🩹 Garden Talks || MV1

                                    

                                          
Summary: Issues are resolved, tensions are relieved.
IT'S CUTE GIRLIES, DON'T WORRY!
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The chill of the early evening wrapped around them as Vanessa led Max out into the yard. The space was quiet except for the crunch of their footsteps against the frosted grass. Bare trees swayed gently in the winter breeze, their skeletal branches reaching out against the faint glow of holiday lights spilling from the house. Vanessa led Max to a bench under an old oak tree, its trunk thick and grounding. She sat first and tugged at his hand, silently urging him to join her.
The silence stretched for a moment, but Vanessa waited patiently. She knew Max well enough to understand he needed time to find his words. Finally, he exhaled a shaky breath, his head bowed, the weight of everything too much to bear.
"I don't even know where to start," he murmured, his voice barely audible.
Vanessa shifted closer, her shoulder brushing his, her presence a quiet reassurance. "Start wherever you want, Max," she said softly. "I'm here."
He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling. "I feel like—I feel like I've already failed you," he admitted. "Yesterday, I said things I didn't mean, and I hurt you. And that's what terrifies me, Nessa. That I'll keep doing it. That I'll hurt you worse one day because I don't know how to control everything I'm feeling."
Vanessa's brows furrowed, but she didn't interrupt, letting him continue.
"I look at myself, and I see him," Max said, his voice breaking on the last word. "I see his anger, his violence. I hear his voice in my head every time I mess up. And I can't—" His breath hitched as he looked away, ashamed of the tears pooling in his eyes.
Vanessa reached out, her hand resting on his arm. "Max," she said gently, "you are not him."
"But what if I am?" Max said, his voice rising slightly in desperation. "What if I'm just like him and I end up doing to you what he's done to me? I already hurt you, Nessa. Yesterday was just the start."
Her grip on his arm tightened, her voice steady but firm. "You didn't hurt me, Max. Yes, you upset me, but it's because I care about you. I wasn't hurt because of who you are—I was hurt because I could see you were hurting, and you wouldn't let me in. That's not the same thing."
Max shook his head, his jaw tightening as he stared at the ground. "You're saying that now, but what about next time? Or the time after that? I don't want to risk it. I don't want to be the reason you cry again."
Vanessa leaned closer, her hand slipping into his, lacing their fingers together. "Max," she said softly, "I love you."
His head snapped up, his eyes wide, disbelief etched into his features. "What?" he whispered.
"I love you," she repeated, her voice unwavering. "And because I love you, I know you'll never hurt me. You're scared because you care, Max. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. That's the difference. That's why you'll never be him."
"But what if I slip?" Max asked, his voice trembling. "What if I lose control?"
Vanessa shook her head, her free hand reaching up to cup his cheek. "You won't," she said firmly. "Because you have a heart, Max. A big, beautiful heart that feels everything so deeply. And I know that because I see it every day. I see it in the way you look out for Victoria, the way you care about me, the way you're so hard on yourself because you're terrified of being anything less than perfect for the people you love. That's not him, Max. That's you. And you're enough, just as you are."
Her words hit him like a wave, and the tears he'd been holding back finally spilled over. "I don't feel like enough," he admitted, his voice breaking. "I feel like I'll never be enough for you. For anyone."
Vanessa scooted closer, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder, his body shuddering as sobs wracked through him.
"You're more than enough," she whispered, her voice steady despite the tears threatening to spill from her own eyes. "You're everything, Max. And I don't want perfect. I want you. Even on the hard days. Even when it's messy. I want you."
Max clung to her like a lifeline, her words grounding him in a way he hadn't thought possible. "I don't know how you can love me like this," he whispered.
"Because you're worth loving," Vanessa said simply. She pulled back slightly, just enough to look into his tear-streaked face. "I see you, Max. The real you. And that's enough for me."
He searched her eyes for any sign of doubt but found none. Her gaze was steady, her love for him written in every line of her face. For the first time in what felt like forever, Max let himself believe her.
After a few moments of silence, Max spoke up again "Vanessa," the girl hummed, looking to his face "I love you." It wasn't a secret or a confession, they grew up saying those words to eachother but the weight of today made it seem larger.
As the night deepened, they stayed in each other's arms, the quiet yard a sanctuary for the wounds they were slowly beginning to heal together.
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Tinkers' Note: Honestly, I just needed to give them some amount of relief here. I'm working on SO many different ideas so it may take a while. Good news though, my exams are almost over, so you will have more content to read. Please let me know what you think so far and what you want me to cover next. If you'd like I can make a scheduling chapter where you can vote on what comes out next, etc.