Only a Matter of Time // Veronica Sawyer x Fem!Reader

twenty-three

"Ugh." I look up at Veronica, meeting her eyes.

"What?" I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. She buries her face in my hair, sighing softly. "What's up?"

"Today's the day." I feel a slight sinking in my chest.

"Yeah," I murmur. She hugs me tighter, pressing her lips to the top of my head. I let out a quiet breath.

"Too soon," she mutters. Judging by her voice, she's joking. But a part of her is serious. And just hearing that part makes my heart ache for her.

"I know." I hold her closer. "I know." She rests her head on mine, sighing.

"I wish we just had a little more time before we had to go."

"I know, Veronica." She goes quiet.

"I love you," she murmurs after a few seconds of silence.

"I love you too." We sit in the quiet for a little longer until I feel her tremble. I raise my head. My eyes widen. She's crying. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I-I just..." She pauses. "I missed you so much, you have no idea." I gently wipe away her tears.

"I know. I know. I missed you too." I cup her face in my hand. "And that's why I'm here."

"But then we'll have to leave, and-"

"Veronica, I'm not leaving you like that again, okay?" She goes quiet. I look into her eyes. "We'll keep in touch. We can see each other during breaks. Alright?" She swallows hard.

"Yeah." I pull myself up so I'm level with her.

"I promised that I wouldn't leave, didn't I?" She nods a few times.

"You did."

"So why would I leave?" I run my thumb along her cheek, tracing light patterns on her skin. She looks away.

"I don't know." I take her hand, gently pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

"I'm not leaving you again, Ronnie. I promise." She meets my eyes.

"But..." I shush her softly.

"I swear, I'm not going to leave you." She stares at me for a few seconds, then smiles a bit. "Promise." She closes her eyes.

"I won't leave you, either." I smile.

"Good." I rest my forehead against hers. She exhales softly.

"God, I'm so glad you came back," she whispers. I giggle under my breath.

"I am, too." We bask in the silence for a long time. It doesn't feel odd or awkward or anything. The fact that we're in each others' company is enough to keep us from feeling weird.

The thing that I missed most from Sherwood is laying across from me. And yet, after all I've told her, after all I've done, I feel as though she barely knows a fraction of how I feel about her. As if I could tell her for a hundred years and still not be able to express my love for her.

"What?" I blink, focusing on her.

"Huh?" I ask.

"You're staring." I smile.

"Like you don't do the same."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I dunno," I admit. "I just... I feel like no matter what I say, I'll never be able to truly tell you how I feel. It's never enough. It's never what I actually mean." She sighs softly.

"I feel the same way."

"... Really?"

"Yeah." She looks away. "I feel like every word I say is just... Not quite how I want it to come out. The words are all there, the feelings are all there, I just don't know how to tell you everything."