Mirage END

“So it seems like you and Brad are getting pretty hot and heavy,” Susan said on Friday evening.

            They were getting ready to close the shop. Friday had been a pretty busy day for both of them. Both of them were drained, really, but talking about Brad her energy level spiked up. She laughed at how Susan looked at her and she shrugged.

            “I have no idea what you mean,” Angie said.

            Susan tossed a napkin at her. “You lie! I see you every morning when you walk in. You’re tired and your eyes are blood shot. I know what that look is all about! I have had that look.”

            “What do you mean you’ve had that look? You still have that look!”

            “Trust me after you have a kid, the amazement is down to how quick can we do this before the baby wakes up.”

            Angie laughed. “I don’t think you and Nick will ever get tired of each other.”

            Susan sat down on the chair and shook her finger at her. “Don’t be so sure. I never minded that he didn’t brush his teeth in the morning before kissing him. Now when he gets up and tries to give me a kiss, I sneer away and ask him to go brush first.”

            Angie roared with laughter. “You’re so mean!”

            “I know, but I still love him.”

            Angie took the bag of deposit out and handed it to Susan. The door opened and Brad walked in with a big smile on his face. Susan gave him a hug and then looked at Angie with a funny look. Angie stared at the exchange of expression between them and crossed her arms.

            “What is it? Why are you two looking at me like that?” Angie asked.

            “Nothing,” Susan said. Then she turned to Brad. “Take all the time you need. Good luck.”

            She darted off and Brad turned to look at her. “How was your day?”

            “No, no, no. You have to explain yourself first. What was all that between you and Susan?”

            He smiled as he walked to her. He looked handsome today with his black pants and white crisp button down shirt. As he neared her, he reached for her apron and took it off. Then he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. He looked into her eyes and she searched his for an answer.

            “If I gave you something, will you wear it?” he asked.

            She smiled. “It depends. What did you have in mind?”

            He removed a ring from his pocket. “This.”

            Angie almost fell over as she stared at the diamond ring in his hand. She was speechless as he took her hands. He got down on one knee and she felt tears begin to swim in her eyes. When he looked up at her, his eyes were filled with tears.

            “Angie, I didn’t have what you had growing up. I didn’t know that you could love someone with your whole heart and know happiness. All I knew was darkness and in my paintings, I was able to find peace. I always searched for someone to walk beside me so I could know what it was like to have someone who cared for you above and beyond. And then I met you and everything came to a standstill. I finally knew that my search was over. You make the pain in me disappear and you chase away the hurt. All I need is you. Will you marry me?” Brad asked.

            Angie sobbed and dropped to her knees before him. “Yes. I will marry you.”

           

            That evening when Angie came home, she took off Luke’s ring and slipped it around the dog tags and put it away in her dresser. Then she stared at the ring Brad gave her and smiled. It was beautiful, sparkling, and full of life. Angie knew that somewhere along the line, Luke had helped her move on by allowing her the freedom she had wanted without feeling as if she’d betrayed him. She touched the photograph of him sitting on the dresser and smiled.

            “Luke, I love you so much. I always will. But today, I found someone who will grow with me. You will always remain in my heart. There will never be a day where I won’t think of you,” she said.

            Her phone rang and she picked it up to see her mother’s name on the screen. “Hi, mom.”

            “Did he do it?”

            She laughed. “Yes, he did and it was so perfect! I can’t believe you all knew and kept it from me.”

            Her mother laughed. “Oh, I wanted to tell, I really did. But when he came to me and asked me for permission to marry you and to keep it a secret, all I could do was just smile and give him my blessing. Do you like the ring?”

            She stared at her ring and smiled. “Yes, I love it.”

            “Good because I helped him pick it out.”

            Angie gasped. “Oh my God! This whole time you were going behind my back?”

            “Yes. Oh, sweetheart, you should have seen him. He was so adorable wondering what would look the best on your finger. The saleslady nearly had a meltdown just looking at him.”

            “I’ll bet.”

            “I have an idea and I ran it by Brad. But he said to ask you first.”

            Angie sat down on the bed. “What is it?”

            “I’d like to throw you an engagement party. What do you think?”

            “Really? I mean, is it necessary?”   

            “Of course not, but I’m your mother, humor me. We can do it there since it’s got a nice backyard.”

            Angie thought it over. “I suppose it would be alright. Susan’s been dying to make me a cake for the longest time anyway.”

