When DJ looked in the mirror, admittedly she didn't always like what she saw. She stood there in the full length mirror of her bedroom sifting through strands of hair only to discover two new strands of gray had formed. She touched the wrinkles near her eyes, the crease in her forehead from years of worrying about, well, everyone she loved.
She lifted the tank top she wore and ran her fingers along the very visible stretch marks due to giving birth to three children, she grasped at the looseness of her tummy and sighed. DJ never quite got her body back to the way she wanted to after having Tommy and it was still a major insecurity on her part.
Sure, people always told her how good she looked for a 40 year old mother of three, but that wasn't always how she personally saw herself. This wave of insecurity was certainly nothing new - it was something she had carried with her ever since she was a young girl. Back then, it was her weight, and now it was the reality of getting older.
Then of course, there was Steve. He knew her back when she was that insecure teenager with body image issues, and he loved her through all of it. In fact, he did more than just love her through it. Steve always made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman on this earth, like a goddess. And now, more than twenty years later, he still made her feel this way, she still got those same butterflies every time he called her beautiful, which was quite often.
When Steve and DJ reconnected, it was as if no time had passed, even after all those years they spent apart. Steve still looked at her the same way he did when they were 16, and if anything, there was an even deeper adoration now and at times it still blew her mind. Though time inevitably aged the both of them, the love remained stronger than ever. DJ could only hope it would always be that way.
DJ stepped away from the mirror, pushing back those intrusive thoughts of her fading youth, and headed downstairs into the living room. She smiled a little to herself seeing Steve sitting there on the couch with his reading glasses on, which DJ thought he looked adorable in, going over patient files for work.
Without a word, she walked past him and sat down in a chair, picking up one of her home and gardening magazines and flipping aimlessly through the pages.
Steve looked over at her. "Hey Deej. Everything okay?"
Of course he would immediately sense that something was wrong. There were times, such as these, that knowing each other better than anyone didn't exactly work in DJ's favor.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm good" DJ lied, glancing up to meet his eyes briefly before looking back down at her magazine.
Steve kept his eyes on her. "Are you sure?"
DJ looked up at him again, this time flashing him a reassuring smile. "Yes, honey. I'm sure"
Naturally, Steve could sense it was the complete opposite, but he decided to let it go, for now anyways.
A few minutes of silence went by and Steve could barely focus on his work. Instead he would periodically steal glances at DJ in an attempt to figure out what might be wrong.
DJ suddenly held up her magazine that showed a picture of a woman, late 20s to early 30s at most, with blonde hair and a bright smile. The woman was kneeling near a bed of roses, sporting a bright yellow bikini. "Do you think this woman is attractive?" She asked out of nowhere.
"..What?" Steve asked confusedly.
"I said do you think this is woman attractive? And be honest." DJ responded.
"I don't understand. DJ, where is this even coming from?" Steve questioned.
DJ sat back in the chair and quickly flipped the page of her magazine, waving him off nonchalantly. "Just forget it. You can go back to your work"
Steve took off his reading glasses and set his folder down. "No, I wanna know why you asked me that"
"I said forget it, Steve. It's silly anyways." DJ replied flippantly.
"Something is clearly upsetting you" Steve pointed out.
"I promise it's nothing. Really. Doesn't affect us one bit" said DJ.
Steve gave her a look filled with concern. "If it's affecting you, it's affecting me. Please talk to me, Deej."
DJ sighed. "Okay, fine. I guess I was just thinking of how this world is such a big place and there are so many options out there for you, in fact we both explored those options, and yet you still chose me. You still find me beautiful.."
Steve's expression softened. "Deej, come here.." He sat back and patted a spot on his lap for her to sit.
Looking down, DJ got up and sat down on his lap. He wrapped an arm around her. "Look at me, sweetheart." He used his free hand to tilt her chin upwards so their eyes met. "For the entire time we were dating back in high school, and even when we broke up, I always knew that I would never find another woman like you, DJ. I knew you were the one. And you still are."
DJ smiled a true genuine smile. "I felt that way, too. It was always you."
He gently caressed the side of her face, pushing her blonde locks back. "Now look at us, we did it. We made it, DJ. All those times people tried to keep us apart, like back when your family, mostly your dad, doubted our love for each other, all those obstacles that stood in our way, but we made it. Fate brought us together again and we made it."
