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beyondthesefourwalls · 6 months

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This Love Came Back to Me (13-Final)

Summary: You and Bradley hadn’t ended on bad terms; really, you stopped before the two of you could even truly begin. Still, in the last seven months, you had never completely left his mind. So when you suddenly appeared in front of him at the bar, asking for a favor and pulling him into a kiss, he thought maybe it was the perfect opportunity to see if this time, things could be different. But what neither of you realized was that there’s more going on than just rekindling a lost romance, and it might not be as easy as simply just wanting it.

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Reader (no use of y/n)

Warnings: second chance romance, language, smut and allusions of smut, stalking, breaking and entering, violence, attacks, blood, unhealthy obsessions, delusions of feelings, unwanted attention.

Part Thirteen Word Count: 6.1K

Part Twelve :: Series Masterlist

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Bradley had an incredible feeling that something was wrong.

He couldn’t really explain it, but there was a twisting in his stomach and his heart was steadily beating faster in his chest. He knew he was being paranoid and he tried to calm himself down, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“Come on,” he muttered, tapping his hand against the steering wheel. Traffic was slow moving and he was so close to the turn he needed to make, but his rare impatience was shining through. He breathed an audible sigh of relief when he could finally take his foot off the brake. He sped up, driving faster than he normally would. But it seemed that the closer he got to your house, the more anxious he became.

He thought it would go away when he finally pulled behind your car in the driveway that wouldn’t be yours for too much longer. But then he realized that you weren’t in it, hadn’t waited for him like he asked, and he cursed under his breath. He got out of the Bronco quickly. He had just slammed the door when he heard a scream come from inside.

His blood ran cold, his heart stopped in his chest, and he ran.

_____

“It’s so good to see you,” Paul breathed, smiling at you in what he probably thought looked reassuring. “You look so pretty today. I love when you wear blue. It’s my favorite color. How did you know?”

The light blue sweater you were wearing was suddenly making you itch. Your bottom lip wobbled against your will as you stood there in front of him. Paul looked more disheveled than usual. He was in his normal work attire of khaki pants and a wrinkled plaid button down, his lanyard with his badge still draped around his neck. His red hair was mused like he had been running his fingers through it, and his thick glasses were sliding down his face, the eyes behind them wide and crazed, even as his words were spoken almost…gently. It was a horrifying juxtaposition.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he continued, not waiting for you to answer his previous question. He took a step closer to you, and you backed up on instinct, your heart pounding in your chest. The fear that you had been desperately trying to hold at bay was creeping up your spine. Your lower back hit the edge of the counter and you whimpered when you realized you had allowed him to cage you in. The scent of his cologne was overpowering, like he had poured the entire bottle on himself. You wanted to gag. You needed to get away from him, but you couldn’t seem to move your feet.

Oh, you should have waited for Bradley. Why hadn’t you listened to him?

“Have you missed me?”

You didn’t say anything, you couldn’t, not with this terror sitting in your throat. You could tell by the huff that he let out and the way his smile dipped that your silence was starting to make him angry. You had to swallow several times before you could force any words out, and even then, your voice was soft, nothing more than a whisper.

“Paul…why are you doing this?”

The man in question cocked his head to the side, his brows drawing together in a frown. “Doing what?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“All of this,” you said, your voice shaking.

“What do you mean? I’m doing it for you. For us.”

You squeezed your eyes shut for a moment, tears slipping down your cheeks. “There is no us, Paul. I don’t want anything from you.”

He huffed out a loud breath through his nose as his jaw ticked, and the hair on your arms stood up. You were frozen in place as he took another step closer to you, nearly flush with your own body now. His hand reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. You flinched away from his touch, and his blue eyes darkened as he shook his head. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” you swore.

“You’re confused,” he argued back.You could feel his hot breath on your face, and you wanted to scream. You couldn’t remember a time when you had been more scared than you were at that moment.

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are,” he snapped, eyes flashing dangerously. Another tear slid down your cheek as your body trembled, and he leaned closer. "You know, I've been waiting for this moment for so long," he whispered, his lips brushing against your cheek. You recoiled from his touch.

“Please, Paul. Just let me go.” You knew that you were trying to rationalize with someone who was probably too far gone to be reasoned with, but you had to try. At the very least you had to buy yourself a little bit of time.

“I can’t do that,” he said, his voice growing more desperate. “I can’t let you leave me again. I won’t let you.”

You pressed your luck and shuffled just the slightest bit to the side to try and escape, but he grabbed your arms as soon as you shifted. You gasped at the intensity of his grip. God, why didn’t you listen to Bradley? You never should have gotten out of the damn car. This was all your fault.

Bradley.

“Bradley’s on his way here,” you stammered, and you weren’t sure if you said it to see if it would give him enough pause to let you go, or just to reassure yourself. But Paul’s expression changed in an instant. Gone was the fake kindness he had been trying to maintain, replaced by an ugly sneer that made the fear that had been consuming you turn into panic. He looked completely unhinged, and you knew now, more than ever, you had to get away from him. You started to struggle against the hold he had on you, but his fingers pressed down harder and his nails dug into your skin.

“Everything changed as soon as he showed up,” he hissed, and you flinched when you felt his spit hit your face. He shook you, like he was trying to will you to hear him. “He took you from me.”

You wanted to tell him that you were never his to be taken, but you didn’t think you could get the words out. You were trapped. Panic was clawing at you from the inside out, making it hard to think. Your heart was pounding so loudly in your chest that you could barely hear anything else, and it was starting to get hard for you to breathe through the panic. Tears streamed steadily down your cheeks, and your blurry eyes shifted quickly, searching for something, anything. You tried your best to inhale and unintentionally caught the off putting scent of the rotting and fresh flowers that were littered all over the counters at your back.

Several vases of them.