            Her mother laughed. “That works out then. I’ll plan everything. You just show up in your best dress.”

            Showing up in your best meant having her legs waxed, her makeup and hair done by a professional, and wearing a yellow flowing dress that slipped off her shoulders. Her mother gave her a pair of pearl necklace and earrings to wear. When she looked in the mirror, gone was the woman she thought she knew and replacing her was a new born woman who stood tall with grace and beauty. But what made her heart stop was when she saw Brad wearing a black tux and waiting for her with a dozen yellow roses. Her heart melted and she fell into his arms, wanting to never be apart from him.

            Her mother promised a small party and that was exactly what occurred. She had a few friends from high school, Susan and Nick arrived with their son, both were dressed beautifully and handsome. Their two year old son, Ryan, ran around trying to chase butterflies in the backyard. All the while Brad held her in his arms as people stopped by to greet them. She was happy, truly happy, and she felt loved as Brad never let her out of his sight. Even though he walked away to speak to others, his gaze always found hers. She was shy when suddenly out of nowhere his arms found their way around her waist. He stole kisses throughout the day and when they cut the cake, he fed her by placing the cake in his mouth and having her take it. But before she withdrew, he kissed her deeply. The crowd broke out in applaud.

            At a little past ten, everyone left except for Susan’s family and her mother. They stayed to help clean up. Brad was inside cleaning up with Nick. Her mother and Susan had gone to pick up the trash from behind the house and she was picking up the plates on the table in front of the house. She was tired, her body was aching, and her feet were ready to snap off. Note to self, she thought, never wear heels again. She stretched and a yawn broke out. She heard footsteps behind her and smiled as arms came around her waist. She smiled when lips touched her cheek. But then the door opened and Brad came walking down the steps with a bag in his hand. When she saw him, the smile broke from her lips and she turned around to see who was hugging her. What she saw had her stumbling backward until Brad caught her in his arms. Luke, alive and well, stood before her dressed all in black, with eyes as hard as stone, staring at her.

            “Luke,” she whispered.

            Luke stepped forward and dropped the bag from his shoulder onto the table. He looked at her, at Brad, and then at the decorations around him. “Did I miss something?”

           

            Luke was in a foul mood. He had returned to find his house filled with the people he loved only they no longer loved him, especially the woman he had left behind. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. She was wearing a yellow dress that brought out her natural beauty and it looked as if they were celebrating something. He noticed that when she saw him her face broke apart as if she’d seen a ghost. Then when the man wearing the tux came out and took her hands, a part of him died. That was when his eyes fell to the ring on her left hand and it killed him to see that the ring wasn’t the one he had given her before he left. Nick, his best friend, couldn’t even look at him and Angie’s mother was speechless. It seemed he intruded something big and the man whose name he didn’t know didn’t seem like such a stranger among them.

            “What’s going on here? Anyone care to explain to me? Or should I just stand here and guess why no one is welcoming me home? Or why my fiancée is wearing someone else’s ring?” he asked.

            Angie’s mother stepped forward and took his hands. “Luke, we thought you died. Your commanding officers returned your dog tags to Angie.”

            He ripped his hands out of her hold. “Did you see a body?”

            “No.”

            “Then how can you assume I was dead?”

            Luke watched as everyone remained silent and he shifted his gaze to Angie, who was staring at the ground. Pissed off, he marched over and grabbed her arms. She let out a shriek and the man behind her stepped forward. But Luke looked up with dark eyes.

            “Don’t,” he warned. “This is between me and her. You stay out of this.”

            “She is my business,” he said.

            “Whatever she is to you, I don’t care. I need to speak to her.”

            Angie let out a sob and ran to the back of the house. He waited a few moments and then followed. He found her crying by the edge of the pond. He thought he would return from prison to find her still waiting for him. Their promises were what kept him alive in that prison camp. But no, today, he returned to a woman who was no longer his. He stood there waiting for her to turn around. But she remained with her back turned to him. He felt the tears gush out and his heart dying at the sound of her silence.

            “Angie, can you look at me? I’ve wanted to see your face for so long,” Luke said.

            “How is it that you’re alive? They said you were dead.”

            He swallowed hard. “I was caught during an ambush and kept prisoner. I escaped recently and found my way back home by some French trappers. I thought I was going to die. But you know what? It was you who kept me alive. I promised you I would come back to you. I promised you, Angie.”

            She swung around, tears down her face. “What did I do to deserve this?”

            “Nothing, sweetheart.”

