“Yes, you would have, because you’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”
“That can’t possibly be true.”
“Brooke, come on. A lot of people who know what you’ve been through think that. Look at you now… I mean, some people understandably never recover from what happened to you. But you… You’ve not only recovered as much as a person can, but you’ve been determined to thrive in spite of the trauma. You’re on the dean’s list. You got into Princeton…”
“I have you, a man all the girls wanted.”
He rolled his eyes at that last part. “And you have me and everything that goes with me, which was certainly never guaranteed after what happened. I’m so proud of you, sweetheart, and everyone who knows you is, too.”
“Thanks. That’s nice to hear.”
“I’m not just saying words. It’s true. You’re an inspiration.”
“Before everything happened with Ethan, Sam texted me about a woman she recently met who’d been through a similar thing. Attacked and sexually assaulted. Like me, she doesn’t remember the assault but has to live with the aftermath of realizing it happened. Sam asked me if I might be willing to speak to her at some point.”
“What’d you say?”
“I told her I would. If I can help her, why wouldn’t I?”
“Are you sure that’s the right thing for you, though? To reopen that wound?”
“That wound is never really far from the surface, and I’ve come to accept that it’ll always be a part of who I am. In fact, I’ve been thinking about adding a psychology minor when I get to Princeton and possibly pursuing counseling for victims of sexual and domestic assault.”
“Wow, that’d be amazing, if you can handle dwelling in that space every day.”
“That’s my one hesitation, but I figure I can try it and see how it goes. Maybe helping others would help me, too, you know?”
“See why I’m amazed by you?”
“Oh stop. It’s all just talk at this point.”
“But the fact that you want to give back says a lot about who you are, and I love who you are.”
“I hope you know how much your love and support means to me. It gives me strength I didn’t have before I had you in my life.”
He brought her hand to his lips. “And I hope you know that works both ways. I hate every minute we spend apart, and I can’t wait to live in the same town with you.”
“Two more weeks until no more long distance. I can’t wait either.”
They settled into companionable silence flavored with his classic rock playlist. Brooke dozed for a time and woke up as they arrived in Charlottesville. “I can’t believe we’re here already.”
“Time goes by fast when you sleep for hours.”
“Was it hours?”
“Hours and hours. I missed you.”
“I’m sorry. You’ve been doing nothing but driving on your days off.”
“I’ve gotten to be with you, which was my only goal for my days off. We have one more night together. What do you feel like doing?”
She needed to get back to work on the paper that was due this coming week and study for her last final exam, but that would keep until tomorrow, when she was back to living without him again for a couple of weeks.
“I want to be with you.”
“I’m here all night, babe.”
She reached over to place her hand on his thigh, giving a suggestive squeeze. “I want to be with you.”
