Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Mine ❯ Amended Strategies ( Chapter 52 )

 

Disclaimer: Hmmm... I own my kids (Because I made them) I own my husband, (Because the Marriage License says so) and I own a REALLY big mortgage. (Because I'm stupid and signed on the dotted line.) However I don't own Trigun. (Because if I did, I wouldn't have said mortgage.)

“blah blah” : talking

`blah blah' : thinking

“blah blah” : telepathic talking

blah blah : other misc. stuff.

 

*~*~*

 

Forever Mine

Chapter 52: Amended Strategies

 

 

 

It was over.

 

He lost her and it was all of his fault and his fault alone. Meryl had chosen the other man over him. Not that Vash blamed her, especially now that he was able to reflect on everything up until that point. He treated her terribly since reuniting with her, while thinking that her envy would make her run back to him. Instead it backfired, big time. He pushed his insurance girl into the arms of her new assignment, Caden Walker, all because of his running around, acting like a deplorable letch.

 

When Vash saw them kissing just a little over an hour ago, he felt the last of his heart crack before it shattered, leaving him with a gaping hole in his chest, where the muscle had once steadily pumped his precious life's blood through his veins. Now instead of the warm liquid flowing with every heartbeat, he had immovable ice freezing him to the very core, leaving him cold and barren. Even the alcohol that he had been drinking non-stop since the incident hadn't been able to give him the feeling of numbed warmth he so desperately craved.

 

Now he wished he would have heeded Knives' warnings that he was going about winning her the wrong way. Perhaps it would have turned out differently if from the very beginning he had told her that he loved her and couldn't live without her. But, it was too late. If he told Meryl now, she would probably just laugh in his face before telling him that she didn't care and he deserved to wallow in his own misery, which was exactly what he was doing. Not to mention, drowning his sorrows in a bottle of Wild Turkey, again.

 

“It's hopeless,” Vash mumbled to himself before looking down to the drink on the bar before him. Taking a shaky breath, the despondent man raised the glass to his lips, before quickly swallowing the burning liquid with a flick of his wrist. Setting the tumbler down, he reached for the half empty bottle on the bar and proceeded to pour another double shot. Once the glass was full, he prepared to lift it again, until a hand with long, slender fingers covered the glass.

 

He blankly gazed at the obstruction as it pulled the tumbler out of his loosened grasp and set it on the bar. Then he followed the hand's motion as it moved back and upward past its owner's face. Finally focusing, he realized that the hand, which was coincidently coiled tightly into a fist, belonged to one very upset Milly Thompson. However, before he could put two and two together, the fist came smashing down squarely into his jaw, sending him crashing to the floor.

 

“I can't believe you, Mr. Vash! You made Meryl cry, again!” Milly exclaimed accusingly, while watching as the red clad man simply picked himself up off of the dusty floor and sat back down on the bar stool, hunching over. “Why, Mr. Vash? Why are you acting like a complete ninny? And what did Sempai ever do to deserve the way you're treating her?”

 

“I'm sorry, Milly,” he whispered as his tears started to drip on the bar. He couldn't take it any more and completely broke down, telling her everything.

 

He told her about how he felt completely powerless when Jessica backed him into the corner, and how much it hurt when Meryl refused to talk to him, eventually leaving him without even saying goodbye. Not that he blamed her, though. He knew he hurt her, too. Then he spoke of how desolate he was for those six weeks after her departure and that he tried purging her from his system with massive amounts of alcohol.

 

When came time to talk of the Knives's intervention, the words flowed freely as he spoke of the entire sequence, including his twin's serious threats on his life, and even the test results. Although, he did pause momentarily after divulging that piece of the past, so he could take a sip of whisky, while waiting for the barrage of questions to fly.

 

They never came.

 

Instead, Milly simply sat back on the stool she now occupied and told him to go on. So, he did, rambling about how the engagement was broken, the preparations for their trip to New DC, the letter McKenna received and their hasty departure, ultimately leading up to their reunion. Once the ex-outlaw got to that point, he stopped again to take a shaky breath before polishing off his drink. Then he spoke of how envious he was of Caden and came up with the idiotic notion to win her back. Only to have it fail, miserably.

 

“I swear Milly… I didn't do anything with those other girls, even tonight,” Vash said in desperation, while refilling his glass, hoping the big-girl believed him. “And all I did with Cassandra is put her in the bed after I fed her some visions that we slept together and commanded her to sleep. I didn't even ogle her, at least not too much, when she took all of her clothes off!”

