The State of Us (3/3)

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 19th June 2025

Characters: Coran, Relea
Description: The pair discuss the state of their marriage and what to do going forward.
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 2, day 19 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Mirona
this continues "The Unwanted Sister" https://triadweyrs.org/series.php?sr_id=9

Relea

She read his lips the first time, then his hands the second. Her own
closed into fists, nails digging into the palms of her hands as she
tried to fashion some semblance of a response. Licking her lips, she
signed slowly and carefully. [I will not remain only for you to
resent me. That is not fair to Corlea to see her parents that way. It
is not fair to me. If you do not want me, then I will not stay.]

[I have never _not_ wanted you.] His fingers trembled a little. [Even
if I haven’t shown it well. I want you to stay. I want Corlea to stay.
And I want us to raise that baby as a family.]

She didn’t want to go either. Relea wanted to stay. Even in the
height of her heartbreak, she loved that man more than she had anyone
in the world save for her daughter - and even that was a completely
different kind of love. Yet, she also knew she couldn’t stay and
watch him be with others. [I can’t go through that again.] She
signed, knowing she didn’t have to specify. He would know what she
meant.

[You won’t. I promise.] Like they often did with their daughter, he
extended his pinky toward Relea in offering.

Relea stared at the offered pinky, her eyes then sliding up the arm to
rest upon the man’s face. She wasn’t sure what to think about the
gesture and felt it was too immature to really take seriously.
Reaching up, she rubbed her face, then shook her head before she
signed again. [This isn’t a pinky promise, Coran. I am not a child.]
Even as her hands ‘spoke’ her words, her throat tightened, her
gestures increasing in speed. [I love you. Even after everything, I
love you, and I don’t think I can stop. But I can’t go through this
again. I want to stay with you, but I’m also hurt. I came here to
talk to you, really talk, only to find you with another woman. Even
if you haven’t been intimate, how long until you crossed that
boundary? Do you understand what I’m trying to say? I can’t even
accurately tell you what I’m feeling because it’s all jumbled up
inside.]

Even if he tried to lift his own hands to respond, Repeat didn’t top.
The tightness in her throat squeezed like a vice, and tears welled up
in her eyes to trickle down her cheeks. [I desperately want you, but
the pain I get when I see you slices through my heart like a knife.
Do you want me? Do you really want me? If you do, then you have to
know I need time. I want to be with you, I want to make this work,
but it can’t be just me. You have to work too. Will you do that? Are
you willing to do that? I thought there might be a chance for us to
fix this. Was I wrong? We can’t do this for our children. We have
to do this for ourselves. If we don’t, then there’s no point. Do you
want us to be us? Will you take the time and effort? Will you give
me the time?]

She hadn’t come there to say all that to him. Truthfully, she hadn’t
been certain what she was going to say, and now the words came without
really touching upon the deepest desire of her heart. Yes, she wasn’t
him, but the sight of him with that woman had taken the wind from her
sails and made her wonder if it was worth the possibility of getting
hurt again.

Coran curled his pinky back into his hand, withdrawing it to himself
and tucking the offended appendage into his folded arms. Good grief.
It had been an offering of peace, a branch. He stared at her through
her tirade. Even though he knew he had it coming, it didn’t make it
any easier to sit through. The way she kept referencing Mirona
especially stoked his fire. What part of he had _thought_ they were
divorced didn’t she understand? It wasn’t as if he had left and gone
into the arms of another woman immediately. It had been months! If she
was so shardin’ perfect, why had it taken her so long to follow? Or
what about a _letter_, ever heard of those?

He did his best to push his anger down. He didn’t want to do something
irreparable now, ironically.

Uncrossing his arms, he began signing, [I said I would not put you
through another infidelity, and I said I want you and I want you to
stay. More words won’t make you believe me. You’ll just have to try.
I’m willing if you are.]

Relea’s lips thinned. Without hearing, she could not hear the tone of
his voice, but she could very well see the tension in his body. The
way he moved his hands gave hints to the reality of his emotions. In
essence, though she had no idea what it was like to hear a person’s
tone, she could certainly read it. [I came here.] She signed back, a
reminder of the person who had made the first step in reconciliation.

[And I am glad you did. Truly,] he signed, putting his hand over his heart.

She hoped he spoke the truth. She hoped she could learn to forgive
and let go. She hoped that every time she saw him, she couldn’t
forget that he had been in another’s arms. She hoped, maybe, just
maybe, they could find the love they once had for each other once
more.

Last updated on the June 23rd 2025

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

The State of Us (3/3)