His Deepest Secret

Charlotte walked down the stairs, passing Neal, who was sitting on the couch watching a college football game. Without a word, she walked outside, shutting the door way harder than she had meant to. Her eyes were blurry with tears as she got in her car.

What was I thinking? How did this happen?

Rain started pelting down on her windshield, making it impossible to see anything. She couldn't see well enough to drive, and so just sat there as her emotions took over, and she broke down more than she has ever before.

Anderson sat on his bed with the TV off, shaking slightly. He was so angry with her, angry for the words she had said, for telling him she loved him but had to leave him. But after hearing her words and letting them soak in, his anger started fading, and he was left with sadness and confusion.

He stood up and looked out his window with the smallest bit of hope that she was somehow still outside. She was.

As quickly as his body allowed, he put on a heavy jacket and shoes, and made his way down the stairs. Neal looked at him as he walked to the door.

"You okay, man?"

"Yeah, be right back," Anderson muttered as he walked out the door.

Charlotte's shoulder shook as she gripped the steering wheel and cried. Her car door opened, and within seconds, Anderson had gently pulled her out of the car and put his arms around her. He held her tightly, one of his hands caressing her head to his chest as she cried.

"Come on," he whispered into her hair, knowing being outside in the rain wouldn't be good for either of them. By the time they got to his front door, they were just about soaked. Neal looked at the two of them and took the hint.

"Just call me if you need anything at all," he told Anderson as he grabbed his keys.

"Thanks, be safe," Anderson replied before Neal walked out.

Anderson led her up the stairs to his room, knowing the two of them needed to change into dryer clothes. As soon as he shut the door, Charlotte started to speak.

"Anderson, I'm so-"

He knowingly put his finger to her lips, stopping her from saying sorry.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, giving her a sad half-smile.

She looked up into his eyes, hers a bright, ocean blue. "I love you, "she whispered. And with that one sentence, all of his anger and hurt fell away. He pulled her face to his, crashing his lips onto hers with so much emotion. The two entangled themselves in each other's arms, dissolving the hurt and the pain they had both endured.

He pulled away from her just enough to speak words against her lips. "I love you, too. Don't you ever do that to me again, Charlotte." And just as soon as he spoke, he tenderly gave her another kiss on her soft lips.

She looked up at him, his hand still caressing her face. "I swear to you, I won't." His thumb wiped away the remnants of the tears and the rainwater that had run down her cheeks.

"Let's get you into some warmer clothes, can't have you getting sick, either," he murmured to her. She nodded in reply, letting go of him as he went to grab her a pair of sweats and a shirt, and a pair of sweats for himself.

"Here you go." He handed the clothes to her.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. She changed out of her clothes while Anderson put a movie in for them to watch. Once she was done, she crawled under the thick layers of blankets, waiting patiently as he changed his sweats and climbed in beside her.

He felt weaker than he had this morning, but happier now that she was in his arms again. One stupid fight, that's all they had. She felt horrible for what she had done, but his forgiveness was shown in how he took her into his arms, with no further words on the matter.

For that moment, they both felt happy as they were snuggled together with Wall-E playing in the background. Anderson looked down at Charlotte's face that was resting against his chest and smiled as he saw her already snoozing away.

For that moment, everything was okay, and it didn't matter to Anderson whether or not he would be getting sicker with each day that passes by. What mattered is that he had her.