            She sobbed and fell to the ground, covering her face with her hands. The diamond sparkling on her left hand tore at his heart. He swallowed hard and walked to kneel down before her. When he reached out to touch her, she turned away from him. He lowered his hand and backed away from her.

            “Who is he? What is he to you?” Luke asked, dreading to hear the answer.

            “His name is Brad and he’s asked me to marry him.”

            Luke lowered his head. “And where does that leave me?”

            She sobbed and threw her arms around him. “Luke, do you know how torn I was? When I heard you were gone, every part of me died. I couldn’t do anything with my life. It was horrible knowing you weren’t going to be here with me anymore.”

            He wrapped his arms around her and stood up, holding her against him. He started to cry, thinking of his time in captive, knowing he might never hold her again. He pulled away and cupped her face, staring into her eyes, mesmerized by her beauty. She was so beautiful, so angelic and pure. He ran a hand down her cheek.

            “I love you so much, Angie. I thought of nothing else, but you in that camp. I thought, if I could get a chance to come back home to you, I’d marry you the instant I got back. I had all these words saved up in my mind to say to you. They tortured me until I felt I was going to break. But I never did because I thought of you and nothing else. You kept me alive.”

            She leaned forward and laid her head against his forehead. “Luke, I’m so sorry for what happened to you. For the past four and a half years, I thought of nothing else, but you. I couldn’t move on with my life. I had nowhere to go. I was lost, insane, and near death.”

            “But,” he began.

            She looked up at him. “But Brad entered my life and I fought against the feelings I had for him. All I wanted was you, but…I’m so sorry.”

            Luke dropped his hands from her waist and stepped back. “Have you slept with him?”

            Angie sobbed. “Luke, don’t do this. It will only hurt us.”

            “Hurt?! You have no idea about hurt! You have no idea what hurt is.”

            “And what do you think the last four years have been like for me? How was I supposed to know you were going to miraculously come home to me? If I could predict the future, I would have stayed away from Brad. But I couldn’t. Did you really expect me to be alone forever?”
            “Yes! Because you made a promise to me that you would wait for me!”

            Angie threw her fists at him. “You were pronounced dead!”

            He grabbed her fists. “Did you see my body? Did you see my body?! If you didn’t see my body, how could you believe them? Just because they gave you my dog tags, it doesn’t mean anything!”

            “How can you blame me?”

            “Because you were supposed to love me, only me! Yet look at where we stand today. You’re in love with someone else when you should have been mine. How do you think that makes me feel?”

            She jerked herself free from him. “You don’t understand. It took me four years to set you aside. You’re not gone from my heart. You will always remain there.”

            Luke shook his head. “What of him? Let him go.”

            Angie didn’t answer and he grabbed her shoulders. She let out a small gasp and he shook her as if willing her to answer. “I can’t do that.”

            “Why the hell not?”

            “Because she loves me,” he answered from behind Luke. “Let her go.”

            Luke turned and dropped his hands from Angie. The man Angie called Brad walked to them and gently took Angie’s hand, pulling her to him. He checked her to see if she was hurt and Luke had to laugh. Then the man turned toward Luke.

            “I’m Brad. I take it you’re Luke.”

            “Angie belongs to me,” Luke said through clenched teeth.

            Brad straightened and put his arm around Angie. “She did belong to you. But you were pronounced dead. She mourned you for a long time. She’s still mourning you in her heart. I’m not here to replace you, Luke. I’m here to offer her a new start. But the choice is Angie’s.”

            Luke was surprised at the man’s choice of words. Angie was too by how she looked at him. “You’re not afraid she’ll choose me over you?”

            Brad shook his head. “No, because Angie knows where her heart is.”

            Laughing, Luke ran his hand through his hair. “Angie and I have something meaningful together. I doubt you can give her what I could.”

            “I don’t plan on giving her anything remotely close to what you had with her. I’m a different person, Luke. How do you expect us to give her the same? She’s different with me than she is with you. We’re not the same.”

            Luke walked to him and Brad released his hold on Angie. Then he threw a fist which made Angie scream. Brad stumbled, but didn’t fall over, when he pulled back his fist to hit again, Nick grabbed him from behind.

            “Stop it, Luke. This is crazy!” Nick said.

            Luke shrugged him off. “You’re my friend, Nick, not his!”

            “It doesn’t matter whose friend I am. What matters is that this wasn’t expected for anyone. We all thought you were dead. We were all hurt by it. Angie, most of all, was the one who suffered. We saw it day in and day out. We also saw that it was Brad who helped her back to the living.”

