The Weekend

Chapter Twelve

Silence filled the air between them except for the dull hum of the music dancing from the radio. Reba looked out of the window as she watched the trees and the fields pass by. Despite everything, it was sunny that day and she was thankful. She needed the sun to coax her out of the hole in her mind she so desperately wanted to curl up in. But she couldn't do that, not to herself and not to her family. She had done that once before and all it got her was a prescription and a secret.

They hadn't talked, hadn't even so much as looked at each other since they got into the car at the auto shop. However, as Reba looked at the road in front of her, she watched Brock out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were focused in front of him and he gripped the steering wheel tightly. She could tell he, too, was deep in thought.

They were in foreign territory, both having never been in this situation before. Mind you, Brock had been closer to it than Reba had, but that was the past and there was no use in thinking about that at a time like this. They love each other which is the detail that isolates this situation from the other. And aren't you supposed to be with the one you love? Not go home to an empty house, while your lover goes home to his wife.

The wife who is also your best friend, you mo-ron.

Reba rolled her eyes at herself. She still couldn't believe she had gotten herself into this situation. She always believed she was a good person, but now? She wasn't so sure. She leaned her head against the window that covered the passenger door and closed her eyes.

"Are we ever going to talk about this?" Brock finally asked, glancing at Reba for a split second before turning back to the road.

"There's nothing to talk about." She held her eyes closed with more force, wanting the situation to be as quick and painless as possible.

"Reba, I love you. That is something worth talking about!" He smacked his hands against his steering wheel. She was so frustrating sometimes, why did she have to do this? Why did she have to push everything important away so she didn't have to deal with it? Why was everyone else's happiness more important than her own?

Reba opened her eyes and turned further into the passenger door. She bit her lip as hard as she could. She didn't want to hear his words, but there they were, echoing around her.

"This isn't just going to go away, you know? It's always going to be a part of us. We've been divorced for six years, if we were ever going to fall out of love it would've happened by now." Brock reached over and placed his hand on her thigh.

Reba's whole body tensed under his touch and she closed her eyes harshly, trying desperately to will the tears away. She was so close to losing it all.

Brock watched Reba from the corner of his eye, concern immediately washing over him. She looked like she was physically in pain and there was not a damn thing he could do at that moment to help her.

"Honey?"

And there it was, that word, the brick that would cause the whole pile to collapse. She felt a tear escape from between her eyelids, tracing its way down the curvature of her cheek. She moved her hand to his hand that sat on her leg and gripped it as tightly as she could. She moved her other hand to her mouth, covering her lips with her fingers as she held onto her chin. She couldn't speak, she had no words to make this okay. She just gripped onto his hand for dear life, hoping it would somehow relieve the pain that filled her chest. So, they just sat there in silence, holding onto the last little sliver of their weekend together.

Brock waited for Reba in the car outside of a gas station along the interstate. They were almost home and back to the reality they had left behind. He didn't know what would happen next, but he damn sure wasn't going to give up. Not again. He was different this time, he was better and whether Reba wanted to believe that or not, it was the truth.

The passenger door opened and Brock was brought out of his thoughts as he watched her climb back into her seat. She smiled at him, but her smile didn't reach her eyes like it normally did.

"Shall we be on our way then?" What he wanted to hear was no, let's turn the car around and drive, anywhere, just drive. However, that was a foolish fantasy and she nodded as she adjusted the volume on the radio.

Silence fell between them once again and awkwardness surrounded them. Was this how it would be for the rest of their lives? Reba had to wonder.

"I'm not pregnant." She finally said causing Brock to crank his head in her direction. He looked to her, back to the road and to her again.

"Uh. That's….. good? But, uh, how?" That was the last thing he thought she'd say right then and there and it took him off guard. Had she taken a test while at the gas station?

Reba rolled her eyes. He was old enough to know how this worked by now. "My monthly."

"Oh. Right. Okay."

"Yeah, so you have nothin' to worry about, nothin' tying you to this weekend. We can act like it never happened." She picked at her jeans with her nails as she spoke. Relief washed over her immediately when she knew she couldn't be pregnant, however she felt an emptiness inside of her and she wasn't sure why.

