Mysterious

Chapter 89

Arissa felt Bruno move from underneath her waking her up."Oh, sorry..." she said stretching from where she was sitting. He just rolled his eyes at her. She followed him into the kitchen where she saw Christian sitting at the table in front of a plate hitting the spoon on the wooden table gently.

"Mom, I'm writing a song for you." he said humming something only a four year old could think of.

"It's going to be a hit." Bruno said picking up Christian's plate to cut the breaded chicken into small pieces then spooning some broccoli onto the plate. He placed it in front of his son who made a gross face.

"There's no cheese..." Christian said.

"Here baby..." Arissa said drizzling some Velveeta cheese she had warmed up on top of it.

"Oh...sorry. I didn't know..." Bruno responded.

"You couldn't have." Arissa said taking a bite of the food he had cooked.

"I better not die, Bruno..."

"I put a little bit of poison in one...but I forgot which one..." he said making a face at her pretending to die.

"Ahh, so it was yours." Arissa answered.

"Yeah..it probably was..." he answered.

After they finished eating Arissa picked up the plates from the table putting them in the dishwasher.

"Riss...go to your meeting..I'll take care of it." Bruno said handing her a towel to wipe her hands off.

"I'm going to spend more time fixing what you clean up then actually cleaning..." she told him.

"Just go, Riss. Please..." he said squeezing her side.

"Fine...but I'm not happy."

**

"Arissa, where's my little man?" Cara, a fellow board member asked. "You didn't take him to your parents house did you?"

"Oh, no. He's at home. His dad randomly decided to show up. So they're at the house. Or what I hope to be a house when I get back if he doesn't burn it down..."

"Oh, haha. Okay." she answered Arissa.

**

Arissa opened the door to the house smelling something baking.

"B?" she asked.

"In the kitchen, Mom...." he answered her holding a spoon. "Taste this..." he said holding the spoon out to her. She leaned in taking the spoon from him.

"Mmmm. That's good." she said. "Where is Christian?" she asked him.

"He fell asleep...." he answered her pointing to the floor by the drums.

"Oh, wow. How did you do that?" she asked him.

"I'm magic..." Bruno said proudly. "But really..he crapped out like an hour after you left." he admitted. "Oh, here..." Bruno said walking to the fridge pulling out a pre-cut piece of white cake with pink frosting and sprinkles on it.

"How did you finish this that quckly?" she asked him.

"I'm magic..." Bruno answered watching her take a bite of the cake.

"Mmmm. It's really good, Brunz." she answered him. "But wait...what the hell are you doing?" she asked him.

"Arissa..." he said taking the fork out of her hand. "I let you go because it was what you needed. You needed the space. I was wrong. I did everything wrong. Every single thing wrong. And you were right to leave. I needed to figure it out on my own. And now I've realized that I need you and Christian with me every single day. I can't breathe without your name escaping my lips. I can't stop thinking about your green eyes and your blonde hair and your voice. Your voice...Arissa...." he stopped pulling out his phone. "I keep your angry voicemails because I miss every single waking moment of my life without you in it. I love you so much. "

"Bruno..." she paused trying to find exactly the right words without yelling. "I need a husband and a father, not someone who comes in and out of my life every few weeks. I need someone..I need someone to be everything you never were."

"I know you do, baby doll. I know. And I want to change. I want to see Christian grow up every single day. I don't want to see him today and then in four months not even recognize him because he's grown 4 inches and he's playing soccer and basketball and learning all these amazing things. I want to be there for every inch and every single thing he does. And I want to be there for you. I want to cook dinner, I want to do laundry, I want to carry you to bed when you fall asleep after working the 60 hours a week that you don't need to be working because I'm taking care of you..because that's what I'm supposed to do. It's what I wasn't doing to for you. And I want to do it forever and ever...until we're old and grey..." he told her.

"Bruno, you're not going to win me over with that. You're just not. It's taken me a really long time to get over all of this. And I finally think I have...and then you come back here saying all this? Why couldn't you have said this 4 years ago? Why now? Why not then?"

"I didn't know then. But I know now." he repeated. Arissa harrumphed standing up from the table taking the plate he had gotten for her placing it in the sink. He followed her to the sink watching her wash the plates that he had left in the sink. "I'll wash them before I leave, Riss..." he told her.

"You're going to Ryan's?" she asked him turning around looking at him. She spotted his eyes watering. "Bruno....don't go...please..." she pleaded with him leaning toward him. "Please don't go. I need you. " she repeated herself several times as he wrapped his arms around her kissing her head.

"I need you too, Rissy. I need you so badly. I don't think I can go on without you...." he told her with tears coming down his cheek.

"Bruno?" she asked him looking up at him. "There's no sunlight if I lose you?" she laughed at him.

"No, baby. There's been no sunlight since you've been gone. None..." he said leaning in to kiss her.