 

“I know you didn't sleep with her, Mr. Vash,” Milly replied with a reassuring smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“YYY…You do?”

 

“Yep, sure do! I mean how could you have when, Mr. Knives said that you have been in this little bar for over an hour and we just left that fancy place not long before that. So, I figured that you were only upstairs with that dressed-up lady for about fifteen minutes and that couldn't have possibly given you enough time to get the map, undress, do it, and get redressed. Not to mention, make it over here just so you could drink a half a bottle of whiskey,” Milly quickly rattled off and without taking a breath until she was done with her reasoning. “Well… unless you are really, really quick,” she pondered, as an after thought, which made him choke on the gulp of whiskey he just took. Though, she immediately shook off that notion and added, “Nah… that couldn't be, right? I mean it probably takes you a good while just to undo all of your buckles!”

 

“Right,” he sputtered out while still coughing over the improperly swallowed drink.

 

“So whatcha gonna do now Mr. Vash?”

 

“There's nothing I can do,” he replied sadly as he looked down into his glass. “I mean… I screwed up and lost her. She chose Walker, not that I blame her for that either, especially after all of the crap I put her through. As a matter of fact, I'm sure he's with her right now.”

 

“Where am I supposed to be right now?” Walker questioned, finally making his presence known.

 

“Hey, when did you get here?” Vash demanded, while looking over his shoulder and showing obvious surprise upon seeing the slightly taller man.

 

“I've been here the whole time, you moron!” Caden ground out as he pointed over his shoulder to the table right behind them where he left his drink. “I came in with Milly and been sitting right behind you.”

 

“Christ,” Vash muttered before grabbing his drink and downing it. He couldn't believe that Caden was so close by. He was glad that, for the most part, he didn't have bounty hunters after him any longer because senses were definitely muddled. Then something else crossed his mind, making him groan. “Oh god… you heard all of that didn't you?”

 

“Every word,” the outlaw replied, while getting his drink. “And no offense, Saverem, but you really are…” he started only to pause for a moment, trying to recall the nickname. “…a broom-headed buffoon!”

 

“Hey, don't call me that!”

 

“Well you are! I mean, who in their right mind would think the way to win someone over would be with jealousy!” Caden interjected after finishing his drink. Then reaching over, he grabbed Vash's bottle to pour another shot and added, “Especially, Meryl.”

 

“It's not like I'm used to doing something like this,” Vash exclaimed in is own defense, while grabbing the bottle from Chaos to refill his own glass.

 

“Obviously,” he replied mockingly as he rolled his eyes. “Look Vash,” Chaos then said after a moment, while turning serious, “have you even tried being honest with her?”

 

“Meryl never gave me a chance to,” Vash sighed.

 

“Well… I'd say you need to make sure she does.”

 

“Yeah right, Walker. How am I supposed to do that? She probably won't let me anywhere near her, let alone somewhere private, so I can talk to her.”

 

“Gosh… I can help you there, Mr. Vash!” Milly chirped out before quickly adding, “I can let you into our room tomorrow morning, while Sempai's showering or working on a report or something.”

 

“Yeah, but she would probably just punch me up side the head and storm out before I would even be able to say anything,” he replied bleakly, while knowing it was hopeless.

 

“But didn't you just tell me that Mr. Knives showed you how to use your magical powers?”

 

“Well… yeah… but what would that do? I promised I wouldn't read her thoughts a long time ago, remember?”

 

“But I didn't say anything about being psychotic, Mr. Vash,” the big-girl advised him, completely oblivious that she used the word `psychotic' instead `psychic.' “You see, I remember Miss Mac telling me about how Mr. Knives used to freeze her in place just to annoy her. And boy, I'll tell ya'… it was quite obvious that he was crazy about her, but anyway, I think you should do that to Meryl, if she won't stand still long enough to hear you out! So, then you can tell her the truth, she can punch you up side the head for worrying her so and then you two can get married and make me an Aunt!”

 

“But what if that doesn't work?” Vash asked, while watching Milly hop down from the stool she was sitting on.

 

“Then you beg,” Caden added as he swirled the amber liquid around in his glass before taking a sip. Milly instantly agreed with him, while nodding her head before declaring that she needed to go to the bathroom. Once she disappeared into the ladies' room, both men turned back around to face the bar, drinking in silence until Caden decided to speak again. “Actually, with how deep you dug yourself, it may not be such a bad idea to start begging from the beginning.”

