Loving Mr. Collins

Chapter 14

"No. I hate that we had to sneak around and that I watched them take you away. But I don't regret dating you. I'm sorry if you got that impression," I finally say.
"But you just said..." he trails off.
"Hey. I love you. All of that was very frustrating but I wouldn't have done it if I thought there wouldn't be a future. You kept talking about it and I was excited about it. I still felt the same after we talked in my apartment."
"Well, I love you. So, I'm sorry if the reason bothers you but it doesn't bother me. Do you know why? Because regardless, I still fell deeply in love with you and pictured my life with you. I still do. But if this is enough for you to tap out, let me know now."
I shake my head.
"It isn't."
"That's good. I didn't want you to go."
I step forward and kiss him lovingly. He kisses me back. We wind up on the couch and have makeup sex. I had no idea that even needed to be said but I'm glad we did. I guess it's kind of a good thing that my dad brought it up.
"I'm sorry," I say.
"It's okay. I know what you meant. I promise that it doesn't change how I feel about you."
"I know."
"Okay. I'm sorry too. I didn't intend for my initial response to lead to all of this."
"It's alright. It seems like we needed to say it. I feel better now that we did."
"Me too."
I smile.
"Look. The bottom line is that I love you and that'll never change," he says.
"I feel the same way."
He smiles. He gives me another kiss and starts to get dressed. I do the same. Our Chinese food finally arrives after we're done. We eat in the living room while watching TV. We set the to go containers and cups on the coffee table when we're full. We cuddle for a while as we watch TV. Eventually, we get up, clean up our mess, and go into the bedroom.
I change into my pajamas and get into the bed. He strips down to his boxers and gets in beside me. I rest my head on his chest. He chuckles.
"You have a pillow right there," he jokes.
"Yeah, well, you make a better pillow."
"And why's that?"
"Because this other pillow is comfy but I'm not in love with it."
"Good answer."
"Thanks."
We fall asleep shortly afterwards. The next day, my mom comes by while we're having breakfast. I let her in and lead her to the dining room.
"Hi, Debra. Would you like some breakfast?" Chris offers.
"No thank you. I came to apologize for my pigheaded husband. I understand that he gave you the third degree last night."
"I wouldn't put it that way. Alan did visit us to talk about our relationship. He said that he doesn't approve but he wants to get used to it."
"Yeah. He wanted to understand our dynamic and everything," I add.
"I'm so sorry. We talk about everything but he went completely rogue on that one. He said that he was going to make a stop on the way home from work. I had no idea that it was here."
"It's okay, Mom."
"No it's not. We've talked about it many times. I told him that you're in this relationship and it's already getting serious. The most that we can do is get used to it. I'm more willing to accept it but he's still adjusting. I think that's what he meant but you know your dad."
"Yeah."
"Anyway, I'm sorry for his behavior. I hope it didn't cause a rift between you."
"Well..." I trail off.
"What?"
"We did have our worst argument because of it. It's okay though because we worked it out."
"Oh god. Well, I'm glad that you worked it out. I would hate for you to lose the only relationship that makes you happy."
"I'm not going to."
She smiles.
"Okay good. Well, that's all I came to say," she says and stands up.
"Okay. It was good seeing you, Mom."
"You too."
"I'll walk you out," Chris says.
"Yes, thank you."
I stay at the table and keep eating my breakfast. It's strange that he walked out with her instead of showing her out, but I decide not to question it. He comes back inside and joins me.
"Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Yeah. Everything's fine, babe."
"Okay good."
I finish my breakfast. I take my dirty dishes and put them into the sink. From there, I gather some clean clothes before taking a shower.