Waves

Part 6

We are climbing the rollercoaster folks! Let me know what you think.

Joe and Eve left Delaney's wedding weekend with a plan to meet up once they returned to Cincinnati and mercifully, Joe called Eve almost the second she pulled into her car port. Finding a neutral territory within the city where Joe wouldn't be recognized proved to be impossible, so begrudgingly, Eve agreed to come to Joe's house for them to talk.

Turning onto his street, Eve felt pangs of nostalgia of all the times she had done so when they were together. She'd lived with Joe from the moment he bought his home after signing his contract, and over the years she grew to love it. Passing various neighbors, she reminisced about their time living together as she pulled into his driveway. Pausing for a few moments, Eve repeated several of the talking points she wanted to make before exiting the car and walking up to the front door.

As she raised her hand to ring the doorbell, the door flung open; Joe had been watching anxiously for her car. "Hey Evie," Joe said softly as he pulled her into a tight hug. "Hey you. It looks great in here! You finally hung the entryway art," Eve smiled as she motioned to the murals now lining the hallway from the front door to the living room. She recognized the pieces as ones she had picked out last summer when they had been in Baton Rouge.

"Yeah. My procrastination streak has gotten a lot better over the past nine months," Joe led them into the kitchen where he had laid out some snacks. "Well look at this! He entertains now," Eve teased as she took in the spread he had arranged. "You always used to lecture me about only having meal prep and protein powder available whenever people came over," Joe blushed as he leaned on the kitchen island. The pair stared at each other as the bright midday sun cast shadows into the room, making it appear that two had turned into four. Perhaps there were actually four people there-the old Joe and Eve and the new ones; nine months separating what was and what may still be.

Eve fiddled with one of the cocktail napkins on the island as she looked around. "I appreciate you coming to the house Eve. I'm sure it's weird being back here," Joe offered. Nodding, Eve mashed her lips together and gave a half smile. 'I'm not going to lie, I cried when I got off the highway," she grimaced, her throat feeling tight. Walking around the island, Joe wrapped his arms around Eve as she sank into him a bit. They stayed intertwined for a few minutes, letting the heaviness of the moment dissipate a bit before Eve pulled away. "Can we sit down and talk?" she asked. Joe grabbed the tray of food as Eve followed him with their drinks out to the patio, sitting down across from each other as they both took a moment to collect themselves.

"Can I go first?" Joe asked, his eyes hopefully. He was afraid that he'd chicken out and he had spent hours with his therapist composing his notes. "Of course Joe," Eve chuckled, her eyes soft at his eagerness. Stay present, don't skip ahead Eve. Taking a deep breath, Joe turned so he was totally facing Eve before he began. "The past nine months have been some of the most excruciating of my life. Making a big mistake is unbearable, but to make one and realize that you've derailed the best thing that's ever happened to you is torture. I regret everyday that I didn't see how lucky I was. My fear got in the way of my love and I wish more than anything that I had been more honest with you."

Eve sat stone faced as Joe continued. "I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to commit to you as a spouse the way I had as a boyfriend. That I would fail at it, and it would be the first thing ever I wasn't good at. I know it sounds like a cop out, but I've been working with a therapist for months and I was able to unpack a lot of this. I know now that I was making excuses to avoid being vulnerable with you. I'm so sorry that I wasn't brave enough then to tell what you what I'm telling you now."

Joe paused to take a sip of his drink and cracked his knuckles before reaching for Eve's hands. "Eve, I'm as in love with you today as I was nine months ago, hell, as I was 5 years ago. I know a lot of time has passed, but if you'll give me a chance, I want us to try again. I know there was shit about our relationship that wasn't perfect but a lot of stuff was. We can go back to that couple we were before."

Staring off to the side, Eve's head spun with everything Joe had said. If you had asked her six months ago, she would have told you she would jump back into a relationship with Joe with no hesitation. A lot had changed though, and while what Joe said was impactful, how could she be sure?

