The One Fanfiction

Chapter 28

I know I said I would post in parts, and I will, but this one is too short to post like that. After the next chapter, they start to get longer.

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        The door opened slowly. Mary and Maxon walked in. Mary was wearing a triumphant smile and nudged Maxon forward. She turned to the other girls and said, "Come on, girls. Let's give them some privacy." They left the room and Maxon and I were alone.

        Maxon looked directly into my eyes. His gaze was sad and pleading. I could tell he was sorry for hurting me. It was obvious he was hurting too. All I wanted was to get rid of his pain. I would look for a way to help him until the day I died. I wondered of he knew that.

        I gave him a small smile and he walked towards me slowly. It took some effort to keep myself from running into his arms. If I did that, we would completely forget that we need to talk about our situation. We had to figure out what we were going to do about his anxiety. Maxon couldn't go through life with severe stress and he definitely couldn't be a good husband, father, or King living like that.

        "You must be really good friends with those girls," Maxon started. "Mary gave me a stern talking-to the whole way here." I smile at the thought of Mary scolding Maxon. I pictured her waggling her finger at him and Maxon looking guiltily at his hands. It was kind of funny to imagine and I let out a soft chuckle. A smirk flickered on Maxon's mouth.

        "Yeah," I replied. "They're pretty great girls."

        I could tell this was just small talk. We both knew we had to talk about this. Maxon and I were stalling, postponing the inevitable. I guess we were scared of how this conversation would end. Could we make it past this?

        I took some deep breaths before starting the conversation I was dreading. "Maxon, we have to talk about this." Okay. Not a bad start. I've got this. "You can't deal with this alone and I won't let you. I've lost you so many times before. I won't lose you again because of some anxiety we can move past this. We can get on with our lives. We can get married, have kids, start a real life together. You want that, don't you?"

        Maxon nodded solemnly. I could tell Maxon was taking my words to heart. He had tears in his eyes and he was trying to blink them back. Maxon's breathing was a little shaky. He was obviously feeling pretty raw right now, so when I continued, I was careful not to push too hard.

        "If you want those things, you have to let me in. Maxon, I can help you if you let me. I promise I'll do everything I can. So, will you let me help you?" I grabbed his hands with both of mine and prayed he would allow me to become a part of this. I don't know if he realized how much I needed him to be better. Maxon was a big part of my heart and if that part wasn't working, I would die.

        Maxon studied my face. His eyes coasted over my lips to the curve of my nose. From the sprinkling of freckles on my cheeks to my defined jawline. My skin warmed where his gaze landed. Maxon was trying to decide if I was sincere. I was and I sensed when he realized it was true.

        Maxon pulled a hand from my grasp. He placed it in the hollow of my neck. His fingers fiddled with strands of my hair. Maxon locked his eyes on to my mine. The look he was giving me was so pure, it made me weak in the knees. He murmured in a breathy voice, "Okay, love. You're right. I need your help. I didn't realize how much my decision would affect you. You're so passionate about this and I'm glad you convinced me. We need to be in this together."

        Happiness swelled inside me. I felt myself break into a grin. Maxon pulled me into a sturdy embrace. My head was against his chest and I listened as his heartbeat slowed down to normal. He kissed the top of my head. I felt his body shudder as he tried to regain his composure.

        I whispered into the soft fabric of his shirt, "Thank you. I promise we can do this." I pulled away and led him to the balcony. The fresh, morning air warmed my cheeks. The tension of earlier floated away in the breeze.

        Maxon and I stood in silence for a while. Then, we started forming a plan. Later that day, we would meet in the secret library. We wouldn't leave until we found something that would help Maxon. This felt like the best thing we could do. I just hoped it was enough.