To Love Again

Disclosed

How's everyone doing? Everyone still alive after the last chapter? Well I hope so, cause it ain't over yet. Anyway, I just want to greet everyone a very happy new year! Thank you for reading my imaginations! Thank you for being a part of this journey. Let's greet 2017 with a smile shall we?

Strong and suggestive language used. Thank you!

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Richard put on his suit jacket, looked at the mirror one last time and headed out his bedroom door. Today is Bella's funeral. It's been 3 days since she passed away but her presence could still be felt in his home. For the past 3 nights, he would head to Bella's room to straighten the already straightened stuffed toys on her crib, reposition her already perfectly positioned pillow and refold her already folded blanket, before he heads to his own bedroom. And once on his bed, he would lie down, stare straight up at the ceiling and wait for the ever elusive sleep to come. Sometimes it comes for a couple of hours but most of the time he would toss and turn in his bed for hours until he would finally give up and head over to Maine's room. He would stand by the door, debating whether to knock or not. In the end, he would just turn around and head to the gym where he would beat the shit out of the punching bag until his body gives up with exhaustion. Until last night....

11:00pm, night before

Richard couldn't stand the silence in his room anymore. He had been tossing and turning again, making his bed look like a tornado passed through it. Sleep had been elusive lately. He must've slept a total of 6 hours in the past 72 hours since Bella died. Being the stubborn man that he was, he didn't want to take any sleeping pills. So yes, he'd mastered the tossing and turning technique. Finally, out of sheer frustration, he stood up and headed to the closed door opposite his bedroom.

Since the day they came home after Bella died, Richard and Maine have barely spoken to each other. It wasn't for the lack of trying but they've been busy with entertaining people at the wake. They opted to have an autopsy done with Bella's body in the hopes that it will help with the continued research being done on Gaucher Disease Type 2. Because if they can help other families through research, then why not. So, the people that came to pay their respects, they were entertained at Richard's home since there was no body to view. Hence the busyness of the two. In a way, it helped with their grieving process as well because at least they weren't just left alone staring at each other. For the past 3 days, that had been the case. And when the last person leaves, their family would head home and Richard and Maine would head to their respective rooms until the next day starts again. Neither one of them knew that the other would just lay in their bed, either staring at the ceiling or tossing and turning in bed, considering whether to go into the other's room. The funny thing was, each of them would head to Bella's room at some point during the night but as fates would have it, they never crossed paths. Imagine that! Two people, under one roof, both needing a much needed shoulder to cry on, never crossed paths for the past 72 hours.

Richard stood in front of Maine's closed door, raised his hand to knock when the door was suddenly pulled open by Maine. So there stood Richard, knuckles raised in the air, looking like a deer caught in a headlight.

"Alden?" Maine whispered, surprised to find him already standing outside her door. Because that was exactly her intention when she jumped out of her bed earlier. She intended to knock on Richard's door. For what purpose, she didn't know yet, but she just felt this tremendous need to see him.

"Ahem. Maine? Aaahhhhmmm, well, you see...I was aaahhhmm, I was hoping I could....aahhh" Richard stuttered as he placed his raised hand on his nape, showing how uncomfortable he was.