 

“Yeah, you're probably right,” Vash sighed, before turning his head to look at the man leaning against the bar next to him. “Can I ask you a question?”

 

“I suppose,” Caden muttered into his glass, before taking another sip.

 

“Why are you helping me? I mean I thought that you and Meryl were a… ahhh… you know. I mean I saw you kissing her.”

 

“Oh, you saw that, huh,” he said with a chuckle as he set his empty glass on the bar and poured himself yet another refill. “Well, Cruz's henchmen just came walking into Sylvie's and I had to find a way to keep us from being spotted…”

 

“Wait… you mean you don't want her for yourself?”

 

“Don't get me wrong, Meryl is a very beautiful and amazing woman, and I would truly be a lucky man to have her as my own,” the outlaw declared as he started to refill Vash's now empty glass. “But she has one major flaw,” he then added with a smile, setting the bottle down.

 

“What's that?” Vash bit out, not liking Caden's opinion about Meryl having a flaw. In his opinion, Meryl didn't have any flaws.

 

“She's in love with you.”

 

Okay, maybe she did.

 

After a quiet moment, Caden spoke again as he looked over at the Federal Marshal, “Besides, she's a little too petite for my tastes. I am a pretty tall guy, after all." Then with a twinkle in his eye, he grinned at Vash's curious expression before admitting, “I much prefer the leggy, statuesque types…”

 

“Oh?” The golden blonde questioned until he got Caden's meaning. “Ohhh… Milly, huh?”

 

“She's simply amazing!”

 

“Yeah, she is,” he adamantly agreed, giving the outlaw a small smile. “She's been through a lot, too.”

 

“I know… she told me,” Caden sighed as he reached for his drink, breaking eye contact. He knew exactly what Vash was referring to. “And… even though she tries to hide it, I can tell she's still grieving.”

 

“Yes, she is,” Vash simply agreed, while grabbing his drink as well, letting the silence fall between them yet again. He thought about the man leaning next to him and the past couple of days, finally realizing what the Bringer of Chaos was doing. He was protecting Meryl, but not like a lover, like a brother. “Hey Caden,” he quietly began.

 

“Yeah Vash?”

 

“Thank you… for being there for Meryl, that is.”

 

“You're welcome,” Walker replied, once again pondering into his glass. Then as he brought his emerald gaze back over to his onetime adversary, his eyes met with aqua blue ones. “It's your turn to be there for her now, though…”

 

“I know… I just hope she lets me.”

 

“Then go to her tomorrow and tell her everything. That will at least set you on the right track, I think.”

 

“I will, and I'll get down on my knees and beg if I have to!”

 

 

 

*~*~*

 

 

 

Morning came too early and under normal circumstances Milly would have just loved to sleep in for another hour or two, especially since Caden and she closed the bar down just a few hours before. However, she made a promise to Vash that she would let him into their room while Meryl was showering, giving him the element of surprise when he poured his heart out to the smaller woman. The big-girl knew that he was going to need all the help he could get and that's why she had no qualms about getting up and ready for the day at the crack of dawn.

 

`At least Mr. Caden said he'd get up with me,' she thought with a winsome smile, remembering how they discussed going out for breakfast together, just the two of them, like a date. Though, Milly had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't a date. It was only breakfast, nothing more. After all, she wasn't ready to see anybody even if she got all giddy inside at the very sight of him and her heart went pitter patter every time their eyes met. Besides, they were just friends and all of the confusing feelings she had running amuck inside of her couldn't possibly be the real thing…

 

She could only have those feelings for Nicholas, right?

 

Well, she just wasn't so sure anymore, especially with how sweet Caden had been lately. At first, she thought that he would have been good for Meryl, helping her get over Vash, in all. But that impression quickly diminished after she realized that they didn't have that type of chemistry together. They didn't have that sort of connection, that spark, like what Meryl and Vash had together. Of course, not many did, except perhaps Knives and McKenna. Then she wondered if it was because the twins were Plants and it had something to do with the changes, in both women, that Vash told her about the last night...

 

“I guess that would explain why Miss Mac doesn't need her glasses anymore,” she muttered, while sitting on her bed and bending over to tie her shoes.

 

“Milly, what are you talking about?” Meryl yawned out, while flipping her legs over the edge of her bed and stretching.

