Page 3 of Rough Love

Mia stayed at the bar while Sage had been talking to Laura outside. She had started to worry that he had left her there. She really wasn't sure what was going on and she didn't know what he would do now that his ex had shown up out of the blue. Relief washed over Mia as she saw Sage walk back into the bar. She had turned around almost every time she had heard the doors open, wishing it would be him and finally it was. She had her second drink in front of her. She had to have something to calm her nerves before she lost her mind while waiting. She had started to drive herself crazy as the minutes had ticked by.

Once she saw Sage walking over to her, she turned her face back to face the bar, staring vacantly at the bottles that were displayed before her. She didn't want to say anything until Sage did. She didn't want to make matters worse because she had no idea how he was feeling. She could only guess what was going on in his mind and even then she could be terribly wrong. She could hear his footsteps on the ground. The sound got louder as he got closer and her heart went crazy in her chest. She took a sip of her drink to distract herself. She had to remain calm.

Sage sat down next to her. He didn't say anything at first. Instead, he called over the bartender so he could order a drink for himself. Mia could tell that he looked worn out. His eyes looked drained and confused as he stared off into nothingness. She didn't want to be the first one to break the silence so she continued to sit next to him quietly. Both were lost in thought as they sipped their drinks. She wanted to ask him so many questions. They were all on the tip of her tongue but she held them back. He would talk to her when he was ready.

"Let's go home," he said. They had both finished their drinks. Mia felt better that he was going home with her; she wouldn't have to be alone. He reached out and took her hand as they stood up and made their way to the door. She didn't pull it away but she didn't hold his hand tightly either. She didn't know how to feel or act until they had talked about everything.

Sage called them a taxi and they both sat silently in the back. As much as Mia wanted to break her silence, she didn't want to start the conversation in the back of a taxi. The silence was almost deafening during the ride home. Once they arrived home and were a bit more comfortable, Mia asked the first question on her lips.

"Who is she?" she asked. She didn't want to wait any longer and waiting wasn't helping the situation either. She had held her tongue for as long as she could. Sage looked at her, taking one of her hands in his, he led her to the couch.

"Let's have a seat. It’s going to take a while to explain everything," he replied and for the first time in his life, he wanted to tell someone everything. He had never wanted to share his past with anyone but because he loved Mia, he wanted her to know everything.

"There's a lot about my past that I haven't told anyone and that's just because I've always believed that it's something that not everyone needs to know and then I met you and for the first time I want to share my past so I'm going to start from the beginning," he said. Mia didn't say anything in return. Instead, she just nodded her head, confirming that she'd listen to his story. She was happy to hear that he would tell her everything. She had been waiting for the day when Sage would open up to her and although she wished it hadn't been because of the current situation she was happy nonetheless.

It wasn't just that he was sharing his past, it was bigger than that for Mia. It was him showing her that he trusted her enough to tell her everything. She felt as if she had finally proved to him that there was nothing that would keep her away from him. As long as he stuck by her side, they could face anything together. The love she felt for Sage grew stronger in her chest. The man of her dreams was opening up to her and it meant more than words could ever say.

“Obviously, you know I was in the military, and during that time I met Laura. It was something I had never planned for but she was such an amazing person and because we shared so much time together, it was hard to stop myself from falling for her. Laura and I started to get to know each other and we fell in love. We had a whole life planned for when we would get back from the military. That had been the first time in my life that I had thought about a future. I had never met anyone before her that made me believe I could settle down and have a family, but that changed when we went out on a mission one day," he said. Mia watched him as he spoke. She could see the emotion on his face and she could hear it in his voice. It was clear he had loved her. She could never take that away from him nor would she want to. A person's first love would stick with them forever and she could see that Laura had been important to him.

"The mission was supposed to be quick, an in-and-out kind of job but nothing really works out that way.” A sad and cruel laugh escaped his lips. “On that day, the worst possible thing happened. We had been trapped. We were ambushed by men with guns who started firing at us with no avail. It escalated so quickly after that.” His voice choked up as if the air from his lungs had disappeared and Mia noticed tears building in his eyes. She knew it was hard for him to talk about his past. He had tried for so long to avoid it and seeing him so cut up pulled on her heartstrings. She could understand why he had tried to keep it to himself. Having to relive something so traumatic couldn't be easy for anyone, even an ex-military man.

Mia wanted to reach out and wrap him up in her arms but she stopped herself so he could finish his story. It was also important for him to talk about it. She could only guess what kind of pain he had been through while he had kept his past buried deep inside of himself. It must've eaten away at him for years and only now he was able to talk about it. Going to the military on its own would be huge for anyone to deal with but being ambushed and almost killed would make it so much worse for anyone involved.

"There was a bomb that went off. It came out of nowhere and left only shattered lives in its wake, my life and the lives of the families left behind. You see, I was the only survivor," he said. Mia didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected anything like that. It was bigger than she had thought had happened. She tried to picture herself in his shoes and her heart just broke even further.

