Chapter 48

It's been a week since I came home. Today's the first day of physical therapy. My leg still slightly throbs with the kind of ache that reminds me I'm not quite whole yet. Even with the pain meds.

"Ready, baby?" he asks gently as he helps me into the passenger seat. His hands hover near my elbow, steady. It's amazing how he never makes me feel like a burden, even when I feel like one myself.

I nod. "Yeah. As I'll ever be."

The drive is quiet. The kind of quiet that isn't awkward, but filled with anticipation. He plays Luke Combs again, soft in the background and rests his hand on mine while the road hums and shakes under us.

When we pull into the physical therapy center, my heart begins beating faster. I stare at the automatic doors and feel... small.

"You okay?" Macklin asks, parking the car.

I exhale, hard. "I feel like I'm walking into something I'm not ready for."

"You're walking into something you're strong enough for," he says. "Even if you don't feel it yet."

He says it like it's fact. Like there's no doubt in his mind. It helps.

Inside, the receptionist hands me some paperwork, and I fumble awkwardly with the clipboard while balancing my crutches. Macklin fills most of it out while I scribble my signature.

When my name is called, we follow a cheerful-looking woman in scrubs who introduces herself as Brianna. She walks with an easy, practiced stride, clipboard in one hand, warmth in her voice.

"Hi Lex. I'll be working with you today. We'll take things slow and steady, okay?"

I nod. "Slow and steady," I repeat, like a confirmation.

The therapy room is a blur of mats, weights, balance balls, and parallel bars. Other patients work in silence or talk in soft encouragements.

Macklin sits down in the chair beside the window, watching me like I'm the only thing in the room that matters.

Brianna helps me over to a mat. "We'll start with some range of motion exercises. Nothing intense. I want to see what your body tells us."

I brace myself. She gently lifts my leg, slowly and carefully and I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek. The stiffness is unreal. My muscles, uncooperative. I feel like I'm moving through sand.

After ten minutes, I'm already sweating. Not from exertion, but frustration.

"This is pathetic," I mutter under my breath.

"You're not pathetic," Brianna says firmly, like she's heard it a thousand times. "You're healing. That's different."

Macklin stands and walks over. He kneels beside the mat, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You just survived something some people don't walk away from, Lex. You're not behind, you're still here. That's the win."

I stare at him, my eyes suddenly hot. "But I hate feeling this weak. I hate that I can't even bend my leg immediately. That I'm holding up everyone around me."

"You're not holding anyone up," he says. "We're always going to be cheering you on and supporting you."

It's the kind of thing that breaks me a little but in a good way. In the way I need.

We move to the parallel bars next, and Brianna helps me to stand. My crutches are pushed aside as I grip the bars with trembling hands. My cast is awkward and my balance is off. Every step feels like it takes a year.

Macklin watches. His eyes never leave me.

I take one shaky step forward. Then another.

By the fifth step, my breath is coming in short gasps and my arms ache from holding my weight.

"I can't do this," I whisper, my throat tight.

"You already are," Brianna says. "Five steps today. Six tomorrow. Ten the next day. You're not here to impress anyone—you're here to heal."

Macklin's hand hovers at my back. "No one expects you to run today, Lex. Just take the next step."

I squeeze my eyes shut and take another.

We finish after half an hour. My arms are sore, my leg is throbbing, and my pride is bruised beyond belief. But I did it.

That has to count for something.

⸻

In the car, I slump into the seat with a dramatic sigh. "That sucked."

Macklin chuckles softly. "You did great."

"I barely moved."

"You showed up. You fought through the pain. You didn't quit. That's more than enough, Lex."

I glance over at him, my jaw clenched. "You really get me stumped with how supportive and sweet you are, you know that?"

He grins. "Yeah, well. Get used to it."

I let myself smile, even though I'm still exhausted. He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles gently.

"I'm proud of you," he says, voice low. "And I'll be there at every single session. No matter how long it takes."

The rest of the drive is quiet again but it's a warmer kind of quiet now.

When we get home, Gabi greets us at the door with a mug of tea and a soft blanket. She eyes my flushed face and sweaty shirt and says nothing, just hands me the blanket and plops down next to me on the couch.

"How was it?" she asks gently.

"Horrible," I admit.

"Proud of you," she says without missing a beat.

Macklin brings over an ice pack for my leg and props it up on a pillow. "You're going to get through this, Lex. You already are."

I close my eyes and let the ice numb the pain.

———

After physical therapy, I thought the only thing I'd be doing was to collapse into the couch with an ice pack and a nap. My body was drained, my leg ached beneath its cast, and even my arms were tired from gripping crutches all afternoon.

"Wait," he said with a small smile. "Don't get too comfortable yet."

I raised an eyebrow. "You say that like you're about to make me go for a second round of therapy."

He laughed, shaking his head. "No more torture today, promise. I just... have a little surprise."

Before I could respond, the doorbell rang.

Macklin's eyes lit up as he pivoted toward the door, and Gabi poked her head out of the kitchen with curiosity. "Expecting someone?"

"I might be," Macklin said with a grin. "Lex, sit down. Will, Gabi—help me with the bags?"

"Bags?" I repeated. "What kind of surprise is this?"

Will opened the door, and immediately the smell hit me.

My jaw dropped.

"Is that... is that Din Tai Fung?"