 

“Oh nothing, Sempai and good morning!” the big-girl cheerily replied, with a bright smile on her face, as she rose to stand.

 

“Morning…” Meryl mumbled out grumpily. She wasn't quite ready for a chipper Milly just yet, especially after everything that happened last night. Raising her hands, she ran them through her hair before stopping them on her neck to rub out the kinks associated with a fitful rest. Unfortunately, the knots were just too deep and only a long hot shower would be able to relieve the twinge. Lowering her hands, she stood and finally realized that Milly was dressed. “Ummm… Milly?”

 

“Yeah Sempai?” she asked back, while heading over to the bathroom to run a brush through her hair for the third time.

 

“Why are you up and dressed already? You didn't get in until after three last night.”

 

“Oh… well… you see Mr. Caden and I are going out for breakfast and he… ummm… said that he knew a really, really good place, but he had to get there early or else the wait would be forever,” Milly rushed as she walked back out of the bathroom, grabbed her overcoat and slung it over her arm. “Did ya' wanna go Sempai? I'm sure we could wait for you to get ready. Though, I don't know how long it would take for us to get breakfast, but you know we wouldn't mind,” she then said, fully knowing that Meryl would decline the invitation.

 

“No, you go ahead. I'm not very hungry and I have a report to finish,” Meryl said as she walked over to her temporary dresser and pulled out fresh clothing. “Besides, I don't think I'd be very good company…”

 

“Oh Meryl, please don't say that. Remember, I told you when I got back last night that Mr. Vash was drinking alone at that little bar when we got there. So, there was no way he did anything with that lady. He just got the map and that's all,” Milly said, reminding her partner that the ex-outlaw was sitting in the same bar Caden and she decided to go to. Of course, she failed to mention that she purposely went there after finding out, through Knives, Vash was there and had been for quite some time.

 

“I remember,” short-girl sighed before, absently stating that she was going to shower and she would see her partner later before walking into the adjoining bathroom.

 

“Well… here goes nothing,” Milly murmured as she briskly walked out or her room, leaving it unlocked so Vash could easily get in. Walking down the hallway, she came up to room number 206 and knocked.

 

“Oh hey… ahhh… big-girl,” Vash nervously replied a moment later, after opening the door. “Is it time already?”

 

“Yep, it sure is Mr. Vash!” Milly answered with a reassuring smile. “Now go and sweep her off of her feet!” she added as a confidence booster, before kissing him on his cheek and telling him good luck. And with that she was off again, this time heading to room number 203, Caden's room. Instantly knocking on the door, she only had to wait a few seconds before it opened and the sight of a shirtless outlaw with a toothbrush in his mouth and his damp hair hanging loosely down his back greeted her.

 

Milly cheeks instantly flushed at the sight of the beautifully put together male in front of her. And put together well he was, with hard, lean muscle covering his entire body, from his incredibly broad shoulders and thick chest down to his tapered waist and stomach. Oh and talk about his stomach. It reminded her of the old washboard her mamma used when washing clothes before her daddy bought a genuine washing machine. His abs were packed tight with a cute little belly button, an innie, which topped a light layer of dark hair that trailed downward and into his unbuttoned dark blue jeans.

 

“I'll just be a minute,” Caden garbled out, with his mouth full of toothpaste as he motioned for Milly to enter. Once he shut the door behind her, he headed back to the bathroom to finish brushing; giving the big-girl an excellent view his extensive back.

 

She simply watched him in profile as he finished grooming and couldn't help being amazed at the sight. The play of his muscles with every movement was mesmerizing, while he finished up with the simple task before turning to grab a towel to wipe his mouth. She had never seen a man, not including family, groom before and thought it was an incredibly intimate moment that should only be reserved for a wife or lover. However, that didn't stop her from liking the display and it made her wonder what it would be like to be able to watch him every morning…

 

“You okay, blue-eyes?” Caden absently asked, while turning back around to look at his guest. “You seem awfully quiet this morning…” he added, right before noticing the pink tinge to her cheeks and the way her eyes were sparkling as she stared intently at him. Then he realized he was standing in front of her half naked and blushed himself, something he hadn't done since he was a teenager. “Ummm… sorry, Milly, I forgot I didn't have my shirt on...”

