Aella

XLII

It's been a week since I left the hospital. And since I've been home, the days have been the same. Aella is up and working before I wake up, so I spend my days watching Italian news I don't understand and reading, then we eat dinner in silence, Aella works some more, then we go to sleep. She doesn't touch me, she barely looks at me.

I can finally walk at a normal pace. My body is aching less, and my incision is healing practically perfectly. I am starting to feel like I'm getting back to normal.

I just need Aella to stop acting like this. She still has yet to speak more than a few words to me at a time, only answering my questions with short answers. I need to figure out some way to get Aella back to talking to me. I'm going crazy living in this house with her not talking to me. She's shutting me out because she thinks the accident was entirely her fault, but I don't blame her for it. I think without her quick thinking, we would both be dead.

The days goes by as it has the past few, so now Aella and I are both getting ready for bed. Aella does her routine first, and I start on mine. I brush my teeth, comb my hair, and change into pajamas. I choose a loose T-shirt I stole from Aella, and some simple striped shorts.

When I go back out into our room, Aella lays on her side of the bed, reading a new book, as she finished her other one last night.

I stand in front of the bed, Aella doesn't even notice, or acts like she doesn't. I clear my throat loudly. Aella looks up at me.

I pull up my shirt just enough for her to see my bandages covering my incision. Aella's breath almost hitches. But then she looks down at her book again.

So, I walk over to her side of the bed, standing directly next to her nightstand, and I hold my shirt up again. She looks up at me once, then begins to ignore me again.

"Stop shutting me out", I drop my shirt hem out of my fingers. "Stop doing this."

"I'm not shutting you out", Aella doesn't look up from her book.

I let out a fake laugh. "You're such an asshole."

This gets Aella's attention. She closes her book, and swings her legs over the side of the bed. I take a few steps back. "What did you say to me?"

I stand my ground. "You are being an asshole". Aella stands up, and I swallow hard, but continue. "I do not blame you for the accident, not for a second would I ever. But for this entire week, you have acted like I am a burden to you, but you also can't be bothered with me."

"Penelope-"

"No", my voice cracks, I do my best not to start crying out in anger. "We are supposed to be a fucking team. A partnership. But you've only given me the cold shoulder, to do this on my own. I got hurt, Aella. So what? I do not blame you for hurting me."

"But I blame me", Aella's own voice cracks. She's going to cry. "I am your guard, your protector. And I let you get hurt."

"I don't need someone to protect me from every single little thing. You can't beat yourself up if I get a goddamn paper cut, or if I get hurt in an accident. We both got into the accident."

"I watched you die, Penelope", Aella yells at me, taking one step forward. I take two steps back. "You are my only reason to live, and I watched that goddamn heart monitor go flat. Your heart stopped beating. You died."

"But I'm not dead", I counter. "I'm here, and I'm alive, but you're treating me like I died, like I'm not around."

Aella starts to cry. Tears drop out of her eyes, down her cheek, and onto her shirt. "I need to protect you. I can't lose you."

Aella takes step back and sits onto the bed. At that moment, I start to cry too. I walk over and sit next to Aella. I grab her hand, and for the first time in a week, she grabs back.

"I love you, Aella."

"I have never loved anyone more than I love you, Penelope. You are made for me."

I look up at Aella, and she's already looking at me. She studies my face. Then, she takes her other hand and wipes my tears away with back of her pointer finger.

"You can't shut me out."

"I know", she whispers. "I'm so sorry, Darling."

"I forgive you", I smile at her.

"I want to marry you. I don't care if it's only been a few months."

"Ask me properly." I joke. "But I would marry you in a heartbeat."

Aella's hand rests on my cheek, and she starts pulling me in for a kiss.

I've missed how our lips dance perfectly together, like they're made for each other, too. It's slow. I always like our slow kisses more.

"Come here, Topolina".

Aella starts to move back, and she lays on her back, pulling me over her. I sit over her waist, my legs on either side.

I lay on top of her, and we kiss ever-so gently. Her hands grip my sides, but she's careful not to go near my bandages. My hair falls around us like a blanket.

It's just simple, slow kissing, and I love it more than anything her and I have ever done. It's reconnecting us, in a way. We've accepted what's happened and how the other was feeling about it.

After a little while, we both stop to catch our breaths. I sit up, and Aella just watches me.

"We need to get you to bed, Daddy."

Aella huffs quietly, as if telling me I need to watch what I say and do.

"You are the big boss", I smirk. "You need your sleep".

She sits up, holding me against her chest. "Don't you worry about me, My Darling. Just wait until you heal entirely. You're the one that's going to need your sleep."