Aquiver (Original)

Promise

The next morning, Becker woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside of the apartment. He groaned, annoyed, and checked the time. 7am. Too early... he thought to himself. He tried to fall back asleep, but couldn't. Looking over at Isabella, he smiled. He kissed her cheek and then got out of the bed, trying to keep her from waking up. Walking into the bathroom, he closed and locked the door. "Why did I do this to myself...waking up at 7am," he mumbled.

He washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He gently touched some scars on his abdomen, tracing a long scar that started at the top of his belly button and raced up to his collarbone at an angle.

He looked at his right eyebrow, sighing at the sight of the small scar that came at an angle towards the middle of the brow. His eyes gazed down at his body and he hated seeing the few scars that he had acquired when in the military. He had been a prisoner of war for a good 2 years before he was finally found. The rest of the scars, bruises, and still healing areas were all from Julie's years of abuse.

A small scar was on the bridge of his nose, starting from the middle of the nasal bone, shaped downwards to the beginning of the tip of his nose. He hated that scar most, along with the long, snaking scar on his abdomen.

He knew he was a fit individual, with rock-hard abs and a nice body, but he didn't want to look like a perfect athlete or the ideal societal shape of what man was "supposed to" look like. He just wanted to be himself. Even though his body was basically the societal standard, he felt disgusting because of the scars. He couldn't even believe that Isabella had said yes to being his girlfriend.

Looking himself in the eye, he couldn't believe that his eye color was so similar to Isabella's. He grit his teeth and looked at his jawline. A small scar from when Julie's whiskey bottle hit his face resided on his jaw.

Feeling anger rise in his chest, his hands balled into fists. He calmed down and tried to relax before he made a mistake and break something. He washed his face again and then went back into the bedroom. Isabella was awake and she was stretching. "Hello, Becker," she said smiling. "Sleep well?"

Becker nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Can I ask you something?"

Isabella patted the spot next to her on the bed. "Yes sir, you can," she giggled. "What's up?"

"Since we're dating, I just need to know...are you okay with...me? Y'know...with the history of abuse and the military PTSD."

Isabella held his hand. "Becker, when I promised to get you out of your abusive relationship, I meant that wholeheartedly, sweetheart."

"But-"

"Shhh," she whispered. She put a finger to his lips. "Becker, I want you to know that I am not just okay with you. I'm happy with you. I'm thankful for you...and I am madly in love with you and I don't care who knows it." She kissed him gently and then leaned her forehead against his. "I love every scar, every freckle, every blemish, every little thing about you...and I'm sure my heart would shatter if anything were to happen to you."

Becker pulled her in for a hug and he still kept his forehead against hers. "Thank you...for everything you've done to help me...and for supporting me and for being there for me through the highs and lows," he whispered. "It really means a lot." He looked her in the eye and gently kissed her. He smiled and then playfully kissed her face all over.

Isabella giggled and poked his nose. "So, mister bear, what are we doing today?" she asked.

"Wanna go see a movie?"

"Sure," he replied. He kissed her nose and got up to get dressed. He checked for movie times and the two eventually settled on a time. When they got to the movies, little did they know they were in for a treat.