forum “I can’t love you...” Reposting this here (O/O|Romance|Closed|)

Started August 10, 2019 by @Toxic_Persephone group

tune

He frowned slightly. "Ah…no. Its not normal…" He trailed off. Damn. Her dad really fucked up her sense of normal, didn't he? He shook his head slightly.

She tilted her head and blinked again. “What is normal then?” The girl was clueless. She had never seen a normal family, not even on the television or through any other media. She had been closed off to the modern world. “Is normal how you were raised?”

Asher shook his head. "No! Normal is…public schooling and a house in the suburbs. A minivan to fit all the kids. It's having three kids, maybe more, maybe less, that you support no matter what they do."

Arabella looked confused and drew her knees into her chest. “Oh? Is that really normal?” She asked quietly. “I didn’t know I wasn’t normal.”

Asher sighed softly. "No, you aren't. Sorry." He replied quietly. He kissed her cheek.

Arabella didn’t react. She sat in a stunned silence for a moment, her brain whirring as she tried to think over what was wrong in her life. She couldn’t tell anymore.

He powered on his computer quietly to let her think without interruption. When and if she wanted to talk, he would listen. But he also had emails and such to answer still.

“What else about me is different?” She asked him after a moment. “I can’t tell what my father conditioned me to think and what is reality…”

He sighed softly. "Uhm…the fact that you think the freedom of choice is a privilege, not a right. It shouldn't have to be me giving you permission to do things everyone else does. You shouldn't have to thank me for not monitoring your phone." He shook is head slightly.

She nodded gently, suddenly slipping off the desk and moving to lean against him. “I’m confused Asher.” She admitted, pressing her cheek against his hair. “I’m very confused…”

Asher reached up and put an arm around her. "It's alright." He soothed gently. "It'll be okay." He closed his eyes for a moment.

She sighed deeply, once again opening her eyes to stare at their wedding photo. That must have not been normal either. “Would you show me what it’s like someday?”

"What what's like?" He asked, looking at her carefully. He kissed her cheek gently, looking at her.

“Being normal.” She replied, smiling a little at the kiss. He was being affectionate even when no one was around. She liked that.

He nodded. "Alright. I'll try." He replied with a small smile. He sighed softly, and logged into his computer.

She continued to lean against him, slowly sliding down so she was kneeling on the floor by him, her head resting against his knee and thigh. “Thank you.”

He nodded, looking down at her and running a hand through her hair. "You know, you can sit with me if you want." He said softly, looking down at her with a soft smile.

“I can?” She asked gently, leaning into his hand as he played with her hair. She groaned softly as she shifted so she was closer to him, closing her eyes. “I would like that, very much.”

He nodded. "Mm. You can sit on my lap, or I can scoot over so you can sit on the seat with me." He replied, and kept playing with her hair.

Arabella flushed, gently moving into his lap, curling up against his chest. She liked being held. Even if it was a little wrong for her to do so with him she still wanted to cuddle.

He put his arms around her, still running his fingers through his hair. "You know what I want to put in that empty frame?" He said, glancing down at her. "I want to get a picture of you to put in there. But I want it to be genuine. Not posed. With one of those real smiles of yours."

She set her cheek against his chest, blinking up at him with surprise. “Mm really? A picture of me? Why?” She asked him softly, tracing his jawline with her fingers. “I’m not that important am I?”

He kept running his fingers through her hair. "Mhm. You. You are very important, and you're my wife. It isnt fair of me to have a picture of Peri, and not a picture of you. Since Peri.is dead and you're alive." He kissed her forehead.

She closed her eyes and smiled weakly. “I know I’m your wife… but I’m not exactly… your wife wife.” Arabella pressed a kiss to his jaw in return, smiling.

He shrugged, then raised an eyebrow. "Wait…what's the difference? You and I are legally married. That makes you my wife." He looked at her slightly blankly.