A/N: song to set the scene:

Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur

________________________________________________________________________________

AJ's POV

Two hours later and my right hand is in a cast, which isn't terrible. The headache was nothing to be worried about. I'm just hung over from the night before the doctor told me to take it easy, but that I should be back to normal by next week if I don't try using my casted hand. I'm not sure how I'll explain this to Kenny on Monday, but I have a day to figure that out. Right now, I need to figure things out with Sarah who I have yet to inform about my hand.

"How you feeling?" Sofia asks as we both get into the car. "I don't know, Sof. I have a cast and still slightly hung over. How do you think I feel?" I slam the car door shut and run my left hand over my face. I feel her hand on my thigh squeezing it, "I know this isn't an easy day for you, but AJ I'm here because you asked me to be. I'm here because I care about you. What can I do to help?" I hear the sincerity in her voice and instantly feel terrible. "I'm sorry, I'm overwhelmed and annoyed and confused," I look out the window hoping for an answer to all my problems to appear. "Why don't you call Sarah? Tell her you're coming home, and fix things," I glance at Sofia's face and see the soft, caring brown eyes that have loved me since we were kids.

"How about I take you to lunch first? It's the least I can do for dragging you to a hospital for two and a half, almost three hours," I smile, and she gives me a soft smile back. "Alright, I'd like that. You're buying though cause like you said you dragged me here," her smile only grows, and I laugh. "Okay, okay. My treat," I start the car and slowly pull out of the hospital parking lot.

~~

We quickly find a simple restaurant over near the pier called The Gull Bar and Kitchen. I put the car in park and quickly make my way over to get Sofia's door. She softly thanks me, and I pay at the meter for us to be covered for two hours. I'm sure we won't be here that long, but I'd rather be safe than get a ticket. The vibes inside feel beach-themed and it's nice, especially since the weather outside has been warming up and making me miss the beach a bit. We arrive to our table and thank the hostess.

The waiter comes over and we both just get waters. "Anything catch your eye, Daccarett?" I use the formal last name, so no one nearby knows Sofia's here. Luckily, they sat us outside so Sofia could keep her large sunglasses on. "I don't know. I'm really hungry, and you know I can't turn down a pasta dish on a menu," she looks up from her menu and catches me staring. I quickly look back at the menu, "That is very true. I think I'm going to get the fish. Keep it light." She nods her head looking back down at the menu.

The waiter comes back and takes our orders. Sofia gets the fresh pasta, as we both knew she would, and I get their Arctic char. "So, are we going to talk about everything now?" Sofia takes a sip of her water. I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. I look out over the water feeling a slight breeze. "I fucked up. I know I did, but she shouldn't have gone through my phone," I shake my head turning my attention to my black cast on my right hand. "Should I have told her that we were getting lunch this week? Probably. I took a low blow though during our argument and I think that's the worst part out of all of this," I bring my eyes up to meet the intense brown ones intently hanging on my every word. "What did you say? If you don't mind me asking," Sofia props her chin up on her hand leaning closer towards me. "I said she should have been honest with me when Nick came to Canada last week, and that she should've told me about them hanging out more these past few months," Sofia shakes her head in disapproval. "AJ, you know she's sorry for that. You both talked it out last weekend after it all happened. She was honest with you during that talk so why bring it back up? Why weren't you honest with her?" Her question is something I don't even know how to answer. I don't know why I didn't tell Sarah.

"I told Sarah it was because I knew it would lead to some disagreement. She thinks I'm going to leave her for you," Sofia adverts her eyes towards the water and boats on the pier. "Would you?" She turns her attention back to me. "Would you leave her to get back together with me?" I raise my eyebrows at the question. "I don't know, and that makes me feel terrible. At this point, I'd rather be single and figure myself out. Focus on my career. Does that sound selfish?" I put my fingers on my temple gently rubbing them. "It's not selfish AJ, but you know I'd support you in whatever you decided to do. I think you two need to talk and just keep being honest with each other. Did you at least tell her that we had lunch so I could tell you about your parents?" I shake my head and frown, "No." I hear her take a deep sigh. "Just be honest with her. Sarah is a very kind and caring girl, and she'll be there for you if you just let her," I look up and see a small, sympathetic smile.

