Ruben's wife dies during childbirth along with their son. Ruben hasn't been in a relationship since. Y/N is a single mother to a four year old boy. She buys a house in the small town that Ruben lives in. The house needs alot of fixing which Ruben helps with, resulting in him slowly falling in love with Y/N. However, falling in love with Y/N makes Ruben feel like he is betraying his dead wife.

Enjoy

You and Ruben rode in his truck on the way to the house.

"No, turn it up."

"What, the radio?"

"Yes, I love this song." You leand forward, stretching your hand to turn up the volume yourself. Ruben looked at you with a crooked smile.

"What, you don't have a favorite song?"

He snorted. "No."

"Don't lie."

He frowned. "Why would I lie about that?"

"I dunno, because you're trying to hide the fact that you're a swiftie like me."

"A what?"

"A swiftie. A fan of singer/songwriter Taylor Swift."

"Who?"

You rolled your eyes, turning up the music a little more. "Johnny would've loved this song." The sounds of Wildest Dreams burst through the radio, the base of the song felt throughout the car. Ruben kept his eyes on the road, failing to hide his grin. He reached out to turn down the volume once the song faded, the radio station moving on to play the next greatest hit.

"So when is he coming?" He asked.

"Pardon?"

"Your husband. He's eventually coming down to live with you in the house, right?"

"Um...right."

Nothing really prevented you from telling Ruben about Johnny. You had to lie initially, but now that the deal was done, the house being yours, there was really no need to keep it up.

"Is it hard, being away from each other?"

There was a longing in Ruben's voice when he asked you this question, a longing you knew that you couldn't ignore.

"Yes. I miss him alot." It wasn't a lie, you really missed Johnny, your son, more than anything in the world. "I try to tell him to be patient, but he gets so anxious, you know."

Ruben nodded understandingly. You couldn't imagine how much he must miss his wife. And his son, who he never got to meet.

"So...what are we doing today?" You asked, an attempt to lift the fallen mood.

Ruben perked up. "Um...I have a guy coming to check the powerline. It must have snapped during the storm for there to have been a power outage."

"Okay. Will he be able to fix it today?" As much as you loved staying with David and Katarina, their hospitality towards you was well overdue.

"I hope so."

You arrived at the house before the powerline guy, meaning you and Ruben had to wait for him. But waiting made you restless so you naturally began exploring your new home. You walked up and down the hallway downstairs, amongst the furniture covered in sheets. Now that you knew the story of Ruben and his wife you weren't sure weather you should get rid of some of the stuff that had been left behind in the house.

"Do you think it's possible to get rid of the wall?" You returned outside, having pondered the question.

"What wall?" Ruben frowned.

"The one in he living room?"

"Y/N," He chuckled. "There is more than one wall in the living room."

"Then come and see it for yourself."

You turned around, ready to march back into the house.

"Ruben?"

Realizing that he wasn't right behind you, you turned backaround. Ruben stood frozen outside his old house, staring up at it, looking lost and afraid.

"Ruben, you okay?"

You approach him.

He shook his head. "No."

"No?"

"No."

The words slipped out of him with caution, but Ruben explained that he was simply terrified of stepping inside his old home, which had been left untouched for years after his wife passed away. He felt like the memories were too much to bear, and he couldn't bring himself to renovate or even clean the place out of fear of losing the last remaining bits of his beloved partner.

You listened patiently as Ruben shared his story, and then you offered him your hand.

"Everyone has to face their fear someday, even you."

There was somthing childlike with Ruben taking a hold of your hand. Like a toddler, trusting its parents to guide them through life. Nevertheless, that's exactly what you did. With your back turned to the house, you guided Ruben into it, one step of the time. Once you were inside it came naturally to you to grab a hold of his other hand, guiding him deeper through a house that probably held so many of his memories, happy and sad.

"It's this wall." You stopped once you reached the living room. Ruben held your gaze for a bit longer, having never let his eyes wander freely as the two of you had entered the house.

"I want to take down this wall and separate the living room from the dining room. This could make the space feel more open." And less intimidating, you thought.

Ruben observed the wall, nodding his head understandingly. He seemed to have found himself again. "Alright, just let me get my sledgehammer."

Together, you donned your gloves, ready to tackle the task at hand. You and Ruben took turns with the hammer, tearing down the walls of the house. With every blow, he looked to find a newfound sense within himself, a new found strength. You chatted with Ruben, sharing stories and jokes to distract him from the emotional weight of the moment. At first, Ruben was hesitant and nervous, but as the afternoon wore on, he began to relax and enjoy the process. You laughed together as you knocked down the walls, creating a new, open layout for the house. By the time you finished, Ruben looked transformed - no longer haunted by the ghosts of his past, but instead filled with hope and gratitude for the present.

"That was fun." You collapsed on the floor, surrounded by the rubble of the old walls.

"I'm worried for you." Ruben chuckled, stretching you a hand to help you back onto your feet. He didn't like you laying amongst the debris.

"Worried, why?" You frowned, letting his strong arms pull you to a stand.

"If this is what you call having fun." He said. "Then I'm worried for you."

"Stop it." You hit him in the arm. "You know what I mean. It was kinda fun bringing down a giant wall with a sledgehammer. I feel like I got all my rage out."

"It was something alright."

You stood close enough to see the sweat dripping down Ruben's forhead. You could imagine the shower you would need after this. It had been a workout of its own kind. A DIY workout.

"Y/N I..."

You were suddenly aware of how close Ruben's face was to yours, his breath warming your cheek. If you had payed less attention to the sweat dripping down his forhead you might have noticed how he was looking at you, how Ruben's eyes had been shifting from your face to your lips with a lustful glare. And so when he kissed you it came as a surprise, making you stumble backwards. Ruben caught you, his arm wrapping gently around your waist, railing you in to have you pressed against his chest.

"Ruben." You moaned against his mouth.

The kiss had deepened, with Ruben grunting in response, his eager front pressing against your pelvis. It felt good. Too good.

"Ruben please." Your palms to his chest slightly pushed off of him, the rest Ruben did himself.

"Fuck, I'm sorry."

He took a step back with wide eyes, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"It's okay Ruben, I didn't..."

He shook his head. "No it's not. I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have kissed you."

You frowned, having just been caught by surprise. Had the kiss been that bad for him?

"You have a husband Y/N." He said, reminding you of your lies.

"Oh." You chuckled. "No Ruben, it's okay I...."

"It's really not...okay."

"What? No. I'm not married Ruben, you don't have to...."

The sound of a honking horn interrupted. A truck had pulled up outside.

"I'm sorry, I have to..." Ruben was glad to escape, leaving you behind.