Aaron twisted and turned in bed, unable to sleep. It’s been a week since he came out with the truth about what he did, and each day was harder than the last. Whoever said the truth was the best option should have specified exactly what the truth was. To say he had been miserable was an understatement; he was in hell.
When he told her the truth, he expected an outburst or yelling and shouting, but Zera surprised him by doing none of that. She listened to everything he had to say and didn’t interrupt. He would take her shouting at him and being angry over the silence that had followed these last couple of days. Perhaps if he had been upfront with the truth then, they would have moved on by now, but the truth coming out now makes ten months ago look like last week.
He now lived in the room after Zion’s, which kept him as far away from her as possible.
At first, he thought Zera would want to talk about everything that had happened, but with every day that went by, he knew that might never happen. He was foolish to think silence was the better way, because as the day went by, he realised it wasn’t.
The first day that went by was easy, but the second one wasn’t. Not sharing a bed with her after almost two years of doing the opposite felt like hell. He needed her, and it showed on him, but she didn’t look like she needed him; it didn’t show. She still went to work on workdays, and he went to the company and wondered how long this would take. When he visited Ivan, he told him what had happened and Zera’s response to it. Ivan told him to give her time and wait until she returned to him. Now he feared she never would. Many nights he’d waited for her to return to him, but nothing of the sort had happened, and he didn’t know how long he’d have to wait.
They had done their best to act normal around Zion. They shared in caring for him and providing whatever he needed, from school to the house. He had been the priority, even in this madness.
She didn’t look affected by this change, at least not as much as he did. Most times, he saw her. He wanted to get on his knees and beg for pardon, but he didn’t want to do anything that would push her away.
He should never have left her in the dark, and lesson learned, he will never do it again.
He missed her. Yes, they lived in the same house, but he missed her. He missed her morning laughter, her sleepy face, and her slow awakening every morning. He missed how innocent her giggles were whenever they came, but more than all this, he missed her. Her smell, her closeness, and everything that made her unique to him-all these little things he will never take for granted again.
He sat down in bed and released a long sigh after staring at the clock on the nightstand. It was 11:30 p. m., and he should already be asleep, but he wasn’t. He knew tomorrow was a big day for his company, but that wasn’t enough reason.
He didn’t know how long he would have to stay here and wait for her, and he didn’t have the strength to.
He rose from the bed and walked to the door. He opened the door and stepped out. With a heavily beating heart, he made his way over towards Zera’s door, which was previously his too.
He knew Ivan told him to wait until she came to him, but that wasn’t working out well anymore. Besides, what did Ivan know about the struggles in a relationship? He’s never been in one.
He got there and raised his hand to knock, but he lost the strength to do so; instead, he placed his hand on the door. He didn’t hear a sound from inside; everything was as still as ever except for her steady heartbeat and gentle intake of breath. He figured she had gone to sleep, and he wished he could do the same.
He drew a sharp breath, not willing to disturb her night’s rest. She needed it. She deserved it. He didn’t, because he was the one who kept her in the dark and treated her like a fool.
He took a step back to take his leave when the door opened, and before him stood Zera in her red silk nightgown, which was his favourite. He drew a shaky breath at her sight and didn’t release it. They stayed that way for a while, neither of them saying anything. He pulled his lower lips between his teeth as he thought about what to say that would be most appropriate in this moment, but there was nothing.
“Come in.” Zera finally said and stepped away from the door to let him in. He didn’t hesitate before entering, and she shut the door.
The feminine smell of the room engulfed him, and he knew he didn’t want to leave and return to his room. He would do anything that would keep him here forever.
“Before you say anything, I want to say I am sorry.” He began. “I am sorry for not trusting you enough to tell you the truth. I am sorry it had to come that far before I came out with it. Thinking you weren’t strong enough to handle the truth was my biggest mistake. I know you deserved better, and I should have done better. I only wished to protect you, but I hurt you instead, and for that, I’m sorry.”
“How long have you wanted to do that?” She raised a brow.
“Since the first day you kicked me out of the bedroom,” He replied. “I am sorry, and I mean it.”
“I know,” she told him. “And I forgive you. And I am sorry if I showed a side that made you not want to tell me the truth. I can blame you all day, but I remember how I was back then after the loss. I understand I did not make it easy.”
Aaron’s fingers dug into his flesh, and his claw was covered in blood the next second.
“You’re bleeding!” Zera said in panic, and she stepped over to him and took his hands, prying them apart to look at them. She must have seen that he did it to himself because she glanced up at him in confusion and asked, “Why did you do that? Are you back to self harming again?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m trying to make sure I’m not dreaming this. I have dreamt a few of these instances in the last week, and I wanted to be sure.” He answered honestly. “I know it’s real now.”
“Yes, it is real, and so is this.” She leaned in and placed her lips on his for a soft kiss.
He kissed her back immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against his body. “Does that mean I can come back to the room?” He asked, placing an open-mouth kiss on the bridge of her nose.
She nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what it means.”
He grinned happily, claimed her lips between his again, and carried her into the bed. He ran his hands over the silk nightgown she had on, happy that she had worn it tonight.
“I’ve missed you.” He moaned and laced their hands together. He kissed her lips deeper, even as he showed her just how much he missed her.
Thanks for reading. The couple are back together. I felt happy writing this chapter. What do you think of Zera’s response? I’d love to hear from you. Don’t forget to vote.