My Sweet Shina - Book One

Chapter Twenty-One

I woke up to the feeling of Leon's arm draped over my waist, his chest warm against my back. I lay there for a while just listening to his soft breathing, feeling his heart's gentle rhythm against my back as he slept. At that moment, I couldn't imagine how anything could be more perfect in my life.

As long as I had Leon, I had everything I could ever want, everything I needed.

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"Shina?" I heard him call out in a sleepy voice. Smiling at how cute he sounded, I turned off the burner I had used and carefully slid the omelet onto the waiting plate.

"Down here! You're just in time, breakfast is ready!" I called up the stairs that lead to the bedroom loft. Putting a few pieces of bacon on each plate, I grabbed the two plates and moved them to the table before sitting down and waiting for Leon to come downstairs.

"Is that what that wonderful smell is?" I could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Hey! I only kinda burned the bacon! The rest turned out just fine! Not my fault I haven't cooked much since we started living together...." I had started strong but ended my tirade in a quiet mumble.

"I'll see what I can do about getting you something to cook with, ok love? I didn't mean to make you feel bad." I sighed as I felt his chin come to rest on my shoulder. "Forgive me?"

"How could I not, when you try so hard to make me happy?" I placed a kiss on his cheek before he pulled back and moved to sit down. "Let's eat before it gets cold."

"If I finish everything, do I get a treat?" He asked with a wink.

Even after everything we have done, he can still make me blush so easily.

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We didn't leave the cabin until almost noon, bringing a picnic lunch with us as we started walking along one of the many trails that ran through the trees, winding their ways up and down the side of the mountain. We choose to stick to the lower trails, the slope gentler in the lower regions.

I wonder if we might see any deer?

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I scowled as I scrubbed at the stain on my pants. Stupid trash. Dumb garbage. Just had to get me all dirty. And I really liked these pants too! But it was worth it. I mean really, what kind of idiots flirt so shamelessly with people they only just met? And who just walks in and starts talking to people who are trying to have a nice peaceful lunch together? How rude the garbage had been.

But the worst was the trash! How dare she try to kiss my Leon! Couldn't she tell he was mine! Were the bite marks I had covered his skin with not enough to prove he was already taken?

What would it take to make all the trash stop trying to dirty what was already mine!!!

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It wasn't until we were on the way back, winding our way along the trail hand in hand, that I saw it through the trees. I couldn't believe we had almost missed seeing something so amazing! I tightened my grip on Leon's hard and started pulling him behind me, my eyes never leaving the sight before me. I knew he saw it too when I felt him stop behind me, the sharp intake of breath making me smile. He was just as amazed as I was.

I stepped forward again, listening to the soft sound of the water as it trickled gently down the worn, giant rocks in front of us that poked out of the mountainside, each one as big as a car as they seemed to stand in a line before us. It was almost like someone had tried to make a dam to stop this small piece of the mountain from sliding down any further.

I watched as Leon stepped in front of me, letting the cool water trickle over his fingertips before falling into the small creak that ran along the bottoms of the rocks before vanishing below the earth. An underground waterway it seemed, beautiful in the fleeting time it spent above the surface.

I smiled as Leon turned to me, his eyes almost glowing with the love in them. Pulling something from his pocket, he moved to stand directly in front of me and dropped to one knee.

"Marry me, Shina. Be mine forever?"