Let Me Love You

Chapter 4

Alex stared after her, completely at a loss. This was bad. Really bad. There was obviously something horrible behind that scar and he hated that he had brought attention to it.

He waited a few moments, listening to the faint sounds of her moving around the kitchen downstairs before climbing out of bed. He stood in the empty room, wondering what to do.

Finally, after several moments of deliberation, he decided it was best to give her space and went about getting ready for work.

As he came into the kitchen, she was sitting at the table and he saw the plate of food she had made for him on the far side. They usually sat closer together when they ate.

Their relationship had always been like this. Two steps forward, one step back. The instability was part of what drew him to her but lately, it hurt more than he cared to admit.

She didn't look up when he entered the room, just stared at her plate, pushing the food around with her fork.

He hesitated in the doorway, before sighing dejectedly and came to sit down at the table.

Now that he was in a better position to see her face, he noticed that her expression was completely deadpan. There was no emotion there and it almost looked as though she were phased out. This worried him more than the tears ever would. He watched her for a while, completely forgetting the food on his plate and wished so badly that he could reach out and touch her. But he worried it would only upset her further.

Finally, he tore his eyes away, glancing down at his plate and ate his breakfast. When he was finished, he saw that she still hadn't touched her food, but she seemed to have snapped out of her trance. She had leaned back in her chair and was staring at her lap. Her fingers fiddled with her ring and he couldn't resist the temptation to move closer to her. He stood up, walking around the table and taking a seat in the chair closest to her. He reached out tentatively and took her left hand in both of his. "You know you don't have to talk about it, right?" he whispered.

She looked up at him, and a tiny sad smile appeared on her face. "Thank you," she whispered and intertwined her fingers with his, squeezing his hand.

He bent down to place a kiss to her knuckles and her heart melted a little.

He stood up from the table, releasing her hand. "I gotta get to work. Thank you for breakfast," he said, reaching a finger under her chin and bent down to kiss her lips quickly.

She watched him walk away, silently begging him to stay with her. When she heard the front door close, she dissolved into tears. "Fuck," she sobbed angrily, laying her head against the table. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she whispered into the empty room.

She had never felt more lost. But she had also never felt stronger. It was a strange combination that left her more alive than ever before. She felt hopeful. Maybe she wasn't doomed after all. When her sobs subsided, she felt herself smiling. A face-splitting grin that left her wondering if she was going crazy. When she reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks, her ring caught her eye again.

Looking down at the beautiful round diamond, she suddenly had an idea and immediately went upstairs to get dressed.

***

Later that evening, Alex returned home with flowers. He had fought with himself all day, wanting to call and check on her but ultimately deciding against it. He didn't ever know what she needed. Did she want him to check on her? Or did she need space? He decided the latter was a safer bet. But when he passed the florist on his way home, he couldn't resist.