Before you could overthink it, or really even think of it at all, you jerked your leg up. Your knee connected with Paul’s groin and he let out a loud groan, stumbling back and doubling over. His grip loosened just the slightest bit and you wrenched your arms free of him. You turned quickly and grabbed the vase of freshly purchased flowers, identical to ones you had loved so much before. You swung it at him right as he was standing back up, and the glass connected with the side of his head with a satisfying shatter. He yelled out in pain and you took your opportunity.

You shot past him, trying desperately to go for the front door. You just had to get to the door. But you had only taken a few steps when your feet were kicked out from under you, sending you sprawling to the ground. Stars exploded in your vision when your head caught on the edge of the side table by the couch on the way down, and then bounced off the hardwood. Your eyes fought to adjust as you tried to get up, but a rough tug on your legs had you sliding across the floor. Your vision swam as you were flipped onto your back, and Paul was on top of you in an instant.

You struggled under him, trying to push him off, but his weight pressing on you made it hard to move - hard to breathe. His eyes were wild and his breathing was ragged as he stared down at you. “I told you that you couldn’t leave,” he said, low and menacing. “Why did you do that?”

“Get off of me!” you cried, trying to free yourself. Paul fought to grab onto your wrists as you flailed underneath him.

Get away, get away, get away.

“Stop it!” he yelled. You sucked in as much of a breath as possible with the weight on your chest and screamed as loudly as you could, desperate for someone to hear you. To help you.

Paul’s eyes widened and he slapped his palm over your mouth so hard that it stung, pushing your head harder into the floor beneath you. “Shut up!”

You bit down on the hand muffling your sound, and Paul hissed, yanking it away. You kept screaming as you managed to get one of your hands to his face. You scratched, feeling the skin break underneath your fingernails. You kept struggling beneath him even as one of his hands found its way to your neck and a loud bang echoed throughout the room, followed by a terrified shout of your name.

—--

Bradley had experienced fear in his life before, and anger even more than that. The emotions were all too familiar to him. Yet there was something different about the way they spread through his body like wildfire as he burst open your front door and saw you on the ground with the man who had been tormenting you on top of you, his hand around your throat. Your legs flailed as you tried to kick your way out from under him, and Bradley saw nothing but pure, hot, dark red.

Your name tore from him as he lunged forward. He tackled Paul off of you, the force of his weight sending him sprawling to the side. The smaller man’s expression transitioned rapidly from shock to anger, but Bradley wiped it off just as quickly.

He didn't even think about what he was doing, he just acted, his fist connecting with Paul's face once, and then again, and another time after that. Each hit was fueled by the months of anger and frustration he had felt knowing what he was putting you through, of the nights he spent holding you after you woke up screaming, and each tear he had wiped away.

The man underneath him did his best to swing back, catching Bradley once awkwardly on the jaw, but Bradley quickly overpowered him and his limbs fell weakly to the ground at his sides. He felt as Paul’s nose bent under his knuckles, blood flowing freely down his face. It was like something else had taken over his body. He couldn’t feel anything but the need to protect you.

It wasn’t until his name on your lips broke through the ringing in his ears that he came back to himself at all.

He looked over his shoulder to see you had pulled yourself up enough to lean against the couch. You were gasping for air as you sobbed, tears streaming down your face, and Bradley felt his heart break at the sight of you. He spared Paul one more glance. The man was still conscious, if only barely, staring up at him with bleary eyes, and Bradley leant over him with a sneer, pressing his forearm against his throat. He spoke low, so only he could hear. “Don’t fucking move.”

He quickly moved off of him, crawling the few feet to where you were. You were shaking, your eyes wide and scared and trained on the worthless lump of a man sprawled out on the ground. Bradley knew he needed to get your focus on him, and he also desperately needed to touch you, to assure himself you were as okay as you could be. He moved slowly, trying not to startle you as he brought his hands up to cup your face. He guided you so that your eyes locked on his. He breathed out your name in a shaky exhale.

“Bradley,” you croaked, and his heart broke a little more.

“I’m right here,” he promised. His voice was hoarse, and he couldn’t help the tremble of his hands as he brushed away your tears. “I got you.” You let out another sob, and Bradley’s face softened. “Come here, baby.”

You didn’t resist when he pulled you into his arms, curling against him and burying your face in his chest as you cried. Bradley held you tightly, shifting off of his knees to sit so his back was against the couch, and your back was to the man still bleeding by the coffee table. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, inhaling your scent as he did. He tried to focus on the feeling of you in his arms to calm his own racing heart. He ran his hand over your hair, and his eyebrows pulled together when he felt something wet and sticky. He pulled his hand away, seeing blood on his fingertips. His eyes widened as he pulled back from you just far enough to meet your eyes. They were still wide, and now he could see how they were slightly dazed, too.

“Bug, baby are you hurt?” he asked, his voice urgent and laced with concern. He was already carefully touching your head again, searching for injury. His breath caught in his throat as he felt the bump on the side of your head. He gently pushed your hair aside, his eyes narrowing as he saw the gash that had opened up on your scalp. It was small, which is maybe why he hadn’t noticed it before. But it was there.

“Fuck,” he muttered. He felt a rush of anger all over again, heating him from the inside out. He felt the urge to scramble across the room and finish what he had started, but your soft whimper as he touched around the wound kept him grounded. He knew that you needed him right now. He had to swallow the fury he was feeling and focus on you, but it was thick in his throat.

Slowly, he let his hand drift down to your neck. The skin was still hot from the pressure Paul had put on it, but he pushed past that, focusing on the feel of your pulse thudding against his fingertips. He let his eyes close for just a moment and took a deep breath.

He had to take care of you.

He pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, pulling away and cupping your face in his hands again. He brushed some of your tears away as they fell, slower than they were before. Your sobs had lessened, too, but your breathing was still shaky. He gave you a sad, tight smile, trying to push some sort of reassurance to you. “I need to call 911, sweetheart.”