Macklin turned around with a cocky grin and a paper bag in each hand. "You've been talking about xiao long bao since the day you woke up."

"I always talk about xiao long bao," I muttered, already half-drooling.

He shrugged. "Exactly. So I thought, post-PT reward?"

Gabi squealed. "Are you kidding me? I've been craving dim sum for weeks!"

Will was already pulling out containers like it was Christmas morning. "He even got the pot stickers, dude. And extra garlic noodles."

"I got everyone's favorites," Macklin said, placing a container gently in my lap. "But yours is special, Lexi. There's dessert too."

I looked at him suspiciously. "Celebrini. What'd you get?"

He held up a small to-go box like it was a trophy. "Chocolate dumpling with the cream foam."

I gasped like he had just proposed.

"You angel," I whispered.

He winked. "I try."

We gathered in the living room for a bit, passing containers and chopsticks between us, the couch piled with fluffy blankets and laughter. Gabi was curled up beside Will, feeding him dumplings with chopsticks just to mess with him.

"You know," Gabi said between bites, "this is the best kind of night. Post-sweat, post-tears, full of carbs and comfort."

"Speak for yourself," Will grumbled, catching a noodle with his fingers after it slipped from the chopsticks. "I didn't cry today."

"Don't make me give you a reason to," Gabi teased.

Macklin stood up and turned toward me, gently taking my container. "Okay, babe. C'mon. I'm not done pampering you yet."

I blinked up at him. "There's more?"

He nodded. "Movie night. Just us. You earned it."

"Gabi and I feel very excluded," Will said dramatically, tossing a pillow at us as Macklin helped me to my feet.

"You'll survive," I called back with a grin, balancing carefully on my crutches as Macklin held the door to my room open.

Inside, my room was dimly lit, soft light from the salt lamp glowing in the corner. Macklin had already propped pillows against the headboard, pulled my comforter back, and set a heating pad by my side of the bed. The TV remote rested on my nightstand with two bottles of water, and he even lit my favorite candle, the one that smells like sandalwood and lavender.

"Macklin," I said, touched and stunned. "You did all this?"

He shrugged, bashful. "I just wanted to make you feel cozy. You've been through a lot."

My throat tightened. He didn't have to do any of this but he did.

Once I was settled, Macklin climbed in next to me and pulled the blanket up around both of us. He grabbed the remote, flicked through the streaming options, and hovered over the cover of Blended.

"Your favorite, right?"

I smiled. "You remembered."

"I mean, Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore? It's elite cinema."

I chuckled, resting my head lightly on his shoulder. "Exactly."

As the movie started, I didn't realize how badly I needed to laugh. The physical therapy frustration, the pain, the mental exhaustion, it all took a backseat while I let myself enjoy the chaotic energy and top tier comedy in the film.

We laughed at every dumb joke, quoted lines halfway through them, and groaned at Terry Crews breaking into song for the tenth time.

Halfway through, Macklin reached over to the nightstand and opened the dessert box.

"Chocolate dumpling?" he asked, holding it up to my lips.

I leaned in dramatically. "Feed me, Celebrini."

He laughed, pressing the dessert gently to my mouth. The moment it hit my tongue, I melted.

"Oh my god," I sighed. "That's it. You've won boyfriend of the year."

"Just one year?" he smirked.

I nudged him. "You're getting ahead of yourself."

He leaned closer, forehead resting gently against mine. "No pressure.."

As the credits rolled, I could barely keep my eyes open.

"You falling asleep on me?" he whispered.

"Might be," I mumbled.

"You want me to turn it off?"

"Stay with me."

He kissed my temple and pulled the blanket tighter around us. "Always."

— NEW POV —Macklin's POV

The movie had ended a while ago, but I hadn't moved.

Lex's breathing had slowed into that steady rhythm I'd memorized over these past few weeks. Her eyelashes fluttered gently with each breath, lips slightly parted as she exhaled. I could still see the faint crease of a smile left over from the last joke we laughed at before she drifted off.

I stayed still, barely breathing myself, not wanting to wake her. She looked so peaceful, something she hadn't been able to be in a long time.

God, I'm so in love with her.

It hits me, sharp and certain, like a punch to the chest. The way her hand instinctively curled toward mine in her sleep. The way she trusted me enough to let me see her cry after PT, to hear her frustrations, to let me feed her- her favorite food and tuck her in like she's the most fragile, important thing in the world because she is.

But as much as I wanted to say it, those three words that had been resting on the edge of my tongue for weeks, I held them back.

She's been through so much. Too much. I don't want to be another pressure on her back. Another thing to carry. What if she's not ready? What if she's still trying to feel whole again, and me throwing around the L-word just makes everything heavier?

I don't want her to say it out of pity. I don't want her to feel like she owes me anything just because I stayed. I'd stay a thousand more nights beside her if it meant she could just breathe.

She sighed softly in her sleep, and I smiled to myself.

"Sweet dreams, Lexi," I whispered, barely audible in the quiet room. I brushed my lips against her temple, lingering there for a moment. "I love you."

She didn't stir. No sudden inhale or whispered reply. Just the same slow, peaceful rhythm of sleep. But that was okay. I didn't say it to hear it back. I tightened my arms around her and closed my eyes, letting the silence wrap around us.

-=+=-

This chapter was hard for me to write tbh — my boyfriend and I broke up so idk when but I'll try to keep updating tho.