TRUTH Read Online Free PDF

to the park and pushed me on the swing as high as it would go until I was squealing at the top of my lungs. The man I didn’t know anymore.
    The door shut, removing John from my view. Stephan crossed the room and pulled me into his embrace. I let out a sigh of relief. He was home. We were alone. I circled my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest.
    “Are you all right?” he asked.
    I nodded, letting the warmth and comfort I’d been seeking seep into me.  
    For the longest time, we stood there, holding each other. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of him, the smell of him. Every now and then his lips would brush against my hair, my temple, and I’d relax a little more. Being in his arms was the one thing that felt right.
    I could have stayed there all night, but all too soon, he pulled back. He placed a hand on each side of my face and brushed his lips against mine, giving me the gentlest of kisses. “It’s dinnertime. I’m going to order us a pizza. We can watch a movie while we eat.”  
    I nodded. He stepped back, and I felt empty and cold when he walked across the room toward the phone. As much as I hated to admit it to myself, I was disappointed. Pizza meant we would be spending the evening on the couch. All I wanted was to spend the rest of the evening curled up with Stephan in his chair. I didn’t care about the movie, and I wasn’t all that hungry. I just wanted him.

Chapter 4

    Brianna

    He had me select a movie from his collection for us to watch. I took my time, but he was patient with me. In the past, I had stayed away from the romantic comedies I’d used to favor. Action movies didn’t make me think of all the things I could no longer have. As I ran my fingers over the titles, I realized that might not be the case now. I wasn’t sure what one would call my relationship with Stephan, but I knew that I cared for him. I loved seeing him smile, happy. I wanted to do everything in my power to see him look like that as often as possible.
    I continued to argue with myself, unsure of what I should select. There was no right or wrong answer, I knew that. He wouldn’t get upset with my choice no matter what it was. I just needed to pick one. The problem was, without his touch to calm me, I was beginning to feel numb. What did it matter what movie I picked?
    The telephone rang in the background, and I heard Stephan answer it. The pizza was here, and I still hadn’t chosen. Pressing my lips together, I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate. I could do this. Looking back at the rows of movies, one I had barely noticed before stood out, almost calling to me. It was a movie I hadn’t seen in a long time, one that brought back a lot of memories.
    Stephan wrapped his arms around my waist, making me realize I’d been standing there much longer than what I had thought. I leaned into him, letting my eyes drift closed. Feeling began to return, and the numbness started to fade. He hugged me closer, trailing his nose down my hairline to my neck and placing a kiss there. I sighed.
    “You seem to be thinking very hard about something. Tell me.”
    “I was thinking . . . I was thinking about my dad.” My words came out not much louder than a whisper, but I knew he’d heard me when his body tensed.
    “What about him?”  
    Even though his tone didn’t show any agitation, his body couldn’t hide his reaction to the mention of my father. I hated that I’d upset him, but I knew better than to lie.
    “I miss . . . I miss the way he used to be. When I would visit him, we would watch movies sometimes. We were always trying to find ones we’d both like.”
    He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he reached out to touch the movies, his fingers grazing over the ones directly in front of us. “You found one you used to watch with your father.”
    I nodded.
    “Which one? Show me.”
    I lifted my arm toward the bookcase where the movies were lined up in neat rows. When I came to the movie