"I was then airlifted out of the area and had to face the fact that my team didn't make it. None of them would go home, not alive anyway, and that was the hardest thing for me to accept. I suffered a wound to my head, I'm sure you've noticed the scar," he said as he looked at her, a slight smile on his mouth. There wasn't much about Sage’s body Mia hadn't noticed. She had spent hours staring at him, she had traced her fingers over his skin over and over again. She knew his body just as well as she knew her own. She smiled tenderly at him, nodding her head slightly so he knew she had noticed his scar before.

"I was lucky. I couldn't believe everyone was gone. I couldn't believe that all I had to show from the bombing was a scar on my head and the rest of them… The rest of them were taken. It was so hard trying to look at it as a blessing because it didn't seem that way to me. I've never felt grateful for it, especially considering Laura had been on my team and was taken too," he said sadly. Mia realized that Laura had been very important to him. She could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes.

"The woman at the bar is claiming to be someone who should be dead and I honestly believe she is lying. I couldn't see any signs that there had been any surgery done to her face, there were no scars which would obviously be visible if she had done something to change her face," Sage said.

Mia thought back to the woman's face and also remembered not seeing any scars or marks on her face which wouldn't make sense, just as Sage suggested. The situation just became a lot more confusing for Mia. She didn't know what to make of it all because if the woman was lying, she must not have a kind bone in her body. No one in their right mind would just go around and lie about something so personal. And if she was lying, what else could she be capable of doing? All kinds of questions filled Mia’s mind.

"I want you to understand that no matter what this woman says, there is no way I'm leaving you. This right here," he gestured to her and then back at himself, "is what I want. There is no one else I want to be with other than you.” Mia felt relieved to hear Sage say what she had been hoping he would say. She didn't want to be the type of person who would demand him to reassure her but she was glad Sage had felt the need to tell her anyway.

There was nothing more he wanted to say. He had told the story of his past and he just wanted to be close to Mia. He pulled her into him so he could hold her in his arms. He wanted to feel the warmth of her body against his. It brought comfort to him through all the mess that surrounded them. Mia was a little stiff at first, not completely giving herself to him, but soon she gave in. He had told her everything and she believed he had been honest about it all. Of course, it still played on her mind and she wasn't sure what would happen going forward, and even though he had been very stern with how he felt, if the woman ended up convincing him that she was Laura, it could change everything. He didn't believe it was her which was why it was so easy for him to say what he did but if she was Laura, what would happen then?

"Laura is in the past, and yes, I did love her. I loved her very much but I've let her go," he said against her hair as if reading her mind. He was really trying to tell her that she didn't have to worry and it helped ease her mind a little.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Mia pulled away from him so she could look at him. He looked calm and relaxed, as if nothing could phase him. It made her feel better instantly. She realized that she hadn't eaten much but she wasn't hungry either. The emotions in her body had kept her distracted from any form of hunger.

"Surprisingly no, I'm not hungry at all," she replied.

"Neither am I. It is a little late though so why don't we head off to bed?" he asked. Mia hadn't noticed the time. Although she had been watching it at the bar she hadn't actually been paying attention to the actual time. It was already after 10 pm.

"That sounds like a good idea," she replied. They got up off the couch and Sage led Mia to his room.

"Will you spend the night with me?" he asked. His voice was soft and gentle as he looked at her. It was hard for Mia to say no so she agreed to spend the night with him and followed him into his room.

He curled his body against hers as he fell asleep, wrapping her up in his arms for comfort. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep while Mia stayed awake against him. His breathing came and went softly as he dreamt and Mia thought that he must be emotionally exhausted from the day they had had. She knew it must've been extremely taxing for him, as it was his life that had been ambushed more than Mia’s. Although she was involved with Sage, it wasn't her past that had come back with a vengeance. She was certain that Laura would not go quietly. She had already made her presence known and the likelihood of her just giving up and walking away seemed slim.

Sage already knew that he would make sure Laura knew that there was no chance of him leaving Mia for her. He didn't even love her the way he had. That part of him was gone, he had set it free when he had let Mia in. No part of him belonged to Laura anymore, he was completely void of all feelings for her and he felt like there was nothing wrong with that. If they had broken up properly, he would still have the same feelings as he did. He knew he would have to make sure Laura understood that they couldn't and wouldn't be together. He had gotten a tattoo of a lioness for Mia and would prove that he was not up for grabs.

He slept surprisingly well that night. He didn't feel as if there should be something to be concerned about. Everything would be sorted out and back to normal in no time. He dreamt of Mia, breathing her in as he slept. The smell of her skin was reassuring, knowing that she was there just made him sleep that much better. He had no fears of the future. He was sure that the person who claimed to be Laura had been paid a huge amount of money and that was the only sickening part of it all.