"It's always been you," she says.
Her words make me smile, and I'm relieved because the thought of her with anyone else drives me crazy. "Good. Because you know how much I hate sharing."
She charms me with one of her soft giggles. Then her body stiffens as she grows serious. "You really thought I'd stop visiting when the doctor gave you the news?"
I’d love nothing more than to put this behind us, but if she has to work it out, that's what we'll do. "Yes, and it would have killed me."
She places a soft, chaste kiss on my lips. "I want you to understand something. I want you. No. Matter. What."
"Even if I get my sight back?" I ask her, needing to be sure.
"Even if you get your sight back," she confirms.
She falls quiet, and I can tell there's more, but I'm almost afraid to ask.
But my Lauren is fearless. "What if you get your sight back and don't want me anymore?"
Her soft words shock me to my core. "Lauren, did you not hear me when I said it's always been you? That hasn’t changed. It wasn’t until after I walked away that I knew what that meant."
"I told you, you weren't the only one with insecurities."
I pull her closer, and she snuggles up under my shoulder, wrapping an arm around my waist. We both have insecurities. The trick is not to let them tear us apart again. Because this time, there would be no going back.