 

“Oh, it's quite alright, Mr. Caden, I've seen shirtless men before,” She quickly supplied, while internally reminding herself that it was too soon to be attracted to someone else. She wasn't doing a very good job, however, especially when he started to slowly walk toward her. That's when she finally noticed the long razor thin scar that slashed down his left side, starting from his lower ribcage and vanishing beneath his jeans. “What happened?” she simply asked, looking pointedly at the only flaw on his otherwise perfect body.

 

“Oh that,” he replied as he stopped right in front of her and looked down at his scar. “Well… actually it happened a very, very long time ago when I was little, barely three if I remember correctly,” he added, returning his gaze to her face seeing that she was still intently looking at the old wound. “Actually, it has faded quite a bit and it isn't nearly as long, but I guess I have grown…”

 

“Does it hurt?” Milly then inquired, right before she slowly raised her hand and delicately traced the scar.

 

“Not at the moment,” Caden breathed as shivers cascaded throughout his entire body from her light touch.

 

“How did it happen?”

 

“It… ahhh… happened… Well, we were forced to run from a man who wanted my mother. You see he was jealous of dad and wanted to get rid of us so he could have mom to himself. And he almost got Regan, but I pushed him out of the way and ended up getting this,” he quietly answered, prompting her to look up at him, while still rubbing her fingers over his flesh. “Mom ended up sacrificing herself for our well-being.”

 

“I'm sorry,” the statuesque beauty whispered sadly.

 

“Don't be, it was a very long time ago,” he responded with a small smile. Until she ran her long fingers closer to the waistline of his jeans. A chuckled escaped his lips as he grasped her right hand with his left. “That tickles.”

 

“Oh sorry.”

 

“Don't be sorry about that either,” he teasingly scolded with a twinkle in his eyes as he lifted her hand up, resting it over his heart. “I liked it,” he then said, making her blush darken.

 

“YYY…You did?” she stuttered out as she looked down, suddenly becoming very nervous.

 

“Yeah…” he started only to pause a moment before adding, “Milly I…”

 

“What?” she prodded an instant later, looking back up after he trailed off.

 

Aquamarine met emerald and a spark of awareness flashed between the two. Neither unable to look away as the feelings consumed them both. In response, Caden slowly wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her close as she brought her left hand to his hip, making her drop her coat in the process.

 

“The truth is… I really like you, blue-eyes,” he breathed out, while he slowly rubbed her trapped hand with his thumb.

 

“Oh gosh… Mr. Caden… I don't know what to say…”

 

“Just Caden, remember?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Call me Caden, not Mr. Caden, please?”

 

“Oh okay… Caden.”

 

“And you don't have to say anything,” he said right before raising her hand up to his lips and kissing it softly. “I just needed to tell you, is all,” he then added, still smiling, before pulling away so he could finish getting dressed. Once he had everything in order he looked back to the big-girl who was still standing in the same spot where he left her just a few minutes before. “So… shall we get going?” he finally said as he bent over to pick her coat up.

 

“Sure… Caden,” Milly said with a shy smile, finally snapping out of her stupor as he helped her into her coat.

 

 

 

*~*~*

 

 

 

Meryl simply peered at her reflection through the steamy glass of the bathroom mirror and didn't recognize the person before her. What she saw was an insecure, broken woman with dark smudges underlining dull, red-rimmed gray eyes from an abundance of tears and lack of sleep. Raising her right hand, she softly touched the glass and outlined the down-turned line of the image's pale lips with her index and middle finger. She absently wondered how such a strong and confident woman could end up in such a state, while, at the same time, trying her damnedest to forget that she was looking at herself. Unfortunately, the raven-haired woman knew that she couldn't forget, just like she couldn't forget why she was like this.

 

It was because she couldn't shake the overwhelming hold that Vash held on her heart, her soul. It was no use. He was permanently woven into her very fiber, and no matter how hard she tried, she knew there was no breaking his presence. It was absolute. Even the passionate encounter she shared with Caden the evening before was proof of that. The Bringer of Chaos was a very handsome man, not to mention a great kisser, but the moment didn't have the all-consuming heat, the sense of oneness that she shared with Vash every time they embraced. Meryl had a feeling she would never share anything remotely close to that with anyone else…

 

Ever.

 

Now she didn't know what to do. Part of her, the romantic side, wanted to run to him so they could kiss and make-up, but the logical side kept telling her to stay away because he would end up breaking her heart again. It just was so confusing. After all, just the day before Vash told her that he missed her, but then later that evening he let himself get picked up by some high-priced call girl. And even with Milly's testimony confirming that she saw him soon after the incident, Meryl really didn't know if she could trust him. That wasn't the only time he picked up another woman since their reunion and he did get engaged while they were technically a couple.

