HER || 18+ (Monsters #2) || Sequel to THEM

71 - Bliss

"It's a good idea," Zavier agreed.

"It's..." Xerxes shrugged. "I won't participate. But, I'll watch."

"It will be a fucking circus," Fabiano said, sitting down beside Giovanni.

"You're all insane, except you," I said the last part to Dante. "You can't just abduct Ashton."

"Why not?" Giovanni asked. "If he wants to get married to that....'O' something, I will abduct him and throw him in a room till he grows a brain."

"My go- does no one know her name!?"

"I think it starts with...'A'," Dante said and then frowned. "Or....'D'?"

"It starts with a 'U'," Fabiano said.

"Where the fuck did you get that from?" Zavier asked him. "What name even starts with a fucking 'U'?"

"Ursula," Giovanni said. "It was a good movie. Olivia made me watch it."

"When the fuck?" Zavier looked at me. "Why the fuck were you watching movies with him?"

"He's good company."

"Since when?"

"Since forever, motherfucker," Giovanni muttered. "I'm better than all of your combined."

"Okay," I said. "I feel like the conversation had gotten away from us. You cannot abduct Ashton on his wedding day. I'll talk to him."

"We can abduct him today," Zavier offered.

"Why do you want to abduct him so badly?" I asked.

"He stranded me at a grocery store."

"When did that happen?"

"I remember that." Giovanni laughed. "You bitched about it for two fucking weeks."

"I wouldn't say bitched-"

"I'd say whine-" Dante added.

"Shut the fuck up, Dante."

And then it went on. These six were so closely knit that it was...heartwarming to watch. What the Creeds had gone through was horrible, yes, but I was glad that they found lifelong friends out of all that misery. Three people would be their constant.

Four, if one was to count me. But I didn't consider myself reliable. My mind liked to play tricks on me.

. . .

Finally, they decided to not abduct Ashton on his wedding day and settled for me telling me to not marry. All of them seemed to be convinced that all he needed was me saying no and then he just wouldn't marry. Even Fabiano.

They have me more credit than I deserved. I knew Ashton loved me, but would he decide to not marry just because I said so? It would be bad for his reputation. It'd be bad for the mafia, as the news had spread like wildfire, Miss Summers reported.

The logical choice would be him getting married to her and having kids - especially the heir everyone was eagerly waiting for.

Because I...I knew I could never be a great mother. So why should the Creeds wait for me to make up my mind? Was that fair to them? They could have anyone. They chose me. And I couldn't give them what they needed to sustain their claim.

And yes, they weren't owed kids. But still, it felt like I was planning to take something away from them, from Ashton, as I walked to Ashton's room later that day with my heart in my throat.

What if he slams the door in my face?

He would never. Yet the vision was bad.

I knocked lightly, silently hoping he'd be asleep.

The door opened and he looked down at me. The room was dissolved in darkness, I could see nothing inside.

His eyes shone like the freaking Northern lights, so beautiful and almost magic.

And he was half naked, so there was that.

"Olivia."

I looked down at my bare feet and then forced myself to look back at his perfect face. "Hi, Ashton."

He leaned against the door frame, folding his arms against his chest. Zavier was right, Ashton had bulked up a bit more. But, when I thought about it, all three of them seemed to have bulked up.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes, and...I was wondering if we could talk."

"Of course. Come inside."

He let me walk in and then closed the door. The sound made me flinch. The room was complete darkness, only the feel of the carpet under my feet kept me grounded. I felt him walk towards me, his front pressing to my back. I didn't move.

His lips lowered to my ear. "Let's put you in bed. We can talk there."

He picked me up and sat me down on the bed. Before long, he was laying beside me with half of me over him, curled into his side. And I was in heaven.

"What is it?" He asked after a while of us just laying like that.

"What's her name?"

He froze. "I...it's Mabel."

I couldn't help but laugh. "So, all of them got is wrong."

"Who?"

"Valentionos, Xerxes, and Zavier. They don't know her name."

"They don't think she is relevant."

"Should they?"

"No. Because I can't marry her."

I held my breath and then let out a whisper. "Why?"

"I think it would be unfair," he said. "I said yes to the marriage because I thought it would calm the fucking conservatives of the mafia down, but they insist on all of us getting married. And that's fucked up. And it would be unfair to her too, don't you think?" He kissed my forehead. "To get married to a man whose heart belongs to another."

"She doesn't deserve that, whoever she is."

"Yes, she doesn't. And I..." He sighed. "I don't...I don't want to punish myself and her just because my heart won't stop hating me and reminding me of you."

"Is my thought so bad?"

"It is when you don't want me."

"And when I want you?"

He let out a breath. "It's bliss."

I ran my fingers on his chest, gently. "It's the same for me," I said. "When I have you, my thoughts are consumed by you. When I don't have you, they are haunted."

"I don't want to haunt you."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Do you want me?"

"Always," I whispered. "I heard of you getting married and..." I sniffled. "I deserve every bit of heartbreak I got, because the kind of love we have demands it, but I don't want to ever go through that pain again."

"You won't." He pulled me over him and tucked my head into his chest. "I won't hurt you again."

"Did you touch her?" I whispered.

"No."

"Promise?"

"Yes," he said and pulled me even closer. He grabbed a blanket and pulled it over him. "My heart belongs to you, my fucking body belongs to you. It tolerates no one else. It loves no one else."

I squeezed my eyes shut, a few tears slipping out. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, little one." He ran his hand through my hair. "I missed you more than I thought was possible."

. . .