"God damnit, Reba, would you stop acting like this weekend wasn't as meaningful to me as it was to you? I'm not some heartless guy. This is the most important thing in my life right now!" His voice was harsher than he had meant for it to be, but perhaps that would help to get his point across. He knew he had treated her awful in the past, but that was the past. How could she not feel how much he loved her? How much he had always loved her? It was the one thing that remained constant in their relationship.

Reba sat there in silence for a long while before finally exhaling the breath she had been holding in. His words held so much truth and she felt guilt rise up inside of her. She didn't mean to act this way, but it was the only way she knew how to protect herself.

"I'm sorry, Brock."

Her voice was quiet and it cracked as she spoke. Brock's grip on the steering wheel lightened and she watched as the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a slight smile before vanishing just as quickly as it had come. He removed his right hand from the steering wheel and held it open beside her, waiting for her to interlace her fingers with his.

Reba looked between them and hesitated before locking her fingers with his. She felt the effect of his touch almost immediately, the warmth slowly making its journey up the length of her arm. She felt weak and she hated to feel that way, but it was almost as if, after their weekend together, he was woven into her heart. And the thought of losing him again scared her more than she wanted to admit.

Before she knew it, Brock was turning onto their street and she felt the nerves climbing up inside of her. Her heart began to beat fast and her throat clenched together. Here it was, the very moment she had been dreading for what seemed like forever.

Brock let go of her hand as he turned into her driveway. Rhonda wasn't in the driveway which meant the kids and Barbara Jean hadn't arrived home yet, a fact of which he was thankful for. He put the car in park and turned to Reba with a soft smile on his lips.

"We're home." He chuckled awkwardly and wiped his sweaty palms against his jeans.

"Yes, we are."

They sat there silently for a moment, before Reba finally made the first move.

"Might as well get this over with." She gripped the handle on the door tightly and hesitated before finally pushing the door open. Her boots clicked against the concrete and she searched her purse for her keys.

She jumped when the trunk slammed shut and Brock walked up behind her with her luggage as she slid the key into the lock. His hand rested on the small of her back as she fiddled with the key, that familiar fire burning once again. She finally got the front door open and they both stood there taking in the silence that was a rarity in her home.

Brock walked in front of her and set her luggage at the bottom of the stairs.

"What now?"

"I don't know." He ran a hand through his disheveled blonde hair. God, this was weird. It didn't feel right to leave her, it felt as though they were meant to stay here, together. "I guess I'll head home."

Reba nodded and looked down at her feet as she rocked back and forth on her heals. This was such a strange feeling and before she could stop herself, she reached her hand out in front of her to shake his. However, she quickly realized how silly that was.

Brock smiled and laughed softly to himself as he stepped closer to her. "Reba, honey, I think we're past the hand shaking."

She dropped her hand to her side and felt her cheeks flush. "Right."

Brock placed his hands on either side of her face and caressed the soft skin on her cheeks with his thumb. Reba closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his flesh against her own.

Her entire body inhaled when his lips connected with hers. He held her face gently as they kissed each other. Reba moved her hands to his face and deepened their kiss. They held onto each other for dear life as they shared one last kiss. It felt as though her entire body was set aflame as their lips moved together, but as quickly as it had started, it ended and they rested their foreheads together as they both attempted to catch their breath. He ran his thumb over her pink lips and smiled.

"If I can't have you tonight, at least I had the weekend. Isn't that how the song goes?"

Reba smiled, she had forgotten all about that song. She nodded and kissed his lips one last time.

"You better get going, they'll be here soon I imagine."

"You're right." He licked his lips and pulled her into an embrace, kissing the top of her head. "I'll figure this out, I promise you. I'll come by tomorrow."

All Reba could do was nod against his chest for all of her words were lost.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Brock hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to leave, but he had to.

"Okay."

And just like that, he was gone. And although he lived just down the street, it felt as if he was much farther away. She leaned against the door, her eyes closed for a moment before grabbing her suitcase and walking up her staircase. She wasn't looking forward to the night to come.