"We did. And all those little fights we got into back then seem so insignificant now." DJ chuckled softly. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers. "Remember your prom and that girl Rachel Taylor? I felt like she was so much prettier than me and you would for sure go back to her.." She laid her head on his shoulder. "But then you told me that she wasn't your first love, that you didn't know what love was until you met me"
Steve nodded and gave a gentle squeeze to her hand. "Mhm, I remember that very well. One of the best nights of my life"
DJ smiled. "Mine too."
Steve pulled her into a kiss as she cuddled on his lap.
"I'm so glad it's still you," he said after their kiss.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean that we had so many odds stacked against us. We drifted apart, met other people, got married, almost married other people for the second time, and yet we came to realize we were meant to be. Soulmates. And somehow- I don't know how- I think I fall in love with you more everyday."
She looked at him adoringly and smiled. "Even after all this time, you still make my heart melt and you're still the one I love. My soulmate."
His smile mirrored hers. "It makes me so happy knowing I'm with my soulmate. I honestly never really believed in the idea of soulmates until I met you. You definitely changed that, you changed a lot of things about me for the better."
"And it's easy to think that old people just stay with each other 'cause they're already together, and that the love kind of fades. But that's not happening," he said, chuckling.
She laughed with him and said, "First, we are not old." She pointed her finger at him. "Second, if there's anyone who can go the distance besides my Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky, it's you and me."
He pulled her closer to him and she nuzzled up to his neck, resting her head comfortably between his neck and shoulder.
"You're definitely right about that" He said, rubbing her back in a gentle circular motion.
"I know I am" DJ quipped in a playful tone.
"And as far as what you said earlier about you still being beautiful? Of course you are. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on." "And I think I've proven that to you every night this week." He added, causing DJ to blush and playfully shove his arm.
"I love you so much, Steve. You're the only one I could ever belong to," she said quietly. She carefully and softly kissed his neck where her head laid.
"The feeling is very, very mutual, my love." His hand grazed over her tickle spot, causing her to giggle. "I always hope that you're the one in my dreams when I go to sleep."
"Mmhmm" she agreed, mumbling and nodding as she planted another kiss to his lips.
"You're the last person I want to see when I go to sleep and the first person I want to see when I wake up.'
His words trailed off as she kissed him again, she mumbled faintly in acknowledgement.
All those anxieties DJ had previously seemed to fade away with every word he spoke, every touch, every kiss.
Steve pulled back slightly to look at her. "And just what do you think you're doing?" He asked in an amused, playful tone, raising his eyebrows.
She looked up at him innocently and shrugged.
He shook his head and laughed. He then began tickling her, which caused her to fall back giggling, her head laying on the cushion beside him.
"Have you been listening to a word I was saying?" he asked with a smirk, looking down at her laying on the couch.
"Yes, Steve." She said, nodding with a small grin on her face.
"Listening like the way I listen when there's food in front of me or listening for real?" he questioned, an eyebrow arched.
DJ giggled at this. "Yes, Steve, I heard every single word." "You're still the one I choose, and the one I want to see when I wake up every morning, and the one I dream about, and the one I belong to. And I love you very much"
Steve couldn't stop himself from smiling at her, feeling what he described earlier as falling in love with her more every day.
She reached her arms up and grabbed his face, bringing him to her. She kissed him intensely and then brought his face back up.
"See? I listen," she said smugly.
He laughed and said "I wasn't so sure at first, but I guess you were."
She nodded and smiled. As she ran her fingers through his hair, she wondered to herself how much longer they'd have before Tommy woke up from his nap. Both Jackson and Max were at sleepovers, so they would only have the youngest Fuller with them for the night.
DJ then moved upwards, this time straddling his lap before leaning forward, connecting their lips once again and he smiled against her kiss.
The voice of a young child shouting "Gross!" interrupted their perfect moment and they jumped away from each other. The couple sat up straight and looked toward the door to see Max and his friend Taylor with looks of disgust on their faces.
"Max, honey, what are you doing home?" DJ asked, standing up and walking over to him.
"Umm, hello, I don't know if you may have forgotten, but I kinda sorta live here." Max shot back, crossing his arms.
"I know that, I mean..I thought you were spending the night at Taylor's." DJ replied.
"I was, but I forgot my pillow!" he said, still looking at them both with a look of disgust.
"Well, go get your pillow!" DJ said.
Max and Taylor both made a face at them before walking upstairs. After a minute or two, DJ and Steve heard the sounds of Tommy calling out to them from the top of the stairs.
DJ stood up. "Looks like Tommy's awake."
"The moment was nice while it lasted." Steve said with a smile.
DJ chuckled, looking back at him as she headed for the stairs. "The story of our life, right?"
Steve nodded and all he could think is that he wouldn't have it any other way.