Francis shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. She's just- ugh." He laughed nervously. "She's like that. A handful. But it's probably my fault, so I understand."
He shrugged, opening the door further. "I'm not sure. It usually is, because of my 'unfaithfulness'." He said the last word with disdain.
He nodded. "Yes, but it was my fault for not paying enough attention. If I had really cared, then it wouldn't have happened."
Poppy's face grew suddenly serious, and she spoke in a strong, clear voice. "Francis," she said, her brows stern. "You may have been not paying attention, which I'll admit, can be really hard to deal with. But there is absolutely no excuse for cheating. If you are unhappy, you tell your partner before you move on. It's the most selfish thing you can do in a relationship, and you're worth more than that." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I have no idea what she's like now, and I don't want to get in the way of your happiness. I'm sure she's absolutely lovely. But I can guarantee you that you did not deserve to be cheated on, okay?"
He crossed his arms in thought. "You don't know what I did though. I rarely spent any time with her, I was distant, cold." He sighed. "I assure you, everything I got is what I deserved."
"Then she should have told you," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "She should have told you that she was unhappy and that she wanted to end things. That's the right thing to do." She frowned and looked down at her feet for a moment, considering the situation. "She made the decision to be with another person when you two were together, Francis. No matter how distant you were, she made that choice, and you are not to blame for that."
His eyebrows furrowed, and the door creaked during his silence. "If she was so unhappy with me, then why is she back? Why is she back here with me and why does she seem happy?"
"I have no idea," she confessed, her expression turning softer. "I don't know her well enough. She could have changed, and she may want to make things work. It's certainly possible." She cocked her head and met his gaze. "But, regardless, I don't want you to accept blame for something that was not your fault. You don't deserve that. Okay?"
"I don't... I don't know if she is the best person to trust. There's a lot of questionable things she had done during our previous relationship." He shifted uncomfortably. "I think you might be right."
"I generally am," she said, smiling slightly. She hesitated before speaking again. "Look, I just want you to be happy. If you think that you can achieve that with her, then I'm not going to stop you. But it doesn't feel like it's off to a good start. That's all I'm saying." The plane shifted as they took off, and Poppy stumbled slightly. "Jesus."
Francis instinctively reached out and grabbed her arm. "I think it's going to take a long time before were happy with each other." He paused, looking down and pulling his hand back. "All good?"
"Yeah. Thanks," she said, nodding. "I'm never going to get used to that, though. Are you feeling better?"
"Not really," he admitted. "I just found my ex-fiancee only to realize that the relationship is unhealthy."
She frowned, her head cocked slightly. "Yeah, that's kinda what I figured," she said, her brow furrowed. "Like I said, I may be wrong. I don't know her at all." (BUT YOU'RE NOT WRONG SHE'S THE WORST)
"No, it's alright. She's not... Ugh." He looked sick from talking about this. "She isn't the best person."
She paused, frowning. "We don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to," she said gently. "I'm sorry. I kinda forced you to discuss it."
"No, it's quite alright. It was a conversation that needed to happen. But now, I think I'm going to take a shower and get ready for that dinner." (I like when my characters get reactions out of people haha. As for the dinner, I feel like the outfit plans were set out so Poppy is forced to wear a dress and Francis will be struck by her appearance, but that's just a thought so I might be wrong. =P)
"Yeah, go do that. I'll see you later." She gave him a smile and re-entered her room, closing the door behind her. (What? I would never do something like that. It was a mixture of things, though. I'm a girl who wears a lot of dresses and skirts in real life, and I was thinking of Poppy's clothing taste, and I realized that I hadn't put her in a dress yet, and I thought she'd hate it, so I couldn't figure out how to get her in one willingly. I was also just searching for dress ideas, and I found one that I thought suited her. But yes, it was definitely partly that other thing too. What can I say? I love cliches. Anyways, time skip?)
