co-written by RatedrKjErIcHo

Alex came back a few hours later to find Holly reading a book. "Hey."

"Hey." She said looking up from her book. "Did you have a nice workout?"

"Yeah, I did." He said sitting on the bed in front of her. "Holly, I'm sorry for earlier. I just wanted to give you a good memory to erase the bad. Plus I miss you. I miss us being together like that."

"I know you do but I wasn't ready for that. I can't just get over what happened. I can't forget that your boss raped me and you watched. You didn't do anything to help me. And then you made me have sex with him. I need time to process and deal with it." She looked at him. "You have to be patient with me."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Those are just words. You have to show me that you can be patient with me." She sighed. "Alex, I love you and I'm determined to stay in our marriage and work things out. But you have to have patience with me about all of this. And you have to show me that this won't happen again. That what happened, won't happen again."

"What do you want me to do?"

She sighed. "Show me that you love me and that you won't let this happen again. If I have to tell what you need to do, then it's not you doing anything. It's me telling you. So, think about things and see what you can do to show me."

"I don't know what more I can do to show you Holly. But I'll try."

She smiled. "That's all I ask. And cutting off contact with John is a big part of that. He's the reason for this. And I think the less you see him the better for everyone." She took his hand in hers. "Alex, I know this is hard on you too. But we have to work through this together. And it can't be rushed. By taking the time, you show me that you love me and that nothing like that will happen again."

"Whatever you want."

"Good. Then let's enjoy our vacation. And when we get back we can put this behind us." She looked at him. "So what about your poker games? I know you always invite the guys from work. But I can't be there with them. They stood there and watched and didn't do anything either. If you really have to have the poker games, then I will arrange to do something else that night."

"Alright. That sounds good." He replied. "I need to have the poker games for work reasons."

"Okay. Then I will hang out with Amber or find a hobby or something to do." She looked at him. "You're okay with that right?"

"Yes. I understand that you can't be near them and I'm okay with that."

"Great. Then that's one thing down. And you said you were not seeing John. So that's two things. With that out of the way, we can really fix this in our marriage."

"Alright. Like I said, whatever you want."

"Great." She smiled. "Now, how about we go have a nice dinner on the beach?"

"I would like that." He smiled. "Can I give you a kiss? Nothing more. Just a kiss." She nodded and he leaned in and kissed her gently. "I'm going to get dressed." She nodded again.

Once he was in the bathroom, she changed her clothes into a sundress. She was glad that her bruises were fading. By the time they got back from this trip. They would be gone. She put on her jewelry and paused when she went to put on her wedding rings. She looked at them and sighed. They seemed tainted now. She shook the thought out of her head and placed them on. If she wanted to fix her marriage, then she had to find a way to put what happened behind her. She only hoped she could do that.

She forced on a smile when he walked out of the bathroom determined to put this all behind her and for them to start over. "Ready to go?" He asked her.

"Yes, let's go." She replied with a smile. He took her hand and they headed toward the beach. He had called the hotel restaurant and made the arrangements for the dinner. He wanted it perfect for her. He hoped it would be the beginning of putting this behind them.

They walked to the beach and Holly smiled when she saw the table set up. It was beautiful. The table was right on the beach and decorated with candles and roses. She heard the soft music and the ocean in the back ground as they sat down.

"This is amazing." She said as the waiter poured the champagne and brought the appetizers.

"I wanted to make this special for you."

She couldn't help but smile. "It is special."

"Good." He smiled back. It was definitely a step in the right direction. "You wanna walk on the beach after we eat?"

"Sure. That would be nice." She smiled at him. She was glad that he agreed for them to take it slow. She just had to make sure she could trust him again. She had to feel safe with him. Or this marriage would never work.

"I thought we would head back home tomorrow." He said as they sat there. "I know we are working on things. But I think we need to work on them at home. We can't stay out of town forever."

"I know." She replied with a sigh. "I know."

"But everything will be different. I swear." He took her hand in his. "I promise. Things will be different."

"I believe you." She replied. "Let's go home tomorrow."

"Alright." He smiled. "But for tonight, we are going to enjoy this."

"I told you I'm not ready for sex."

"I know." He replied. "I meant just enjoy this time together. Spending time together. No sex." He looked at her. "Do you think you will ever be ready? I mean I do want to know if this how our marriage will be? I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just asking if you think we will be intimate again."

"I don't know. I hope so because I love you and I want to with you eventually. I want our marriage to be back to normal. But I'm wondering can it be?"

"I don't think it'll be like it was but I do believe we can move on from this."

She looked at him. "I believe it we can too. It will just take time. Are you willing to be patience? And let me work through this as I can. I love you Alex. I do. And I want to stay in this marriage with you. But you have to give me time to get comfortable with being intimate again. Can you do that?"

"I'll give you all the time you need."

She smiled and leaned in and kissed him gently. "Then we are on the same page."

"We are." He smiled. "Now how about that walk on the beach?" She nodded and he took her hand and they got up and headed toward the surf. She really hoped he could keep his word. It would help build the trust back in their marriage. She had already decided to not tell her siblings anything. It wasn't their business. And since Alex promised it wouldn't happened again, she saw no reason to tell them anything. She just wanted to get her life back on track.

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