You squeezed your eyes shut and gripped the front of his shirt in your hands. He knew that you hated hearing that. Your head lolled slightly, and his heart thudded in his chest as a shot of panic went through him. Your name was on his lips before you nodded, opening your eyes and straightening up to look at him. They were still fluttering, fighting for focus, and he was fairly positive that you had a concussion. But you whispered a soft “okay”. Bradley pressed another kiss to your forehead and helped you stand just far enough to get off of the floor and onto the couch itself. He pulled you back into his arms as soon as he was beside you, tucking your face into his chest so you were facing the cushions. He wished he could get you out of here completely, but you weren’t the only one he had to keep an eye on right now. But he’d be damned if you had to look at the piece of shit across the room.

He ignored the sound of him groaning as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed the three numbers quickly, his voice calm and steady as he talked to the operator. He gave them your address, as well as the case number he had memorized from the police report you had filed. All the while he held you close, rubbing soothing circles into your back. Once he hung up, he risked a glance over at Paul. The man was still crumpled on the floor, holding his bent nose. But he didn’t try to move or to run, laying on his back and blinking up at the ceiling; Bradley wondered if maybe he finally realized how fucked he was. Or maybe if he had just hit him so hard that he was concussed, too.

Still, he felt his anger ignite once again and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists. He wanted nothing more than to go over there and finish the job, to make sure that man never hurt you or anyone else ever again. But he knew that wasn't his place. Right now, his only place was here, holding you. You were the only thing that mattered.

"I got you," he whispered into your hair, his voice soft. "I got you.”

——

You kept your eyes closed, face pressed into his chest, focusing on the sound of Bradley’s voice as he spoke with the 911 operator as opposed to the words he was speaking themselves. You didn’t want to think about what had just happened, about the feel of Paul’s hands on your arms and on your neck and the weight of his body on top of yours. You wanted to go back to the carefree happiness you had felt and forget this night ever existed. You just wanted to stay in Bradley’s arms and pretend that everything was going to be okay. You felt safe, protected from anything; nothing could hurt you.

You just wanted to stay right here.

"I love you," Bradley said softly, his lips brushing against your hair. You weren’t sure when he had gotten off the phone or if he had said anything else to you, but the words made you blink your eyes open slowly.

You had to swallow a few times, your tongue heavy and your mouth dry. Your voice was hoarse when you were finally able to return the words in nothing more than a whisper that still felt too loud. "I love you too.”

Your head was fuzzy and your arms were tingling, your fingers still weakly curled into the fabric of his shirt. You wondered if you were going into shock.

After what felt like an eternity, but simultaneously no time at all, you heard the sound of sirens outside. Bradley’s grip on you tightened, and you felt the exhale he let out against your forehead. His voice was gentle and comforting when he spoke. “We’re going to get this all taken care of, okay?”

“Kay,” you whispered.

He pulled away and cupped your face in his hands, and the calluses on his palms felt so good and familiar against your cheeks that you couldn’t help but lean into it. You blinked at him slowly when he asked you to look at him, and the worry that shone in his eyes made your heart clench. “I’m going to take care of you, Bug. I promise.”

You knew he would, without a single doubt in your mind.

It was all a bit of a blur after that. The cops arrived first, and you let Bradley do most of the talking. It was almost like you were separate from your body, or listening through a seashell, as he explained what he had walked in on and everything that had happened before this, too. You flinched when Paul’s voice broke through the fog in your head. You had almost forgotten he was even in the room, he had been so quiet, but now he was saying your name, the sight of the police officers having sparked something back in him.

“Don’t do this, please. Just tell them this is all a misunderstanding. We-we belong together. Why don’t you know that?”

He sounded weaker and less sure of himself than you had ever heard, but you didn’t want to hear him at all. You squeezed your eyes shut and buried your face in Bradley’s chest again, trying to block it all out.

You were relieved when, almost immediately, your boyfriend was scooping you up into his arms and carrying you outside. You rested your head against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of his cologne as he whispered soft reassurances to you. “The paramedics need to look at you, baby. And I need to finish talking to the police. I’ll make it quick, I promise.”

He set you down gently on the edge of the open ambulance. You gripped his t-shirt in your hands, drawing his eyes to you. You felt pitiful and small when you whispered, begging him not to go too far. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and promised he’d stay within sight. You felt a pang of separation anxiety as he let go of you. He only stepped a few feet away to where one of the officers from inside was now standing, notepad in hand. He was close enough where you were sure he could hear everything the paramedics were saying, too.

They were all business, but their touch was gentle as they checked you over, asking you questions and assessing your injuries. You felt the tears prickling at the corners of your eyes again as the dull pain in your head where the gash was and the ache in your neck and your arms where Paul had grabbed you seemed to register. It was all too much, and you wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear.The flashing lights from the police cars cast an eerie glow over the street, and you felt a lump form in your throat. You kept your eye on Bradley the whole time. He stood tense with his arms crossed over his chest as he talked. He kept glancing at you, sending you reassuring smiles. But there was a pinch in his eyebrows, and -

You cried out at a sudden pain on your scalp. Bradley was by your side before the paramedic had even finished muttering her apology.

“Sorry about that, just cleaning it up.”

You gripped Bradley’s hand as a tear slid down your cheek. He ran his thumb over the back of your hand and shushed you, his voice low and soothing. “Shh, it’s okay, I’m here.”

You focused on his touch and his voice as the paramedics finished with you. You vaguely heard the words concussion and antiseptic, and you forced out a thank you where you hoped was appropriate. The woman who had been helping sent you a warm, kind smile as she took her gloves off. She nodded in your direction and muttered about giving you a moment before she slipped away.

You leaned into Bradley’s side when he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, grateful for the warmth and comfort he provided. You were exhausted, physically and emotionally, and you just wanted to close your eyes and rest. But the sound of someone clearing their throat made you open your eyes again. The officer who had been talking to Bradley was now standing in front of you, his expression serious.

“Can’t this wait?” Bradley asked. You glanced up at him, noticing that line between his narrowed eyes again. Without even consciously thinking about it, you raised your hand, smoothing it out with your thumb. He looked down at you, his features softening. He smiled, but you knew it was half hearted at best.

The officer’s lips thinned and he shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We need to take your statement, miss.” He looked at you expectedly, pen poised over the paper.