~~

After we finished lunch, I made sure to order Sarah something not knowing if she would've had lunch yet or not. I drop Sofia off and let her know how things go with Sarah. As I get closer to the cabin, my palms get increasingly sweatier. My cast isn't as big and bulky as I was expecting, and I keep forgetting it's there until I try to scratch my forearm or switch hands on the steering wheel. I know I need to be honest with Sarah and I also know I need to fully listen to what she has to say.

I put the car in park and slowly make my way to the front door. I hear the door open as I step onto the porch. "Hi," I give Sarah a small smile holding out the bag with her food. "Hi," she opens the door wider and takes the bag from my hand. I put the keys on the small table and take the envelope with all the papers from the doctor. "You didn't text me after," Sarah's voice holding no emotion. "I figured it would be better to talk in-person," I follow her towards the kitchen and take a seat at the kitchen island. She grabs a fork and stands on the opposite side of me.

"So, what's the verdict?" She points her fork towards my cast. "Before we get into any of my injuries, I want to apologize for earlier. I'm sorry I threw stuff about Nick at you when we've already talked about it. It was a low blow and shouldn't have even been something I used against you. Next, I should've been honest about Sofia and I having lunch. I know I need to communicate with you better," I run my fingers over the hard cast feeling the rough edges. "I accept your apology and I'm sorry for going through your phone. I know our trust recently hasn't been the greatest and we're working on it. I ask that you be fully honest with me as I ask my next question," I shake my head at her as she lifts her head meeting my gaze.

"Has anything remotely come close to happening between you two?" I slowly lower my head and nod. I hear her sigh and gently place her fork on the counter. "Why?" She asks and I look back up. I shrug, "I don't know. It's been small moments where I feel like I'm the twenty-one-year-old kid again. We both always stop before anything happens, and I instantly think to not wanting to hurt you. It has nothing to do with me not wanting to be with you. There's nothing in life I want more than to make you happy," I reach across the island for Sarah's hand, but she moves them. "AJ, you told me you'd do anything to prove you only want me," I nod. "I don't want you hanging out with Sofia alone. I know you two are close, but I need to see you only want me, okay?" I think over her proposition and nod in agreement. "I'll do it. I'll do anything for you Sarah. Anything," I put my hand out for her to take and she slowly puts her hand in mine.

"Now, how long are you in that cast?" Sarah goes back to eating her lunch. "Doctor said about two weeks for the cast, but the cast I can live with. I luckily don't have a concussion," I grimace waiting for her to scold me. "What does that mean workwise?" I look up and she has the calmest features gracing her face. "I have to take it easy, which is easy since I can do my job from a chair," I shrug looking over the papers I was given at the emergency room. "Insurance will cover the visit and the x-rays they did of my hand. Any other costs, I can cover," I fold the papers back up and get up from the stool.

I walk over to Sarah and lean my hip against the counter. I kiss the side of her head and pull her side against my front so she can still eat, "Sarah, I asked Sofia to come with me to the emergency room. I didn't want to go alone, and I needed someone to talk to about everything going on." Sarah relaxes a bit eating her food, "Thank you for telling me. Did she help you at all?" I turn to lean my back against the counter and cross my arms. "Actually, she just told me to be honest with you and communicate," I turn my head and already see Sarah looking at me. "I'm sorry I'm asking you to not hang out with her alone. I appreciate you telling me all of this though," she smiles, and I nod looking down at my feet. "Hey," she takes my chin forcing me to look at her, "I won't make it last forever. I just want my girlfriend's attention more and know that I matter just a bit more." I nod and kiss her forehead. "I understand, no worries at all. I'm sorry I'm all busted up for your birthday this week," I hold up my right hand with the cast. "I'm sure we'll manage," Sarah pats my chest and winks.