            Luke sneered away as Angie turned to check Brad for injuries. He reached over and yanked her arm away from Brad. “He’ll live.”

            Angie jerked her hand free from Luke and walked back to Brad. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

            He nodded. “I’m fine.”

            Angie’s mother walked forward. “I’m sorry this has happened. No one wanted this, Luke. But you can’t predict how life will turn out. Honestly, we all thought you were dead. We didn’t find a body, true, but you were gone. We all thought the best thing for Angie was to move on. It’s not her fault for trying to move on and it’s not Brad’s fault for falling in love with her.”

            Luke didn’t answer.

            “Honey, it’s best if you move back in with me and let Luke have his house back.”

            “Why do you still have this place?” Luke asked.

            “I was afraid of selling it because it was the only thing you had left.”

            “Thank you for keeping it. If you’ve been staying here, then continue to stay here. I’ll find someone place else.”

            Angie shook her head. “No, this is your home. I’ll go.”

            “She can stay with me,” Brad said.

            Luke laughed. “That’s out of the option.”

            “I’m staying with Brad,” Angie said. “Let’s go.”

           

            The house was silent as Luke stood in the middle of the living room watching the pictures smile back at him. It was as if he’d never left. The house was still buzzing with the memories of how it used to be. He couldn’t believe that this was the welcome home he got. In his mind, things were completely different. He pictured Angie welcoming him home with open arms and loving him like she did. But when he saw what was unfolding before his eyes, he realized four and a half years was a long time to hope that things would be the same. It was a long time to ask someone to wait. He wasn’t truly angry; he was angry at himself. If only he hadn’t gone, everything would be fine. The truth was, he wasn’t even required to go. He had a choice to stay or to leave and he decided to go because he felt he needed to serve his country first. So he left and four months into the service, while on camped out in front of the enemies, there had been an ambush. His entire platoon had been shot to death and he was the only one who survived. So they tore his dog tags off and captured him to get information.

            Four and a half years of being tortured, starved, and poked at until he felt his every last breath was about to give out. In those years, all he thought about was her. He thought about what life would have been like if he had only stayed. She would have been the mother of his children by now and they would have been happy. Each time he thought back to how he said yes, he wished he’d said no instead. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

            He walked up the stairs to his room and found all of his clothes were still there. He’d have to buy new ones. He’d lost so much weight. Nothing would fit. He walked to the room where she’d slept and it was empty except for the bed. He sat on the bed and covered his head. How could this happen to them? They were supposed to be together. They were supposed to be husband and wife. Everyone had a choice to make and his wasn’t a very wise one, he knew, because it ended up with him out of the picture.

            Brad, the other man, he knew that Brad loved her. He could tell by how he held Angie. It was the same way Angie used to let him hold her. And Angie must have loved him enough to say yes when he proposed. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed deeply. Life was a mess.

 

            Angie stood by the patio looking out at the city lights. Her heart was heavy with disbelief, anger, and sorrow. She couldn’t believe it had turned out this way. She’d been finally able to move past the hurt and it came slamming down on her with twice the baggage. She hadn’t made it over the hill yet. She was just starting to make a dent and the wind blew her back down. Starting over was going to take twice the strength and three times the hope she thought she had before. Tonight, when she saw Luke, every promise they’d made, every love they’d felt, came rushing back to her. She didn’t know what to do and when Brad took her home, she’d been quiet. She was sure he knew that she was fumbling with her thoughts. Her mind was killing her and she didn’t know what she was going to do. Did she still love Luke? Yes. Did she love Brad? Yes. If Luke stepped in and wanted her back, would she give in? If Brad didn’t let go, would she hang on? Those were the questions that were slowly starting to kill her.

            She shut her eyes and felt hands on her shoulders. She turned around to find Brad standing before her. He was freshly showered and his eyes told her he was worried. She sobbed and threw her arms around him. She held him and listened to the sound of his heart beating, wondering how many times in the past few weeks she’d done that while they were sleeping.

            “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

            “Don’t apologize, baby. How would you know this would happen?”

            “I’m just so scared of everything right now. I don’t know what to do.”

            He pulled away and wiped her eyes. “Angie, remember when I said that if you left me, the storm in me would consume me? I’m afraid this is what I was talking about. I’ve fought for you, for the right to love you. I’m not going to give you up. I hope that you won’t turn away from me.”