"Joe, I want you to know that I accept your apology and I forgive you. There was a lot I could have handled better and I regret how things ended. You were truly the love of my life, and those feelings don't just totally go away," Eve sniffed as she tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall.

"But you're not in love with me," Joe whispered, his voice breaking. Eve rubbed the back of Joe's hand as she searched for the words she needed. "No, I'm not in love with you Joe. But I do love you, and while I'm not in a place where I can pick up where we left off, I'm willing to try again."

A tear fell out of Joe's eye and Eve leaned forward to lightly wipe it off with her thumb. She couldn't tell what he was thinking and she half expected him to kick her out of his house. "So what does trying look like?" Joe questioned, caution hanging in the air. "Well, I was thinking maybe we could date each other. Start over and see how we're both feeling. It looks like we've both put a lot of work into ourselves and I think we owe it to us to start from scratch," Eve suggested.

Joe sat back thinking for a few moments. He'd been naive to think that after rupturing her heart almost a year ago that Eve would be willing to jump back into a relationship again. But he knew he had changed and he knew he was capable of being the man she deserved. He just had to prove it.

Silence surrounded them for a few minutes before Joe spoke. "Let's date then. I'll do anything it takes to have you back here by my side," Joe smiled. Eve nodded and pulled Joe into a hug, feeling a lightness she hadn't realized she'd been missing for months. "As much as I know you're going to object to this...I think we should take sex off the table for a while," Eve mused, causing Joe to pull back in mock indignation.

"That right there is the dealbreaker. Get out," Joe joked as Eve threw one of the patio pillows at him. "I'm serious Burrow. The water is already murky. Sex right now is just going to make an already complicated situation worse." Joe rolled his eyes and pretended to pout but he knew she was right. It was already taking everything in him not to throw her over his shoulder and take her upstairs. He needed to give her the time and space to feel comfortable in their new dynamic, so if that meant he had to wait, so be it.

Suddenly, Joe had an idea. Grabbing his phone, he excused himself from the patio and went back inside the house. Eve briefly checked her email for a few minutes before her phone started ringing. Looking at the caller ID, she was confused as she answered.

"Joe, why are you calling me? Do you need help wiping?" Eve smirked, peering inside the sliding glass door. "Hey, it's Joe. What are you doing tonight?" Joe asked, his voice light. "Um, nothing," Eve answered, still confused as to why Joe was calling from 20 feet away. "I was wondering if you'd like to go on a date with me tonight. I thought we could grab dinner." Eve laughed as she threw her head back, amused at Joe's gesture. "Joe, it's 5PM on a Friday night. There is no way we will be able to get a reservation."

Joe scoffed as he looked out the window, tickled at the sight of Eve on the phone with him. "Oh please, do you really think Joe Burrow, quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals can't get a last minute table on a Friday? Pick any restaurant and I'll make it happen." Eve felt a little giddy as long-expired butterflies started fluttering in her stomach. "Ok. Call The Bolero Room. See if they can take us at 7:30." Hanging up, Joe immediately called the restaurant and sure enough, they were more than happy to accommodate the quarterback.

Strolling onto the patio, Joe smirked as he sat back down. "They'll have our table ready by 7:15." Eve raised her eyebrows, impressed that he was willing to go to a restaurant she knew he hated. "I have to say, I'm a little surprised that you didn't object to The Bolero Room. I seem to remember you saying it felt like your grandmother's attic in there," Eve grinned. "I'm a new man Evie. If you wanted to go to my grandmother's attic, I would take you," Joe retorted, reaching for Eve's hand once again. Even the smallest of touches felt like pure euphoria to him, and he was glad that she seemed to feel the same.

Checking her watch, Eve stood up and grabbed her purse. "Well, I've got a date at 7:30 so I better go home and get ready. Do you remember where my apartment is? I'll expect you around 7."