Between Love and Hate

"Beth are you listening to me?" Sarah Boyd asked exasperated. Beth looked at her sister and wondered why she had come to visit Sarah. Every time Beth visited they ended up arguing.

"Yes Sarah, I am listening to you." Beth could see something close to disgust in her her oldest sister's eyes whenever she looked at her. Beth didn't lie to herself she knew she was a disappointment to Sarah who had raised her and their youngest sister Regina after the car accident that took their parents life when the three of them had been kids. Beth knew exactly what Sarah thought of her.

"So you are deliberately ignoring me then?" Sarah demand.

"Of course not Sarah, It's just that I love him so much I can't picture my life without him." Beth was referring to the sore topic between the two sisters. 'Matteo DeLuca' the famous all star professional soccer player.

"He doesn't love you Beth, where is your pride?" Beth had been asking herself the same question quite often lately. Ever since meeting Matteo almost two years earlier she had become nothing better than his doormat and she knew it, but the just the thought of losing Matteo made Beth physically ill and that weakness in her infuriated the very strong Sarah.

"He cares about me Sarah."
"What he cares about is an easy lay, look at you Beth no amount of make up is going to cover those bags under yours eyes, or how sick and pale you look. You cant even fight off the flu."

Beth sipped her tea to avoid answering. She hated confrontations, specially with her sister Sarah who after all was more like a mother to her.

"Fine Beth, I'm done arguing with you. You are obviously not ready to see reason, are you feeling any better from the flu?"  Beth was extremely grateful that Sarah dropped the subject.

"I am feeling better, the funny thing is that last time I lost five ponds from all the vomiting, this time I'm throwing up more and I've gained ten ponds."

"That's weird you should go see a doctor, I'm going to clean up the dishes then I'm going to the market to get ingredients for a party I have this weekend want to come?" Sarah asked, even though Sarah was the one trying to start up a catering company whenever Beth was able to she did most of the cooking for the events.

While Beth waited for Sarah her phone rang, it was Matteo.
"Hello." Beth said excitedly as she answered.
"Where are you?" The stern voice come over the phone with no preamble.
"I'm visiting my sister, are at the penhouse?"
"I'll be there in twenty minute, I want to find you already there."

 Matteo hung up the phone before Beth had a chance to tell him she had already made plans. Beth was tempted to stay where she was and to hell with him, but her body sung with exciment and anticipation after hearing his voice. It had been three weeks since Matteo visited the penhouse he had purchase after they had started their affair. During soccer season she hardly had a chance to be with him because he was always travelling with the team.

"Sarah..." Beth started to say and Sarah stopped her.
"Save it Beth, go to His Royal Highness before you burst, just don't forget you promised to help me with the party this Saturday." Beth knew she was being a bad sister but for some reason she just couldn't stay way from Matteo.

Matteo DeLuca was a man who was used to being alone. His dubious background guaranteed that he learned to fend for himself at a very young age. Now he found himself running home with the need to be with another human being, something that he perceived as a weakness. Matteo decided that his relationship with Beth was charting into dangerous waters and it would be best just to end it as soon as possible. After all he had an understand between  his family and the Costelli family that one day he would marry Gia Costolli . Now that they where both adults there was no point in prolonging the inevitable. But every time he thought of breaking up with Beth his mind automatically rejected the idea.

As soon as Beth walked trough the door without saying a word Matteo engulfed her in his arms. It had been too long since he had felt her soft body against his and he couldn't control the overwhelming urge to be with her.

They barely made it into the bedroom and Matteo lay Beth down on the bed and she wrapped herself around him the same hunger and anxious need coursing through her.
"I'll buy you a new one." Matteo said gruffly and preceded to rip the clothes from her body, unwilling to separate even to take their clothes off. Beth let out a passionate groan as he heatedly caressed her skin.

"I want you now." Beth urged through clenched teeth.

After a wild night of passion Matteo woke up to the smell of breakfast. He suppressed a frustrated groan, how was he suppose to break things off with Beth if he couldn't even keep his mind focused around her for even a second. He would have to learn to control his need for Beth, his family had made a commitment that he was honor bound to acknowledge and follow thorough. Unfortunately Beth could be nothing more than his mistress and once he started seeing Gia romantically he would end things with Beth. He owed both women that.