            Angie sobbed. “How can I give you up when you were the one who showed me how to love again? It was you who brought me back to the living. But, this is Luke we’re talking about. He’s the one man who held my heart for so long.”

            “He is and I can’t compete with that.”

            She shook her head. “No, Brad, you can’t. You shouldn’t have to because I’m staying with you.”

            He looked up at her with sad eyes. “How do I know that’s really love that is speaking and not pity?”

            Angie leaned over and kissed him deeply. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Will you make love to me? Take me away from this hurt?”

            He shuddered and held her in his arms. “No, not tonight, I won’t. Tonight, I just want to hold you. I think we’re a little too shocked and you’re not right all in your head yet.”

            Angie smiled. How did he know her so well? She kissed him again and led him inside the bedroom.

 

            It was early in the morning when Angie woke and slipped on Brad’s shirt. She tiptoed to the kitchen and pulled her hair up into a bun. Pulling open the fridge, she took out the carton of eggs, juice, and some red and green bell peppers. She set them on the counter and whipped up an omelet for the two of them. When she was done, she tossed some wheat bread into the toaster. When it popped out, she walked into the bedroom and found Brad was in the shower. She smiled and made the bed as he walked out with a towel around his waist. She loved how he looked when he came right out of the shower, his dark hair wet and over his eyes. Water glistening on his chest and muscled abdomen. He smiled at her and came to give her a kiss on the lips.

            “Nice shirt,” he said.

            “Yeah, it looks better on me than you,” Angie said.

            “I agree, but I think it looks better on the floor right now.”

            Angie giggled as she brought her hands up to his chest. “Breakfast is ready.”

            “Breakfast can wait. I can’t.”

            Angie smiled as he leaned in to kiss her and began to peel the shirt off of her. She was just about to remove his towel when there was a knock on the door. She paused and Brad let out a disappointed moan. She laughed and ushered him into the bathroom as she hurried to the door. It was her mother. She opened and Dawn walked in looking fresh in a blue summer dress with her hair pulled in a low bun. But when Dawn saw her, she laughed and cleared her throat.

            “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” she said.

            Before Angie could answer, Brad walked in wearing a pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt. “As a matter of fact, you did. I don’t think I can ever forgive you.”

            Laughing, Dawn said, “Well, I could go out and come back in if that helps.”

            Brad laughed and walked to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning.”

            “Morning.”

            “Breakfast, anyone?” Angie asked as Brad’s eyes glittered with what they had just went through.

 

            “Have you talked to him yet?” Dawn asked.

            After breakfast, the three of them came for a walk around Lake Calhoun. Today was perfect with its light wind and warmth. Joggers, strollers, and couples walked past them hand in hand as everyone came out to enjoy the weather. Fishermen, boaters, and jet skiers were in the water. Angie brushed her hair out of her eyes and sighed deeply as she walked to the bench and sat down. Brad came to sit beside her and took her hand.

            “I’m afraid he won’t be reasonable and listen to me,” Angie said.

            “I think I should talk to him,” Brad said.

            “No, don’t you remember what happened last night between the two of you? He hit you.”

            “Yes, he did, but I don’t blame him. I’m the one who is responsible for you right now and I need him to understand that this wasn’t a trick of some sort. I’m the man here, Angie, and it’s not right if I just stay away from this. If it were me, I’d feel better if the other man came to me.”

            Dawn came to stand beside her. “Brad is right, dear. Perhaps it’s better this way. You may get emotional and might not get one word in. Besides, if Luke is to ever respect Brad, it’s now.”

            “I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

            “I won’t hurt him,” Brad said.       

            Angie sighed. “It’s not you hurting him that worries me. It’s more of him hurting you.”

            He smiled and touched her nose. “I’m a big boy. I think I can handle him.”

           

            Brad walked up the driveway to Luke’s house and saw him cleaning out the shed out back. If he saw Brad, he made no notion of it. He walked up to him and crossed his arms, waiting for the man to stop. But Luke continued on working as if Brad didn’t exist. He could see why Angie had fell in love with him in the first place. Before his capture, Luke was probably in good shape. But the torture he went through tortured his soul and ate away at his meat. Still, he was a good looking man.

            “I’m going to talk as if you’re actually listening to me. I came here hoping that we could clear things up between us. Angie doesn’t deserve to be caught in the middle,” Brad said.

            “I have nothing to say to you. You stole the woman I loved,” Luke snapped.

