I wrote this when I was incredibly bored, its just a one chapter piece.
There were things he was supposed to be paying attention to, forms he was supposed to be filling in, but his mind was elsewhere. He wondered if he would even recognise her, that was if she decided to show. He'd refused to count the days, to torture himself in that way, but he knew it had been so long, too long.
Not that it mattered, she wasn't there, why would she be, it had been too long, too much had to have happened. So forcing down his disappointment, he forced himself to concentrate, he needed to get this right, the last thing he needed was to end up back here because he'd messed this up somehow.
Collecting his possessions was one of the strangest things he'd ever had to do. He'd spent the majority of his life in this place, and it seemed odd that all he'd have to show for such an extended period of his life would be caught up in that one small box. But none of those things mattered, the only thing that mattered was the gold band on his hand, the one thing they hadn't been able to take away from him. A symbol of why he was here, of what he had to live for. Although, wandering out of the prison, alone, squinting in the dazzling sunlight his eyes had so long been deprived of, he was suddenly aware of how empty the promise it represented was.
That was when he saw her, watching him in silence, her eyes guarded in a way that they never used to be.
"You came." It was a statement, and yet a question all at once.
She had waited outside for him, fearing that being inside that place would destroy her. "I made a promise."
He remembered that as if it was yesterday, her voice thick with tears as she told him that she loved him and that she would wait for him. But that had been so long ago, and he couldn't believe that she had been true to her promise, he hadn't expected her to be, hoped she would be, but expected her to rebuild her life. Desperately seeking her reassurance, but trying to sound casual to hide his pain when the inevitable rejection came, he said, "You didn't have to keep it, i didn't expect you to keep it."
Her response was a smile, worn and tired after years of overwhelming loneliness, but her smile nonetheless. This was followed by a tearful, "I wanted to," which reminded him so much of the day that they had parted, so heartfelt and filled with pain.
He nodded at her, not quite able to meet her eyes, unsure of what to say in response. This was his wife, but somehow, he didn't know what he was supposed to do.
She didn't seem to need a response though, climbing into her car and indicating that he should do the same. He glanced at her, but her face was closed to him as they pulled away from the place that had kept them apart from him for so long. So he stared vacantly out of the window, praying that somehow the situation would work itself out.
"Tony," she had stopped a while ago now, not at her house but at this place, a place she hoped he would remember.
"What..." He said, his voice harsher than it needed to be, hardened by years of abuse. Spending your life with murderers, terrorists and those trained to deal with people like that tended to do that.
But his anger quickly trailed from his voice as he caught the pain in her eyes. Then he became aware of his surroundings, and his heart broke for her. It was the same deserted spot it had been all those years ago when he had proposed to her.
"Oh God..."
She met his eyes for a second, a strange pleading in them.
"Michelle..." Her name even sounded unfamiliar as it floated through the air, but yet somehow it felt right.
And despite the protests that his mind was screaming, that it wasn't safe to trust her, he found himself with her tightly gripped in his arms.
So many memories flooded back to her, but she ignored them, savouring the moment. It had been so long and she had missed him so much. And despite the unfamiliar depths in his eyes and the anger she had just witnessed, for the moment she had everything she wanted.
Feeling her tears soaking into his shirt, he let his body relax against hers. And suddenly it was so easy, he good breathe clearly once again. This was Michelle, his wife, and no matter how hard it was going to be, it had to be worth it. So he let himself just hold her, feeling her relax into his grip as they both sank into the ground.
Eventually it was her who came to her senses. Her voice was so small when she asked him, "What do you want to do?" She finally had him back, and it terrified her that he might not want her anymore. She was tired of being strong, she needed to know how he felt so she could deal with it.
He smiled at her, his fingers finding their old spot at the back of her neck. "I'm taking my wife home and cooking her dinner."
She caught his gentle humour as she felt her breath catch in her throat, it was going to be ok. "Lets go home then."