Bradley’s grip on you tightened. You leaned further into him, and it was like you were both trying to draw and give comfort to one another all at the same time. His fingers traced soothing patterns on your arm as you took a deep breath.

Your voice was shaky, detached, as you described as much as you could muster. The man in uniform standing in front of you jotted down notes on his notepad and asked questions as you went, which you answered as best as you could.

“And when your boyfriend showed up? What happened then?”

Even through the haze in your mind, you saw how the older man’s eyes flicked over to him. You looked at Bradley, too, seeing the way his jaw clenched. He stayed silent beside you, but you could feel the tension in his body. You knew he was angry, thinking back on the interaction. You thought about how Paul’s grip on your neck and weight on your body had released so suddenly. You had scrambled away, and it had taken you a few gasping breaths to register that Bradley had him on the ground in much the same position you had been. You had watched, almost transfixed in a way, as he laid into him.

But he stopped as soon as you said his name. You could only imagine how he had felt in that moment, seeing you like that. You knew how much anger and hatred he carried toward your old coworker, contrasted and heightened by the love he had for you. It was in Bradley’s nature to protect the ones that he cared about, and he had walked into something terrible. But he hadn’t hesitated to put his own anger and vengeance aside the moment you needed his comfort, instead.

“He protected me,” you murmured quietly. You heard the breath of air that he let out at your words.

The questions continued for a few minutes, until a commotion near your front door drew all of your attention. Your breath caught when you saw Paul being led out with his arms behind his back. For a terrifying moment, he met your eyes. A shiver ran down your spine as fear spiked in you all over again. And then he started yelling for you, struggling against the hold another of the cops had on him.

You flinched back, squeezing your eyes shut. Bradley turned so he was shielding you completely and drew you into his chest in much the same way he had done inside. He went the extra step of covering your ears to drown out all the noise and kept them there until a slam of a car door cut off the voice screaming your name. The tears you had been desperate to hold back slipped down your cheeks, and your chest felt tight all over again.

“Please,” Bradley pleaded softly, and you knew he wasn’t speaking to you. “She’s been through enough tonight. She’s given you more than enough - just let me get her out of here.”

The officer must have agreed, because the next thing you knew, Bradley was buckling you into the Bronco. He pressed a kiss to the side of your head and murmured that he would be right back. You heard the click of the lock once he closed the door, and you let out a breath of relief at knowing no one could touch you now. You let your eyes fall close and your head rest against the cool glass of the window as you waited.

He was gone for several minutes, and when he unlocked the car and climbed in himself, he set your bag down on the floor at your feet.

The trip back to his apartment was silent, not even any music playing on the radio. Halfway there, you unbuckled your seatbelt and slid over on the bench seat to press yourself to his side. He didn’t say anything, just shifted to wrap his arm around you. You let your eyes close, and when you opened them again, you were parked in his normal spot.

“Let’s get you inside, baby,” Bradley murmured, and you felt so drained, you could hardly even nod. You barely register him leading you inside, or how he knelt on the ground to take your shoes off, and then helped you sit on the couch. He brought you a glass of water that he helped you drink, and now, sitting here in the quiet of one of the places you felt the safest, that you felt the emotions hitting you all over.

“I’m sorry,” Bradley said softly, running his thumb across your cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner.”

You shook your head, feeling the weight of the day’s events pressing down on you. You didn’t know how to explain that it wasn’t his fault, that you were just grateful he had come at all. You just wanted to be held, to feel safe. He seemed to sense that, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close.

You leaned into him, the tears streaming down your face as you buried your head into his chest. Every part of you ached, and you didn't know how to make it stop. You tried to take deep breaths to calm down, but the sobs kept coming. All the while, you clung tightly to Bradley’s body, his arms secure around you.

You don’t know how long you sat there, crying and clinging to one another on the couch, when the thought came to you. Mustering all the strength you could, you muttered the words into his soft shirt. “Is it over now?”

“What, baby?” Bradley asked, and you sucked in as much air as you could, letting it out slowly. You pulled away just enough to look up into his dark eyes.

“It’s over now, right? He can’t…he can’t hurt me anymore, right?”

Bradley’s expression softened, and he ran his hand up and down your back. “No, he can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe now. I promise.”

____

Six Months Later

You woke up to Bradley’s lips on your skin.

You were laying on your stomach, face pressed into the smooth material of your pillow. The sheet had pooled near your hips as you slept and you could feel the warmth of sunbeams through the thin curtains on the window contrasted with the cool air from the ceiling fan spinning above on your bare back. Bradley pressed kisses along your shoulder blades, featherlight touches that had you wondering if maybe you were still dreaming. But then you felt his fingers tracing up the indents of your spine and you knew this was real. You shivered in delight, a sleepy moan escaping into the pillow before you rolled over.

“Morning, Bug,” he rasped, voice thick with sleep. You couldn’t help but shudder again at the sound of it. You opened your eyes to see Bradley propped on his side, head supported by one hand. With the other, he traced the outline of your collarbone.

You smiled and reached up to brush your fingers through his hair. “Morning, handsome.” You leaned in for a kiss, relishing the feel of his warm lips on yours. “What time is it?”

“It’s still early. I couldn’t sleep, so thought I’d wake you up instead.” The next kiss was deeper, and you felt your body starting to respond to him. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and after a moment, he chuckled against your lips.

“What’s so funny?” you asked, pulling back slightly to look at him.

“Nothing.” he replied, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. “Just happy to finally wake up here with you.”

You hummed in response and smiled, knowing exactly what he meant.

It was almost hard to believe that just six months ago, you had been in the middle of a nightmare. It had been a whirlwind since then. You had started a new job that you absolutely loved and that you were thriving in. Paul had been arrested and charged with assault, stalking, and breaking and entering. You had been granted a restraining order against him, even though hopefully you wouldn’t need it for a while while he served out his sentence.

Bradley had been there every step of the way. He never pushed, never pressured you into anything you weren't ready for. He just held you close, listened when you needed to talk, and loved you fiercely.

