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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Jan 10, 2016 22:25:48 GMT
"Fine," he snapped. "What do you want to me to say? Do you want me to tell you that my parents' divorce completely blindsided me and that I didn't know why they couldn't just make it work? I wanted so badly for my mother and father to stay together that when my father remarried Penelope's mother, I not only resented my new step-mother but I resented the appearance of this little girl that I was supposed to act as an older brother to." He was getting angry at this whole topic, not only because Melanie was forcing him to talk about it, but because it was reminding him of a lot of things he would have rather kept under the surface. But she had been right, it wasn't fair for him to think that she needed to be honest with him about her life if he wasn't being open and honest about his own. He wasn't sure how much Colette even knew about everything, having just accepted the fact that things had always been strained between himself and his step-sister. Colette had been the one that had befriended Penelope, if for no other reason than having some company when he had inevitably left her to fend for herself at family parties where he had used the opportunity to network.
Quickly adding, "But before you think that my dislike of Penelope is one-sided, you should know that she's never been entirely thrilled about having myself or my father in her life either. We've reached a mutual understanding to avoid each other where possible unless she feels that she could benefit from some entertainment at my expense - as you saw at the Christmas party."
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Post by Melanie Benson on Jan 11, 2016 1:08:37 GMT
She frowned when he got angry with her. Unsure about why it was so upsetting for him to talk about his family when he had been so upset that she hadn't disclosed details about her own. While her omissions were bigger, she hadn't held them back purposefully and she wished that he would understand that. It hadn't been a matter of trust or lack of care - it hadn't been not wanting to open up her life to him. In the few months that they'd been together, she'd shown more of herself to him than she had to anyone outside of her family - and in some cases even more so. "It's hard," she said gently. "I get that, Tripp. I get it a lot. And I don't think that you left that out because you wanted to keep that from me, but sometimes family is a hard thing to talk about - no matter how much you care about the person you're talking to."
Melanie looked down for a moment and then took a deep breath. "Tripp, I didn't not tell you about my mother for any reason other than it's hard for me to talk about her."
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Jan 11, 2016 1:26:51 GMT
Whether or not she had intended to do it, he knew that she had made a fair point about how it could be difficult to talk about family at times. If Tripp was being honest with himself, he knew that he hadn't been entirely honest with her about his family, or at least not upfront about it. Though in comparison, her omission seemed much larger. He supposed that what had really upset him about it all had been the fact that he really cared about her, no matter how long they had or hadn't been dating, and he had wanted them to continue to move forward as they had been. This felt like an unnecessary hiccup and he didn't like it.
"Fine," he said finally. "I'm not fond of talking about my family either if we're being entirely honest. I never spoke to Colette about them, though quite frankly she never asked much. I don't know what she learned from Penelope and what she didn't, but it was just something I was used to not having to discuss with anyone. But you're right - if I expect you to tell me about your life, then I should be honest with you, too."
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Post by Melanie Benson on Jan 11, 2016 1:36:34 GMT
Melanie couldn't help but scowl a bit at the mention of Colette again. Within one conversation she'd been compared to her mother and to Tripp's ex-girlfriend and she wasn't fond of either. "Yes, I'd appreciate it if the honesty thing worked both ways." Shaking her head at him, she took another sip of her coffee and looked down.
"But, really, Tripp - do you not get that you know more about me than virtually anyone else?" she asked him. "None of the men I was ever involved with ever got me to spend the night or were allowed to stay here. My only - and I use this term quite loosely - previous relationship only met my parents because we grew up together, I've never brought anyone to meet them before otherwise. And he didn't know that I have...an extensive collection of hobbies, which by the way I do not think makes me fickle, just diversified. And the only other people I've cooked for before are my parents and my brother." She looked up at him and took a deep breath, "I'm trying. I may not be Colette," she spat out with a bit of frustration. "But contrary to what you seem to think, I'm trying."
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Jan 11, 2016 1:52:32 GMT
For every frustration that she was feeling, she was causing him to become frustrated as well. Tripp appreciated the fact that their relationship was different than any other relationship she had been in, and despite the fact that she continued to say that she didn't know what she was doing, he would have complimented her on the job that she had done. His hesitation came from the fact that she apparently thought that he intended her to be anything like his ex-girlfriend.
"Colette and I were together for a long time," he began slowly. "She was there for a large part of my life, but that doesn't mean that I'm expecting you to be anything like her. Yes, she does have a history with my family, and yes, she gets along with them quite well, but that doesn't mean that I don't think that you won't eventually either. Colette was the first serious adult relationship I had ever had, she was the first woman I loved, and she was the first breakup I've had that was emotionally trying. But I don't regret ending things with her. We weren't right for each other." Frowning at her a little, he sighed softly. "Stop comparing yourself to her, Melanie."
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Post by Melanie Benson on Jan 11, 2016 2:12:18 GMT
Melanie couldn't help it. While it helped that he seemed adamant about things not having been right between he and Colette, it was still intimidating to be with someone else who had that kind of history with another person. The playing field was uneven in that way - with him already knowing the motions of an adult relationship that she just didn't. And at the same time, she couldn't help but remember that they'd almost reunited only a year ago. "It's hard not to," she told him honestly. "You have all of this history with someone - you loved her."
"And I can fathom a bit of what that means, because I can't imagine anyone comparing to you if things were to not work out with us. And you're the first man I've ever loved." It slipped out almost effortlessly and she knew that was because it was true. Her feelings for Tripp had come on quickly and strong, but she knew that it was true. And while she'd omitted information about her family, she'd opened up to him in ways she wouldn't have had she not been falling for him. It was, perhaps, the most terrifying thing about all of it - how real it all felt to her. And now it was out, said out loud hanging in the air between them.
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Jan 11, 2016 2:36:46 GMT
Though she hadn't said it outright, hearing her imply that she loved him made him hesitate for a moment. Tripp had known that his own feelings for her were intensifying, and while he appreciated knowing that her feelings for him had reached that point as well. Saying it back now, however, didn't make it all go away. If anything, it did nothing but make it seem like he was just saying it to end their argument or because it was the expected thing for him to do in response to her expression of her feelings. He hesitated to say anything at first. "Melanie..."
Looking at her for a moment, he tried to figure out what their next move was going to be. "Stop comparing yourself to Colette. It isn't the same. You aren't the same."
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Post by Melanie Benson on Jan 11, 2016 2:49:04 GMT
Melanie froze for a moment when he didn't acknowledge what she'd said right away. His hesitation made her stomach drop but she was about to rationalize that it was fine - that she didn't want him to say anything along the same lines back right away just in case he was only doing it out of obligation. She wanted him to say it because he meant it. And while she hadn't said those three extremely heavy words in that order, she thought it was pretty clear what she felt for him.
And then he brought up Colette again and it was like a little part of her went numb and she started to think that maybe she didn't really compare to his ex-girlfriend at all. "Yeah, I get it. It's not the same," she said softly. For the second time in one morning, she felt her emotions getting the better of her and she took a deep breath, turning away from him to focus on cleaning her kitchen. "So, I was going to call and confirm our dinner reservations for tonight if you were still feeling up for a night out - we'd said 8, but I can push it forward or back. Or I could cook, maybe if you wanted to stay in? Did you still want to go to the same party you'd mentioned on New Years? Normally I go to a party here at the hotel that my father throws, but I don't much feel like seeing him so a change might be nice."
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