The Space Between

I Don't Have A Choice

I woke the next morning with her laying on my chest. The sun hadn't started to rise yet. I softly pressed my lips to the top of her head. I heard her let out a content sigh. As I laid there holding her in my arms, I realized that I would give up everything for her, including my family. She was all I would ever need. The missing piece that completed me. I didn't care about my brothers or what they would think. I cared about her. I loved her. I smiled when I felt her start to stir. She slowly sat up and looked at me.

"Morning sleepyhead." I whispered.

"Morning." She answered her voice still raspy from sleep.

"You sure about this Sel?" I asked her.

"I am." She said with complete certainty. "Are you? You have more to lose Demi if your family doesn't..."

"Shhh." I said silencing her. "You're my family now Selena. I choose you." I said softly.

"It just seems unfair. I wish it didn't have to be this way."

"Can I ask you something?" I said to her.

"Yes."

"Why did you marry him? After everything that happened that week. What didn't you just walk away then?"

"I had no idea what I was doing. I clung to the one familiar thing I had, Nate." She explained.

I frowned while I thought about what she said. It was a pretty simple explainantion. "I guess it makes sense. Either way we would've been fucked."

"Yeah." She said softly. "I should probably get up before everyone else does. Not that it's going to matter later, I just don't want him to find out this way."

"You should let me tell him."

"No. I owe him at least that much. I have to look him in the eye and tell him everything."

"I hope it's worth it Sel. I hope I'm worth it. I feel like I've left you no other choice..." I trailed off as she grabbed my hand and placed it on her chest over her heart.

"Do you feel that? You do this. My heart pounds everytime I'm close to you. I can hardly breathe when you're around." She said softly.

"This is going to be very hard for you Sel. Hurting him. Regardless of whatever issues the two of you have, it's still going to hurt. I'm going to ask you again, are you sure that this is what you want? I'm not a picnic. I come with an entirely different set of issues."

"I love you Demi. I always have and I always will and that's all I need to know."

And there it was. Those three little words. For the first time, she said them to me. I couldn't breathe. Since I have a penchant for the dramatic, I'd say the world pretty much stopped. At least for me anyway. It's amazing what a difference hearing it out loud makes. Her eyes have always given it away, but she had yet to say it. Until now.

"Baby, you look like you just discovered the meanin of life. You ok?" She asked with a shy smile.

"Absolutely." I smiled before giving her a quick kiss. "You should go before everyone wakes up."

"I'll see you later." Sh said before getting up and leaving.

I stayed in bed and tried to process everything that was happening. This is literally what I had been waiting on for over three years. I still felt terrible though. Nate was about to have his whole world turned upside down. He trusted me and I had repaid him by snatching up his wife when he wasn't looking. I hoped for Selena's sake he took it with some grace. Despite everything I think that there's a part of her that loves him. That part is about to have a very bad day.