You had decided pretty soon after the incident that you wanted a fresh start together, in a place completely on your own. You had found a cute little house that suited both of your needs. It was the exact same distance to work for both of you, had a spare bedroom and an office that you would utilize on your work from home days, and a small yard where maybe you could get the dog you had both been joking about for awhile. It wasn’t totally updated and would need some work, but it was perfect. You were in the middle of closing when Bradley had gotten deployment papers in the mail. He was scheduled to leave a week before you were planning on moving in, and would be gone for nine weeks. You had talked, briefly, about putting everything off. He knew that you were still working through a lot, and he hadn’t wanted to put the pressure of moving into a new house completely on you.

But you had been tired of feeling weak and dependent. So you had smiled and kissed him and told him that it would be okay. You waved him off with tears in your eyes while you watched the carrier ship pull away, and then you went back to his apartment and finished packing boxes. You were determined to make the house you had purchased together into a home for him to return to, and that was exactly what you had done. He had looked around in wonder when you brought him home just yesterday. It was the first night you had spent together, and it had made all the stress worth it.

“Hey,” Bradley said softly, brushing his thumb across your cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

You smiled and snuggled closer to him, burying your face in his chest. “Just how lucky I am to have you,” you whispered.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around you tighter. “I’m the lucky one,” he said. “You’re the strongest person I know.”

He leaned in, his lips meeting yours in a gentle, lingering kiss. He brushed his nose against yours when he pulled away, and for a long moment, you just laid there together, sharing the same breath. “I think we should take a trip,” he murmured, breaking the peaceful silence you had fallen into.

You let out a surprised laugh, shaking your head. “You just got home.”

“I know,” he shrugged. “But I have a few weeks of leave, and you have some PTO saved up. Maybe we can go this weekend.”

“Did you have somewhere specific in mind?” you asked, deciding to humor him. A playful sparkle that almost looked mischievous crept into his dark brown eyes and he nodded, kissing you again.

“I was thinking of a cabin in the mountains. I might know a place with a good hot tub.”

You felt a flutter in your chest at the thought of the first trip you had taken together to just the place he was describing, and how it had been the perfect escape. It was the first time you had expressed that you loved one another. You hadn’t been back since, but you had thought of it, every once in a while. Clearly he had too. It would just be the two of you, secluded away from reality, able to enjoy each other's company without any distractions.

You smiled up at him, and he returned the gesture, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Sounds amazing," you said, and he leaned down to kiss you again, his hands roaming over your body. The kiss quickly turned passionate, and before you knew it, you were lost in each other - just the way you should be.

-Fin-

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Series Masterlist :: Main Masterlist

Notes: And there we have it. Thank you so much for everyone who stuck around. Can't believe we made it🖤

Thank you to Mak and Em for all of your help making this story come to life. This one is for the two of you.

And thanks to Mak for the AMAZING banner!

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beyondthesefourwalls · 10 months

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This Love Came Back to Me (4)

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Reader (no use of y/n)

Warnings: second chance romance, language, allusions of smut and potential full smut, stalking, unhealthy obsessions, delusions of feelings, unwanted attention.

Part Four Word Count: 4.7K

Part Three :: Series Masterlist

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The weekend you spent with Bradley was the happiest you could remember being in a long time.

Even when you were together before, you lacked this air of understanding and dedication that came from the conversation you had early Saturday afternoon, and it made all the difference. You were able to just be, enjoying every moment, with no worry about what would happen next with him, because you knew he felt the same and you would figure it out together.

You spent the rest of the day and all of Sunday holed up in your house. You cooked together and watched movies and napped and reconnected physically as well as emotionally, and it made saying goodbye late on Sunday night that much harder. You kissed at your front door for a long time before he finally left to return to his own place. He had contemplated staying the night again, but you both had early mornings to start the week, and you knew it would make leaving for work almost impossible if Bradley was laying beside you when you woke up.

Walking into your office on Monday morning, you still felt like you were floating on cloud 9. When you got to your desk and saw an arrangement of carnations and daisies, you gasped in delight. You drew your bottom lip between your teeth, though it did little to contain your grin as you opened the card stuck between the flowers.

I had an amazing weekend with you, Bug. Can’t wait to do it again xx

It took everything in you not to squeal out loud, but inside, you’re screaming.

“Nice flowers,” your coworker Lauren commented as she walked by your desk on her way to get to hers. She wiggled her eyebrows at you playfully, like she was looking for gossip. “Hot date this weekend?”

You laughed lightly, thinking how that didn’t even begin to describe it.

“Something like that,” you answered instead. You rubbed one of the flower petals between your fingers as you thought about how Bradley had woken you up on Sunday morning with kisses to your bare stomach and how you had lounged around in your bed naked until early afternoon.

Your emotions must have been playing across your face because you were brought out of your musings by Lauren’s laugh. Your eyes snapped up to hers and you felt the heat rush to your cheeks at the knowing look she was giving you.

“Oh girl. Whoever he is, you have it bad.”

She didn’t wait for a response before she flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder as she continued her way to her desk. You smiled down at the flowers again, the card with his note held tightly in your head.

“Yeah,” you whispered, “I really do.”

Your heart was so full as you sat down in your chair and dug your phone out of your purse. You opened your message thread with Bradley and then, pulling the flowers close to you so they would be in the camera frame, you snapped a selfie.

Someone sent me flowers. I think he might like me.

Once the picture was sent, you moved the vase to the corner of your desk where you’d be able to see it all day without it blocking your computer monitor. With one more wistful sigh, you started going through the motions of logging on and clicking through any emails you may have gotten over the weekend. Soon enough, you were caught up in your work, scrolling through documents that had been sent to you for review. You had slipped your headphones in as you normally did, so when you caught sight of someone hovering over your desk out of the corner of your eye, you nearly jumped out of your skin.

“Jesus, Paul!”

