What's Love Got To Do With It?

14.

Another paper. Another headline that was about her. The irony? There had been a serial killer arrested and still all they could write about was about how miserable Alice's life probably was right now. Instead of dragging the man through the mud that had been terrorizing the town for months, they focussed on one of his victims.

From the trophy wife of a serial killer to living with the Sheriff. She had stared at the headline for several minutes now. Every breakfast it was the same old thing again. FP took a sip of his coffee and placed the mug back on the counter as he watched her carefully.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, as he grabbed her hand to making her snap out of her thoughts.

"That's freedom of speech, isn't it?" Alice shrugged and brought her own mug to her lips as a way to avoid looking at him. He sighed quietly and tugged her closer to his body so he could wrap his arms around her waist.

"You don't have to pretend it doesn't hurt you. Not anymore." FP said quietly, as his calm eyes looked for hers. He could see that it affected her and that she as always tried to act like it didn't matter. But she was human, and she was allowed to be sad. Her emotions didn't have to be a secret anymore.

"FP... I am not sure I can talk about this. Not yet." She swallowed away her tears and dared to look into his eyes for a moment, seeing that he understood. Even though she had shared with him feelings and thoughts that she had never dared to share with anyone else, talking about the consequences of what her ex-husband did was something she didn't feel ready for. 

One thing was assuring, she was certain that once she was ready he'd be there to listen. She was still getting used to the fact that she was with someone who wanted to know everything about her, including her pain.

"They mention you, too. How do you feel about this?" Alice played with the collar of his t-shirt as his hands stroke her sides. 

The articles were mainly about her, but it always involved him in a way. If it wasn't people plaguing her about her mental health, then they were dragging her relationship through the mud as if FP had taken advantage of the broken woman they think she is. Or the opposite, that they accused her of being with FP because he had arrested her husband and didn't want to go to jail herself. 

"It doesn't matter what this does to me. I know why you're with me and that is more important than what the whole town thinks." He said sweetly and nudged his nose against hers, effectively making her giggle.

Not that long ago FP would have freaked out reading something like that, his anxiety making him believe that what they wrote was true but he was slowly learning that the woman in his arms was with him out of love, not out of convenience.

"But I do believe we need a break from this town. The both of us." FP combed with his hand through her hair, making her look up at him again. It didn't have to be for long, just enough for them to take a breath. 

"A break. I like the sound of that." Alice beamed as she slowly felt her shoulders relax a little by the idea of going away for some time, just the two of them against the world.

"What do you say we'll go on a little vacation together? To the coast?" FP smiled and swayed them a little, already picturing them at a little beach house, drinking fresh orange juice every morning and snuggling in bed after a long walk. After all they had been through, that sounded like something they deserved. 

Before Alice knew it, she felt a few tears escaping her eyes as she blinked, a sudden feeling of her bottled up emotions finding a way out. She quickly wiped them away, but that didn't stop FP from worrying.

"Hey, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?" His voice was soft and he cupped her cheeks to look for the answer in her eyes. He knew that little words could easily be triggering for her, so he always tried to be careful.