"Good morning, I've made breakfast. Are you hungry?" Beth greeted Matteo cheerfully, this morning she was feeling much better about their strange relationship. She had been stressing over the change she sensed in Matteo towards her but last night proved that it was all in her head.

"Beth I've asked you countless times to stop playing house, this domesticity is not part of our relationship." Matteo snapped angrily, all the confidence she had been feeling started to slip away.

"I'm not trying to domesticate you, it's just breakfast." Beth's feelings where beyond hurt, she was getting sick of walking on eggshells, always afraid that somehow she would displease him.

"Look I can't talk right now I have practice and then I have a meeting tonight, We'll talk about this another time." Matteo informed her feeling guilt over the hurt look on her face.

"When would that be." That was another thing that annoyed Beth, Matteo never told her when he would be stopping by but always expected to find her in the apartment waiting for him.

Matteo walked away from her and Beth fought to hold back her tears. In the beginning she had been happy with whatever he said but now even Beth was forced to see how pathetic she was.

"Well maybe I wont be here, I have a life besides sitting here in this gilded prison waiting until you get horny enough to stop by." The words just slipped before she realized she what she was saying.

 "Make sure that you are here when I return." He told her not even bothering to turn around as he headed for the door.

Matteo had the worst practice of his life, he hadn't been able to concentrate and as a goalie had failed miserably, he was just glad it was a practice game and not the real thing. His performance had been so bad, he had done something he never had before, he allowed life in while on the field. Thinking about his fight with Beth, his damn commitment to Gia and his tumultuous family both in Bridgeport and back in Italy. Now he sat in front of his sports agent speechless just staring down at the file in front of him incredulous. He couldn't believe his eyes, there where hundreds of pictures of Beth with another man, sitting at the very café he did now, some coming out of stores laughing. He couldn't get out of his head how happy she looked while next to the man, she smiled at her lover radiantly and Matteo felt angered at the fact that Beth had stopped smiling like that at him a long time ago.

"Are you alright?" Edmundo asked. Mattoe looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Of course he was not alright. In fact Matteo was livid, he wanted to howl with anger, he wanted to break something, preferably man with his arm around Beth. Never in a million years did Matteo think he would be betrayed like that by sweet innocent Beth.

 "Your head of security came to me with his surveillance, I went through it like I always do every couple of months, to make sure your not being followed by crazed fans and I found these." Edmundo Costolli, Matteo's sports manager and childhood friend said with pity written all over him. Edmundo was also Gia's cousin and even though Edmundo knew about Beth Matteo felt guilty that he still had not ended things with Beth and had yet to honor his commitment to Gia

"Thank you so much for showing these to me, now I don't feel quite so guilty about Gia. At least I didn't have a relationship with the both at them at the same time."

Beth was brushing her teeth after throwing up once again, she decided it was time to see a doctor. Two months of feeling like death was enough. Besides she had the flu for two whole months and Beth was scare it could had turned into something much worse. Beth heard the front door slam shut and knew Matteo was home.

Beth went looking for Matteo and found him behind the bar having a drink.
"Hi...I want to apologize for this..."
"Who is Shane Little?"Matteo asked cutting her off before Beth could finish her apology.

 "What?"
"I'm going to ask you one more time, think very carefully before you answer me. Who...is...Shane Little."
"Shane is a childhood friend from Riverview, why do you ask? What's wrong?" Beth looked at Matteo with her signature innocence and it fueled his anger.

"So you won't even deny that you have been sing him? I saw the pictures Beth, how dare you bring your lover here?"

Beth finally realized what he was saying and it hit her like a ton of bricks. Matteo thought she was cheating on him, then it really hit her, he was having her followed.
"You had me followed?"
"I had a security team on you for your protection." Matteo the need to defend himself.
"Still that's just creepy."

"Beth do not change the subject, I am not in the mood for games. I am going home to my place, next time I stop by this place you better not be here." Matteo said with a stony look on his face, he had never been the smiling cuddly type but Beth had never seen him so angry and it scared her. She feels panic grip her.

"Wait! you won't let me explain?" She asked desperately getting in his way as Matteo tried to leave.
"They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I have hundreds of pictures of you and your love so spare me the lies." He said and walked out of the penthouse.