She cleans up her trash and washes the fork she used to eat. "Sarah, I have something else I need to tell you," I fidget with my fingers figuring out how to tell her about my parents. "Sofia talked to my parents after I left Florida, and they want to talk to me. They obviously are waiting for me to reach out, but they want to talk. I don't know what will be said or what we'll talk about, but I wanted you to know," I look over at Sarah and she mimics my position. "Whatever happens, I'll be here for you. Whenever you want me to be there, I'll be there one hundred percent. You feeling okay about it?" She nudges my shoulder to look at her. "I'm nervous, but I know there's a lot that needs to be talked about. I do want to do this alone and will definitely let you know when I'm ready for them to meet you," I keep my tone calm already feeling the nerves of the inevitable creeping up. Sarah reaches her hand up cupping my cheek, "Whatever you need." She pecks my lips and turns into my side burying her head into my chest.

~~

We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around the big house. I tried napping as much as possible to keep my headache at bay. It is finally dinner time, and I'm making a simple vegetable stir-fry with lo-mein. As I wait for the noodles to finish, I look through my phone still needing to give Sofia my relationship drama updates.

AJ

Sarah and I talked, and

we were honest with each

other. I told her about the few

times we've almost kissed, and

she's asked me not to hang out

with you alone just to gain

her trust more fully.

I hit send and turn back to the noodles to check their consistency. I mix the stir-fry to make sure it's all covered in the sauce then add the noodles to mix everything together. I hear my phone ping and turn the burner to low to check it.

Sof

I'm glad you guys talked

and that you were honest

with her. How's the hang over

treating you?

AJ

I told her about my parents

and I think after filming

I'm going to reach out to

them. As hard as this all

is, I'm grateful you did

it 🙂

My hang over is better now.

I took a lot of naps throughout

the day

I send my reply and grab two plates for Sarah and I's dinner. I plate the food and grab two wine glasses from the cabinet. There's a small collection of wine in the pantry so I look through each bottle to find the perfect one. I look out the kitchen window and see Sarah basking in the slowly fading sun. I smile thinking about why I fell in love with her, and no matter what we've been through recently I still love her. My phone pinging pulls me from my thoughts.

Sof

Good to hear. I'll see you

Monday. Try to get some

rest, and let me know if you

need anything 🙂

I read Sofia's text and smile at how caring she is, and how she's always putting others' happiness before her own. She's the most selfless person I know and wish to only be a fraction of that. I put my phone back on the counter and try gathering all of the contents for dinner. I manage to open the doors out to the patio without dropping anything. I place the plates and glasses down finally capturing Sarah's attention. "Dinner, madam," I bow taking the wine opener from my pocket. "This looks amazing. What's the occasion?" Sarah turns in her seat to start eating the stir-fry. "No occasion necessary to cook dinner for my beautiful girlfriend," I pop the cork out of the bottle and pour us each a glass.

I hold up my glass and clear my throat, "I'm not great at toasts, and I warn the squirrels and birds eavesdropping on this beautiful moment to not laugh at me." I smile and we both laugh. "Here's to the next couple of months being successful for the both of us," we clink our glasses and I sip the wine. I take my seat and before taking my fork, I just stare at Sarah. "Sarah, have I ever told you the first time I knew I was falling for you?" She stops her movements and looks at me. "Wasn't it the first time I brought you to visit my family?" She asks grabbing her wine glass swirling the red liquid around.

"Well, it was but it was more specific than that. You see, I knew I loved you way before then cause we had said it a few times until I finally got to meet the family. We had only been together about six months, but I hadn't felt this warmth in my heart for a while. We were simply spending the day with your family, and the boys just wanted to play games with you. Watching you love your family and laughing with your family made me realize that I was falling deeply, madly in love with you," I take Sarah's free hand sitting on her lap. "Sarah, I love you," I kiss her hand and see a few tears fall down her cheeks.

She places her glass on the table and leans forward taking my face into her hands. "AJ, that was the moment I knew I was falling in love with you. Seeing you with my nephews and my family, no matter how difficult they were in the beginning, made my heart glow. I only hope that one day my family becomes your family," she rubs her thumbs over my cheek bones. "AJ, I love you," she pulls me into a slow, romantic kiss.

I know Sarah hid things from me, and I did too. We're both not perfect, but we're working on it. I'll do everything to make this relationship work, even if that means I have to put Sofia and I's friendship on the backburner for a bit. Hopefully, my family will love Sarah. They loved Sofia before I dropped out of school, and Sarah hasn't forced me to do anything or drop things for her so it's a win-win, right?