 

“Maybe I should sleep on it,” she sighed sadly, before turning away from the mirror to finish getting dressed. Picking up her white slacks, she slipped them on before reaching for her lavender undershirt. Once she had the shirt on, she started to tuck it in only to stop. She wasn't planning on leaving her room today and decided that looking so formal wouldn't be necessary. Hell, if she could have gotten away with it, she would put her pajamas back on. Sighing again, she zipped and buttoned her pants, leaving the shirt un-tucked and turned to open the door. As she walked into her room she was greeted with none other than Vash the Stampede, who was leaning against the room's only exit.

 

The petite woman faltered for but a moment before regaining her wits about her. Instantly turning on her heel, she prepared to march over to the coat tree in the corner of the room to retrieve a derringer from her cloak. Meryl wasn't in the mood to put up with either him and his indecisive tendencies, or the reason why he just decided to show up in her room, again. So she figured that threatening to shoot him would easily rectify the situation, especially since it had worked so well in the past. However, before she could take two steps toward the rack, she noticed it was bare…

 

“I didn't want you shooting me, so I moved your cloak,” Vash revealed as he pushed off from the door and walked over to one of the twin beds and pointed to the white garment lying upon it.

 

“Then just go away and you won't have to worry about that happening,” she replied snappishly as she crossed her arms over her chest and shot daggers at the gunman with her eyes.

 

“Can't do that.”

 

“Go away!”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Damn it, Vash, I'm not playing!” she shot out, while flinging her hands down to rest them on her shapely hips.

 

“Me neither,” he sent back, completely serious as he took in her rigid form. She looked distressed, not to mention completely exhausted, which made his chest ache because he knew that he was the cause of her suffering. Vash hated seeing her like this, like a fallen angel, a tragedy. He wanted the old Meryl back, the confident, excitable, spitfire of a woman that he had fallen madly in love with. And knowing that he was the one who did this to her pained him immensely.

 

“Look…” the petite beauty tiredly began as she rubbed her eyes. Lowering her hand, she reached for one of her blue knotted buttons on her white shirt only to realize that she didn't have it on. So instead she fingered the scoop-necked collar of her undershirt. She really had no clue as to why he chose to show up now of all times and it was making her a bit apprehensive, especially since the only thing she could think of was that Vash wanted to rub her nose in his behavior from the previous evening and her resulting response. After all, she did say that he could be with anybody he wanted and wouldn't care.

 

She lied. It was quite apparent last night that she cared.

 

“If you're here because you want to gloat, well… don't, okay!” Meryl implored miserably before crying out, “You won, all right! It bothers me seeing you with someone else. So, with that said, will you please just let me be? I can't do this, anymore.”

 

“I'm sorry, Meryl, but I can't. I need to tell you how I feel,” Vash whispered in desperation, hoping that she would recognize the pain in his voice.

 

“Well… I don't want to know how you feel and if you won't go away, then you leave me no other choice…” she proclaimed right before turning to head down the now clear path to the door. However, before she could even take a step toward the exit, Vash froze her in place. Meryl knew right away what happened. Vash used one of his new-found skills on her. And even though she knew it was fruitless, she tried several times to break free. But just as she figured, it was no good. His hold was unbreakable. “Let me go!” she spat out, while trying to at least turn her head to glare at him. She couldn't even do that.

 

“I can't do that, either,” Vash sadly advised. He really didn't want to resort to this. “Meryl, I just want…”

 

“What Vash? What do you want?” the short-girl bit out, instantly cutting him off. “Apparently, this is all about what you want!”

 

“Damn it, would you let me explain!” he ground out, before realizing that he needed to keep his anger in check. Taking a deep calming breath, he closed his eyes for a moment, while pleading out, “Please… just let me talk, okay? And if you don't like what I have to say… then fine, at least I am finally able to get this off my chest.”

 

“Fine,” she replied curtly. It wasn't like she could really go anywhere and if she kept interrupting, she had a feeling he would take her ability to speak away. So, she just stood there with her arms hanging loosely by her sides and stared at the door despairingly, which was less than ten feel away. And it seemed like a lifetime before he finally spoke, before he uttered three words that she never thought she would hear him say again…

 

“I love you.”