Page 110 of No Fear

Donnie clenched his fists and bowed his head. If he told her about that, it might change everything. Starting a relationship with secrets was not an option, but the thought of telling her filled him with dread. Doing it without being able to see her reaction felt even worse.

He slammed his hands against the vanity in frustration and raised his head. Fuck. Give me a sign please!

Feeling around the sink, he found his toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed his teeth. He could still hear Charlie’s voice. Sounded like she was on the phone. Rinsing out his mouth, he turned off the tap and reached for the light switch out of habit. He assumed Charlie had put the light on, so he pressed it, hoping he was turning it off. He froze. He touched it again. Then again. Switching it on and off. He could see the difference. He could see it was brighter and then darker. His hand trembled as he did it again.

“Donnie? You nearly done? Dinner is almost ready.” Charlie’s voice was right outside the door. He opened it and grinned.

“Good, you’re done. What are you grinning about?” she asked.

He switched the light on and off again, still grinning.

“Donnie?”

“I can see the difference.”

It took a moment to register, but he knew when it had because she gasped.

“Oh my God! You can see?”

“Not see, but I can tell when the light is on and when it’s off. I know it’s a small thing but—”

“No, it’s not a small thing. It’s fantastic.” Her arms were around his neck as she hugged him tightly. “You’re going to be fine. I just know it.”

He squeezed her tight, loving she was the one sharing this with him.

“Should we call Sophie?” she asked as she pulled back.

“No. Not yet. Let’s see how it goes. I have an appointment day after tomorrow.”

“Let’s go eat and celebrate.” She took his hand and guided him to the kitchen where they sat at the small island. He caught the clinks as she placed a plate in front of him and a fork.

“It’s just pasta with sausage. You didn’t have much to choose from.”

“It smells delicious.” Carefully, he took a bite. As was usual lately, the flavors burst on his tongue. His taste was way more sensitive than he remembered. “This is great, thank you. You didn't have to cook. We could have ordered in.”

“You’re welcome and I wanted to. You should know I’m not a kitchen goddess, but I get by.”

“We can get by together then.” He wasn't much of a cook either, but he’d be up for trying to cook with Charlie. It would be fun. If he could see.

“Who were you talking to earlier? I thought I heard you on the phone,” he asked.

“Yeah. My boss called. He has an assignment. He’s sending me over the details; I’ll take a look later or tomorrow. I still got a couple more days.”

“And I plan to make the most of them.”

He didn’t want to think about her leaving. It was too soon. But this was her job, and he knew how much she loved it. He reached for the beer Charlie had placed beside him and took a long swig from the bottle. “I’m going to miss you. Will you come back here when you get back?”

“I’d like that,” she said quietly. “We didn’t really finish our conversation earlier about how this will work.”

“I know.” Finished, he pushed away his plate. “I need to tell you about my job.”

“Oh. I didn’t think you could.”

“Not the details, but if we are going to do this, and I really want to, you should know what you’re getting yourself into.” He probably should have cleared this with Sam first, but he didn't want to wait.

“I spoke to the ladies last night about what it’s like being with a SEAL. They explained it to me.”

“They did? What did they say?” They wouldn't have mentioned Onyx, but he was intrigued.