            “I didn’t steal her. I wooed her for six months until she finally stopped fighting her feelings. Do you know how long I waited for her to come around? I knew that she was still in love with you and she probably always will. I’m fine with that because even though she loves you, I’m her future.”

            Luke tossed an old fishing pole to the ground and stared at Brad. “If you don’t call that stealing, then I don’t know what it is.”

            “How is that stealing? She came to me on her own terms. I accepted them. You were gone and you were pronounced dead. How could you stand there and accuse her of not being faithful when she waited for four and a half years on a man who she thought was dead? Isn’t that torture enough for her? How can you be so damn selfish?”

            Luke pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you talk to me about selfish.”

            “I am because that’s what you are right now. Have you even given one thought to what she went through these past years? How much pain she’s been in? How she felt she was betraying you when I came in her life? She fought me so hard until she couldn’t anymore and finally gave in. How can you be so ignorant to her feelings and blame her for not waiting for you? You left her here.”

            Luke shoved him and grabbed his collar. “You don’t need to remind me of my actions. I left because I had a duty to do. But I never expected to be in this situation. I am alive today because all I thought of was her. She saved my life and I am not going to let you take her away from me. You don’t deserve her. She’s mine and she will stay mine. I will make her change her mind.”

            Brad removed his hand from his collar. “I came here in the hopes that you’d listen to me and understand that all Angie wants is peace. She’s suffered through enough loudness and pain these past four years. She doesn’t deserve anymore. But you just seem to want trouble. Well, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to stand aside and let you take my existence away. As of right now, she’s wearing my ring, she’s living with me, and she’s my fiancée. I’d say I have a head start, wouldn’t you agree?”

           

            Brad knew that a man like Luke wouldn’t listen to anything anyone said. He was a man of tactic and aimed to win no matter the situation. But did he care much about the people he hurt along the way? Probably not because Angie was hurting right now and if he cared as much as he claimed, he wouldn’t be this way. He knew that Luke had been the first one to love Angie, but four and a half years was a long time to be gone from someone’s life. He was pronounced as dead. How could he return angry that Angie didn’t wait as they had promised?

            When he arrived at his condo, Angie was outside on the patio with her legs crossed and reading a book. He smiled at her long legs, which he wanted wrapped around his waist. He opened the door to the patio and she looked up at him. She set her book down and stood up.

            “So?” she asked.

            He took her hands. “I tried to reason and he didn’t want to listen.”

            “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

            Brad shook his head. “No.”

            She hugged him and then kissed him. “I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t apologize for him. He’s a grown man. He should know right from wrong. How can he expect you to wait on a man you thought was dead? That’s selfish.”

            Her fingers came to rest on his belt. “Can I be selfish right now and keep you all to myself?”

            Brad smiled and lowered his lips. “I was just thinking how nice it would be to have your legs around my waist.”

            That evening when Angie lay sleeping next to him, he sat staring at her and wondered if she really did love him as much as she claimed. In her heart, did she have the slightest thoughts about Luke while making love to him? Did she think of Luke during the day? He was frightened of her mind because it was the one place he couldn’t touch. He reached out a finger and touched her cheek. She stirred and her eyes opened. She stared at him and he looked away. She sat up and reached out to touch him.

            “Brad? What’s wrong?” she asked.

            He turned back to look at her. “Nothing’s wrong. You should go back to sleep. You’re opening tomorrow.”

            “What’s wrong? Tell me. If you don’t tell me, how can I go back to sleep?”

            Brad looked away and swallowed hard. His hands tightened on the blanket and he kept his eyes on the ground. “I’m worried.”

            “Worried about what?”

            “I’m worried that you may always love him more than you love me.”

            Angie sighed and reached for him, but he pulled away. She sat back, hurt, as he had his back turned to her. “What do you want me to say, Brad? I’ll always love him. But it doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

            “It’s not about always loving him that makes me cringe. It’s more about you staying with me because you may pity my past. I don’t want to hold you back if your heart is telling you something else.”

            Angie reached for him and laid her head on his back. “Brad, why would you say something like that? I haven’t even thought about any of that.”

            He turned around and touched her cheeks. “Do you know how hard it was for me to realize that he had come back to your life? Is it selfish of me to think that I’d want him to remain away so I could have you all to myself? I’m sorry, Angie, I know that sounds harsh, and it is, but I don’t want to lose you. I fought so hard to have you in my life. I can’t just walk away now that the man you thought was dead suddenly has a heartbeat.”

