Our Love Isn't Dead (Negovanman)

Chapter 1

I hope you enjoy this new Negovanman story of mine :)

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I sat in my car, thumbs tapping away at the top of the steering wheel and nervous as hell. I stared ahead at the road rather than at her house. She texted me forty minutes ago to come over and knowing what would happen, I had been sitting in my car for half that time. For once in my life, I hated how close our houses were.

She had to be looking out her front window and waiting for me to come in to face her. She had to know that I knew. How couldn't I know? She had been just as distant as I had, but I had solid reasons backed behind mine. I was busy at work, consistently so, because we were just about to close on a big deal. It could be huge for our marketing company. Plus, I moved recently to a more spacious home and was still trying to get everything in place. There was a lot to do with my free time, and she should have understood my distance. Apparently, she didn't.

Finally, I ripped my key from the ignition and shoved open the door. I had looked in the mirror prior to doing so, as I wouldn't be fond if my car of three years got its door torn off by incoming cars. With my back turned to her house, I smoothed down my relatively casual shirt and took a deep breath. Maybe I was wrong.

I knew the outcome of the visit when she didn't greet me in the way she normally did. She didn't smile her bright smile that I fell in love with years ago, she didn't embrace me with the warmth that only she could provide, and she didn't steal my breath away with her soft lips. Instead, it was cold and she just stepped aside, gesturing me in with a solemn expression.

"I think we need a break," Elise said as soon as I got comfortable on the couch ten feet away from her. She was still hovering beside the closed door and nervously fiddling with her fingers. She was nervous for some reason although her voice sounded so sure and firm. She got out what she wanted to say, so what else was there?

"Why do you think we need a break?" I asked calmly rather than going off on her like I really wanted to. It wasn't something I could see her initiating and felt I could change her mind. I knew she loved me, after all, for the past four years.

"Well, you're always busy-"

"Temporarily, Elise, with a little bump in a work project that'll be over in two weeks tops." I rose from the couch to get an actual look at her, as her brown eyes were on the ground. Gently lifting her chin with careful practice, I gave her a warm smile. "Then, I'll have all the time in the world for you again. We can have those movie nights again where you adorably laugh so hard that you start to cry." I smiled fondly at the memory. "Just two more-"

"No, Natasha, stop." She cut me off by raising her hand to push some distance between us. "I want a break."

"Is it really just me being busy... or is there something else?" I swallowed the lump in my throat and fought back the burning of my eyes. It only seemed to worsen the longer I tried to push it back. "Or someone else?"

"Can you take a seat, please?" Elise asked kindly, directing her brown eyes down once again. She could try talking to me in the softest voice ever, but we all knew it was going to lead to an argument quite soon.

I knew the answer to my own questions, so that was why my throat turned to a painful burning and my eyes stung with tears as I sat on the couch once again. I kept my hands folded on my lap and waited for her to speak. I was angry already, but she had the right to inform me of what was going on. As much as I didn't want to hear it, I would regret it if I didn't.

"You... you know I would never cheat on you. Ever." She sat in the leather chair to my left and angled it in my direction. She got more comfortable and appeared more involved in the serious conversation by leaning her elbows on her knees to be closer to me. She finally held eye contact again. "But you've just been away for weeks at a time, and we got a new employee at work. She has been nice, but I promise, god, I promise, that nothing has happened. Not even our hands touching has happened. I'm only asking for a break so-"