A Familiar Prison

Chapter 35

Rifling through the drawers and on the top of the desk, AJ is looking for a document he needs. Bumping Gwen's notebook on accident, it falls to the floor, knocking a paper out of it. He sees his name on it in Gwen's handwriting, so he grabs it and opens it up.

AJ's heart sinks while reading. It's her letter she wrote when she was in a bad mental place. He isn't sad about the letter, but knowing what type of mental turmoil was going on inside her head just makes him want to hold her close and never let go. She was in such a fragile state, and thought what she was doing was right for him, even though... even though it would have broken him. A tear escapes his cheek. He now understands why she was so distant and why she was so on edge.

Something clicked. My letter to her. He realizes she read it and that is what stopped her. She didn't go because he gave her his letter. She'd been so timid around me, she was afraid to make any wrong moves. His heart ached for her. He knows she's in a better mental place now, so he decides not to mention that he saw the letter. She doesn't need this burden of knowing I read the letter. I don't need to stress her out more. He placed the letter inside the notebook and put the notebook back where he got it. If she asks, he'll admit to bumping it, but not reading it. He kept looking for the document and eventually found it.

Going back to the dining room table, he sat down and continued working. His mind started to wander. What would ever make her think that it would be a rational decision to leave me? How could she think that would protect me? How could she think any of this was her fault? Admitting defeat on work for now, he went outside to the patio where Gwen was. Walking over to her, he lightly brushed her shoulder. She looked up and smiled.

"Hi."

"Hi." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair. He brought her in close and kissed her fervently. He tried putting all he could into that kiss, showing how much he loved her and cared for her. Eyes closed, she raised her eyebrows then melted into his kiss.

When they broke apart, they were breathless.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that about?" She smiled at him.

Should I just tell her the truth? No, it would devastate her. He smiled at her. "I just wanted to show how much you mean to me and how much I love you."

"Aww, thank you Baby. I love you." She kissed him. "Now, it's about dinner time. Katie told me they were going to go out after work, so it's just us for dinner. What did you want to do?"

"Did you want for us to make something, here or did you want to eat out?"

"Let's eat out. We can try that new steakhouse."

"Sounds great. I'll get my computer put away then I'll get changed." He grabbed her hand, pulling her into a hug. He sighed. He hoped he would always be able to show her how much she meant to him. She was the most important thing to him.