The Stranger / Chris Evans x OC

Chapter 172: Cherished

AMELIA

"Yes."

I chuckle when Chris lets out the word, or breathes it out, rather. It's simple yet so full of complications but even more-so, promises.

It's short, concise; to the point.

But it's enough to make my smile widen. My fingers caress his cheeks gently, and I know we both just woke up and are in our most informal wear, but I chuckle again as I question, "Yes? That's all you have to say?"

Chris shakes his head a little, although not enough to allow my hands to drop their hold of his face. His cerulean blues stay locked on mine as he whispers, "No, it isn't. But it's the most important thing I had to say to that question. I have a lot to say, probably even a lot more than you're expecting, but I took you for granted once and I refuse to do it again. So I won't say anything else until you've had your time to speak."

My brows raise in surprise, not just from his words but also from the serious expression on his face. My fingers gently caress his cheeks, moving down his beard, while my head tilts, "Is that so? You're going to listen to every single thing I tell you?"

He nods once, "Yes. I am prepared to grow old in this very spot if it's because you had so much to tell me, it would take years."

I let out a nervous scoff, shaking my head as my hands drop to my lap, "Chris, stop-"

"No," he interjects, his gaze burning into mine, "I mean it. Like I said, I will never take you for granted again. I swear. You are the only one who matters to me. I would give up everything, I would burn the world, I would listen to every detail of the stories you deem boring despite them never being, as long as it meant I got to have you back. As long as it meant you were mine again."

My eyes bounce between his nervously for a few seconds, the stern and serious expression on his face making my nerves act up.

It takes a minute before I'm finally able to reply, but my voice is so quiet that I'm not even sure he'll hear it.

"I never stopped being yours. I never stopped loving you."

His face softens, his features turning sad when he whispers, "But you left me."

I let out a breath, my eyes breaking the contact we were holding. I look down at my hands, mumbling, "Not because I stopped loving you. But because you hurt me."

His face alternates between sadness and worry, his warm hand taking mine as he looks at me sincerely, "I'm sorry for that. I'm so sorry for how I made you feel. I'm so sorry for what I did, that made you believe I would ever want anyone else. But.... Amelia.."

He sighs, and I search his face as I wait for him to continue.

"You're the one. I've never felt this with anyone else. You're it. There's no one else. There could never be anyone else. It's you or nothing."

I nod, letting out a small sigh at his words. I expected him to say something like that. I expected grand words and grand gestures and a grand, beautiful declaration of love because our relationship has been filled with them.

But even though it's been full of grand things, something as trivial as him being close to another woman still tore us apart. So I need more than grand words, grand gestures. I need more than a grand declaration of love.

I need reassurance. I need to know that nothing like this is ever going to happen again. I need to know that if I give myself to him, if I make him my future, that it will not only be reciprocated, but appreciated. Cherished. 

I need to know that no matter what happens, he will always choose me. Above anything and anyone else. So I let out another sigh before I finally find the courage to speak all the thoughts that have been haunting me for a month, out loud. 

"If we're going to be together, it needs to be a partnership between the two of us. If we're going to stay together, we need to talk about and figure out how this is going to work, between both of us. Not just one person compromising, but the both of us, because we both wish to make it work. Something like that isn't just about sex, or romantic dinners, or cuddling on the couch. It's a lot of work, it's a lot of compromises, and it takes a lot of communication. If we're doing this, I don't want to end up as the one carrying most of the load - if we, let's say hypothetically, have children, I refuse to end up as the stay at home mom who has dinner prepared for you at 6pm every day. We need to do it together, equally, and we need to be able to figure out a way that means we can both keep our careers and the things that makes us happy in our lives. I understand that your career is important to you, but mine is important to me, too. In fact, before I met you, it was the most important part of my life. I was prepared to spend my entire life alone, I was prepared to give up my dreams of getting married, having children - having a family - in pursuit of it. So if we're going to do this, beyond what we've been doing, if we're going to be together now, after everything that we've gone through, I expect it to be serious. I expect it to be equal. I expect communication. I expect you to compromise. I promise I will, too, but I refuse to live a life on your behalf; I refuse to life my life on your terms, I refuse to become nothing but your girlfriend, or even your wife. I am more than that, I have worked so hard to be more than that, I have earned to be more than that. I want to be your equal, your partner; not just in the tabloids, or to the public, but in the life we plan to share with each other. I expect you to respect me, to listen and understand, to be empathetic when I need you to be. Because I will not be giving up my career to be with you. Just like I would never expect you to give up yours to be with me. Can you do that? Are you willing to do that?" 

"Amelia..." Chris hesitates, letting out a small sigh as if this whole conversation is redundant despite the fact that I know for a fact it isn't. 

His eyes meet mine, holding them earnestly as he speaks his words seriously, "I would give up everything and anything for you. There is not a single thing in this world I wouldn't sacrifice to be with you. If you asked me to give up my career to be with you, I would do it in a heartbeat. If you asked me to give up the public part of my life to be with you, I would do it. The only part I would ever hesitate on if you asked me to give up is my family, and the bond I have with them. But I am all in, I have been all in since the day I met you. This isn't just some fling, this isn't just a learning experience for me. I knew early on that it would be you or absolutely nothing. And I understand what you may think, I know I've made mistakes in my past and also in the past with us. But if you give me the chance, if you let me, I would do anything and everything to earn your forgiveness. To earn your trust back. There is not a thing in this world I wouldn't do if it meant you'd come back to me."

I take a deep breath, my eyes searching his face before I hesitantly ask, "What if I asked you to give up Cara?"

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