Understanding You *Completed*

Twenty Two

As Jocelyn stepped back into her apartment, she winced at the sight. Shattered cups and plates littered the ground, her table and chairs had been flipped, and her tv laid face first with its back stomped in.

The anger of losing someone she loved had caused her to destroy everything in sight. Even a number of her cabinet doors laid broken on the ground from angrily pulling them from the wall. Clothing, some ripped, littered the floor and her mattress was hanging off her box spring.

"I guess I should start cleaning some of this up." She sighed as she placed her purse down.

Just as she reached for the broom, her phone began ringing. Her body moved on its own to quickly find the device laying at the bottom of her purse. Miles' name crossed her screen and she wasted no time in answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey," he mumbled softly.

"What's wrong, baby?" The panic she felt seeped into her voice.

"Nothing, I'm fine, I just..." he hesitated, "move in with me."

The blurted proposal caused Jocelyn to stop moving, the broom falling from her hands.

"I know it's moving fast but I can't help feeling like a giant clock is above my head and I want to spend as much time with you as possible." His confession spoke to what she'd been feeling.

Jocelyn knew the reality of the situation in that their time truly was limited. As the tumor grew, his symptoms would worsen before he became a shell of the man she knew now. The thought of it caused her stomach to flip each time.

"Jocelyn?"

"Y-yeah, sorry. I was just thinking." She mumbled as her eyes trailed to the destruction around her.

"You don't have t-"

"I want to!" She interrupted, "yeah, I'll move in with you."

"...okay." He spoke softly after a moment of silence. The smile on her face nearly hurt as she thought about just how much she loved him.

As she eyed her destroyed apartment, she vowed to herself that she'd do everything in her power to make sure Miles felt her love until the very last second. No matter what she was feeling, she owed it to him to keep loving him just as she normally would have.

"Do you want me to come tomorrow? I can have someone move my stuff while I'm at work." Jocelyn posed.

"Or today," he sang slyly, "I mean whichever you're comfortable with."

She laughed as he tried to play off his eagerness. They continued talking for the next couple hours as she cleaned up her mess. It was comforting to hear his voice so frequently.

"Uh, I'm gonna shower then start packing some things for tonight. I can have the rest moved tomorrow?" Jocelyn posed as she eyed her newly cleaned apartment.

If felt surreal to think she was leaving the apartment she'd always thought she'd die in, but the love she held for Miles outweighed any contemplation she had.

"Okay. I can come pick you up."
...

As Jocelyn stepped from the shower, a knocking resonated through her apartment. She hurriedly pulled a towel around herself before skipping to open the door.

"Hi." She smiled at Miles leaning in the doorway. He held two bags filled with some type of food that quickly filled her senses.

"Hey." Leaning forwards, he kissed her softly before entering the apartment. "Woah, what happened to your tv?"

"It's nothing. It fell off the wall." She attempted to wave it off, "so what are we eating?"

Miles eyed the tv for a moment, surely piecing together that she'd done it herself, but saying nothing more. "I picked up some Mexican food."

"Yummy. I hope you got some red rice too." She nearly bounced in excitement as he began pulling items from the bags.

"How could I forget?" Miles pulled out a large container filled with red rice and another filled with black bean soup.

As he went to grab a plate, Jocelyn winced as she realized she'd yet to fix the cabinets. He stopped short as he eyed the damage before turning to her with a concerned expression. "What's going on, Jocelyn?"

Before she could lie, she bit her lip and remembered what he asked of her. "I was angry."

Tears blurred her vision and she leaned her head back to keep them from falling. Miles wrapped his arms around her, simply holding her until she spoke again.

"I was so angry that there was nothing I could do. I was angry that I was losing you. That the time I thought we had was dramatically reduced. I was angry that you..." she hesitated as she thought over whether she should confess.

"That I was being selfish?" He spoke softly.

"Yeah," it hurt to confess just how poorly she'd been thinking, "and I know better. You're not being selfish. It's your life and that's entirely your decision no matter if I like it or not. I'm sorry."

He held her tighter as she apologized. They simply stood embracing, comforting the other, until she pulled back slightly. "I've never been in love."

"Me either." Miles laughed lightly before he placed his forehead to hers. "And of course when I do, the universe decides to cut our time short."

"So we'll make the most of it." Jocelyn resolved. Placing her hands along his cheeks, she closed her eyes to savor the feeling of the embrace. Tears fell once more as she pressed her lips to his.

"I-I love you, Jocelyn, and I'm so sorry." He croaked against her lips.

"It's okay." She whispered back, her thumbs rubbing his cheeks softly. "It's okay."
...

"Night." Jocelyn spoke to the security guards as she finally finished her shift. It was an especially draining day considering she had allowed herself to fall behind on work, so she took this shift to complete it all.

Stepping into the parking lot, she smiled as Miles stood next to her car- a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "What's this?"

"Just been missing you." He spoke as he stepped closer to pass her the flowers. Per usual, there was a card with a message tucked in the side of the container.

"Thank you, baby." Leaning up, she met him halfway for a kiss. They lingered for a moment as they each subconsciously savored the feeling.

Jocelyn felt the familiar sting of tears but willed herself to stop. There was no use in crying away the time they had left.

"Are you hungry?" Miles questioned as he took her bag and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Not really. I'm ready to head to bed."
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