Chapter Text
Gathering up everything left in the closet that was hers, Sansa tossed the clothes on top of the rest sitting on the bed next to the plastic storage tub she would put them in. Packing to move out wasn’t nearly as fun as moving in had been. But that had been a year ago, and she’d fancied herself in love at that time. Something she hadn’t thought she could feel after Joffrey. Before Harry, Sansa had thought she would never trust a man again, would never be able to get close to someone again. Harry was charming, though. He was witty and handsome with gorgeous blue eyes and a winning smile and that dimple in his chin. He said all the right things and eventually swept her off her feet.
If only it had all be genuine.
Harry’s betrayal had been more subtle than Joffrey’s. With Joffrey, the abuse had been physical, emotional, and sexual. Harry was manipulative. He convinced her all her suspicions and doubts were her being crazy. His comments about her weight gain had been made to sound like he was concerned about her self-esteem and health even though Sansa hadn’t been concerned with the extra pounds. To be truthful, at first, they had made her feel sexy. She adored her curves and had imagined herself to be more feminine with them. Harry hadn’t agreed, and eventually his comments had torn down her confidence and made her feel unworthy of being desired. He was even able to convince her at first that his infidelity was her fault. How was he supposed to be faithful to someone who didn’t even find themselves attractive? If only she would work a little harder, eat a little less, and the other women wouldn’t be an issue.
It was the baby that changed everything. The woman he’d gotten pregnant didn’t even know Sansa existed, but Sansa couldn’t forgive him. Not when there was a living child out there that signified his betrayal. That’s what ultimately made up her mind to leave.
“You finished with these boxes?” Arya yelled from the living room.
“Yes. They can go into the truck.” Sansa called back to her sister.
For now, Sansa would be staying in Arya and Gendry’s spare room while she looked for her own place. Her things, the things she had brought with her to Harry’s house, would be stored in their garage until then. It wouldn’t be long. Sansa had only used a little of the money her parents had left her when they died to pay for nursing school. The rest was in savings, and her income from working in the emergency room was enough to afford a place of her own.
Reassuring herself that she was making the right choice, Sansa quickly folded all of her clothes, even the size 16 jeans that Harry had made fun of her for having to buy. It was time to leave all this behind and start over, for herself.
Carrying out the tub of her clothes out to her car, she went back in to do one last look over the house to make sure she got everything. When she was done, she left a note on the kitchen counter that said Have a nice life. It felt better than leaving nothing, even if she wanted to be a bit rude and sarcasm didn’t exactly translate into written word.
Back outside, she found Gendry tying the rest of her things down in the bed of his truck.
“Where’s Arya?” she asked.
“Ran back inside.” He said, then jumped off the truck, wiping his hands on his pant legs. “Think she needed to use the bathroom.”
“Hm.” Sansa eyed the front door suspiciously. She had a feeling Arya was doing something petty, like leaving a mess in the bathroom without flushing. Before she could go back inside to make sure she wasn’t, Arya came bounding out.
“Ready?” she asked with a smile that Sansa narrowed her eyes at. In the end she decided to let it go.
“Yes. I’ll follow you.”
Arya and Gendry’s house sat just outside of town. It had been a dump when they first bought it but had spent the last year doing work on it and now it was very nice. Dark and rustic, and very them. Their spare room would work fine for the time being.
“You got everything you need?” Arya asked from the bedroom door as Sansa started to unpack her clothes.
“I think so, yes.” She agreed. “Thank you both for your help.”
“Yeah, well, Harry was an arse. I’m glad you left him. Also, I added a bit to that note you left him.” She said with a grin.
“Oh, Arya.” Sansa sighed. “What did you put?”
“Oh, you know.” She shrugged. “Just, Not really. Fuck you.”
Resolutely not smiling even though it was funny, Sansa shook her head. It could have been worse, she supposed. And it wasn’t like Harry didn’t deserve it.
“I was wondering, though.” Sansa went on like she hadn’t heard what she said. “What’s the membership fee at your gym? I was thinking about joining and getting a personal trainer.”
“Man, Harry really is a dick.” Arya grumbled. “Look, Sans, my gym is a training gym. It’s not like one of those 12 Gyms or whatever that offer yoga or spin classes.”
“I know.” Sansa shrugged. “I just thought I could benefit from it. You always talk about how hard the owner is on you. I think I need that sort of accountability.”
“I don’t know.” Arya shrugged. “I can talk to Clegane. He might be willing to do it if you pay him a little extra fee aside from the gym fees. But only if you're doing it because you want to, not because of what some insecure jackass told you.”
“I'm doing it for me." she assured her. "I would appreciate it. Make sure he knows I’m willing to make it worth his time.”
“I’ll ask, but don’t get your hopes up.” Arya warned her. “Clegane is an ass.”
Sansa decided not to comment on how much adoration and respect Arya talked about the gym owner with. He probably was an ass, because Arya was an ass and they probably got on perfectly well with being horrible to each other.
Sansa really hoped he would consider it. She was tired of feeling down about herself. Tired of looking in the mirror and not liking what she saw. She wanted to feel sexy again, to feel like she was worthy of someone’s desire.
Hopefully this Clegane could help her with that.