Novel & Cerita One More Step

One step at a time. Together.

But I pulled back, creating distance between us, leaving him with a look of disappointment. "You say I'm the only one? You say you can give all your love to me?" "Then, Marshall, tell me… what is this?"

One step at a time. One step at a time.

You thought I would beg for reconciliation no matter what you did. "You never thought about me or how I would feel in anything you did, but you missed something important. Every time you ignored me, you erased some of the love I had for you. If you stretched it long enough, one day, there would be nothing left. And now, there's nothing left. I don't love you anymore, Sonia." Every word drained more color from her face. The last sentence came like a final judgment, and her glass fell out of her hands. She tried to say something, but in the end, only one quiet word came out. "Sorry."

One more step—one more step—and we were nearly free. But t‌hen, a sound froze me. ⁠ A fai‍nt click. The door ahead, which I assumed was the exit, swung slightly on its own, revea‍ling… nothing at first. Then Preston’s voice, calm and deliberate, echoed‌: “You thought it would be that e⁠a‌sy? You’re close, Damon. So clo⁠se‌ you ca‌n alm‍ost taste it. But there’s‌ one more test. One f‌inal obstacle. Are you⁠ ready to see just how far y‌o‌u’ll‌ go?”‍

She would rather ruin herself than give someone else that much power over her. I forced my head back into the game and glanced at the three men in the cabin before announcing, "Step one is done." I paused, meeting their mused glare with my empty one before I added, "Time for step two." Time to up the game.

As I sat in the gathering dark listening for the sound of Stephens truck or the wind, in the olives I realized that I was not waiting for the end. I was waiting for the beginning to happen. I will take things one step at a time with one stone, one vine, and one truth, at a time.

I whisper softly. “I know,” he replies. “But I’m ready for this,” I continue. His thumb brushes gently against my side again. “Then we take it one step at a time,” he says. I nod slightly. “One step at a time.” And this time I mean it.

Despite the way it seemed she might fall at any minute, she was holding steady to the spot where I’d told her to step. “There’s one more big step to step over a missing plank,” I said, my voice gruff from emotion. “When you make it, you’ll be just three small steps from solid ground.” I held my breath as I waited for her to make those final steps. The bridge trembled furiously and swayed, threatening to throw her over. She paused, fighting the instinct to jump back. She took one tiny step forward and the wooden slab beneath her wobbled dangerously. I could see her muscles tense as she fought to keep steady, taking another step. A moment later, I saw her foot land firmly on solid ground, and

in a split second, she placed both palms on his cheeks and looked him in the eyes. " Alright, i forgive you, it's fine, we can walk through this " Riley started " what do we do?, ermm, it's fine, you know, she can ermm have the baby and you can still be part of the baby's life, i'll be fine with that, yeah, i mean, i didn't want to ever be a step mother but plans change right?, yeah, i'll adjust, i'll adjust cause i love you, i love you dammit"