“Good morning,” he said brightly. He set a cup of coffee directly in front of you and you leaned to the side to avoid the brush of his arm from being so close. Your skin was starting to prickle for all the wrong reasons, as it always did in his presence. The smell of whatever cheap cologne he had on made your nose scrunch. “I brought you coffee.”

“I've told you that you don’t need to do that. I make my own coffee.”

“It’s no problem,” he chirped, pushing his glasses up his face. You did your best to offer him a polite smile, but you’re sure it appeared as more of a grimace. You pushed the coffee to the side, pulling the travel mug you brought yourself closer in return.

“Oh. Someone got you flowers.”

You took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as you nodded. “Yup.”

“Who sent them?”

He was looking at you expectantly. You narrowed your eyes as your annoyance started to turn to anger. You didn’t owe him anything, and despite Bradley not even being here, you felt a flash of protectiveness go through you. These flowers were from him. They were special to you, and Paul didn’t need to know that.

When you didn’t respond, he wasn’t deterred.

“Was it that guy from the bar? He didn’t seem very nice.”

“Paul, it’s really not your - hey!”

You tried to grab it before he could, but he had picked the note that accompanied your bouquet up off of your desk and was reading it with furrowed eyebrows.

“Bug? That’s stupid. You aren’t a bug.”

You snatched the card out of his hands with a scowl. By the way his eyes widened and snapped to you, he seemed shocked at the action. You suppose you couldn’t really blame him for that; despite how much he bothered you and, frankly, creeped you out, you had to work with him, and so you always tried to maintain a level of civility. But after Friday night, you were approaching your whits end.

“It’s not your business.”

“I’m sorry. But you deser-”

“I have work to do,” you snapped, unwilling to listen to anyone tell you what you deserved, especially when it came to this, to Bradley, when he was everything you wanted.

Paul gave you a pleading look but before he could say anything else, you put your headphones back in and turned back to your computer. You started aggressively typing notes, mostly nonsensical, to the document you had been working on before you were interrupted. You stared straight ahead, refusing to look at him. It took a minute, but he eventually took the hint. It was only once you knew he was gone that you stopped typing. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath and tried to push away the discomfort that had settled over you. You were starting to wonder if it was time for another email to HR.

You jumped when your phone buzzed. Picking it up with a sigh, some of the tension left you when you saw Bradley had responded to your earlier message.

Bradley🐓��️❤️: I have it on good authority that you’re correct with that thought.

Your lips quirked. Despite the interaction you just had, your heart skipped a beat reading his words. You chewed the skin at your thumbnail for a moment as you contemplated what to say in return. Another text from him came through.

Bradley🐓✈️❤️: Happy to spend more time convincing you though

A full grin stretched across your face now. Truly, you didn’t need to be convinced of anything, and you knew Bradley knew that, but you were happy to play along. Especially when it made you smile and your heart fluttered like this.

And just how would you do that?

Bradley🐓✈️❤️: I have my ways. Wanna find out?

Consider me curious. Yes.

Bradley🐓✈️❤️: I’ll see you tonight then.

Bradley🐓✈️❤️: By the way - thanks for the picture. You look beautiful, Bug.

And the flowers I’m sure you paid good money for?

Bradley🐓✈️❤️: Barely noticed them. Too busy looking at you 😉

You sat your phone down once you sent back a few heart emojis along with a promise to see him later. You glanced at the flower arrangement before you got back to work, a pleasant warmth filling your body.

You were in and out of meetings the rest of the day, and when you were at your desk, you kept your headphones in and your head down, trying to stay zoned in and avoiding interaction when at all possible. You almost thought you were lucky that your boss had a tendency to throw too much work at you, because being as busy as you were meant that you didn’t have much time to watch the clock and wait for the hours to tick by. Still, you breathed a sigh of relief when 5:00 rolled around. You weren’t usually one of the first to leave, but you were eager to get home.

You packed your things quickly as you said goodbye to a few of your coworkers who were still finishing up. The last thing you grabbed was the vase of flowers. You brought them to your nose as you walked to the elevator. They really were so pretty, and smelled so nice. You were going to have to ask Bradley where he had gotten them.

You felt your phone buzz in your bag and shifted the flowers into the crook of your arm as you dug with your opposite hand to retrieve the device. Bradley was leaving work now and would be on his way to your house after a quick stop to shower and change. And, in a follow up message, he couldn’t wait to see you.

You were texting back one handed when a weight knocked hard into your right side.

With a startled gasp, you stumbled. The sudden contact caused your phone to fly out of your hand, and as your bag fell down your arm the hold you had around the flowers loosened. You scrambled to get a better grip on the vase, but then hands grabbed your arms to steady you, only jarring you further, and you watched in what felt like horrified slow motion as it fell to the ground. The sound of breaking glass rang in your ears, the water keeping the flowers alive spreading quickly on the floor, soaking the carnations and daisies that laid in a heap amongst the tile.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

Your eyes snapped up from the catastrophe at the familiar, nasally, grating voice. They narrowed quickly and you took a step back, jerking your arms out of his grasp when Paul didn’t immediately let go. His face was the picture of innocence, but there was a glint in his eyes that had you unnerved. You couldn’t help but scoff. WIthout saying a word, you dropped down to scoop up your phone and Bradley’s gift to you while they were still salvageable. The thick vase was beyond saving and you were careful to avoid touching any of the shards of glass.

“I can throw those away for you, if you’d like.”

Your nostrils flared at his words and you glared up at him. With a huff, you finished grabbing what you could and stood back up. “That won’t be necessary.”

“I don’t mi-”

“I do,” you snapped. You took a deep breath, doing your best to center yourself before you got too worked up. You could feel tears prickling behind your eyes because of how angry you were and you refused to cry right now. “I won’t be throwing them away.”

He started to say your name again when your manager Gretchen rounded the corner to the elevator bay. Her eyes widened at the scene in front of her. “Oh no! What happened?”

You gritted your teeth before forcing on a professional smile. “Just clumsy,” you excused.

