Between Now and Forever

by Adriana Locke

But just because you’ve made it to the other side of the fire doesn’t mean life returns to the way it was before. Once you’ve been through the flames, you’re burned. Those scars never totally heal.

“She is. And every day we spend together, I hope there’s another one to follow. She says she wants to live again.” His smile fades into the shy grin that melts my heart. “But I didn’t even realize I wasn’t living until I met her.”

Why have a dishwasher if you’re going to clean the dishes first anyway? I don’t know. But it’s what I do.

“None of that matters because you’re right,” I say, my hand on the doorknob. “We need to stop this. Because I won’t fight for a man that won’t bother to fight for me.”