Walking Corpse

announcement

Hi, it's been a while since I've been here. Don't worry not here to break your heart over this book some more. If you have taken enough time to heal your heart over this book, though, I do have a new book for you to dive into. Hopefully, doesn't break you as much. Walking Corpse is part of a series I have planned out called "Perfectly Flawed Series" which means I'm here to announce that the second book is out and in progress. The second book is called Adore, Cherish, Love. It follows close to the timeline of this book and features some of our characters here that you've already met. With that said, I'll leave you here with a look into one of the chapters. Thank you for the support and I hope the new book touches your hearts just as much as Walking Corpse!

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march 23, 1998

Myles sits on the wooden chair with his leg crossed as he watches the kids run around the lawn. He wished he still had that kind of energy. Alina had wandered off to chat or more likely gossip with some of the women. The week away from the city had taken out a lot from him, even Alina. It was the last day with Alina's parents and the two days before had drained him as well. They spent the first day walking around the town with a bit of window shopping. The second day was filled with preparations for today, a family lunch gathering.

Alina's parents had never really accepted her being with Myles because he wasn't in their range of expectations. She was happy, though, and that was all that mattered. Although they didn't accept who she was with, they came to accept Myles for who he was as a person and what he dealt with. The rest of the family was fine with Alina and Myles being together.

Myles fixes the rolled-up sleeves of his chambray, they had to be near the same length. He hears Alina giggling as he does so.

"Does it bother you that much?" She asks as she approaches him with a smile and sits beside him.

"It shouldn't but it does," He sighs and stops fidgeting around with the sleeves.

Alina moves her chair a bit so she could turn to the side and fix his sleeves for him, making them as even as they could be. Myles places his hand on hers and gives her a thankful smile. She pecks his cheek before speaking, "Thank you for getting through this weekend with my parents."

"Of course."

There was a flush of emotion that passed through Alina for a second and Myles caught it. She hid her true emotions well when she needed to or when she didn't want to tell something. He had become pretty good at noticing when she would do this. Before Alina got up, he whispers to her, "Emi, is everything alright?"

"Why do you ask?" She mumbles quickly.

"I know you as well as you know me. I know when you're hiding something."

Alina forces a small smile which was almost too unnatural. She shrugs half-heartedly while saying, "It's nothing. People are going to start leaving in a few minutes so why don't you rest for dinner tonight? Relieve all your stress."

"I will stress out with your parents forever," He laughs hoarsely and lets her go from his question.

"See you in a little bit," She pecks his cheek then walks off.

~

Dinner with the LaRue family was unusually silent and Alina was radiating off vibes of anger—possibly more frustration. Myles managed to sit throughout the dinner but in a completely uncomfortable state. It irritated him a bit. Alina never glanced over to him, not even once. However, there would be occasional glances towards her parents which were unpleasant. He had a hard time settling in and taking in his food. She knew better than to let him feel this uncomfortable so there was definitely something bothering her.

"I seem to have a loss of appetite tonight, excuse me as I go clean myself up," Myles speaks in a calm manner before leaving the table. As he heads into the other room, he hears the quiet arguing between Alina and her parents.

Myles went up to the bedroom to wash up and wait for her. She enters the room by the time he's finished showering. He looks over at her briefly before returning to the bathroom to put on his clothes.

"Would you say something," She breaks the silence.

Myles debates whether to remain silent or respond. He decides it's best to not push her any more than she has been. His voice remains steady and calm as he speaks, "You understand how I am when I'm uncomfortable yet you continued to not take any action. I have no idea what's going on with you and you won't say anything. I thought we came here to spend time with your parents or did you lie? Arguing with them is not something to call spending time."

Alina seemed to be taken away by his words but he was right. Instead of responding, she walks off to the bathroom leaving Myles to the silence again. He sits on the bed and lies back to think over his scattered thoughts. It took a while but he eventually pieced it together. He thought so anyway. Alina was already in the tub with patches of bubbles floating around, in a way relieving her stress. He sits on the rim of the tub, hands on either side to sustain his balance.

"What now?" She mumbles almost sounding irritated.

"We didn't come here to spend time with your parents, did we? You had something to tell them—something you haven't told me yet."

"I want to tell you but the words don't come out."

"Does it have to do with the mail from the hospital a few weeks back?" He asks with a look of concern on him.

"Myles, I'd rather not talk about it."

"I know it's eating you away and I know a tiny piece of you wants to let me know."

She sighs and stares at him for a moment, "It's just information that hurts so much."

Myles is about to reply but she grabs a towel and gets out of the tub. He opens the drain before following her to the sink. He looks at her eyes through the mirror, "You can tell me anything."

She walks away from him into the closet to change into a white distressed tee and black shorts. He remains by the sink as she returns to him with a pained expression. It hurt him to see her in such a way.

"Alina," He cups her face gently.

Tears threaten to fall as she holds his wrists, "I'll never have a child of my own. The doctor said I may never be able to get pregnant."

Myles wasn't sure how to comfort her, not even himself at this news. He pulls her closer and hugs her firmly not knowing what else to do. The quiet, choking sobs that she tried to keep in tugged at his heart harshly. How was it that Alina's life could be like this?