Our Time Will Come - An After Story

139

Charlie

"You don't know how loved you are, my girl" I whisper, before placing a kiss into my fiancé's hair. Im deep in thought, as she snuggles into my chest in her light slumber. I take in her subtle vulnerability and pray that I can make things up to her, for I haven't exactly made her life easy as of late. I have a lot of reflecting to do, and I'm not sure that this short plane journey is going to cut it.

After an eventful couple of days, we're headed back home and I for one, can't wait. I'm thankful that Mr and Mrs Scott are seated a few rows ahead of us and that the seat next to Emery and I is empty. Of course, our time alone didn't go as planned, too many things got in the way, which is why I'm determined to treasure every small moment with her that I can, to make up for it.

I beam down at Emery, taking a minute to admire her strength, when I'm hit by an overwhelming sense of guilt. She's always so fucking strong and resilient, but she shouldn't have to be, all the damn time! If I was just there for her instead of being wrapped up in my own problems, she wouldn't be so emotionally exhausted. Realising this, I'm hit with a flashback of just last night. Her panicked expression and the evidence of her meltdown on her face invades my thoughts.

She finally opened up to me, releasing the thoughts that have taunted her for so long. I learned that she has been consumed with the fear that she could be pregnant. She hadn't told anybody as she was just so scared, but she had finally hit breaking point and that alone, broke my heart. She felt as though she couldn't talk to me, as she knew how against the idea of children I was. She thought that I'd leave her, and that would be that. The thought of her thinking of me like that, creates a cold, sinking feeling in my chest. I never want her to feel that way again. Hell, I don't ever want to see her that way again.

After finally bucking up the courage to take a pregnancy test, to Emery's relief, it was negative. Understandably, she was still on this emotional rollercoaster. She couldn't stop the tears from streaming, but Instead of consoling her, I was a complete asshole about it, and expressed my relief like a child on Christmas morning.

Nonetheless, She continued to pour her heart out to me. I listened and assured her that everything would be okay and she finally felt safe, in my arms. It was when I told her about my scholarship that things went south. We were being open with each other for the first time In forever, i had kept it from her from long enough. I had to tell her, there and then.

In one single sentence, I told my girl that I'll be moving over six hundred miles away in less than a few months time. I was truthful about everything. Of course, she was deeply hurt by the fact that I've known about this for months.

I disregarded her feelings, again, which led to us fighting and instead of doing the right thing and fixing things with her, my only intention was to get wasted with Abby and her obnoxious friends. I continued to be the selfish prick that I am. I deserved what I got that night. If I would have been there to comfort my girl, that college chick would never have spiked my drink, but I chose to drown my sorrows.

I don't deserve her, but fuck, I'm glad that she's willing to fight for what we have and is yet to give up on us.

Im awaken from my trance, when Emery's eyes flutter open and beam into mine. "Hey" her angelic voice sends a heap of butterflies to my stomach. "Hey, sleepy head" a goofy smile forms on my face. "I wasn't sleeping, I was just resting my eyes" she chuckles and her laughter is like music to my ears. I only want to see her smile, and hear her laugh and I plan to make that happen, much more often. "Oh, that old chestnut" I mock her, as she snuggles closer to me. I wrap both of my arms around her, indulging in the embrace as I place a kiss into her hair. With that, theres a moment of silence and it's not long before I'm yet again, deep in thought.

I can't help but think about how In just twenty four hours, I've learned a heck of a lot.. from people of completely different walks of life. From the funny old man in the hospital bed next to me, to my baby brother, at just a few hours old. They've both left the same mark on me ..and it's that you only get one life.

When I first held baby Maddox, hell, I was hesitant. I'm pretty sure that I held that baby like a Wilson football and it's no secret that I'm not a fan of little people. I mean, it took me a while to form a relationship with the twins and I live with them for Pete's sake. Anyhow, from the moment that my.. 'mom', placed the little guy into my arms, It was like an awakening. When he wrapped his tiny little hand around my pinky finger, I knew what I had to do.

I spent so long being on the fence about whether I should go for the scholarship. I felt like a frightened child, anxious about heading into the unknown without my girl by my side. I now know that I have no choice, but to grab the opportunity with both hands. Not just for me, but for my family, because that's just what I want. A family.

"What are you thinking about?" Emery yet again, brings me back to earth. I pause for a second, knowing how sensitive things are at the moment. "Just us, and our future" I tell her, whilst locking her hand into mine. It isn't a complete lie. She makes a cooing sound in awe and I exhale a deep breath, finally being at peace with my decision.

For the duration of the flight, I listen to my girl talk about the way her father literally, banged hers and Abby's head together before we left for the airport. Emery was of course furious with Abby for what happened to me. I understand why, but it didn't take me long to forgive Abby. In my eyes, it wasn't Abby who roofied my drink, it was that red headed bitch Poppy, so I had no reason to stay mad at her. Not only that, but It was my decision to attend the lame excuse of a party. I know that Abby didn't mean for any of it to happen, but of course, I didn't say any of this when the drama was unfolding.

Emery already thinks that I couldn't be further up Abby's ass if I tried. That's just not the way I see it. Abby and I clicked the moment we met. She's like that one cousin who makes family gatherings more bearable. That's the way I see her, anyway. Maybe she can be a little too much sometimes, but Emery thinks that it's all part of Abby's vindictive plan to piss her off.

To cut a long story short, we arrived back from the hospital and gathered our bags. Ken was already at work, but we said our goodbyes to 'Nana Karen'. I gave an empathetic smile when she got all emotional and said that she was sorry we were leaving early. Even Addy and little Ava stopped by to see us before we left. It was a bitter sweet moment, being unsure of when we'll next see them. Emery hugged her best friend and placed a kiss onto baby Ava's forehead.

The only person left to make peace with, was Abby and It physically pained Mr Scott that Emery was prepared to leave Washington, knowing that she was on bad terms with her only Aunt. He's always had this thing, where he refuses to go to bed on bad terms with a loved one. So.. he quite literally, banged their heads together until the two apologised to each other and meant it. I got a kick out of the way the two yelled an 'ouch' at the same time, before wrapping their arms around each other in a heartfelt cuddle.

Before we know it, an attractive air hostess is at our side, offering refreshments. I clear my throat in an attempt to disguise my flustered state and avoid eye contact at all costs. Holy shit, I'm awkward. "Would you like any cold drinks, sir?" The brunette who's name tag reads 'Jade' asks me. I embarrass myself further by stuttering like the nerd I am. "Yes, yes. Can I get two soda's, please?" I say, louder than I anticipated. She nods and proceeds to prepare our beverages. I bite my lip to stifle an awkward laugh, when I clock the expression on Emery's face. It's that jealous, but adorable look that drives me insane.

I try to hide my arousal when my girl says something highly unexpected. "I hope you know that until the moment you leave for college, I'm going to be all over you like a rash. Mr Travers" she practically yells in the hopes that Jade hears, but it catches me so off guard that I break into a coughing fit. "You're crazy!" I whisper, unable to contain my amusement at this point. "Well, you have that effect on me" she admits, as the hostess places two cans of Dr Pepper onto the tray before me. You have that effect on me too, Babe. You definitely fucking do, my subconscious chimes.

A/N - Wow. It's literally been so long since I updated that I forgot Charlie's surname. I had to look back and check. Oops! Sorry about that!! Thank you for reading my loves, if you're still here after all this time. Please vote & leave a comment 💗