            She touched his hands. “I love you, Brad, for who you are, for what you fight for. Not for what you were. Inside of my soul, Luke will always be there with me because he first came into my life. But it doesn’t mean that I’ll shut the door on you. You taught me a lesson and I aim to keep that part that made me feel alive again.”

            He laced his fingers through hers and sighed deeply. “I aim to keep you too.”

            She kissed his shoulder. “Brad, don’t you worry about anything. No matter what, I won’t make you suffer anymore. I meant what I said. I promised you I wouldn’t leave you. Luke is back, yes, but I moved forward because you taught me how to live again. I’ll always love Luke, but you’re the one who holds my future.”

 

            The day had begun for Angie and after opening and setting the trays of freshly baked goods out, she pried open the door to let in some fresh air and had just flipped on the jazz music when she heard someone walk in. It was still early and she wasn’t expecting anyone yet, but she found Luke standing in the middle of the store staring at her. He was thinner than she’d imagined and although he had shaved and cut his hair, the look of despair and hurt lingered in his eyes. She swallowed, longing to take him into her arms, to soothe the pain he’d been in. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He didn’t say a word and continued staring at her. The silence ate at her heart and she felt his pain of betrayal burn her through his silence. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she shifted her eyes and felt the tears well up.

            “Please tell me you at least want to hug me. Please make my torture bearable by saying that you at least thought of holding me since I returned,” Luke said.

            She didn’t answer.

            “Do you know? When I see you with him, I wish it was me you were holding. In that cell, while I lay starving, all I thought about was you. I told myself if I endured a little longer, I’d come home and you’d welcome me with your arms and everything would be alright again. I never expected to come home to see you in another man’s arms or worse, forgetting about us.”

            Angie let out a shaky breath and she looked up with tears. “Luke, if you thought that I turned to Brad the moment I received news of your death, you’re wrong. A part of me died that day when I received your dog tags. My mother tried to help me to continue living, but every part of why I wanted to exist failed to impress me because you weren’t there to help me. You were lying in a cold prison, but so was I. I was trapped with time and I had no way of moving on. I didn’t know how to move on all I wanted was to stay with you and hope that one day we would be reunited. Do you know how much pain I was in? I was literally drowning in misery each day and I forgot how to laugh, how to speak to others, how to carry on a conversation with people who were still living. All I wanted was to join you in a place that could erase my pain.”

            Luke laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “You make it sound so believable, Angie. Your love for me sounds so real, you know?”

            “It is real!”

            “But now it’s not, is it?”

            She walked to him and grabbed his hands. “Luke, I love you always. There will never be a day where I won’t love you. What did you want me to do? Wait until the end of time?”

            “Yes!”

            She dropped his hands. “That’s unfair, Luke. What would you do in my situation? You were stuck in a prison and I was stuck with time. Time was moving on and I wasn’t. How could you ask me to freeze myself if all life of you were vanished from me? Was I just to remain trapped just for you?”

            His eyes filled with tears and he reached out to touch her cheek. “I’m being selfish, I know, Angie. But how can I not be when all I thought about was you in that cell? You kept me alive and I gave my all to come home to see you. I don’t even know what to say or where to begin. I’m selfish, I’m greedy, I’m a bastard, yes, but I love you. Is that so wrong? If I knew this was the case, if I knew I would come home to this, I’d give in and let them have my life.”

            Angie slapped him hard across the face. “Don’t stand there and tell me those things! You have no idea what I went through for you! All you talk about is you, your pain, your suffering! Well, did you stop to think of me? Did you stop to think about how I wept for you for four and a half years until I thought I was going to be blind? I gave up all life and wanted to stop living because you weren’t there. And then Brad showed up in my life and I fought my emotions because for once again, I was starting to feel things long lost gone. But you know what? I kept it off because I wanted to keep the thought of you returning back. I wanted only you until I realized you weren’t coming back. I did what I could to live. How can you be angry with me?”

            He reached out to touch her, but drew his hand back. He let out a heavy breath and swallowed hard. “I’m not angry with you, Angie. I could never be angry with you. You’re the light in my life. You’re the reason why I resisted death. I could never be angry with you. I’m only angry at myself for leaving you behind. I did my duty for my country, but at what cost? I couldn’t ask you to wait forever for me. It was a promise I knew wasn’t worth making. You can’t ask someone to hold out their life for you while you’re rotting away in a prison. You were right in making the decision to move on. But the pain that pounds in my heart just can’t accept that you are no longer mine when you were mine to begin with. I always thought you’d be mine until the end of time. But time has been cruel and it has played against me, not allowing me to win.

