fingers through the top of his hair.
"Catch ya later, man," Sam nodded.
"Dude...just a word of advice. Fix things with your wife. If you truly love her, prove it to her. Don't let her walk out on you...look what happened last time she did."
And with that, Scott got into his car and drove away.