❝ 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫
𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 ❞ | mature
Too many arguments too much tears, they foreseed how it will end. Their break up was a mutual agreement and so was what came after.
Six months afte...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
____
Aaron was practically sprinting home, escaping his office the moment he gathered some of his belongings. He didn't even attempt to finish his paperwork or send his reports. Dave had offered to take care of them for him, but Aaron knew that even if the older man hadn't made the offer, he would still leave with his tasks unfinished.
This behavior had ceased to be unusual for him, and frankly, he didn't care. A four-day trip to Colorado to assist the local police with a case was more than enough to ignite his urgency for a break.
Four days and four nights without Emily was challenging, but pretending that her absence didn't affect him was torturous, as if designed by the devil himself. He tried to convince her during their nightly phone calls that he was getting enough rest, but it was futile; his tone always betrayed him, even when he attempted to smile and lighten the mood.
Emily always saw through him and made sure to scold him for it, even when it felt hypocritical since she, too, struggled to sleep. Fatigue refused to release them, but still prevented either of them from closing their eyes.
But now, none of that mattered anymore. He wouldn't have to lie about sleeping well, and she wouldn't have to pretend she was any different. Aaron was finally on his way home, ready to see her and be enveloped by her serenity. Their nights would finally feel much more enjoyable— at least until his next trip.
He unlocked the door to the house and exhaled deeply. Suddenly, the urgency he felt on his flight back—the almost childlike longing in the middle of the night and the impatience he experienced while glancing at his watch, waiting for the traffic lights to turn green felt exaggerated. Everything faded away, tuned out, and he could finally close his eyes in relief. Aaron rested his bag by the door and locked it again.
"Aaron, is that you?" she called from upstairs. He smiled, even though he hadn't yet seen her face. "Yes, honey, it's me" he replied, walking toward the staircase as he heard the sound of her footsteps approaching.
"Be careful" he said after reaching the top floor and seeing her hurriedly exiting the nursery. She smiled widely and hugged him tightly. "Finally, you're home" she sighed into his chest, her sizable baby bump preventing her from hugging him as closely as she wished.
Aaron kissed the top of her head and cupped her cheeks. "Bangs?" He raised an eyebrow at her new haircut, taking a moment to absorb the change and update the image of her he had etched in his mind.
"Yeah, Claire has magic hands" she replied, playfully tousling her fringe, though the cut pieces fell back into place. Her dark hair rested just above her eyebrows, partially hiding her forehead. Aaron was surprised to find that her curled strands complemented her even more when paired with bangs.
"You look beautiful" he said, kissing her forehead through the gap her bangs created, and let his warm palm find her cheek again. Emily let her eyes wander over his face for a moment, wishing with all her heart that their baby would inherit his genes— his smile and warm touch, his eyes and nose. She hoped her child would possess his ability to soothe her and look at her in the same way he did.
