Angela was gutted, absolutely gutted. She was so sure that he loved her, that this time things would work out. Yet, here she is, sitting on her couch, bawling like a baby. Sprinkles' empty bed sat across from her on the floor. Her absence is all the more prominent now. She cried harder.
A part of her desperately wishes she could just go forget it all. Erase the best years of her life because, surely, emptiness was better than the pain.
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They started dating a month after her dad died. She had felt like an exposed nerve for weeks, her emotions were on a hairpin trigger. She could hardly fathom getting through an evening without crying, let alone a date. But somehow, Dwight swayed her.
Those first few weeks were so painful yet so...beautiful. She was so raw with grief, so vulnerable it was almost terrifying, yet, he stayed. He walked into the depths of hell with her, knowing that when she was ready, they would come out the other side, together.
After the funeral, when her grief morphed from a searing pain to a dull ache, they found their routine as a couple. Long mornings spent lounging in bed, complaining about their co-workers (mainly Pam and Jim), and planning their future. He cooked them dinner and she made sure all their clothes were folded just right. It all felt so fragile to her, as if she held it in her hands for too long it would break.
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They were laying in bed, bathing in the moonlight, when he finally said it.
“I love you.”
His voice carried a deep sense of urgency, as if the words would have killed him if he hadn't said them. She looked at him, taking in how his large frame could do nothing to hide how exposed he was. His heart was in her hands now.
“I love you too,” she said, her voice shaking. He pulled her into a tight embrace, his lips finding hers in the dark.
She fell asleep in his arms that night. With her head resting on his shoulder she couldn't shake the feeling that this is how it's meant to be.
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She's been spending too much time living in the memories of him. Her mind wandering off to the long summer nights spent laying on the floor of the barn, watching the stars through the old roof. How perfectly her hand fit in his, how it felt like home.
It's almost too painful sometimes, to dwell on what once was. He had messed up, and he had to pay for it. That was final. So why can't she seem to let him go?
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Years later, after they have their happy ending, she will find herself at yet another headstone, kneeling down to give her husband a goodnight kiss. “I'll see you soon” she'll whisper to the marble, letting herself voice the unspoken promise they had made before he left. Her son will walk her back to the car, telling her that “He's at peace now”.
Her heart will be heavy in her chest. It has been a year since he had looked at her and told her that “You made it all worth it, I love you so much.” and took his final shaky breaths.
A year since she had kissed him for the final time, seen his perfect face and said “Thank you for never giving up on me, on us. I love you, and I always will”.
Story Notes:
Wanted to try my hand at some Dwight and Angela, hope you enjoy!
Thank you to my beta reader, your my favorite person :)
Thank you to my beta reader, your my favorite person :)
Chapter End Notes:
Hope you liked the story, please feel free to leave a review and/or a jellybean.
