My name is Nicole. Not Stephanie.
Things should have been simple now. Resolved. Everything should have been cleaned up nicely, with no iffy spots, no confusion. Just the way he liked it.
Things should have been, but they weren't.
He had Melanie back. Finally. After so long, after having his heart ripped out and caring for a little boy who only wanted his sister back, after finding the caves and living in a civilization that still couldn't give him the one thing he wanted, he had Melanie. Fully. Not just her body, but all of her.
Melanie.
She was perfect. She was his. All his.
And yet he just couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't all hers.
It's difficult to remember the time he hated her. He tries to channel it sometimes, to make his life easier, but he can't. He can only remember things like how she threw herself in front of him, how she never looked at anyone when she first arrived, how she made Melanie look so unsure of herself. He could only remember carrying her over his shoulder, sleeping curled up beside her, kisses that were definitely between them, and not him and Mel.
Things should have been simple now. Resolved. But as Jared looks across the table at Wanda, he can't help but think that things are more complicated then ever before.
I'm a closet Wanda/Jared shipper. I'll admit it.