Close As Lovers

Twenty-Three.

Song: When We Fall Apart- Ryan Stevenson 

The girl immediately paled before running out of the house, leaving Wes and I alone in the tense silence. Just seeing his reaction was enough to let the tears I had been holding in escape, and when a small sob escaped my lips, the fear of him finding out reached its peak, and I ran to my room, fully breaking down. I was terrified that he would hate me for keeping it from him, or that he wouldn't want the baby, and I wasn't sure if I could handle either of those realities.

I sat on the floor, my back pressed against my bed as I buried my head in my knees, sobbing my heart out. I was lost. After months of being alone and abandoned, all the strength I had left in me was slowly dwindling down to nothing. Just as I reached for the phone to call Lana, my bedroom door creaked open. He slid down beside me, blankly staring at the wall ahead of us, and I cowered away from him, pulling my knees closer to my chest.

"You're really pregnant?" He whispered, his voice cracking, and I nodded, my body shaking from sobs. Wes sighed before he glanced at me, his eyes glassy, but I hid my face, trying my best to avoid looking at him and seeing the things I feared.

"I'm not getting rid of the baby, Wes." I cried, peeking at him. "Even if you hate me for not telling you, and even if you leave me all alone. I'll figure it out."

Wes stared at me in disbelief before taking my hands in his. "I would never ask you to do that, Molls. And I could never hate you. Not in a lifetime."

The softness in his voice eased my worries slightly, but in the back of my mind, thoughts were still nagging that he didn't actually care and he was just messing with me. I ripped my hands from his as I stood, walking towards my window, and even though I tried to calm myself, all the pent up anger I had held in for months finally released. "Don't you dare act like you care about me!" I screamed, whipping around to him as tears streamed down my face. "Don't act like you give a damn about me when you left me all alone!"

Wes stood, walking towards me with caution. "I'm not acting, Molls. I care about you. Let's just--"

"You left me!" I cried, shoving his chest. "You broke up with me when I needed you most, and then you brought Katie back here like it was nothing. You only saved me last night because you didn't want to deal with the casualties--"

"I saved you because I can't live without you!" He screamed back, tears slipping out of his eyes. "If you honestly think for a second that I came after you last night just to protect myself, then you don't know a damn thing about me!"

I slammed my fists against his chest. "I hate you!" I sobbed, hitting his chest harder. "I hate you for leaving me!"

My heart pounded against my chest as I sobbed harder, my eyes blurry from all the tears shed. Wes suddenly grabbed my fists, pulling me tightly against him, and even though I fought to get out of his grasp, he only held me tighter. Eventually, I just let him hold me, and he ran his fingers through my hair as he whispered soothing words to calm me down.

"I never wanted to leave you." He mumbled, his voice raspy from crying. "I regret everything. I know you don't believe it, but these past four months weren't easy for me either, and I've spent every night hating myself for what I did to you."

"Wes--"

"Please, let me finish." He pressed a gentle kiss against my temple. "I didn't save you because I didn't want to deal with the aftermath. I saved you because I couldn't imagine losing the one person that has stayed with me no matter how many mistakes I made, no matter how many times I hurt you, and no matter how many times I pushed you away. I saved you because I need you, Molly, and you might not believe me, but it's the truth. That's all I have left to give you."

My sobs subsided as I pulled away to look up at him. The pad of his thumb collected my tears before he caressed my cheek. "But what about the girl that was just here?"

"A couple days ago you said I was the one running away, and you were right. I was still running and I never realized what it was doing to you." He rested his forehead against mine, his teary eyes searching my own. "I'm done running. Especially from the girl who means everything to me."

Wes pulled me into a tight hug, and I clung to him, fearing that if I let go, he would disappear. A part of my mind begged me not to believe him, but when I saw the look in his eyes, my heart finally breathed normal again. He was the person I knew best, sometimes better than myself, and I knew he wasn't lying. And even though your heart could be misleading, sometimes you just needed to let go and listen to its honesty.

"Are you mad at me for not telling you about the..."

He chuckled. "Of course not, Molls. I understand. I'm going to be there for you and our baby every step of the way."

Wes rested his head in the crook of my neck as his fingertips traced over my spine. I wrapped my arms tighter around him, more tears springing in my eyes. I hadn't realized how much I missed his hugs. He gave me a sense of safety, warmth, and security that nobody else could, and there was nothing more I wanted than to stay in his arms forever.

"Wes? Molly? Where are you?" My mom called out from downstairs, and we pulled away, walking to the first level of the house. When I caught the look on mom and David's face, and Nova crying as my step-dad held her, my heart sank to my stomach. Wes' hand shot out and wrapped tightly around mine.

"What's wrong?" I questioned as Wes pulled me closer to him, and mom glanced at my step-dad before stepping towards us. David took Nova out of the room, and then mom faced us again, her eyes heavy with sadness.

"Your parents were coming to visit this week, Wes. They left two days ago, but they never arrived at the airport here."

"Maybe they just missed their flight." He replied, shooting my mom a reassuring smile, but I didn't miss the way his grip on my hand tightened. "They're probably on the next flight home."

Mom sighed as she reached out to grab Wes' other hand. "That was what we thought too, but I called the airport in France just to make sure."

"What... what did they say?"

Mom's eyes filled with tears as she stroked his skin gently with her thumb, and I could see the fear in Wes' eyes as he waited for her answer. My heart dropped in my chest as mom bowed her head. "Your parent's plane crashed. They died immediately from the impact. I'm sorry, Wes."

Silence. Eerie silence.

Wes froze in his place, tears trickling rapidly down his face as his hand fell limp and out of my grasp. Mom threw her hand over her mouth, trying to conceal her sobs for Wes' sake, and then she gave him a quick hug before running out of the room. I found myself crying as I threw my arms around Wes, pulling his head into my shoulder, and then as if everything had crashed into him, Wes sobbed hysterically into my shoulder. We sunk to the floor as I held him tighter, and his broken sobs echoed through my mind, breaking my heart in ways I couldn't explain. But I knew it was nothing compared to the pain that he felt in his.

And for the first time, I saw Wes break. 

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Hey guys!

How did you feel about Molly admitting the truth to Wes? His reaction? The plot twist at the end?

Molly didn't die, but someone (or two) did. ;)

Make sure to comment, vote, and spread the word!

Thanks for reading!

Much love,

-Abby