I'm Really Not Fine At All

2. Remember the Day You Told Me You Were Leaving

Street woke up on the couch to an ache in his back. It was a small price to pay for Chris' comfort. He decided to get started on breakfast, but when he checked the fridge, he realized that it was pretty empty, since they cleared it out before they left on their honeymoon. With that realization, he left the house to pick up his girl's favorite breakfast tacos in the hopes that it would make her smile.

When he returned, he wanted to check in on her, so he opened the bedroom door and found that their bed was empty. He searched the rest of the house, but there was a sinking feeling that intensified with every room he checked- she was gone.

He went to the spot where her car keys belonged and found that her keys were missing. Street groaned as he took the keys to his motorcycle and the bag of breakfast tacos. He knew exactly where she was.

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He arrived to Uncle Sarzo's house and knocked on the door.

"Hey, mijo," Uncle Sarzo greeted.

"Good morning, tio," Street replied grumpily as he walked into the house.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Chris."

"Chris? I thought she was with you on your honeymoon," Sarzo replied.

"No, we had to come back early. Can I check your garage?"

Sarzo nodded, and Street moved through the house to the back where the garage is. He went to the second floor of the garage, and there she was, rolled up in a ball on the mattress in the corner with eyes wide open and staring in the distance.

"Chris?" He asked angrily.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. What the hell, Chris?"

"You don't get it, so I'm not even gonna try explaining," she replied.

"Explain why you left home and came here instead...why don't you try me?"

"That's just it! It doesn't feel like home to me."

"And so you ran away?" He asked in frustration.

"I didn't run away. I just wanted to be somewhere familiar."

"I'm not buying it. You got scared, and you ran. The old Chris always did that, but the new Chris faces her fears head on. She doesn't run! She talks things through"

She had no response. He was right about her being scared, and she knew it.

He saw the look in her eyes and knew she agreed with him, even if she wouldn't say so out loud. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "The breakfast tacos are getting cold. Can we just eat, please?" He asked with all the kindness back in his voice and then dragged a chair close to the bed, so that they could face each other.

"Amazing. I'm starving," she said happily and opened the bag. She grabbed the first taco and took a big bite out of it. The delicious food brought her a simple joy that made the corners of her lips turn up.

Her sincere happiness brought Street so much enjoyment that his anger completely melted away, and he couldn't stop watching her devour her food.

She felt his eyes on her and looked up at him. "What?" She wondered.

"I...I'm just happy to see you smile. It's one of my favorite things in the world," he admired her sweetly.

There was so much love in his voice and in his eyes, and she couldn't believe it was directed at her so purely and honestly. It made her blush and try to find a different seated position.