When Both Our Cars Collide (Frerard)

31: Restore the fire and it's burning bright

The next month of my life passed in a happy blur, time seemed to fly by with Frank by my side, and even though I wanted to savor every moment with him, it was a good feeling. He healed quickly from his head injury, and he fit seamlessly into my world, as if I had always been saving a special spot just waiting for him to fill it.

The worst part was watching him struggle with his withdrawals, I hated seeing him shaking; cold sweat plastering his hair to his forehead as he tried to ignore the intense cravings for the drugs he swore he would never touch again.

He was so strong though, he never once attempted to find a way to get his hands on any sort of substance. Whenever the urge was especially bad, he would tell me, and I made sure not to leave his side until he had calmed down again.

Eventually he overcame it though, and I was so proud of him I couldn't find the words to describe it. I knew he could kick his bad habits, I never once doubted him, and I did everything in my power to make it easier on him; making sure he was never left alone with his dark urges, and in the end he proved me right.

I could almost physically see the changes once the ache for his addictions ended; his eyes were brighter, the way he carried himself had altered, he seemed so much more happy and confident overall, and I told him every day how wonderful he was doing.

He still had bad dreams sometimes, but they were few and far between now, and he would always turn to me for comfort instead of shoving me away in fear. We hadn't spoken about what had happened to him yet either, but I knew he would tell me when he was ready, so I never brought it up.

The court date went smoothly as well, Frank passed his first drug test with flying colors, and I knew he would continue to. It was a relief to put that all behind us, and I could tell Frank felt the same.

Frank had even found a job at the used book store down the street, and the fact that it also sold records and CD's was a bonus that neither of us overlooked. I swear - Frank spent half of his paycheck at that place, but I didn't mind, I loved seeing his excited face when he raced through the door, clutching a bag full of whatever treasured he had picked up that day.

I had to go back to school as well, and at first I had been terrified of leaving Frank alone. I always kept my phone with me, just in case he called, but of course I was worried for nothing. Frank was slowly regaining his feet that had been knocked out from under him, and he was beginning to rely on me less and less. That didn't mean he didn't want me though - thank fuck for that, and we still spent every moment together when we weren't at school or work.

Frank was pacing in front of our closet at the moment, trying to decide what to wear to dinner with my mother and Mikey tonight. I had called her to tell her about Frank the night after he had his seizure, and she had been ecstatic that I had finally found him again, but Frank hadn't been ready to see her until he kicked his drug habit. He said he wanted to make a good impression, even though I knew my mother would love Frank no matter what, I respected his wishes.

"Ugh Gee - help me, nothing I have seems good enough," Frank groaned before throwing himself onto the bed dramatically.

"Just pick out something you would usually wear, it's just dinner with my mom, not a meeting with the president of the United States," I giggled.

"But I want her to like me..." Frank whined.

"Honey, she will like you even if you turn up naked, but please don't do that, I don't want to scar Mikey for life."

"Shut up fucker," Frank smirked at me, and I couldn't resist leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips, which he eagerly returned. We hadn't done anything but kiss during the past month, but I didn't mind, I would never get tired of the feelings of his lips pressed against mine.