Brian and I were in the car, totally silent. We were on our way home after having lunch at a friends' house. We had had an argument. Again. It was already the fifth time we had argued that week. The four previous times had been over silly things, and this time it was no different. The worst part was that I didn't even know why it had started that time. I only know that, when I realized it, we were arguing at the table, and our friends were looking at us uncomfortably. Because of that, I had asked Brian to join me in the kitchen for a moment.
"Can we stop the arguing for now, please?" I had said to him an hour earlier.
"That's not the way things work, Harriet. You can't just start arguing and then suddenly cut off abruptly." Brian had replied to me.
"Yeah, I know it's not the right thing to do, but I don't feel like putting on a show. I swear when we get home we'll talk, but let's just behave for a while longer." I had practically asked him.
He had only sighed before nodding and going back to the dining room, leaving me alone in the kitchen.
A while later, we arrived home. I went in before him and walked straight to the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of water and leaned against the isle. Brian walked quietly until he was just inches away from me, his hands in his pockets "Why?" he said, looking me in the eye.
"Why what?" I asked as I set the empty glass down on the marble countertop.
"Why is this happening to us? Why can't we stop arguing?" he sighed.
I slowly shook my head. "I don't know. I really don't know."
There was a few seconds of silence. Then, he looked me straight in the eyes again. "What bothers you about me?" I didn't answer, just looked at him in disbelief. "Harriet, please answer me."
"I don't know, Brian." My mouth began to salivate excessively. "I think...I think I'm having a hard time accepting you spending so much time away from home. So much time away from me. Sometimes I feel like I'm second after your work... Sometimes you come home and you can't stop talking about work, and you don't talk with me. You talk, but not with me. And sometimes it hurts" He froze for a few seconds, before nodding slowly. "And what bothers you about me?"
Brian sighed as he gave the countertop a couple of gentle taps. "It bothers me when you don't talk to me. When you're upset with me, and I try to figure out what's wrong with you, you ignore me. Not only do you ignore me, but I feel like you're making fun of me when you say things like "You should know..." No, Harriet, if I ask you it's because I obviously don't know what I've done this time. And as for the work thing... I know you're kind of right, but you have to understand that music is my life. It always has been and always will be. I also don't like you making me feel bad for loving what I love..."
As he spoke, a knot formed in my throat. I had said negative things about him too. But I wasn't used to hearing him say negative things. About anyone, especially not about me. The knot in my throat thickened and my eyes began to fill with tears.
I turned and tried to wipe away my tears as quietly as possible. Then, I felt arms wrap around me and hug me tightly. Brian rested his head on my shoulder. "But despite everything, I love you. I love you like I've never loved anyone. And I know this is nothing more than a bad patch, and I'm willing to work through it." He turned me around and leaned his forehead against mine. "I love you."
And there I crumbled. My eyes filled with tears and I clung to him tightly. "I love you Brian. I love you so much. I want us to be okay. I need us to be okay." I watched his eyes fill with tears as he nodded. My hand gripped the back of his neck and I brought our lips together. It was a long, passionate, emotionally charged kiss. When our oxygen ran out, we broke apart. I looked into his eyes. "Make love to me. Please." I whispered.
"Of course. Always." He murmured as he lifted me in his arms and carried me into the bedroom, his lips pressed to mine. We still had a lot of work to do, and we would probably need help, but at that moment I knew. We were going to get over that bump. The two of us together.
