Just a touch of my love

After Maria said the words 'I quit', sounding so fragile in that moment, Steve wanted to do nothing more than go over there and hug her. To tell her that there was nothing wrong with her quitting and that everything would be alright. That he would take care of her, just like she was taking care of him. But at that moment he was far too weak to do, so he couldn't take the risk of falling or making a wrong move, reopening his scars. He was on bedrest and that meant that he had to limit how much he walks and certainly the speed he does it with. Only with assistance could he walk small distances and only then was it limited to three times a day, just to keep his blood circulating. However, right now it was taking all that he had to keep himself from not caring and rushing over with the little amount of energy he had. With gritted teeth he uttered the words, "Please come sit next to me."

Maria looked up with a startled expression and could only see Steve looking down, while patting on the spot right next to him on the couch. She slowly walked over and sat down, as she looked over at him nervously, wondering what he might say as he looked quite angry. She couldn't blame him if he was, because she would have been angry if the roles were reversed and he had made such a big decision without consulting her first. Especially if it was for her sake. Since previous boyfriends had gotten angry at her over many things in the past, much smaller things, Maria was in a way already expecting Steve's first reaction to be anger, even if she hoped it wasn't.

The moment Maria sat down, Steve covered her hand with his own and held onto it tightly. He squeezed it once before he said, "I'm sorry." In that second Maria's eyes widened and a million things rushed through her head. Wondering if this one thing had caused him to want to break up with her. If this had made him change his mind, even though she had done it to be able to care for him. If the emotion she had seen was in fact anger. But although Steve was indeed angry in a way, what Maria wasn't realizing, was that Steve's anger was directed at himself. Not at her. She only understood this when Steve finally looked up and she saw the look that was on his face. Her mind was instantly calmed down at the sight of his face, which had the most gentle expression she had ever seen, while his eyes looked so hurt. She didn't quite know what to do or say, and instinctively her hand other hand reached out to his face and stroked his right cheek. Steve in turn used his other hand to cover hers, while he used the moment of Maria being at a loss for words, to say the words he needed to say.

"I'm sorry you lost your job because of me, and I am sorry I selfishly put this burden on you. I shouldn't have asked you to stay and take care of me, when I knew that you had a job you needed to return to. Had I been a little less selfish, and thought about the situation a little bit longer, I would have realized that my request would cause you trouble. Whether you said no or yes. But I did ask, I was selfish, and it did create a problem. Those facts cannot be changed. The only thing I can do know, is shoulder the burden so that you don't have to. Especially since this particular burden wouldn't be a burden for me at all. There is no reason for you to suffer the consequences of my selfishness. I asked you to be my girlfriend and future wife because I wanted to treasure you, not so I could make your life more difficult. So, I want you to allow me to help and I want you to promise to not keep these things from me in the future. I love that you want to protect me, but I would love it more if you allowed me to protect you too from time to time. You are always the person people lean on, the person people expect to solve their problems for nothing in return, so why not lean on someone else for a change."

Maria's eyes widened from the shock of what she was hearing, before they softened as she felt touched by his words. In an attempt to lighten the mood in his own Steve-like way, he added, "Don't you see these broad muscular shoulders?" As he flexed his muscles and grazed over his own shoulders to show them off, he said, "These are perfect for leaning and offer great support. They are yours exclusively and are available to you 24/7. So, go around and help who you want to help, support who you want to support without any worry or restraint, because I'll be here when you need me. Be it when you want to take a rest at the end of the day or when things simply become too much, I'll be waiting."

Maria responded by placing a kiss on his other cheek before pulling her hand away from his right cheek and leaning gently on his chest. She let out a soft breath of relief before she said, "Who knew I had found myself such a reliable man, and a gentleman to boot. I didn't want to burden you with my troubles, but if you insist on making them yours, I'll allow you to help me. As long as it is within the means of what I can accept."

Steve chuckled and placed a kiss on top of Maria's head as he put his arm around her, and said, "I'm sure we can work something out. I have already received two things I need to repay, a kiss from the woman that I love and her heartfelt praises. Those will be added to the debt I already have to you. So, I hope those means of yours are large enough to accept my gratitude and just a touch of my love."