Rating: PG
Summary: A little boy makes a Christmas wish.
Type of fic: Story
***
Part Seven
20 December 2010
Stephanie opened the front door, and frowned in confusion. �Dwayne? What are you doing here?�
�Well, it�s lovely to see you too, Steph,� he joked.
She felt her cheeks turn pink. �I mean, aren�t you supposed to be at work? Not that I�m not glad to see you.�
Dwayne laughed lightly, but looked away as he did so. �Actually, I�m not going to work today. I think�I think we need to talk.�
Stephanie looked closely at him. The way he refused to look her in the eye, the way he was biting his lower lip, and the way he kept drumming his fingers against his leg all indicated that he was nervous. She remembered the last time Dwayne had been as anxious with her before. It had been the day he had proposed to her.
She also remembered how his poise had been one of the many things that had attracted her in the first place.
�I think so too,� she said softly. She reached out and forced him to look at her, smiling.
*
�What happened to us?�
�I really don�t know. I wish I did though, so at least I�d know what to do.�
�And how to fix it.� Awkward silence. �I mean, if we wanted to. Fix it.�
�I still love you.�
�I never stopped.�
�So, what did happen to us? I thought all we needed was love.�
�It is. Isn�t it? I mean it�s not like we�re filing for divorce.�
�That�s the last thing I want.�
�Me too.�
Silence.
�Everything was just�I don�t know. All I remember is the anger.�
�And the hurt. The last thing I wanted was for us to be separated. Why didn�t we talk about things?�
�Marriages always have problems. Maybe we just hit a rough patch?�
�Well, it can�t be smooth sailing all the time.�
Silence.
�I guess the question is, what happens now?�
�I hate this. The anger, seeing the sadness in Bryce�s eyes, this distance between us. I just wish it would all go away.�
�It will�won�t it?�
�It has to.�
�I always think about how all this has affected Bryce.�
�I know.�
�But I never think about how all this has affected me. I�ve missed you like hell this past few months.�
�Really? I couldn�t tell with all those snide comments and cracks- I�m joking! I�ve missed you, too. Being lonely, it�s not something I would want to wish on anyone.�
More silence.
�You could�you could stay? Here, I mean. Tonight. And longer.�
�I�d like that.�
�Me too.�
�Maybe I never told you this often enough, but I do love you.�
�There was never a need to tell me. I love you, too.�
�I know.�
