by West, Sinden
“Just drive,” I told him. I wanted his silence, just as I wanted him.
But he leaned over and kissed me softly, in the way that always had me yearning for more. When we broke apart, I met his eyes. “You have no idea what it’s like to want someone who I hate half the time.”
He rubbed a thumb across my cheek. I hadn’t realized that there was a tear there until he spread the wetness. “It will get better with time. I promise,” he told me softly. Then he put the car in gear and headed for the road.
I opened the window and closed my eyes, feeling the sun and wind on my face. Time. Did it really heal all wounds? Would it make us both into better people as time eroded the sharpness of memory? Somehow I doubted that, but it didn’t matter. Aaron was mine. He would be mine until the moment that I chose that he wasn’t.
But for now, I wanted him, I needed him. I reached over and took his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. He flashed me a smile before returning his eyes to the road. I watched it too, he took each winding turn expertly and I felt safe under his control.
But there was something else as I watched the road. Not only did I feel safe, I also felt hopeful about the future. This road seemed endless, just like the possibilities for my future. With or without Aaron, I was strong. I would always survive, I had proven that. I could match him in anything that he chose to throw at me.
And I wanted happiness. I wanted story books and fairytales. I did not want life to be a battleground of open wounds and hatred. And now that I had control of my body and my life, I knew that I held the power in my hands to make everything happen the way that I wanted it too.
“I’m changing my name,” I told him.
He flicked a quick look at me. “Yeah? To what?”
I looked out the window. “I’m not sure yet. I don’t want to be Rachel, and I don’t want to be Paige, I just need to decide who I want to be.”
He didn’t say anything, just picking up my hand and raising it to his lips so he could press a soft kiss to my skin. I hid a smile. Maybe there was the possibility of a prince lurking somewhere within him. I just needed to find him first, but if there wasn’t, I knew that I could always slay the monster. After all, I wanted to live in fairytale.
The End
