The Stranger / Chris Evans x OC

Chapter 176: Truths Revealed

AMELIA

I lay nestled in Chris' arms, both of us still reeling from earlier. I can feel his heart beating steadily as I lie with my head on his chest, my fingers gently drawing shapes on his lower stomach. 

His fingers are running through my hair, occasionally scratching my scalp, while his other hand runs up and down my arm in a soothing manner. 

Neither of us speak for a few minutes. I suspect we both need a moment to process this. Being back in his arms feels so right, but the past month still lingers. I have a feeling it's going to be a while before we've moved completely past it. 

When his voice breaks the silence, I can feel my body thrumming in excitement. I've missed that voice, missed feeling him, and it makes a strange ease cover me like a blanket, as if I'm finally safe again. 

"I love you." 

I smile at his words, tilting my head to kiss his chest, "I love you too." 

His fingers stroke my hair, and I look up to see his face. He's watching me intently, but the look on his face seems worried; an expression I wasn't expecting, all things considered. 

I slide my palm up his chest to rest it on the spot right over his heart, "What's wrong?"

He hesitates, carefully swiping the hair out of my face to run his fingers through it before he murmurs, "I want to tell you everything but doing so will ruin the plans I made." 

I frown, mainly in confusion, both at his words and at the look on his face, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Chris sighs, eyes moving over my face while he smiles sadly, "Amelia, I want you to know that I had a very different, much better plan for this. It was going to be completely different than how it will now end up being, and I'm sorry if it won't be as special this way, but I can't let you think I was being unfaithful in any way, anymore." 

My frown deepens. I sit up, holding the sheets up to my chest to keep me somewhat covered while I look at him, "Chris, what are you talking about?"

He sits up as well, sighing dejectedly, his back leaning against the head rest, "I wasn't buying jewelry for Clara that day, baby. I was buying it for you. And the reason I didn't want to tell you was because I knew that telling you would ruin the plans I'd made. It would ruin the surprise." 

I look at him in confusion for a few seconds before realization washes over me. My eyes go wide, and then they dart around the room as if I'm expecting a clown to pop out of the closet, or something. Then they flit back to his face, the same apologetic smile on his lips. I inhale sharply, slowly shaking my head, "No.." 

"Yes," he responds matter of factly, "And I thought I was doing the right thing by not explaining it, at the time. I didn't know it would turn into what it did. I'm sorry for hiding it from you." 

I gasp quietly, in both surprise at what he's telling me but also surprise at the fact that the thought never even occurred to me. If he's saying what I think he's saying, then that changes everything. It also changes how I feel about this entire situation, everything that has happened between us. 

When I think it over, however, one thought bothers me. 

My brows furrow, "Wait, if you're saying what I think you're saying, then why would you bring Cara along to pick it out? We'd never even met at that point, that doesn't make sense." 

"I didn't," he responds quietly, "I brought Taylor along a month earlier to approve my design of it. I brought Cara along that day to come with me when I picked it up."