Page 13 of Rough Love

Mia felt a little bad for not saying anything back to Sage, especially considering she felt the same way but she was too scared and also extremely taken aback. She hadn’t expected him to say it in the first place after all he hadn’t been expressive with her when it came to actual words. He had of course shown her how much she meant to him by getting a tattoo that symbolized her but she hadn’t heard him say the L word before. The other reason she hadn’t said it was because she was terrified of him leaving her in the end. She didn’t want to make herself so vulnerable in case he walked away with Laura which Mia really hoped wouldn’t happen.

She had had the words on the tip of her tongue for the longest time but wasn’t sure she was ready to say them back. There were so many things she needed to talk to Sage about first. She needed to make sure that everything would be okay in the end. Only after that would she say it back.

She loved Sage, loved him more than she had ever loved before and losing him would crush her but she had to try and stay strong. She didn’t want her feelings for him to mess with his head because even though she didn’t want to be without him, she would always want him to be happy, even if that meant she would be without him. She would make that sacrifice for him. The thought killed her, it made her want to curl up in a ball and cry but as Sage fell back to sleep beside her she rested her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It didn’t take long for Mia to fall back to sleep. She repeated Sage’s last words in her head over and over again.

Mia looked around and realized she was standing in a dark hallway, a light in the distance flickered next to a closed door. She felt as if it was a sign that she was supposed to go to it. She wasn’t sure exactly where she was as nothing looked familiar to her but nevertheless, she walked forward as she felt drawn to the light as if it were a beacon of hope, a lighthouse that was bringing her back to the shore.

She walked slowly toward the door, the floor creaking underneath her feet. Something felt wrong the further she walked forward but when she tried to turn back, a force took over her body and pushed her to continue. There was no going back. She had no other choice but to open the door as she arrived in front of it.

Her body shook as she stood still for a moment. Her heart raced and she could feel it in her chest. Sweat had started to form across her forehead and she could feel it as it dripped down the nape of her neck.

She lifted her hand and pulled the handle down, the metal cold against her skin.

She nudged the door open and let it swing until it stopped, revealing to her what was inside.

Shock filled her body as she saw Sage lying on a hospital bed, tubes and drips attached to him.

She noticed that one side of his face was covered as if he had injured his head. Mia walked slowly over to him as her heart calmed at the sight of Sage and although she was grateful there was nothing terrifying in front of her, she still didn’t understand the scene she was taking in.

“Sage, what happened?” she asked, her voice soft and filled with concern as she reached out to take his hand in hers.

Sage looked at her with a confused expression on his face.

“Who are you?” he said as he pulled his hand away from her. The sting of rejection was strong in Mia's chest. How could he not know who she was? She couldn’t understand what was going on. None of it made any sense to her as she searched his eyes for any form of recognition. There wasn’t any. The man she loved continued to stare at her as if she were an alien that had landed before him.

“Sage, it’s me, Mia,” she replied. Tears started to well in her eyes. Her heart broke in her chest. There was no hope for her to recover from the pain that ripped through her body.

“I don’t know who you are,” he said, “get away from me.”

Mia pulled back. The tears had already worked their way down her cheeks as her heart shattered in her chest. Movement caught her eye, it was coming from the corner of the room and as she turned to see what it was, a cry of pain escaped her lips. Her hand reached up and covered her mouth as the tears continued to fall.

Laura walked over to the other side of Sage’s bed and took his hand in hers. He didn’t recoil from her, instead, his entire face lit up and a smile spread across his lips.

“I think it’s best you leave,” Laura said as she looked at Mia. Her voice was sharp and stern, leaving no room for argument. Mia turned back to the door and as she turned away from them she noticed the tattoo of the lioness had gone and it became clear that Sage no longer knew her and he no longer wanted her either.

Mia woke up, her face wet with tears as the dream filled her head. She brought her hands to her face to wipe them away before Sage could see them as he was still sleeping next to her. She knew it was just a dream and she knew it had nothing to do with the present. She could remember seeing a picture of Sage in the hospital right after his accident when she had been doing research on Laura and so she also knew that because she felt threatened by Laura, her mind had played out the worst scenario ever, a life where Sage didn’t even know who she was. It was a terrible thought, possibly even worse than him leaving her. Sage could be the best thing that had ever happened to her and she had no intention of losing him. She would fight for him if she had to.

Nothing has happened yet so you need to calm down, she said to herself.

She knew stressing about it would only cause her more pain but at the same time she had never had anything so real before and she was terrified of losing that.

“Good morning,” Sage said from beside her. She looked over at him and her heart swelled with love as she took in his sleepy face.

“And to you,” she replied, her voice filled with emotion. The dream was still strong in her mind and she tried not to let it get to her.

“What’s wrong?” Sage asked. He sat up beside her and stroked her arm.

“Oh nothing, just a bad dream,” she replied. “Are you hungry?”

She could see the concerned look on Sage’s face and was relieved when he decided not to push the topic.

“Starving,” he said as he licked his lips.

“Perfect, I think it’s breakfast time,” she replied as she got out of bed and started to head for the kitchen. She didn’t want Sage to look at her face for too long. She knew her face always got a little splotchy whenever she cried and she didn’t want Sage to know.

She decided to cook a full-blown breakfast as she took out eggs, bacon, bread, mushrooms, cheese, and tomatoes along with a few frying pans and spatulas. They hadn’t been eating properly and she didn’t want that to happen any longer.

"Why don't you make us coffee while I get breakfast started?” she said to Sage as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen.