The Man Who Never Speaks

22. Are We Out Of The Woods?

"To kiss in cars and downtown bars
Was all we needed
You drew stars around my scars
But now I'm bleeding."
————

Six months later...

The sun shone through the curtains on Elm Street, effectively waking up FP out of his morning slumber. At the end of the bed, Suzie was purring in her sleep. The little cat had adjusted to her new home quickly, and FP still counted himself lucky to have found her. She truly gave him a great deal of comfort.

He stretched a little and turned on his side, his arm wrapped around Alice's waist. She was still fast asleep. He smiled to himself and pressed a few soft kisses against her bare skin, a gesture that tickled her enough for her to slowly open her eyes.

Alice stirred with a content hum and turned on her back, before she fluttered open her eyes and looked straight at FP, who was looking at her in full adoration. His fingers softly stroked her arm as he sent her his softest smile. If he had the time, he would stare at her forever.

"Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?" He asked sweetly, laughing slightly when she stretched a little, telling him that she was still sleepy.

"I slept okay. How about you? Did you sleep alright?" Her hand reached up to his cheek and she softly started to tickle his stubble with her fingers.

"Always when I sleep next to you." He winked, before leaning in and finally kissing her lips for the first time that morning.

"Are you okay? Or are you still spiraling about what we talked about last night?" His hands kept on playing with her hair as he tried to read the expression on her face. She was most definitely lost in thought.

Ever since they had decided they wanted to become parents, a whole different journey had started. Truthfully, it was a lot harder than she had expected. Of course she knew that they had to fight hard, both apart and together, to make this happen, but somehow she had hoped for a miracle. As if there suddenly would be someone who would be willing to give them a baby.

But to prove that they could handle this responsibility they had gone into therapy, which she had also underestimated. It was worth every second, but it made her wonder if they would ever get lucky enough to start a family.

Six months had passed and though they were maturing and learning a lot together, there were certain moments where she lost all hope. Last night had been one of these moments, but fortunately she had FP to make her sorrows disappear. As always, he had her back the way she had his. It's one of the things that made her believe that they deserved to have the family they wished for.

"I'm just afraid that it might not happen." She confessed in a whisper, her eyes glued to the ceiling.

"Hey, it only has been a couple of months... It's not going to be a smooth sailing. It can take a while." He gave her a small smile as he tried to give her a little bit of comfort, but if he was being honest with himself, part of him was scared too.

However, he had learned that he really had to believe. Especially when Alice lost faith every now and then, he needed to stay positive.

"It's hard to wait for something you want so badly." She turned her head sidewards and looked at him, the faintest of smiles on her lips.

"I've waited for you almost twenty years... and believe me, it's all worth the wait." His voice was so sweet and sincere that Alice teared up. It made her feel calmer knowing that would always hold hope.

"Come, let me make your favorite breakfast." FP jumped out of bed and walked over to the other side and took her hand.

She was still trying to figure out how it could be that he always knew how to cheer her up, but maybe the answer to that question was simple. He always saw through her.