50 Shades of Drake 3 and 4

Torn: Chapter Thirty-Six

    Aubrey cracked his eyes open and found himself staring up at the ceiling. For the second night in a row, he'd actually had a peaceful sleep. He drew an arm over his eyes, then let his arm fall away. His arm came into contact with nothingness. Empty, cool space in the spot where Destiny should have been. He slowly sat up, looking at the empty spot beside him. Then he sat listening for sounds from the master bathroom. There were none - and that wasn't a surprise, since the bathroom door was wide open.

    He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Adjusting himself in his boxer briefs and yawning, he walked around the bed and out of the bedroom. He padded down the hallway, and stopped at the end of the hallway when he saw Destiny sitting sideways on the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. Her head was turned towards the window. From where he was standing, he couldn't tell if she was awake or not.

    Curious as to why she'd be sitting out in the living room instead of lying in bed with him, he walked past the dining room and into the living room.

    Her eyes were open. She was awake, but didn't move as he approached.

    He ran a hand over the top of his head and sat down beside her. "Good morning."

    "Good morning," she said, still staring out of the window.

    "Did you have trouble sleeping?"

    She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I had trouble sleeping."

    "Look at me."

    She lowered her eyes, but turned her head in his direction.

    He tilted her chin up with one hand.

    Her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying all night. They were filled with sadness when she finally lifted them to meet his inquiring gaze.

    He was consumed with the worry he felt for her, but afraid to ask what was wrong. He was good at reading people, to a certain extent, but he had no idea what could have changed. They'd spent an amazing afternoon together, and had an amazing time together the night before that. Still, he had to look past all of that. Something was bothering her; he couldn't be selfish and ignore it. So, he asked her, "What's wrong?"

    "I don't know how to answer that."

    "You answer the question by telling me what's wrong," he said firmly.

    She turned her head and looked out of the window again.

    He sighed. "I didn't give you permission to look away from me."

    She turned her gaze back to him.

    "Tell me what's wrong," he urged. "I'm listening."

    She started rocking back and forth. "We had a conversation. You said that you were willing to consider marrying me and having children with me."

    A nervous tic made his eye twitch. "Correct."

    "And....yesterday, I got to see you with the kids in the music program. You were amazing with them." She smiled when she said the words, even though her eyes looked about ready to shed more tears.

    "You were amazing with them, too," he returned. "I loved seeing you with them." In truth, seeing her interact with the children had reminded him of the dreams he'd had while he was being held captive by Palmer. She'd been incredibly sweet and nurturing with the kids. It was easy to see that she would make a great mother.

    She ducked her head down and rested her chin between her knees. "Ever since Sunday night, things between us have been great. Better than great. They've been...as close to perfect as it gets."