You could practically feel the judgment rolling off of her in waves as she eyed you up and down, glancing again at the mess you hadn’t even caused again. “Well, let’s make sure this gets cleaned up before you leave, okay?”

You felt scolded and shamed, your eyes hot, but you were thankful for her when she set her gaze on the red headed man hovering beside you and told him she had been looking for him. “I want to go over a few things for your next project. Let’s chat in the elevator.”

Paul couldn’t do much more than agree with her, though his eyes lingered on you even as he did. You took the opportunity to pivot where you stood and dart across the hallway to the kitchen on this floor. By the time you returned with a thick roll of paper towels, they were gone and you could breathe out a sigh of relief.

You tried to be quick with cleaning up the mess you had inadvertently created. A few of your other coworkers had walked by you, eyeing you in a way that didn’t just feel curious. Embarrassment settled deep in your chest, but even stronger than that was the overall exhaustion you felt. You hated it here. And you hated that you hated it here, because you genuinely liked what you did. But you didn’t know how much more of this you could take. You hadn’t spent the weekend applying for new jobs like you had planned, even if your distraction was for the best possible reason. You made a mental note to set aside some time and prioritize scouring LinkedIn and job boards this week.

Once you’d thrown away the combination of wet napkins, broken glass and stray leaves and petals, you took off the hair tie you kept on your wrist. There was an indentation on your skin from where you’d snapped it throughout the day as your anxiety got the best of you. You wrapped it around the bundle of flowers to keep them contained and just stared at them for a moment. Your heart ached at how some were bent and ruffled from hitting the ground. You swallowed the feeling, telling yourself you could do your best to fix it when you got home.

The office was mostly empty by now so the elevator ride down to the first floor was mercifully quiet. There was a crack on your screen protector from when your phone hit the floor and you ran your finger over it with a sigh before letting your head fall back against the wall.

It was only Monday, and you were already ready for the weekend.

To top it all off, you got stuck in a bit of traffic on your way home, because of course you did. When you pulled into your driveway, Bradley was already there, leaning against that familiar blue Bronco. You realized once you caught sight of his phone in his hand that you had never actually texted him back before.

“Shit,” you cursed under your breath. By the time you put your car in park and took the keys out of the ignition, he was opening the driver’s side door.

The wide smile on his face while he greeted you had some of the angst you had been feeling easing into something soft and warm; you couldn’t help but smile back at him. He grabbed your bag for you and slipped it over his own shoulder as he helped you out of the car. You held tight to your flowers with your other hand. Without skipping a beat, as soon as you were standing, you buried your face in the soft material of his Hawaiian shirt. A soft chuckle vibrated through his chest, but both of his arms locked around you and his lips pressed into the top of your head.

“Hi, baby,” he murmured into your hair. You mumbled the word back to him, snuggling closer. “Long day?”

You inhaled deeply, letting his scent invade your senses, settling over you like a blanket. You finally lifted your head, smiling up at him.

“Better now,” you promised. Bradley leant down to kiss you and you raised on your tiptoes to meet him halfway. You hummed in pleasure once you settled back down on the ground. “Mmm. Much better now.”

He grinned, but then his eyes flickered down, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. You followed his line of sight to the bundle grasped in your hand at your side. Your smile dropped just the slightest bit at the reminder of what had happened less than an hour ago, but you do your best to swallow it. Instead, you held the flowers up to your face, mimicking the photo you had sent him earlier. Bradley’s eyes sparkled in recognition and his smile grew.

“Even better in person,” he quipped, and your heart fluttered, because even if his tone was joking, you knew he meant the words.

Bradley’s hand settled on your back as you made your way to and through your front door. You groaned in relief when you kicked your shoes off. You went to take a step toward the kitchen, but a gasp escaped you when instead, your body was turned with a hand on your arm. Before you could ask what he was doing, Bradley’s lips were on yours again. You melted against him, moaning into his mouth.

You lost yourself in the kiss and only pulled away once breathing became an issue. You knew your lips were swollen by the way they tingled, but you drew your bottom one between your teeth anyway. You peered up at him through your lashes.

“Hi,” he said simply. You couldn’t help the shiver that went through you at the rasp in his voice. The sound went straight to your core.

“Hi,” you breathed. “What was that for?”

Bradley shrugged, giving you a small smirk and a wink. “Because I wanted to, mostly. But also as a way to convince you of your theory.”

Your brain wasn’t quite back online yet so it took a moment for you to process what his words meant, but then your texts from earlier flashed in your head. You let out a breathless laugh which Bradley returned with one of his own.

He followed you when you walked further into the house this time. He leant against the counters next to you, watching as you grabbed the vase with the bouquet he had gotten you at the farmers market on Saturday. You took your hair tie off of the ones from today and started to combine the two arrangements into one. You only had one vase, and you weren’t ready to part with any of the flowers quite yet, so you had to make this work.

“What happened to the vase that these came in?” he asked casually. He rubbed one of the carnation petals between two of his fingers. You froze for a brief moment, but he must have caught it in the corner of his eye, because he turned to face you more fully. “Bug?”

“I uh..I dropped it, on my way out of the office. It’s why you beat me here, I was cleaning it up.”

You didn’t look at him, but you could feel him looking at you. You weren’t sure if you were just incredibly obvious, or if he just knew you that well, but he shifted closer to you and settled a hand on your arm again, his thumb running up and down on your exposed skin.

“Are you alright? Didn’t get nicked by any glass or anything like that?”

You bit the inside of your cheek and shook your head. You fluffed the newly added flowers, noting how nice they all looked together, and how the glass containing them was so full it was practically overflowing.

Bradley said your name gently, and you couldn’t resist the pull to look at him this time. His face was open and curious, and you could see the hint of worry there too. “Hey. Talk to me.”

You wanted to deflect and tell him that nothing was wrong, and that you were just having a clumsy episode, like you had said to your boss. You felt awful for ruining the lighthearted moment you had been having since coming into the house, and disrupting the overall peace you had felt since Friday night. But part of the reason you broke up the first time was because the two of you masked what you were feeling, and you were so determined to make it work this time. You had promised you would talk to each other. So you took a deep breath and let it out slowly. You convinced yourself it wasn’t that big of a deal, anyway.

