Page 48 of Be Your Forever
“Have you gone to see Max at all since everything happened? Every time I go, he asks about you, so I’m just curious.” I can feel her whole body tense, so I place the bottle on the floor and massage her shoulders, allowing her to melt into my touch.
“I haven’t, actually. I haven’t seen my parents, either.” Bri sounds so heartbroken, so I press a soft kiss on her shoulder. I remain silent in case she wants to continue—which she does.
“I just feel bad for everything that happened. I feel like they hate me, like I let them down. I’m having a hard time facing them on my own.”
“It breaks my heart knowing you feel like you’re a disappointment. Would it help if I went with you to visit them? That way you have support if things—and that’s a bigif—go south?”
“But I don’t want to drag you down with me.” She sounds so small, almost childlike. I tilt her chin to meet my gaze.
“You wouldn’t be dragging me down. Everyone needs support, and I’d be honored to be yours. So, if you’ll have me, I’d love to help you overcome this next hurdle.”
“Yes. I would.” Bri’s eyes shine with gratitude. Those three words sit on the tip of my tongue, but I bite them down.Not yet.
“You tell me when, and I’ll be there.” The once-hot water grows tepid, chilling out our bodies, so we pull the drain plug and put on our robes and slippers. We head downstairs to put on green, gooey face masks while gorging on snacks and watchingWhere The Heart Is—a personal fave of hers. I love having her in my arms. I could spend hours just cuddling with her.
“Hey, Asher?” Bri asks after pressing pause on the movie.
“Yeah?”
“I, um, want your help with something.”
“Anything.”
“Can you, um…Can you help me be more comfortable with driving? I don’t want to keep relying on you or Ubers all the time. If I want to take back my life, I need to get over this fear of driving.” My throat feels tight with so many emotions. Her vulnerability is a beautiful thing to watch. I turn her face to meet mine and place a kiss to her lips—face mask be damned.
“I would be honored to help you, thank you for trusting me with this.”
“Thank you.” Bri snuggles deeper into my arms as she plays the movie. We are halfway into the movie when I notice Bri’s eyes become heavy and her breathing has slowed down.
“It’s time for bed. Go upstairs and get ready while I clean everything up down here. I’ll just let myself out when I’m done.”
“Can you stay?”
“Is that what you want?”
“It’s what I need.”
“Then I’ll stay. Go on up, I’ll be there shortly.”
Bri is halfway up the stairs when she turns around. “I’m glad you’re in my life. It feels worth living again, like loving me is…” She swallows, tearing her eyes from mine. “Like loving me is easy.”
Bri locks eyes with me before whispering words that would bring any man to his knees. “Thank you for being my person. For helping me see my worthapart from the shape of my body.” Bri smiles at me before walking the rest of the way up the stairs.
Thank you for being my person.I clutch my chest, and my heart feels full.You’re my person, too, Bri.Everything is put in its place in no time, and I all but run up the stairs.
After I wash off my mask, I head to the bedroom to find Bri already passed out, snoring softly, so I slip in carefully behind her, pulling her back to my front. I’m so glad she asked me to stay. I never want to wake up alone anymore. Once you wake up beside the love of your life, the loneliness of sleeping alone is ten times louder.
Brianna
Our new norm
August2026
“Have you given any thought to the pamphlet I gave you?” Dr. Jacqui asks. I’ve been seeing her for a few months now and so far, it’s been working. She’s given me an ample amount of resources on grief and how even though the stages are linear on paper, in real life they are anything but.
She also took the time to explain anxiety to me, and I now have a better understanding of what Avery goes through. Even Cas, too, with how he had to work through his trauma. I’ve been teetering around the idea of EMDR. It sounds really intense, but I’ve also watched countless YouTube videos of people swearing by it, saying it changed their lives.
“I have. I guess I’m concerned about how intense it’s gonna be.” I’ve been more honest with my thoughts and feelings, and it’s refreshing. I was always a blunt,say what’s on my mindtype of girl. But guilt does crazy things to one’s personality. I’m finally getting that back, and I don’t plan to go backward.