            “Tell me, Angie, how did you go on? How did you make the effort to live another day when all you wanted to do was find an invitation to death? I look at you right now and all I see is a strong, independent woman who has won struggle after struggle of pain. Can you share with me how to do that? I can’t seem to find the will to move on without you in my life.”

            Angie took his hands and pulled him into her arms. They held each other for a long time, remembering how it had once been between them. The love that bonded them together still burned within their hearts and the longer Angie held him, the more she understood why life had played this part in her life. It was teaching her a lesson, a very valuable lesson on how to move on when everything seemed impossible. She pulled away from him and cupped his face.

            “Luke, I love you. I will always love you. You once held my heart and it made me sing so loud. You taught me a lot of things that I will never forget. But when you left me, every part of me left with you. When I heard you were dead, I died too. The Angie you knew and loved died, a long time ago. The Angie standing before you now is someone who isn’t the same anymore. I’m sorry, Luke, I truly am. But when Brad entered my life, he carried with him an answer, a prayer that lifted me from the dead. He gave me the kiss of breath and life after being frozen for so long. He touched something inside me that you never have. The only way for you to move forward is to find someone who will give you what Brad has given me. That is hope for a new life. Once you find that, everything will be ok.”

            Luke smiled and touched her cheeks. “This was what I fought for in the prison. This moment, right here, with you just like this. Thank you.”

 

            The wind was calm as Brad made his way to where Luke was sitting on the bench. He’d seen the man from afar and was wondering why he’d gotten the call from him. It had been an interesting week for him. First, Angie hadn’t spoken a word about Luke. Second, he’d gotten several new clients that wanted the same designs, which had him spinning around, wondering if it was a hoax. Now, Luke wanted to speak to him. He didn’t mention meeting Luke to Angie, which he wasn’t sure why either. He didn’t know what the man wanted and until he figured it out, he thought it best if he kept it to himself.

            After a few weeks back at home, Luke looked better than he did when Brad first met him. Gone was the thin, pale man who had been sickly looking and fragile. In its place was a man who was a lot healthier and dressed in clothes that were fitting. There was no doubt why Angie had fallen in love with him in the first place. This man had a sense of style that Brad lacked.

            “I’m here. What did you want?” Brad asked.

            Luke got up and he cleared his throat loudly. “I’m not here to make any deals with you. I’m just here to congratulate you.”

            Frowning, Brad asked, “What are you talking about?”

            “I realize I’ve been one hell of a jerk lately. Can you blame me? I wasn’t expecting to see the woman I loved in love with another man.”

            Brad sighed. “Look, we’ve been through this before.”

            Luke raised his hand. “I know. I know and I’m here to tell you that I’m the past. I walked away from her and you got her. As much as it hurts me, I saw the truth in Angie’s eyes.”

            “What?”

            “She’s in love with you, not me. I may be in her heart forever, but she’s not going to weep for me anymore. She’s done enough of that and I’m not going to force her to live in the past anymore. Lord knows I’ve asked enough of her. I can’t keep a leash on her from what was years ago. I saw it in her eyes, Brad. She loves you.”

            Brad swallowed. “I realize this isn’t something easy to accept. I’m sorry, Luke, I really am, but believe me when I say that you will find someone who will love you.”

            “I know. I just wanted to tell you this because you deserve it. You’re a good man, Brad. You are. You were there for her when she wasn’t herself. You deserve her.”

            “Thank you.”

            “Take care.”

 

            Brad entered the living room to find it empty. He looked around for any sign of her and found nothing. Then he heard the shower running and he walked into the bathroom. She was standing in the room with a white robe on, her hair down and her eyes full of mist. He swallowed, unable to control his senses as he stared at her. She smiled and reached for his neck. He pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her gently at first, then with more pressure as his emotions heightened.

            “Where were you?” she asked.

            “I went to meet Luke.”

            She stilled. “What happened?”

            He smiled. “Nothing. He congratulated me on having you. He knew the truth and wanted to tell me. Hope will come his way.”

            “I love you, Brad. I love you,” she whispered.     

            “I love you, Angie. You’re everything to me.”

            She smiled and touched his face. “You saved me from drowning. I am no longer chasing mirages. I have a hero right here in my arms.”