Let Me Love You

Chapter 22

A month had gone by without a word spoken between them. Alex had picked up the phone too many times to count, his thumb hovering over the call button but always resisting the urge, even in the most unbearable of moments.

It wasn't until he had almost given up all hope, that his phone finally rang. Glancing down, he felt his heart stop, his eyes blinking rapidly as if that would somehow change the name on the screen.

He reached for the phone with shaking hands, answering almost immediately and trying to keep his voice as even and casual as he could. "Norma?"

The silence on the other end was deafening for a split second before her soft voice permeated every one of his senses. "Hi Alex. Um- I was just straightening up in Dylan's room and found a sock that you must have left behind."

His eyes fell shut as he listened to her speak, failing to notice when she had finished. A few moments passed before she broke through his blissful thoughts.

"Alex?"

He straightened up in his chair, clearing his throat before daring to speak. "Sorry. Um okay thanks for letting me know. I'll figure out a way to get it."

"Well, why don't you just come by and pick it up on your way home from work?" she asked.

For a moment, he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He allowed his thoughts to turn hopeful as he considered her solution to this mundane predicament. She surely couldn't want him over just to return something as simple as a sock. Could she? He hoped that this was just an excuse to see him. That she felt as empty and alone without him as he did her. Nonetheless, he kept his tone casual, not allowing his emotions to take over. He wouldn't screw up the only chance she had given him to see her beautiful face.

"I'll be there around 6. Is that alright?"

"That's fine. See you then," she said, her voice still soft and reassuring. But he wasn't a fool. He knew her moods turned on a dime and he wouldn't allow himself to believe anything would come of this.

"See you," he said, hanging up before the relieved sigh squeezed out of his throat. His head fell into his hands, an ache in his cheeks from the smile he couldn't contain. He would see her tonight. If only for a moment, he would see her again. And that was enough.

***

He pulled up to the motel, his heart beating rapidly as he stared at the house that had once looked so haunted to him. It's funny how people aren't at all together, and then all of a sudden they are.

She was so right. It's funny how quickly things can change. He couldn't believe how easy it was for him to adapt to her way of life. To surround himself so completely in a world that was so unfamiliar to him, but now would break him to be without.

She came into his life like a wildfire, destroying everything in her path. But what he failed to see in the beginning was that she was destroying emptiness his life was before he knew her. Making room for the beautiful, vibrant, colorful world that she lived in. To see the beauty in the simple things. To see a reason to live. To hope and dream and fight for what you want. What you need.

He stepped out of the car, straightening the collar of his work shirt and smoothing a hand through his hair. He took his time climbing the steps, appreciating all the little details that used to be an annoyance to him: why did she have to have so many damn steps on her property?

But now he was grateful for the distance. He was grateful that he could spend any time being this close to her.

Finally, he reached the door, knocking twice and breathing out a calming breath as he waited for her to answer.