“Paul ran into me,” you told him, trying to come off as unbothered as possible. He pushed himself off the counter, standing at full height. You could see the concern written all over his expression, now, along with a touch of anger.

“He ran into you?”

“Mhm,” you nodded, before releasing a long sigh in defeat. You wanted to be completely honest with him, even if it made you feel some sort of misplaced guilt for causing him stress. “He made a snarky comment this morning when he stopped by my desk. Read the note and made fun of my nickname. Said you seemed rude. Tried to imply that I deserved better. I told him it was none of his business. Then when I was leaving, he just…came out of nowhere and knocked into me. He grabbed onto me before I could catch my phone and the vase.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the end, thinking of how, on top of everything, you were going to need to replace your screen protector. You had forgotten about that.

“He grabbed you?”

“To keep me from falling, apparently. I guess. I don’t know. He said he didn’t see me.”

“Bug…” Bradley’s eyes were wide, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Truthfully, you couldn’t either.

“I know,” you said softly. You suddenly needed to touch him, so you closed the distance between you and wrapped your arms around his middle. You could tell he was trying to find the words to say; you could practically see the wheels in his head turning while he rubbed your back. You were patient as you looked up at him.

“This isn’t okay,” he finally settled on.

“I know.”

“I’m trying really hard not to be overprotective or overbearing. But from what happened on Friday and then everything you’ve told me about him… I don’t want to tell you what to do. I know that you can take care of yourself. But something needs to be done here, baby.”

You sighed again, agreeing with him. “I’m going to apply for new jobs this week. And maybe I’ll email HR again tomorrow.”

“Can you talk to them in person?” he asked. You knew it was his version of a compromise, because what he really wanted was to talk to them, or him, himself. But you nodded, saying that you would go tomorrow.

“First thing,” he requested, tacking on a quiet ‘please’.

“First thing,” you promised.

Bradley let out a long, loud breath, and you hated that he was feeling this way. You could sense the frustration he had and you had to remind yourself that it wasn’t directed toward you, but rather, for you. It made your stomach flutter that he was doing his best to respect the independence he knew you were so proud of, even if the thought of him being overprotective of you was one you surprisingly didn’t mind one bit. You hugged him a little bit tighter, burying your face in his chest.

You stood there for a minute, arms wrapped tightly around the other. When Bradley finally pulled away, he tilted your head back up to look at him. The anger he had been feeling has faded from his face, replaced with the soft, open look he usually gave you. His smile was gentle and he tucked some of your hair behind your ear.

“I have an idea,” he said.

“Oh yeah?”

“I need to finish convincing you that I like you. So go get changed. I want to take you somewhere.”

After stopping at your favorite hibachi place for a pick up order, the somewhere he referenced ended up being the beach. Bradley grinned at the surprised look on your face when he pulled a blanket and a bottle of your favorite red wine from the backseat.

“Did you plan this?”

His only answer was the wink he sent you before he opened the door and jogged around the front of the Bronco to open yours. He didn’t let go of your hand once you got out, fingers laced together as he led you onto the sand. You didn’t walk too far before he found a spot to spread out the blanket. You kicked your shoes off before you sat down; the smile on your face never faltered.

You ate your takeout and drank the wine straight from the bottle, passing it back and forth between bites as you talked and laughed about different things. This section of beach was nearly deserted, only the stray person occasionally walking or jogging by. You nearly jumped out of your skin when a dog barking broke through the air, prompting Bradley to burst into laughter.

Once your food was gone and the drink recorked, you laid back on the blanket. You were meant to be watching the sunset, you knew. But the ocean breeze ruffled the curls on Bradley’s head and you couldn’t resist running your fingers through them, looking at him instead. He was on his side beside you, head propped up with one hand while the other played with the hem of your shirt.

“So, are you convinced yet?”

You giggled at his question and the way he wiggled his eyebrows. You hummed loudly in playful consideration as you pretended to think about it. “I think I need one more thing,” you decided.

“Name it.”

You ran your index finger over the scars on his cheek before doing the same over his lips with your thumb. His breathing hitched at the notion, eyes darkening in time with the sky. He looked almost ethereal staring down at you with the orange and purple hues in the background.

“Kiss me.”

___

You’re surprised when you walked into work on Tuesday to another bouquet on your desk. It’s identical to the one from the previous day and a smile tugged at your lips as you approached the work station. You were going to have to talk to Bradley about the flower budget he seemingly had set aside.

You set your stuff down and reached for the note, eager to see what sweet thing he had written this time. Your beach date last night had been nothing short of magical, and saying goodbye to him at your front door was even harder than it had been on Sunday. You were sure whatever he had to say would get your heart racing in anticipation of seeing him again, more than it already was. But your smile dropped and a sick feeling started growing in your stomach as you read the words and realized these weren’t from your boyfriend at all.

You’re too pretty to ever be called a “bug”

You crumbled the note and snatched the vase up in your hands. You got more than a few curious looks as you made your way down the hall toward the kitchen. You froze for a second once you got there, seeing Paul at the coffee station with a mug in his hand. He spotted you instantly and you saw the way his gaze flickered down to the flowers you held. He stood up a little bit straighter and had the audacity to start smiling.

Your nostrils flared and anger consumed your whole body, and you took the last few steps you needed. You made sure his eyes were locked back on yours, staring directly at you, when you dropped the arrangement into the trash can with enough force to shake the whole bin. You turned on your heel and fled the room without saying a word.

It was only once you were back at your desk that you realized your hands were shaking and tears were stinging your eyes.

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Part Five :: Series Masterlist :: Main Masterlist

Notes: I hate Paul. But I love my Bug and B. I hope you enjoyed this one! Likes/comments/reblogs are the best encouragement for posting more🖤

Thank you to Mak and Em for all of your help making this story come to life. And thanks to Mak for the AMAZING banner!

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