Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir - Silence and Sound

Chapter 22: Acceptance

Tessa

"I have what?"

She didn't know if she was formulating sentences or hallucinating a nightmare. 

"I apologise that we didn't work on this last time, because you did come to be for my specialisation in couple's counselling. However, I am going to recommend you to my colleague for these assessments. I will continue to work with you on your relationship with Scott." 

How am I always the one losing it? How is Scott so composed?

"Tessa..." Dr. Qureshi read her mind, "On the periodic table, different elements react differently to other elements. Humans are built the same way, but with a range of emotions. Scott used to deal with stress through anger when you were younger, and we worked intensely to reduce that. You have always dealt with situations by worrying or ignoring them. Both of these are extremes, and we are going to concentrate on balancing these, okay?"

"Okay." She trembled. 

"Let's begin with a happy memory. Tell me about your wedding."

"But you were there."

"No, I attended your wedding. I was not present for the preparations or events prior. I'd like you to tell me the complete version of your wedding, not just your big day."

"Well, after my first recovery, we visited Paris. We both needed a vacation, and Scott and I had always loved the city. One day he planned an excursion to the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, and Versailles. He had booked express passes through out the trip, allowing us to bypass the waiting times. When we were on top of the Eiffel Tower, he gave me a letter that directed us to a bakery. There, we we taste-tested various cakes. Afterwards, he bought some macarons and we found ourselves at the Jardin du Luxembourg."

--- Flashback ---

Exquisite was how one would begin to describe the Palais du Luxembourg. Its intricate details began with painted waffle ceilings, but were completed with furniture that cost more than both their lives. Enamoured by the gold finishes of the chamber, Tessa could scarcely feel Scott's delicate touch as he ushered her to the gardens. After a long stroll, they sat atop a long balustrade with a view of the palace.

Tessa stared deep into his eyes, "Thank you for arranging today, it was perfect."

Scott took her hands, "Not yet."

He began to kneel, tying his shoelaces. "Tessa?"

"Yes?"

"Can you pull out the macarons for me?"

Moments later, he held out a chocolate delicacy to her. "I can see your tongue at the roof of your mouth, so I'm not going to keep you waiting. Tessa, I will always be tenacious about you, like you are about chocolate. All I ask is will you do me the privilege of watching you grow for the rest of our lives?"

He produced a wedding ring.

"Oh Scott, of course I will! But haven't we done this already?"

"Thank you. I asked you to marry me after I burdened you with even more pain than the surgery you underwent so we could continue our careers. I'm proposing to you here because we've always had Paris - it's our sanctuary. I'm glad to see you outside of a hospital bed, and I hope you will remember this as the day I asked you to marry me."

"Scott, you could've asked me the same question anywhere in the world, the answer is always yes. And we've both known it for so long, I couldn't imagine myself with anyone but you."

"There's no one but you, Tessa. You're my appetite."

...

"That sounds wonderful, Scott has an abundance of romantic gestures. But I suppose you don't share what you do for him."

"But I don't -"

"Tessa, Scott talks about you the same way you do about him. The problem is you don't see it."

--- Scott---

He called Persephone, but Chiddy answered. "Hey, you might want to come up with an explanation for why you and Tessa kept your marriage under wraps. Marina's back."

...

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