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I roam around Oakley's apartment, spotting the collection of empty liquor bottles on the kitchen counter.
"Not going to lie, I was expecting to see a way bigger mess."
"I'm not a total slob, babe," he teases and hangs my coat up on the coat rack beside his.
"Mhm. Sure."
"Okay, maybe I cleaned a little before tonight. What can I say? I had high hopes." He rubs the back of his neck, flushed. I chuckle and sit down on his couch. I fold my hands in my lap and can't seem to keep my eyes off of him as he walks around the living room.
Locks of hair hang in his face and I watch in awe as he looks through a laundry basket in search of something. His biceps flex when he lifts the pile of clothes, and I can almost feel the drool collecting on the side of my mouth.
"Are you done staring?" he grins, coming over to me with a fuzzy blanket in his hands.
"Not my fault you're so hot," I mutter under my breath.
"What was that? I didn't quite hear you," he says with a lopsided grin.
He joins me on the couch and drapes the blanket across our legs. I curl into his side and lay my head on his shoulder, the smell of his body wash enveloping me. The flirty banter dissolves, and my stomach ties up in a giant knot as I prepare myself to talk about what happened between us. Luckily, he's the first to bring it up.
"You broke my heart, baby," he says gently while running his fingers up and down my arm.
"I broke mine too," I murmur and kiss his neck. "I'm so sorry. I was scared and I pushed you away instead of talking to you about how I was feeling."
"I'm sorry about what happened at that party. I shouldn't have disappeared like that, and I shouldn't have gone to that party. I know I'm sorry doesn't cut it, but I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you." I can hear the regret in every single world he speaks and I snuggle into him even further.
The truth is, I've already forgiven him. He may have disappeared and ran off to deal with his problems, but I ran away too. Only I did more damage than he did. It isn’t fair to put all of the blame on him when we both made mistakes.
I was an idiot for assuming the worst of him and he was an idiot for keeping his worries from me. But if I've learned anything from this week, it's that I can't live without him. So, I'll just have to put my faith in him and our future. That’s all I can do because I can’t lose him again. I won’t.
"I think we were both complete idiots," I chuckle and smile to myself when he pulls me closer to him.
"Is it weird I'm kind of thankful for what happened?"
Is it? I don't think so. It did help us realize how strong our love is, and I can't help but feel happy about that.
“No, I am too.”
"I never want to spend another day without you, Ava," he says, his words dripping in confidence and unspoken promises. My heart swells in my chest, "We'll get through this. I swear to you. We will beat this distance."
I find myself nodding my head, and for the first time, I believe him.
"Damn right we will."
